Bearded Dragon Just Lays there All Day

[Sadie]

The light is definitly a T8 Reptisun. We just changed it out like a week ago, but I can tell you it is not 6-8" away from the bottom of where he lays

Please get it inside the tank--- T 8's are not strong enough to go thru the screen and NO clear plastic cover over the bulb-- get this fixed ASAP and you will see a difference in his behavior immediately along w/ the increase of basking temps- he cannot digest his food that is why he's not eating

 

[Sadie]

I am going to post a nutrition website http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder - rinse the salads before serving he will get hydration from that --- I would get him over on dubia roaches they are a way better staple feeder along w/ silk worms -
www.dubiaroaches.com you can order super worms horn worms and roaches - the horn worms grow really fast so only order small amounts they are a great hydrating worm --- you can feed the dubia roaches dugia food along w / carrots for hydration do not feed the dragon carrots too to much Vit A --
www.reptilianarts.com great silk worms the cupped come w/ food clean containers out daily
they have a black friday deal going on now use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY15
please dust his insects w/ calcium D3 on the days your feeding insects and 2 x per week w/ vitamins w/ beta carotene he needs this since hes not been absorbing calcium and I am guess he developing MBD now w/ no UVB

 

[Vanillablooos]

I am going to post a nutrition website http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder - rinse the salads before serving he will get hydration from that --- I would get him over on dubia roaches they are a way better staple feeder along w/ silk worms -
www.dubiaroaches.com you can order super worms horn worms and roaches - the horn worms grow really fast so only order small amounts they are a great hydrating worm --- you can feed the dubia roaches dugia food along w / carrots for hydration do not feed the dragon carrots too to much Vit A --
www.reptilianarts.com great silk worms the cupped come w/ food clean containers out daily
they have a black friday deal going on now use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY15
please dust his insects w/ calcium D3 on the days your feeding insects and 2 x per week w/ vitamins w/ beta carotene he needs this since hes not been absorbing calcium and I am guess he developing MBD now w/ no UVB

I really appreciate the information!! We will get him some roaches and silk worms for sure!!

 

[Vanillablooos]

I really appreciate the information!! We will get him some roaches and silk worms for sure!!

How many roaches and silk worms should he be fed at a time?

 

[Sadie]

I really appreciate the information!! We will get him some roaches and silk worms for sure!!

You can keep the roaches in a 10 gallon aquarium

 

[Sadie]

How many roaches and silk worms should he be fed at a time?

I would feed him large roaches for now and feed one at a time and go from there -- feed him salads every morning along w/ the super worms like 1-3--- he needs to start gaining weight - w/ the proper UVB placement and good basking temps hes going to start eating again --- make sure he hydrated either by bathing or dropping water on his nose - I dont know how hes been getting water but w/ him not eating I am going to say hes dehydrated -- if you put him in the bath do NOT let him gulp the water -- he will aspirate you do NOT want that -- if he starts to do that pull him slow him down
Try 3 large silk worms put them on his salad

 

[HoomanSlave]

Feed him as many roaches as he'll eat in a 10-minute time period. Make sure to raise his basking temps before offering any more food because he'll need the heat to digest it. If you can, take him to the vet for a checkup. Weigh him at least once a week (before the first meal of the day).

 

[Vanillablooos]

Feed him as many roaches as he'll eat in a 10-minute time period. Make sure to raise his basking temps before offering any more food because he'll need the heat to digest it. If you can, take him to the vet for a checkup. Weigh him at least once a week (before the first meal of the day).

What is your opinion on mercury bulbs? I've been reading about those and I think that would be a better option since his dragon would get heat and UVB combined? I'm thinking 125 watt bulb??

 

[Sadie]

What is your opinion on mercury bulbs? I've been reading about those and I think that would be a better option since his dragon would get heat and UVB combined? I'm thinking 125 watt bulb??

To me MVB are to hard to control heat w/ UVB -- some do not give off enough UVB so you end up buying another long tube fixture so they are getting adequate UVB --- it is up to you --- but being able to control the heat and UVB separately is easiest to go w/ --- Mega Rays and Solar Glo's are good MVB --- Do not get the Repti Glo if you decide to go w/ a MVB -- here is some info on UVB's for you
Which UVB light should I use?

The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 12-15 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 6-8inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays--

Brands to DEFINITELY ADVOID buying are as follows :
Nomoy Pet,
Zilla,
All Living Things,
Reptile-One,
URS,,
CrawlMiracle,
Nat Geo ,
Sparkzoo reptispar,
Repti-Zoo ,


All of which are cheap Chinese clones made very cheaply using very poor quality quartz glass and cheap phosphors and next to no quality control or no meaningful quality control ==> very poor UV spectrum produced including UVC and bad parts of the UVB band --- these will harm your pet.ura
. Mercury vapour bulbs are also a good heat & UVB source, but to allow your dragon full use of the UVB it is best to not use the mesh tank tops. Mounting them on a lampstand with a dome without using a top will allow full use of the UVB. Having the correct type of UVB light is also important to help their bones develop strong and healthy.

 

[HoomanSlave]

If you want to use a mercury vapor bulb, you'll need a UVB reader, and those aren't cheap. You can get them on Amazon for $250-300. MVBs can't plug into thermostats, so there's no way to control how hot or cool the temps are.

 

[Vanillablooos]

why would my sons dragon be laying like this? I've never seen him do this before

 

[HoomanSlave]

why would my sons dragon be laying like this? I've never seen him do this before

Flip him over immediately, laying on his back is very dangerous and can cause spine damage and breathing problems

 

[HoomanSlave]

Flipping over onto his back might be caused by calcium deficiency, neurological issues, or an ear infection. Watch him for a few days to make sure he doesn't flip again. If you notice it happening more often or any other symptoms, contact a vet.

 

[Sadie]

I agree he should not be laying like that did he flip over by accident or actually roll over that way? Either way it is not good please watch him several things could be going on here

 

[Vanillablooos]

Flip him over immediately, laying on his back is very dangerous and can cause spine damage and breathing problems

Thank you! I did flip him over!

 

[Bostonfinest]

Please answer Hoomans questions --- the dragon is losing weight I can look at him and tell -- lighting in that tank is the MOST important thing in it --- basking temps and UVB crucial --- please go over the husbandry ---- basking temps need to be 95-110 for a juvie / adult dragon taken w/a digital probe thermometer -- place the probe on the spot he basks --

I can tell he is not getting enough heat because like I said, the temperature in there on the "hot" side is like around 92 degrees

you said your beardie is 1 so the basking temp should be between 100-105 and 110 -115 for babies. This is the time of year where bearded dragons at the age of 1 and up goes into brumation which is like a hibernation for reptiles. They will be sluggish and won’t eat like they normally would. My recommendation is to take him to a Vet for a checkup and a fecal exam because parasites will also cause a bearded dragon to have the same symptoms. If he is going into brumatation watch his weight during that time and make sure he/she is hydrated. Insufficient Heat and UVB can be the cause of this as well

 

[Vanillablooos]

I agree he should not be laying like that did he flip over by accident or actually roll over that way? Either way it is not good please watch him several things could be going on here

He flipped over on his own. It was weird because I have never seen him lay like that.

 

[Bostonfinest]

To me MVB are to hard to control heat w/ UVB -- some do not give off enough UVB so you end up buying another long tube fixture so they are getting adequate UVB --- it is up to you --- but being able to control the heat and UVB separately is easiest to go w/ --- Mega Rays and Solar Glo's are good MVB --- Do not get the Repti Glo if you decide to go w/ a MVB -- here is some info on UVB's for you
Which UVB light should I use?

The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 12-15 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 6-8inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays--

Brands to DEFINITELY ADVOID buying are as follows :
Nomoy Pet,
Zilla,
All Living Things,
Reptile-One,
URS,,
CrawlMiracle,
Nat Geo ,
Sparkzoo reptispar,
Repti-Zoo ,


All of which are cheap Chinese clones made very cheaply using very poor quality quartz glass and cheap phosphors and next to no quality control or no meaningful quality control ==> very poor UV spectrum produced including UVC and bad parts of the UVB band --- these will harm your pet.ura
. Mercury vapour bulbs are also a good heat & UVB source, but to allow your dragon full use of the UVB it is best to not use the mesh tank tops. Mounting them on a lampstand with a dome without using a top will allow full use of the UVB. Having the correct type of UVB light is also important to help their bones develop strong and healthy.

Actually the Zilla brand isn’t bad at all, they tested that UVB on this YouTube video and it gave off some good readings

 

[Sadie]

He flipped over on his own. It was weird because I have never seen him lay like that.

Its possible he fell off what he was on and then got caught and wasnt able to turn over I am not sure just keep an eye on him and if he continues to do it there is a issue and your gonna need to get him into the vet--- just make sure hes getting good UVB now and basking temps are good as well --- is he eating and have you gotten the UVB situation straightened out

 

[Vanillablooos]

Flipping over onto his back might be caused by calcium deficiency, neurological issues, or an ear infection. Watch him for a few days to make sure he doesn't flip again. If you notice it happening more often or any other symptoms, contact a vet.

I certainly will

Its possible he fell off what he was on and then got caught and wasnt able to turn over I am not sure just keep an eye on him and if he continues to do it there is a issue and your gonna need to get him into the vet--- just make sure hes getting good UVB now and basking temps are good as well --- is he eating and have you gotten the UVB situation straightened out

i did get a new UVB bulb and his basking area is at the temp where it should be. As far as him laying there, he is not always doing that. He ate last night ans I saw him drink water this morning. Not sure if he ate this morning though