Wide eyes, long-sighted?

[daughterofMyou]

Hello. My boy Bandit is a leatherback, about 6 months old. I took him to the vet when I first got him; conjunctivitis, because he'd been kept too close to his UV and was essentially snow-blind. He had mucus in his eyes and struggled to catch prey because he couldn't see very well. He made a good recovery and now is eating fine. The vet said he was only about eight weeks old when I got him, which was a bit naughty of the pet store.

I'm wondering if there is still something wrong with his eyes. They appear quite deep-set and he holds them very wide (a lot of sclera is visible), and occasionally he still gets a small amount of gunk in them. He also has trouble judging distances. For example: sometimes he will aim jumps poorly or walk off the edge of my hands/a surface, as if he can't see well close-up. This doesn't seem to impair his cricket-catching abilities though :lol:

Here are some images of his eyes:

He is very energetic and mischievous. He eats well: 20-30 crickets twice per day, dusted with calcium in the mornings and vitamin powder once per week. He poops at least once per day; his faeces is substantial and solid, though with quite a bit of liquid to it (as well as solid white urates). In the last few weeks he's started regularly eating greens; watercress and rocket, with grated butternut squash and (a favourite) green beans. He also gets phoenix worms and wax moths as regular treats. His UV and and temperatures are set up according to this forum's advice.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, his eyes look fine. Beardies have good vision but they don't have depth perception when it comes to jumping....that is normal. the fact that he can catch his crix is a good thing.

 

[daughterofMyou]

Hi there, his eyes look fine. Beardies have good vision but they don't have depth perception when it comes to jumping....that is normal. the fact that he can catch his crix is a good thing.

Thanks for the reply

I only ask because I've owned two beardies previously, and neither of them had depth perception quite as poor as Bandit. He will reach the edge of a surface and keep walking straight off it, as if he can't see the floor. He also sometimes jumps at the empty air, a good few (human) feet away from any sort of climbable surface.

 

[AHBD]

It's always possible that he has some residual eye problem, though not too severe. As long as he's eating + healthy in other ways he should be fine, just keep a close watch on him when he's out + about.

 

[EllenD]

I agree with AHBD, his eyes look completely normal, and I have a year-old girl who seems to have perfect eyesight and no depth perception problems, but I also have a 6 month old boy who acts just as you are describing your's does, though he has no problem at all feeding or catching anything. They can't see straight in front of them, sometime people forget that, so that certainly does effect their depth perception in general.

The photoconjunctivitis is often caused by compact and coil UVB and basking bulbs, I don't know what type of UVB light you have, but I hope it's now either a long T8 or better a T5 UVB tube, or at the very least a compact (not a Coil) UVB light that is a 26 watt in a Nano Hood with a reflector that is inside the tank, under the mesh lid. Most compacts and seemingly all coil UVB lights do no favors to bearded dragons...

 

[daughterofMyou]

The photoconjunctivitis is often caused by compact and coil UVB and basking bulbs, I don't know what type of UVB light you have, but I hope it's now either a long T8 or better a T5 UVB tube, or at the very least a compact (not a Coil) UVB light that is a 26 watt in a Nano Hood with a reflector that is inside the tank, under the mesh lid.

I use a long bulb, yes; T8 Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 UVB. It was recommended to me on this forum

 

[EllenD]

The photoconjunctivitis is often caused by compact and coil UVB and basking bulbs, I don't know what type of UVB light you have, but I hope it's now either a long T8 or better a T5 UVB tube, or at the very least a compact (not a Coil) UVB light that is a 26 watt in a Nano Hood with a reflector that is inside the tank, under the mesh lid.

I use a long bulb, yes; T8 Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 UVB. It was recommended to me on this forum

Yes, it's a great UVB tube for dragons, but the T8 must be mounted inside the tank on the underside of the mesh lid of tank if you have one (the mesh lid blocks 40% of the UVb light and the T8 UVB tubes are too weak to still emit adequate UVB light to your beardie if obstructed by a mesh lid or any type of clear plastic safety cover that is on the tube fixture covering the UVB tube), and as long as his main Basking Spot/Platform is within at least 6" of the unobstructed T8 UVB tube, as any further away and the T8 will not emit proper UVB light to him while he basks....also, the T8 tubes must be replaced once every 6 months, as that is the age of decay that they completely stop emitting any UVB light at all, even though the tube itself will not be burnt out and will still emit regular light.

Just as a helpful and money-saving FYI to you, the next time your T8 Reptisun 10.0 is due to be replaced, you may want to consider upgrading to the much stronger Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube, they come in a 16" and a 22" length, and if you order it from Amazon.com you can buy a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube for only $23 (I believe the going rate for the weaker and shorter 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube in any store is around $37, and online I believe they cost around the same as the 22" T5HO). You'll also have to invest in a new 24" T5-rated tube fixture that has a metal reflector in it, but on Amazon.com they offer a package deal that includes a new 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube and a 24" T5-rated tube Fixture with a metal reflector all for under $50 with free shipping.

I think it's well worth the investment, especially in the long run, as you'll pay for the new T5HO tube and fixture in less than a year, since you have to replace your T8 tube once every 6 months, and you only have to replace the T5HO tube once every 12 months. Also, the Reptisun 10.0 T5HO only has to be within about 10"-11" of your dragon's main Basking Spot/Platform instead of within at least 6" with the T8, so it gives you a lot more room to play around with. Some people, actually most actually allow their 10.0 T5HO tubes (and definitely the Arcadia brand 12.0% T5 tubes) to sit on top of the mesh lids of their tanks because they are strong enough to still emit proper UVb light to your dragon if within at least 11" of his basking spot, and you don't dare leave the T8 version on top of a mesh lid, so it gives you a lot more freedom and peace of mind that your dragon will always be getting ample UVb light at all time, plus you'll save a good bit of money over the years only having to replace it once a year as opposed to twice a year with the T8.

 

[daughterofMyou]

Ah yes, sorry, the bulb is indeed mounted inside the tank. It's a wooden tank, no mesh lid (save for the circle where the heat lamp sits). The UV fitting only supports T8 bulbs, to my knowledge, and I would literally have to take the entire tank apart to swap it for a new T5 fitting. Also I am based in the UK. For now, I'll stick with what I have - but thank you kindly for the suggestion! I have a spare bulb already waiting for when the current one needs replacing in a few weeks' time.

 

[EllenD]

Ah yes, sorry, the bulb is indeed mounted inside the tank. It's a wooden tank, no mesh lid (save for the circle where the heat lamp sits). The UV fitting only supports T8 bulbs, to my knowledge, and I would literally have to take the entire tank apart to swap it for a new T5 fitting. Also I am based in the UK. For now, I'll stick with what I have - but thank you kindly for the suggestion! I have a spare bulb already waiting for when the current one needs replacing in a few weeks' time.

You may want to rethink that decision, I had no idea that you actually keep him in a large, custom, wood enclosure, that almost demands a 10.0 T5 UVB tube and reflector, as the T8 UVb tube is far too weak to project throughout an enclosure that is, say the average 4'x2'x2' wooden enclosure, forgetting that his basking spot/platform has to be at least within 6" of the actual UVb tube itself, which can be difficult to do in a wooden enclosure that tall to begin with, but you should realize that the metal reflector behind the T8 tube cannot reflect the very weak T8 UVB light throughout that size of tank.

I'm stressing this as I build and sell custom wooden enclosures, I have for years and years, and I would never ever put a T8 strength UVb tube in a large, wooden enclosure that has the tube fixture mounted inside on the ceiling of the enclosure, they are far too weak for that. I'd take a look at the actual tube fixture that is mounted inside your enclosure and look for the wattage on it, as I don't know of any professional enclosure builders that would ever put a T8 UVB fixture in a large, wooden enclosure that is meant for a bearded dragon or any other desert reptile. If the tube fixture says at least 24 watts then you can use it to house both the Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVb tube and better yet since you're in the UK the Arcadia 12% T5 UVb tube. Really, do some research on your own if you don't believe me on this, had I known you were not using a smaller, glass tank I would have stressed that as a huge mistake to begin with. It's not that the T8 tubes are not adequate for a bearded dragon, it's that they are only adequate for a bearded dragon in much smaller tanks, up to a large 36"x16"x16" is about the largest recommended enclosure size, especially no taller than around 16", even if your basking platform is tall enough to put him within the mandatory 6" of the unobstructed tube...

 

[daughterofMyou]

It's not that the T8 tubes are not adequate for a bearded dragon, it's that they are only adequate for a bearded dragon in much smaller tanks, up to a large 36"x16"x16" is about the largest recommended enclosure size, especially no taller than around 16", even if your basking platform is tall enough to put him within the mandatory 6" of the unobstructed tube...

The tank is 15 3/4" tall, and his basking spot is within the mandatory range of the unobstructed tube