Hello everyone, I am more of a lurker on this forum so I don't think any of you know me, but my beardie Majora is having an issue and I want to get some quick opinions in case I need to take preventative measures quickly.
I work in a pet store and I have seen a few cases of yellow fungus and have seen what it can do to beardies. Last Saturday Majora started to shed his head and neck, and part of the shedding area on his neck turned yellow (as far as I can tell it happened at the same time he started to shed). It doesn't have the scabby texture like the cases of yellow fungus I've seen before, and I have only seen YF caused by being on meds too long, which he hasn't been on any. The yellow area has gotten lighter over the course of the week along with the rest of the skin he is about to shed but it's still faintly yellow. It hasn't spread at all and is only present on the area of the neck that he's shedding.
It popped up the day I had an appointment to get his pictures taken, so I happen to have some very clear pics of the area in question as it looked the day it appeared. It's the area on his neck near his shoulder.
Should I be worried? Is there anything I should do right now, or should I wait and see if it comes off with the shed? I am so nervous, and I am even more nervous about taking him to a vet for it. I have seen a lot of cases where the wrong/too strong meds were prescribed and it only made the fungus worse or caused fungus where there wasn't any.
How old is your dragon? approx. one year
How long have you had your dragon? one year in June
How long is your dragon? 20" snout to tail
What is the sex of your dragon? male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 breeder tank
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? tiles
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? 24" Reptisun 10.0 tube
How old is your UVB bulb? 3 months
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? within 6"
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? 75w zoo med basking bulb on a dimmer
What are the basking temps? 110 degrees
What is the cool side temp? 78 degrees
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? temp gun
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? on his wood basking platform
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. crickets 3x a week, superworms and dubia as treats, salads (collards, endive, escarole) daily
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? crickets 3x a week in the afternoon, salads put in every morning
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? yes, with fresh veggies and cricket chow
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? Repcal w/o D3 3x a week, Reptivite every other week
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? yes
Do you bath your dragon? How often? 4-5 times a week, it is not always a long soak but he will only poop and drink in the tub
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? not usually
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? last one was about 6 months ago, came back clear
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
I work in a pet store and I have seen a few cases of yellow fungus and have seen what it can do to beardies. Last Saturday Majora started to shed his head and neck, and part of the shedding area on his neck turned yellow (as far as I can tell it happened at the same time he started to shed). It doesn't have the scabby texture like the cases of yellow fungus I've seen before, and I have only seen YF caused by being on meds too long, which he hasn't been on any. The yellow area has gotten lighter over the course of the week along with the rest of the skin he is about to shed but it's still faintly yellow. It hasn't spread at all and is only present on the area of the neck that he's shedding.
It popped up the day I had an appointment to get his pictures taken, so I happen to have some very clear pics of the area in question as it looked the day it appeared. It's the area on his neck near his shoulder.
Should I be worried? Is there anything I should do right now, or should I wait and see if it comes off with the shed? I am so nervous, and I am even more nervous about taking him to a vet for it. I have seen a lot of cases where the wrong/too strong meds were prescribed and it only made the fungus worse or caused fungus where there wasn't any.
How old is your dragon? approx. one year
How long have you had your dragon? one year in June
How long is your dragon? 20" snout to tail
What is the sex of your dragon? male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 breeder tank
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? tiles
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? 24" Reptisun 10.0 tube
How old is your UVB bulb? 3 months
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? within 6"
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? 75w zoo med basking bulb on a dimmer
What are the basking temps? 110 degrees
What is the cool side temp? 78 degrees
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? temp gun
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? on his wood basking platform
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. crickets 3x a week, superworms and dubia as treats, salads (collards, endive, escarole) daily
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? crickets 3x a week in the afternoon, salads put in every morning
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? yes, with fresh veggies and cricket chow
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? Repcal w/o D3 3x a week, Reptivite every other week
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? yes
Do you bath your dragon? How often? 4-5 times a week, it is not always a long soak but he will only poop and drink in the tub
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? not usually
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? last one was about 6 months ago, came back clear
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
