Bearded Dragon HELP!

[moemoee]

I have a bearded dragon it about 10 months old and is only about 7 inches he only eat 4 or 5 mealworms a day, won’t eat crickets, won’t eat fresh salad and won’t eat commercial made food. He will only poo maybe 1 time a week. He drinks from a water bowl.

Temps in the enclose are
Day: 37degrees hot side and around 32 degrees on the cold side
Night: is about 28 degrees.
I have an uvb non heat light on for about 14 hours a day

His tail has a bow in it about a cm from his hind legs when you touch the area he appears to be in pain, then further down his tail there is a spot of what looks like to me rotten skin just after that the end of his tail looks dead. He is not very active.

 

[moemoee]

Heres the pics.

 

[Sel]

That tail doesnt look good...but you cant know if its hurting him..maybe take him to a vet for a checkup

Try feeding him some small woodies, my beardies prefer them over crickets although will eat both, and keep giving salad...

 

[TahneeMaree]

Take it to the vet for sure, don't want any "rotten" looking stuff on your beardie!

 

[gregcranston]

I'm no expert on this, but looks like he may be suffering a bit of metabolic bone disease. Do you dust his food with lots of calcium 2-3 times a week? If not, definitely do that. Try get hold of some silkworms too, cover them in calcium and feed them to him. Try get him outside on sunny days for some natural UV, make sure he's in something secure, and with a shade option for him, but other than that make sure nothing is blocking the direct sunlight. If you get him out 2-4 times a week for 30-60 mins, with the calcium intake, then his appetite should start to improve hopefully. I'm not sure if the bow in his tail can repair itself, but at least hopefully you can stop it getting any worse. Your temps sound fine although, maybe a few degrees warmer up hot end would be ok. Make sure he can get within 6-8 inches of the UV, and replace it every 6 months.As for the end of his tail, looks like some shedding might have cut off the circulation and casued in to die, maybe soak him in some waterand see, but I think damage may have been done.Oh yes, and a vet wouldn't hurt too, just to check him out.

 

[Lollypop]

From the pics, his tail looks 'dead' from half way down & should shrivel & fall off - is he in with other beardies that may have taken a nip at him.
The kink looks like calcium/mbd problem - solution : vet visit to check his calcium levels!
What brand/type of UV are u using & what wattage (2,5,8 or 10), & do u ever get him out in the sun? If u can't get to the vet today or tomorrow, I'd have him outside today - have u got a bird cage or some such thing for outside, need to provide water & shade - don't put him in a glass container out in the sun though, you'll cook him!
Recommended temps for a central are 40-44C basking spot, and cool area of approx 28C, so u need to do some adjusting with your temps. Nighttime can drop with no problems.

 

[moemoee]

its a "compact Max pack 10.0" from URS. i cant afford the vet at the moment as i have been put off at my job.

 

[Tinky]

My ten month old dragons are 45cm, however I have a friend who got hers at the same time and it is only 17cm.

She says that it only eats a gew crickets every second or third day, and has never eaten vegies.

I believe that her enclosure might be ok for a snake, but does not provide enough UV or Heat for a dragon.

Other than taking it to the vet, which I would recomend, you may try taking it outside for a good dose of natural UV. This won't help with the tail, but may increase its energy levels and overall health.

Also give the enclosure a good clean and disinfect with a reptile disinfectant in case the tail thing is bacterial, (again I believe ti to be calcium/UVB related, but disinfecting will not hurt).

These sugestions are offered as an alternate to try if going to a vet is not possiable. Like others have said the best option is a vet check by an experienced Herp Vet

 

[Lollypop]

OK. Sunlight costs nothing, if u haven't got anything to put him in outside, can u sit with him in full sunlight for at least 30mins a day? What's the closest he can get to his UV light? I wouldn't run his lights for more than 10hrs MAX a day, & if u can't get your temps down on the cool side, make sure he's got a water bowl he can soak in without drowning.
Ideally u should be doing as Greg said with dusting his food, pet stores sell Reptic-cal,or try calcivet liquid - pet store or vet for usually under $15.
Mealworms aren't very nutritional as a staple diet - swap to wood cockroaches (woodies) or the silkworms if u can find them. Hold the woodies by the feet just in front of your beardie & let them wiggle to attract his attention. Give him time to adjust to the new food.
Also, what veg have u tried him with? Try again, & every day, with maybe bokchoy, chinese cabbages, shelled peas or chopped up beans, apple, melons - all chopped up a bit.

 

[moemoee]

So I did take him to the vet 2 days after my first post. the vet told me that most likely he had had a bad shed witch cut the circulation off in his tail and it would just fall off on its own and other wise he is fine, not many days later it started coming off in 1cm sections, I took him off meal worms and put him on woodies, and he improved greatly, became more active and started to eat veggies as well all was good, until we woke up charismas morning and looked into the enclosure only to find him in the water bowl dead, so our day was very glum ..."RIP Salazar"...

 

[KRONYK94]

sorry to hear man thats heart breaking

maby it was just something you couldn't help you know.
not everything in life turns out perfect.

sorry to hear about your loss
cheer up. takes it easy

chris

 

[GeckoJosh]

Man sorry to hear it, i just had one of my central netteds die on xmas eve so i know how you must feel.
Just curious was his head below the water line?

 

[moemoee]

his head was sitting above the water line.. sorry to hear of your loss aswell mate..

 

[GeckoJosh]

oh ok, i was just wondering as one of my beardies has a habit of sleeping on the water with her below the water line, since noticing this i no longer leave water in overnight

 

[Costa]

My ten month old dragons are 45cm, however I have a friend who got hers at the same time and it is only 17cm.

She says that it only eats a gew crickets every second or third day, and has never eaten vegies.

I believe that her enclosure might be ok for a snake, but does not provide enough UV or Heat for a dragon.

Other than taking it to the vet, which I would recomend, you may try taking it outside for a good dose of natural UV. This won't help with the tail, but may increase its energy levels and overall health.

Also give the enclosure a good clean and disinfect with a reptile disinfectant in case the tail thing is bacterial, (again I believe ti to be calcium/UVB related, but disinfecting will not hurt).

These sugestions are offered as an alternate to try if going to a vet is not possiable. Like others have said the best option is a vet check by an experienced Herp Vet

45cm?
at 10 months? is that to the tip of the tail?
if so
mine are about that...

 

[GeckoJosh]

45cm is the average adult length of a bearded dragon

 

[Costa]

yeah thought so
it cant be that big by now

 

[GeckoJosh]

yeah thought so
it cant be that big by now

Just cos that is the average does not mean that they do not exceed that (iv seen some 50cm+ monsters)
I was merely pointing out that at 10 months its uncommon for them to be 45cm though not impossible

 

[Costa]

wow.
thats not including the tail?
or is it?

 

[GeckoJosh]

Yeah that's total length