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Brumating?

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Hi, I have one additional question regarding UV levels which I hope you don't mind commenting on.

The only way I have of judging UV levels is one of those tester cards, in this case provided by the company I purchased the original HID bulb from "Reptech".

I checked with this card when we had the HID installed and it gave a "very high 8-10" reading mid center of the basking spot at a distance of around 40cms.

I checked the current setup with the card on both the basking spot and even on the higher ledges we were concerned about and only get a low to moderate reading somewhere between 2-3.

Here's a photo of the card on the hammock which is only slightly lower than the top ledges so around 20cms and you can see the level is showing slightly under "moderate".

20200127_153141[1].jpg


I realise these cards are no where as accurate as a meter but these readings seem to indicate that the UV levels are possibly even low which shouldn't be the case with the Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 T5HO tubes which aren't that old and should still be providing decent UV especially at these distances. I also checked it with a second card just in case and the result was the same.

I would love to check the levels with a meter but those things are just so expensive.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Thanks for the response!
He's showing a little more interest in food now, weight is now 92 grams so stable or up a little. Pooped this morning after a gap of 4 days and it looked normal so I was pleased to see that. Apart from that he's now fairly active but taking time out for a bit of basking.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
No big change yet, weight still around 91 grams, appetite still weak. Found more shed today around mouth, not a huge amount but maybe enough to irritate him.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Update:
Despite the static weight and the shedding I was still concerned so I booked an exotic pets vets visit which was earlier today. He was examined and had x-rays taken and the verdict is that he probably has Pneumonia.
He's been given drops to ease discomfort and inflammation and also a 15 day antibiotic cure.
So we'll see how he goes.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
No nothing unusual. The vet was only suspicious because he noticed his breathing was a little unusual.
I would never have noticed anything unusual but he immediately suggested taking x-rays. These were perfectly normal, a pretty empty digestive tract with no obstructions of any kind but where his lungs should have showed fairy dark they had some slightly lighter areas which indicated inflammation.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Some concerns this morning after reading a few "horror" stories on bearded dragon forums regarding the anti-inflammatory "metacam" the vet has given me. Henry is only on the lowest dose possible, one drop per day but he's also a very small dragon, so I will be keeping an even closer eye on him over the medication period until he's well again.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Hi, thanks for the suggestion. I've pm'd her so I hope she has time to respond. For the moment I'll keep on with the meds and keep a close eye on Henry, although so far his behavior has been normal.
Thanks again
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Well my pm had disappeared from my forum messages outbox so I know she's read it but unfortunately so far no reply. She's either ignoring it or just busy, I hope the latter. Oh well, if I don't get a response I will have to post on the Forum and see what reactions I get but I would obviously prefer feedback from a genuine vet rather than well meaning forum members.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Henry has become very lethargic since medication started and this morning had a large amount of diarrhea, I can't call it poo as nearly 95% watery liquid. I assume this is also the medication.
20200203_091208.jpg

I will have to be careful to keep him well hydrated.
 

Lesw

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
25
Hi, thought I'd give you an update on Henry.

Alongside me contacting Tracie I had also contacted the vets that treated Henry but their exotic pets vet is on holiday this week, so they gave me the name of another specialist vet to contact.

I gave that vet the details of Henry's diagnosis and medication and they immediately commented that he had been prescribed too much (double) the normal dose of antibiotic. Although there are normally few bad reactions the double dose coupled with the Metcam may have upset him enough for the bout of diarrhea.

So I changed his dosage immediately and today I have already seen changes. He is brighter, less lethargic and has even started taking in interest in eating again.

Tracie, has been a great help as well and I'm keeping her informed of his progress.
 
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