Beardie fell off couch and is now acting very strange

[MollieandShroomi]

Hi everyone,
My beardie Shroomi fell off the couch about 5 days ago and has been acting very strange since. He fell straight on a belly flop, and the couch is only about 1.5-2ft high. Since then he gapes and fluffs his beard out constantly, has much less activity, and doesn't even care about superworms (his favorite)! He also frequently just closes his eyes and appears to nap, which he has never done before, and will sometimes have his mouth open slightly for hours at a time. I have not changed anything in his enclosure so it is not that. I am so so worried about him and there are no exotic vets in the area with openings right now.
He is a rescue from a pretty terrible situation so I do not know anything about his age, but he gets calcium powder etc. and has never shown any signs of MBD.
Pic of the most handsome mushroom man in the world attached.

 

[Sadie]

Hi everyone,
My beardie Shroomi fell off the couch about 5 days ago and has been acting very strange since. He fell straight on a belly flop, and the couch is only about 1.5-2ft high. Since then he gapes and fluffs his beard out constantly, has much less activity, and doesn't even care about superworms (his favorite)! He also frequently just closes his eyes and appears to nap, which he has never done before, and will sometimes have his mouth open slightly for hours at a time. I have not changed anything in his enclosure so it is not that. I am so so worried about him and there are no exotic vets in the area with openings right now.
He is a rescue from a pretty terrible situation so I do not know anything about his age, but he gets calcium powder etc. and has never shown any signs of MBD.
Pic of the most handsome mushroom man in the world attached.

Has he shown any signs of black bearding? What kind of surface did he fall on -- carpet or laminate flooring ? Pleas post a recent pic of him w/ his mouth open -- is he under his basking lights when he does this or is he somewhere else in the tank? What kind of UVB are you using --- coil or a long tube fixture -- surface basking temps? what are they and how are you taking them? A pic of his tank and him now would be good

 

[MollieandShroomi]

Has he shown any signs of black bearding? What kind of surface did he fall on -- carpet or laminate flooring ? Pleas post a recent pic of him w/ his mouth open -- is he under his basking lights when he does this or is he somewhere else in the tank? What kind of UVB are you using --- coil or a long tube fixture -- surface basking temps? what are they and how are you taking them? A pic of his tank and him now would be good

Hi Sadie,
No signs of black bearding. He got a little flush right when he fell but nothing intense and nothing since then. He fell onto a thick area rug on top of wall to wall carpeting. He is usually under his basking lights, but he still does his mouth open under his hut. His shaded side is usually low 70s to 78ish and his basking side is usually 88-95. I have temp and humidity gauges on each side. I attached his tank picture, a picture of him opening his mouth, and then a pic of what he usually looks like with his mouth open. I tried to get a pic of him with his eyes closed but I kept waking him up
*we have crushed walnut sand in there because he does not eat in his tank, and if he does it is in a bowl on the tiled side. He has pooped very regularly and that has not changed at all since the accident

 

[Sadie]

Hi Sadie,
No signs of black bearding. He got a little flush right when he fell but nothing intense and nothing since then. He fell onto a thick area rug on top of wall to wall carpeting. He is usually under his basking lights, but he still does his mouth open under his hut. His shaded side is usually low 70s to 78ish and his basking side is usually 88-95. I have temp and humidity gauges on each side. I attached his tank picture, a picture of him opening his mouth, and then a pic of what he usually looks like with his mouth open. I tried to get a pic of him with his eyes closed but I kept waking him up
*we have crushed walnut sand in there because he does not eat in his tank, and if he does it is in a bowl on the tiled side. He has pooped very regularly and that has not changed at all since the accident
View attachment 32283View attachment 32284View attachment 32285

Ok we need to do some adjusting here ---- first and for most get rid of the crushed walnut substrate -- it is toxic to dragons--- use paper towels for now tile is good as long as it has some texture nothing coarse nothing smooth but get rid of the walnut stuff ---- next the UVB is a T 8 ? If so how old is the bulb and is there a clear plastic cover over the bulb? Take the cover off of it as it is blocking the rays and it needs to be unobstructed NO screen it needs to be directly over the basking decor piece 6-8 inches ---- please do all this as soon as you can --- at this point hes getting NO UVB --- next his basking temps on the cool side need to be 80's during the day --- 65-75 for night time temps --- please get your hot side basking surface temps 95-100 -- these need to be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer they are the most accurate - stickons are good for ambient temps --- I recommend you upgrade your UVB to a Zoo Med 24" fixture w/ a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb or a Arcadia Pro T 5 w/a 12% bulb --- that is more fitting for your tank size -- I can post websites for you
As far as the fall he should be fine the carpet cushioned to fall --- whats going on is the improper placement for the UVB and the substrate --- we need to get all this fixed ---

 

[MollieandShroomi]

Ok we need to do some adjusting here ---- first and for most get rid of the crushed walnut substrate -- it is toxic to dragons--- use paper towels for now tile is good as long as it has some texture nothing coarse nothing smooth but get rid of the walnut stuff ---- next the UVB is a T 8 ? If so how old is the bulb and is there a clear plastic cover over the bulb? Take the cover off of it as it is blocking the rays and it needs to be unobstructed NO screen it needs to be directly over the basking decor piece 6-8 inches ---- please do all this as soon as you can --- at this point hes getting NO UVB --- next his basking temps on the cool side need to be 80's during the day --- 65-75 for night time temps --- please get your hot side basking surface temps 95-100 -- these need to be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer they are the most accurate - stickons are good for ambient temps --- I recommend you upgrade your UVB to a Zoo Med 24" fixture w/ a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb or a Arcadia Pro T 5 w/a 12% bulb --- that is more fitting for your tank size -- I can post websites for you
As far as the fall he should be fine the carpet cushioned to fall --- whats going on is the improper placement for the UVB and the substrate --- we need to get all this fixed ---

I took the cover off when we got it, but I am going to put it under the screen now! I am changing his substrate and looking up the thermometer probe you mentioned as well
Aside from all that, you think this behavior is a result of that but not the fall? I think that may be a little too coincidental seeing as he has never done any of this until the minute I picked him up from the fall

 

[Sadie]

I took the cover off when we got it, but I am going to put it under the screen now! I am changing his substrate and looking up the thermometer probe you mentioned as well
Aside from all that, you think this behavior is a result of that but not the fall? I think that may be a little too coincidental seeing as he has never done any of this until the minute I picked him up from the fall

It is hard to say but I have seen other dragons fall from a lot further places on harder surfaces and have survived just fine-- so w/ him only falling 1 1/2 -2 feet and on a soft surface that should not have done anything to him -- it could of knocked the wind out of him at that moment -- how old is the UVB bulb -- for a T 8 it should be changed out every 6 months I recommend 5 --- and I would look at upgrading your fixture and bulb -- after getting everything adjusted please watch his behavior and let me know how its going --- they do gape to adjust body temps that is normal -- but w/ the issues in the husbandry I cant tell if its just gaping but having everything corrected its going to rule out whats going on -- if you need links for UVB please let me know I can post some for you

 

[MollieandShroomi]

It is hard to say but I have seen other dragons fall from a lot further places on harder surfaces and have survived just fine-- so w/ him only falling 1 1/2 -2 feet and on a soft surface that should not have done anything to him -- it could of knocked the wind out of him at that moment -- how old is the UVB bulb -- for a T 8 it should be changed out every 6 months I recommend 5 --- and I would look at upgrading your fixture and bulb -- after getting everything adjusted please watch his behavior and let me know how its going --- they do gape to adjust body temps that is normal -- but w/ the issues in the husbandry I cant tell if its just gaping but having everything corrected its going to rule out whats going on -- if you need links for UVB please let me know I can post some for you

I would love some links for UVBs you trust!

 

[Sadie]

I would love some links for UVBs you trust!

One is a Arcadia Pro T 5 w / 12 % bulb -- Pet Smart has started carrying them so if you have a Pet Smart check there and see if they have them in stock -- this is a very good and popular brand my one to go site is out and has been not sure when they are getting them back in or you can do this one
24" fixture Zoo Med comes w/ a 5.0 bulb like the one your using now but you need this bulb for a 40 + gallon tank a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T 5 - keep the 5.0 bulb it can be used as a back up distance and placement is different from the 10.0 bulb -- when you get one of the fixtures please post back on here and I will help you get it set up for your tank - placement and distance will depend on the screen and will determine where the UVB goes --
the T 5 bulb will need to be replaced in approx one year -- I recommend a month or so prior to --- you can also use the Arcadia 12% bulb in that fixture as well -- just FYI

 

[Sadie]

One is a Arcadia Pro T 5 w / 12 % bulb -- Pet Smart has started carrying them so if you have a Pet Smart check there and see if they have them in stock -- this is a very good and popular brand my one to go site is out and has been not sure when they are getting them back in or you can do this one
24" fixture Zoo Med comes w/ a 5.0 bulb like the one your using now but you need this bulb for a 40 + gallon tank a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T 5 - keep the 5.0 bulb it can be used as a back up distance and placement is different from the 10.0 bulb -- when you get one of the fixtures please post back on here and I will help you get it set up for your tank - placement and distance will depend on the screen and will determine where the UVB goes --
the T 5 bulb will need to be replaced in approx one year -- I recommend a month or so prior to --- you can also use the Arcadia 12% bulb in that fixture as well -- just FYI

I forgot to post the link
www.pangeareptiles.com
Look under fixtures

 

[Sadie]

You can also check www.petmountain.com and www.chewy.com

 

[MollieandShroomi]

You can also check www.petmountain.com and www.chewy.com

Hello, I wanted to update you (and anyone else if they have tread this!). I took Shroomi to an exotic ER and he has severe mouth rot and is now on antibiotics. I got a new bulb, fixed my husbandry set up, etc. and the vet said everything habitat wise looks perfect! He has been on antibiotics since friday PM and doesn't seem to really be going either way but I hope tomorrow we see some improvement

 

[Sadie]

Hello, I wanted to update you (and anyone else if they have tread this!). I took Shroomi to an exotic ER and he has severe mouth rot and is now on antibiotics. I got a new bulb, fixed my husbandry set up, etc. and the vet said everything habitat wise looks perfect! He has been on antibiotics since friday PM and doesn't seem to really be going either way but I hope tomorrow we see some improvement

Is he eating? What did you get for a uvb? Did you replace the whole fixture? We need to get this set up for your tank

 

[MollieandShroomi]

I replaced the bulb with a T5, I believe ZooMed. He hasn't eaten yet, but she said that may take a few days since his mouth is painful. She recommended a slurry if he hasnt eaten by tomorrow. She said falling off the couch probably caused enough stress that his immune system went hay wire

 

[Sadie]

I replaced the bulb with a T5, I believe ZooMed. He hasn't eaten yet, but she said that may take a few days since his mouth is painful. She recommended a slurry if he hasnt eaten by tomorrow. She said falling off the couch probably caused enough stress that his immune system went hay wire

Ok sounds good show me your screen so I know where to have you place it - this will make a difference