Hello!
10 days ago we got a year and a half old bearded dragon from my son's friend and it's been a rough go of it so far! He was raised with his brother, but they had to be separated due to fighting. The previous owner provided a complete setup including a 20 gallon tank (which we just replaced with a 40 gallon tank), a basking log and hide, a natural fiber hammock, food and water bowls, a hood, Fluker's adult blend food for adults, mealworms, a ReptiSun 5.0 UVB light, a 100 watt ceramic heating bulb that stays on 24 hours a day, and tank carpet. When we got the larger tank, we switched to a 10.0 UVB light and added a 100 watt ZooMed Repti basking spot lamp. The temperature is 95 degrees on the warm side and 80 degrees on the cool side, and the humidity is right around 40.
Since we got him 10 days ago, he has been given a wide variety of foods including calcium dusted crickets, mealworms, the "buffet blend" of commercially made food, collard greens, sweet peppers, shredded carrots, tomatoes, blueberries, and grapes (all shredded or cut into tiny pieces). We have not seen him eat a single thing...alive or dead, since he's been with us. The crickets would walk right in front of him or crawl on him and he acted like he didn't know they were there. We tried offering him food with tongs, and again, showed no interest.
His activity level has been extremely low, and he routinely stays in one place without moving for up to 12 hours. He had been moving around a tiny bit, but only for a few seconds at a time. He is generally very lethargic. When picked up, he will wiggle a bit, and he does like to cuddle and look out the window. He has had 2 baths which he didn't care for, but he did poop in 1 of the baths. He's not shedding other than a tiny piece here and there in his tank.
Since I was so worried about him being lethargic and not eating, I got him in to see an exotic animal vet last Wednesday. They were very concerned about his size and said he should be at least double the size he is at his age. I contacted the previous owners and they said he is actually the bigger of the brothers. They described him as being the biggest couch potato ever and said his activity level has always been very low. The vet examined him, did bloodwork, and x-rays, and found that his RBC and calcium levels are low and his WBC is high. They gave him shots of calcium and vitamins, and sent him home with Carafate for nausea, Fortaz antibiotic injections, and Oxbow Critical Care to feed him by syringe. They said I've done everything I should have been doing.
We have seen no change in activity level. He started taking the syringe feeding a lot better today and actually opened his mouth. He developed diarrhea Saturday. Yesterday, he was unsteady on his feet and began wobbling when he walked. My son actually thought he was dancing, but it definitely wasn't a dance. Today, he has deteriorated to the point that he actually falls over when standing or walking, and he keeps falling off his log hide and hammock. Now he isn't able to climb onto his hammock or log without falling over and he can't get himself back upright. It is truly heartbreaking...
I took in a fecal sample to the vet this afternoon to be tested, but they weren't able to see him. The vet called a little bit ago after viewing the videos I e-mailed to him of the dragon trying to walk and falling. He talked about it definitely being neurological and suspected it could be viral. I'm taking him in to be seen first thing in the morning. The vet was mentioning different treatments and care he may need, but he also said it really doesn't look good.
Has anyone else ever seen or heard of anything like this? We've only had him 10 days, but we are very attached to him. He's quickly become our baby and we really don't want to lose him...
10 days ago we got a year and a half old bearded dragon from my son's friend and it's been a rough go of it so far! He was raised with his brother, but they had to be separated due to fighting. The previous owner provided a complete setup including a 20 gallon tank (which we just replaced with a 40 gallon tank), a basking log and hide, a natural fiber hammock, food and water bowls, a hood, Fluker's adult blend food for adults, mealworms, a ReptiSun 5.0 UVB light, a 100 watt ceramic heating bulb that stays on 24 hours a day, and tank carpet. When we got the larger tank, we switched to a 10.0 UVB light and added a 100 watt ZooMed Repti basking spot lamp. The temperature is 95 degrees on the warm side and 80 degrees on the cool side, and the humidity is right around 40.
Since we got him 10 days ago, he has been given a wide variety of foods including calcium dusted crickets, mealworms, the "buffet blend" of commercially made food, collard greens, sweet peppers, shredded carrots, tomatoes, blueberries, and grapes (all shredded or cut into tiny pieces). We have not seen him eat a single thing...alive or dead, since he's been with us. The crickets would walk right in front of him or crawl on him and he acted like he didn't know they were there. We tried offering him food with tongs, and again, showed no interest.
His activity level has been extremely low, and he routinely stays in one place without moving for up to 12 hours. He had been moving around a tiny bit, but only for a few seconds at a time. He is generally very lethargic. When picked up, he will wiggle a bit, and he does like to cuddle and look out the window. He has had 2 baths which he didn't care for, but he did poop in 1 of the baths. He's not shedding other than a tiny piece here and there in his tank.
Since I was so worried about him being lethargic and not eating, I got him in to see an exotic animal vet last Wednesday. They were very concerned about his size and said he should be at least double the size he is at his age. I contacted the previous owners and they said he is actually the bigger of the brothers. They described him as being the biggest couch potato ever and said his activity level has always been very low. The vet examined him, did bloodwork, and x-rays, and found that his RBC and calcium levels are low and his WBC is high. They gave him shots of calcium and vitamins, and sent him home with Carafate for nausea, Fortaz antibiotic injections, and Oxbow Critical Care to feed him by syringe. They said I've done everything I should have been doing.
We have seen no change in activity level. He started taking the syringe feeding a lot better today and actually opened his mouth. He developed diarrhea Saturday. Yesterday, he was unsteady on his feet and began wobbling when he walked. My son actually thought he was dancing, but it definitely wasn't a dance. Today, he has deteriorated to the point that he actually falls over when standing or walking, and he keeps falling off his log hide and hammock. Now he isn't able to climb onto his hammock or log without falling over and he can't get himself back upright. It is truly heartbreaking...
I took in a fecal sample to the vet this afternoon to be tested, but they weren't able to see him. The vet called a little bit ago after viewing the videos I e-mailed to him of the dragon trying to walk and falling. He talked about it definitely being neurological and suspected it could be viral. I'm taking him in to be seen first thing in the morning. The vet was mentioning different treatments and care he may need, but he also said it really doesn't look good.
Has anyone else ever seen or heard of anything like this? We've only had him 10 days, but we are very attached to him. He's quickly become our baby and we really don't want to lose him...
