my bearded dragons spyro, boof, and spike

[kirrichick]

Above: this is a lovely photo of my male(left) and female(right) central bearded dragons.

This is my big boy Boof hence the head says it all lol.

This is an up close of my gorgeous girl Spyro being very photogenic

Another one of Spyro chilln on her branch.

This is spike hes not doing so good recently, he wasn't in the best shape when i bought him, hes recently gone off of his food and has lost a lot of weight. I've been into see a Herp vet but he just gave him a few injections to help him with his appetite but it hasn't done anything yet so i've been force feeding him because he cant afford to lose anymore weight if nothing changes in a week its back to the vet. i just hope its nothing serious as ive only had him for a month n hes the father of the eggs Spyro laid. fingers crossed he pulls through, shame on the guy i bought him from for not taking better care of him. but i will do everything i can to bring him back from this regardless of the price of seeing the vet. has anyone else had problems like this before with their beardies?

Boof again under his head light just chillin out sussing me out hes a very big boy with a massive apatite to match it lol.

hope everyone enjoys the photos as much as i do

 

[Germ]

Very nice looking BDs, Thanks for sharing

It appears that you may be housing at least some of them together them together & could very well be a big part of the problem. Newly acquired dragons should isolated from the others for 30 days, prior to any introductions, to be sure they are healthy & not transmit anything to other healthy dragons.

Sounds strange that you have only had the dragon for a month, that you think fathered the fertile eggs that are already 2 weeks old . Doesn't sound possible.

An article that you may find of interest ...

http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/i...co-habitation-a-good-plan.5172/#axzz1y7SpPQFf

 

[kirrichick]

My bad i was supposed to write 2 months not a month. n i did have them together when i got him but only for a few days because i was sorting out his enclosure. but it only took those few days for him to do the deed. but he's been in his own tank since then. he was funny with his food when i got him i thought there was something wrong cos he didn't have much weight on him. he's got all the right temps in his enclosure. The hot end sits on 38 degrees and the cooler end is around 18 ~ 20 degrees. I've had nothing but problems with him since i bought him home. after he went completely off his food i took him to the vet. the vet gave him a calcium shot n a steroids shot. but i haven't had much luck with him. he poos regularly but only when i bath him which is every second day. the next step is to c if any of his organs are trying to shut down on him. the vet said to bring him back next week if things haven't improved. i don't leave the dragons together i just put them together in the photos u seen so i could get a pic of them next to each other. boof is a very dominate male so i won't house them together cos he's to full on. I also got the vet to check if it might be an upper respiratory problem but he said his breathing sounded fine. so i just gotta wait n c what happeneds over the next few days.

 

[Germ]

Your cool side temp needs to be much warmer than that, in the 27-30C vicinity, while Spike is not feeling up to par you might find that bumping up his hot side temps 5-6C may help him considerably when ill, also.

18-20C is closer to acceptable ambient night temps, than what the cool side should be during daylight hours. Hot side (Basking Spot) temps should be taken directly at the basking spot & not the general hot end ambient temp.

May I ask what type of substrate that is, that you are using? If it should happen to be Calci-Sand or a version there of, it is really not recommended.

 

[kirrichick]

How do i get the other end higher when its a 6 foot enclosure. the middle of the tank would be at around 30 degrees he often sits in that area to cool down. I've got a 150 watt globe in his tank atm n when u put ur hand on the sand where it shines its really warm. Some days the temp on the hot side go over 40 degrees.

 

[Germ]

You could move the basking spot, UVB, fixture & globe to the middle of the enclosure or install another fixture & globe of a lower wattage closer to the cool end to bring the temps up. Basking temps for an adult should be in the 38C-41C (43C-44C for a Juvenile) range measured directly at the basking spot with an accurate thermometer. You have a nice long enclosure, but you still have to heat it properly, one bulb is not going to do it, unless your main heat source & basking spot is in the middle of the enclosure, giving the 2 outside ends as the cool areas. Larger Pics of your full enclosures, showing your lighting setups would be a great help. Guessing temperature by feel is not an acceptable method of checking temps.

 

[Germ]

Recommended thermometers are a digital thermometer with a sensor that can be paced exactly where the temps should be measured from. If the lights are not sitting on top of a screen that has to be moved to gain access, a properly used infrared thermometer (Temp Gun) is also a very good alternative option. Keeping proper, accurate temperatures, along with the provision of sufficient UVB in captivity, are extremely important in aiding the achievement of a long, happy & healthy life for our scaled friends. They may possibly survive with improper temps, but their over all expected lifespan will be much shorter.

 

[Germ]

Some other links that you might find helpful & a good read ...

Bearded Dragon Basic Care Guide

Bearded Dragon Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition List

Good Luck

 

[kirrichick]

i have digital thermometers in the tank for both ends. the tank is a 4 foot sorry not a 6 foot. the females tank is the 6 footer n her temps are fine considering shes in a glass tank. her warm end sits on 39 and 41 degrees and the cooler end sits on 27 degrees . anyways the males enclosure sits in between 38 and 40 degrees so im guessing his is ok on the warmer end but the cooler end varies in between 18 degrees on real cold days like today and around 22 to 25 degrees on warmer days considering its winter.

heres a pic of his enclosure anyways any help would be appreciated n i will check the sites out u recommended cheers

 

[Germ]

The enclosure temps should be adjusted to compensate for changes in the ambient room temps. In captivity, we generally attempt to avoid the BDs from sensing a season change in order to stave off brumation if possible. As many of us would rather not have them sleeping or inactive for 2-5 months of the year if we can help it. It gets to be as cold as -45C to -50C outside at times in winter & as high as 40C in the summer where I live, my BDs rarely know the difference. For winter heat, we have a really neat invention, called a 'Furnace or Central Heat', to keep our homes warm & reasonably consistent, year round .

The long and short of it is, ideally, the basking spot should be in the 38-41C range for adults, 43-44C for hatchlings & juveniles with a heat gradient to 27-30C at the coolest area of the enclosure for each of the life stages. If a change in bulb wattages or types is necessary between seasons, then so be it, it should be done. Night temps can safely fall to 17C, any colder than that & night heat should be supplemented with a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter - Heat with no light emitted).

Can't tell from the picture, are you providing UVB? If you are, the UVB should also cover the basking spot, not the cool side, because if your temps are in the proper ranges, that is where it will spend the majority of it's time during daylight hours. I have seen those types of enclosures from certain builders frequently over the years. For some reason, when the lighting is pre-mounted by the builder, the UVB fixture is almost always mounted on the opposite side from the heat bulb. Works well for lighting the enclosure more evenly visually with UVA (White light), but often causes problems because of the lack of proper UVB coverage at the right distances. Serious issues such as MBD, calcium deficiency etc are often the result. The UVB, heat & basking spot should all be in the same area of the enclosure to be effective collectively.

I realize that you hail from where these beautiful creatures originate from, and are likely familiar with their climate changes in the wild. The thing is, when is the last time you saw a 10-15 year old BD in the wild. In the wild a BD's lifespan is very short, natures way of compensating for this, is their unusually high clutch numbers & multiple clutches from one coupling. In captivity, keeping them as pets, we generally try to stretch this Lifespan out as long as possible, with many achieving 10-12+ year lifespans. My first BD is 10+ years old & still going strong.

We can only go by what information you give us. Giving us false or inaccurate info, only to correct it later, is a complete waste of our time & effort to try to help you. Please try to be accurate when providing info.

Thanks & Good Luck

 

[kirrichick]

I thought u were supposed to let them brumate during colder months? My female brumates every yr for 6 weeks and her temps in her enclosure are always what they are supposed to be give or take a couple of degrees different. But I've had her for 2 yrs n i did her tank up myself. her uvb light is next to her heat light. I thought letting them brumate helped with fertility rate? Or doesn't it make any difference whether they brumate or not. also I've changed where the lights are in spikes tank. i put the uvb along side his heat light. ill get 40 watt or 60 watt tomorrow n put it up the cooler end to bring the temp up on the cooler end. Thanx for ur advice everything helps. but at the end of the day when i purchased him from a guy off gumtree he wasn't in the best shape. I've been trying for weeks to find information to help me help him. i came across this forum and hoped someone could help me out with info. when i picked spike up from the seller spike was freezing cold like ice he had no set up he was just in a tank with dirt n no lighting. i don't know where the guy got him from but i didn't want to leave him there so i bought him and didn't look back. he did eat a little bit to start with but he was in a smaller tank after i took him out of her tank. it was like 3 foot until i moved him into this enclosure. maybe i should of left him in the smaller tank least he was eating food then. iti just hope he starts feeling better the last thing i wasn't him to do is die i will try everything u have offered me

 

[Germ]

If your intention is to breed, then yes, brumation is beneficial to breeding. Once the process begins you should not attempt to prevent it, but it can be avoided sometimes by not giving their environment the colder months, without harming them. After all, YOU control their environment or seasons. This does not always work to avoid brumation, but many times does. Brumation is a survival instinct for when temps get too cold & food is scarce that is hardwired into them. In captivity this is not the case, so many do not feel the need to if temps are kept consistent. Not all BDs will brumate in captivity for this reason. Different BDs brumate in different ways and for varied lengths of time. I have a male that has gone down for 5+ consecutive months, three times now & other years, not at all. The rest average around 2-3 months when they do. They are all different. Mind you, when mine go down for brumation, I shut down all the lights & heat until they wake on their own.

As mentioned before, keep Spikes temperatures a little higher than the recommended normal, both basking & cool side, while he is ill, you will find that this will help to speed his recovery & quite possibly help his appetite. He may have been warmer all round in the smaller enclosure & closer to the UVB. I think with the changes in set up you have made & will make, you will see some improvements over the next week or 2.

Good Luck & keep us posted

 

[kirrichick]

I definitely will make his temps warmer. ill get the cooler side up to 30 degrees. i hope it works thanx for the info. Yeah my female does it automagically i don't change the temps in her tank they stay the same year round but she brumates for 6 weeks she's done it twice since I've had her from when she was a baby. I've never had any trouble with her. i take her outside quite often also she enjoys outside adventures. hating the weather here atm tho its just wet n cold. I will try my best with spike. n i think i will change a few thing on my other males enclosure also. put his lights next to each other also. i will let u know how things go.

 

[Aleena]

Your bd's are very nice looking dragons! Glad to hear they're no longer being housed together, and good luck with the clutch.

 

[kirrichick]

I have some fantastic news. my beardie spike is eating on his own. i followed all the advice i was offered and it worked. he ate 7 crickets all by him self. i didn't have to force him anymore. im one happy chappy. he seems a lot more active aswell.

 

[Germ]

Glad we were able to help & that things worked out for you & Spike. Gotta love it when things come together.

​

 

[kirrichick]

Well i would have probably lost him if i didn't come to u for help. he's even eating out of my hand. considering these hand had to restrain him while i forced him to eat its amazing he trusts me enough to take food from my hand still. he must of known i was trying to help him. im very proud of him for putting up with me doing what i had to do to keep him alive. again thanx germ for the great advice. i appreciate it greatly.