New Bearded dragon troubles

[sarah Boyer]

I put the mats over it so he doesnt lick up the substrate. Someone told me they think it could be springtails but idk.

 

[sarah Boyer]

Look at my spoiled baby lol
He sleeps next to our bed (its on the floor atm lol) with a heat mat. Hes pretty much on my sleep schedule he rarely will sleep in his enclosure. I have a small suspicion the bugs annoy him is why .

 

[mamaof2dragons]

what a cutie..

 

[BeardedEmber]

I have a couple of possible suggestions, maybe some insight. Maybe u turned the lights on at dark times for pics, you don't leave a light on all night, right? They need dark just like us to get restful sleep. I use ceramic heaters to keep the tank dark and warm. Even the red or blue lights are not recommended at night.

2. U mentioned "meal worms live in there." Beardies get stressed out when they share their home with their food. And, when they try to sleep, the insects can bite them. Crickets are horrible with this!

3. Someone already mentioned the possible sand issue. I've also been told that dirt/bark are bad and can give them a cough. I'm only passing this info on, this is not my experience. I was unaware about any of this and have used both, never had a problem.

4. Sunken eyes, I agree with u, can be a sign of dehydration. If u pinch his skin, lightly of course, does it go right back down? Or stay "pinched?" If it stays pinched, he is dehydrated. Use a dropper on the snout to entice drinking or soak in warm water over his vents so he will absorb the water.

5. It's dangerous to have the tank in sunlight thru a window. The glass prevents anything good from the rays from coming thru, so beardies can literally cook in these instances.

6. It looks like he may be losing weight. Obviously, this is not a diagnosis, only an experience. My daughters beardie stopped eating, slept 24/7, and was so lethargic. Took her to the vet and was diagnosed with "metabolic bone disease." I hope this is not the case with ur little guy.

I'm not a pro, I have had my only beardie for almost 3 years, but have done SO MUCH research! I didn't have anyone experienced to guide me on this journey so I had to learn on my own. This forum has helped me a lot too!

My girl gets tired of crickets, but still needs her protein. In talking with people I have learned that "horn worms" are a great source of protein. One horn worm has protein equivalent to about 20 crickets. And they are bright in color which peaks interest. I think they look like play dough .

I hope I have passed on something helpful. Please keep us updated on his progress. It's obvious u love ur lil guy, too bad they can't sustain on love alone.

 

[BeardedEmber]

He used to eat a little of everything spinach kale brussel sprout crickets but just stopped. I havent tried banana ill give that a shot. He lets crickets walk all over him now literally. He sometimew kicks them away but refuses to eat them. =\ im contemplating taking him to another vet for a 2nd opinion. The 1st one gave me liquid calcium food and something for runny poop.

Keep up the liquid calcium. If his bones get weak, he will go downhill. Endive is high in nutrients, maybe give that a shot. I don't recall what ur lights are. He has to have UVA, UVB and basking. One of those makes calcium processing possible. Their lil bodies can't otherwise.

Please let us know how he's doing.

 

[sarah Boyer]

Keep up the liquid calcium. If his bones get weak, he will go downhill. Endive is high in nutrients, maybe give that a shot. I don't recall what ur lights are. He has to have UVA, UVB and basking. One of those makes calcium processing possible. Their lil bodies can't otherwise.

Please let us know how he's doing.

He died a while ago sadly he did have both lights i spared no expense on him and took him to 2 different vets =\ he died after getting his treatment for worms i forgot what they were called already. Thank you for trying to help though. I bought a new beardie this time from a breeder and hes healthy. Unfortunately Nova was already in bad shape when i got him from petco, now that i have a healthy bearded dragon i can really see how my previous one was underweight and stuff from the get go.
Ive uploaded pics of the new baby ❤
Hes doing great we love him so much

 

[sarah Boyer]

He died a while ago sadly he did have both lights i spared no expense on him and took him to 2 different vets =\ he died after getting his treatment for worms i forgot what they were called already. Thank you for trying to help though. I bought a new beardie this time from a breeder and hes healthy. Unfortunately Nova was already in bad shape when i got him from petco, now that i have a healthy bearded dragon i can really see how my previous one was underweight and stuff from the get go.
Ive uploaded pics of the new baby ❤
Hes doing great we love him so much

I should have put a period after sadly. It looks like im saying sadly he had his lights lol which obviously wasn't how i meant it to look.
The vet told me all beardies have the worms in them (still cant recall their name) but they arent a problem until the beardie gets sick or undwrweight. The 1st vet was treating him for calcium deficiency i went to another on a hunch that the 1st one missed something. 2nd one said she didnt think hed make it but i tried anyways. They were great. They sent me a card everyone signed and wrote on with their condolences. Not gonna lie. Im upset with the 1st vet he went 2 weeks being treated for the wrong thing. I cant help but think maybe he would have made it if they did not misdiagnose.

 

[BeardedEmber]

With the littles, I would think it's difficult when they are already frail, but I understand you being upset. Makes me wonder, now, if my daughters was also misdiagnosed. We watched her go downhill and she passed, unfortunately. It was hard to watch, we loved her dearly.

Happy that you didn't give up, though! They are amazing family members full of love and quirks. Their personalities are hilarious! If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask! Enjoy your new baby!

 

[BeardedEmber]

P. S. Your new baby is beautiful! Name?

 

[Galapoodle]

P. S. Your new baby is beautiful! Name?

I think she named it Chunk LOL love it

 

[ricks45]

What. The. Heck. Bugs again. Hrm i got a picture tho this time. Anyone????
View attachment 19941

It looks like that is a Darkling Beetle. Your mealworms are growing up and turning into beetles! I read somewhere that mealworms and crickets left in the cage can bite your dragon! You might want to do a little research on leaving live bugs in his cage. If you google springtails you will see pictures of them. They are tiny and white, and can jump. Hope this helps.

 

[ricks45]

Look at my spoiled baby lol
He sleeps next to our bed (its on the floor atm lol) with a heat mat. Hes pretty much on my sleep schedule he rarely will sleep in his enclosure. I have a small suspicion the bugs annoy him is why .
View attachment 20017

Google why you should Not leave crickets and mealworms in his cage. They can bite him while he is sleeping.

 

[Samantha Minor]

Hi, I’m new to this page and the reptile community. I just got my bearded dragon on 04/07/19. The lady’s at the pet store told me that it was about 2 months old. So far Dobby, has been doing great but I was a little concerned today when I saw his poop. Again, I’m new and would love y’all help. Thank you.

 

[mamaof2dragons]

beautiful little dragon you have...the pooh looks like he was a little constipated, which can happen if his heat is not right on target at about 105 and of course depends on the bugs your feeding him to.. no mealworms as they cause constipation as well as super worms. (there hard to digest because of the hard shell of the ectoskelloton.) crickets are ok but often carry parasites. try black soldier fly larve,hornworms butter worms, silk worms or wax worms, and dubia roaches are nutritionally the best for them if you can get them. I get mine from rainbow mealworms online they have great prices and so does mulberry farms online.

 

[sarah Boyer]

We named him chunk lol he was the fattest beardie i have seen. Which i later learned all the ones ive seen were underweight. But the name stuck so no goin back now lol not sure why hes makin that face. Lol

We are trying something new for cleaning. Hes a very messy lizard so i needed a deodorizer. I scrub everything on cleaning days. Any recommendations are welcome. Heres what i bought gonna try it out.

 

[ricks45]

We named him chunk lol he was the fattest beardie i have seen. Which i later learned all the ones ive seen were underweight. But the name stuck so no goin back now lol not sure why hes makin that face. Lol
View attachment 20111
We are trying something new for cleaning. Hes a very messy lizard so i needed a deodorizer. I scrub everything on cleaning days. Any recommendations are welcome. Heres what i bought gonna try it out.
View attachment 20112

When they reach the temperature they want they will sit with their mouth open to regulate the heat. The open mouth allows the excess heat to dissipate to prevent overheating.