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bearded dragon lethargic
Topic Stats: 374 views, 3 replies and 2 subscribers.
June 18th, 2012 07:43
i have a 12-13 yr old female bearded dragon that has become very lathargic lately. she has a heat rock and a uv light that is on a timer. she wont eat anything that isnt moving around. she use to eat lettuce and cat food. i know the cat food was a mistake because she has what looks like a abscese from crunching the food. i dont let her eat the cat food anymore of course. she seems like she is almost in a hibernation state. ive never seen her go into hibernation like ive read about, would this possibly be what she is doing? i live in florida, so its not very cool here or anything.
i hope i covered everything, thanks for your time
i hope i covered everything, thanks for your time
June 18th, 2012 20:01
To be honest, with the diet you have described, it is surprising she hasn't gotten sick a lot sooner.
Her issue has now become very serious, and you need to take her to an experienced reptile veterinarian. Here are the steps you will need to take in order to care for her properly now, and once she has been nursed back to health:
1) Get rid of the hot rock. An overhead heat lamp is a good way to provide heat for a bearded dragon. Hot rocks can overheat and cause burns, and do not heat the air in the cage. They are inappropriate for all reptiles, and especially so for high temperature species like bearded dragons. The air temperature in her cage during the day should be 80F, and the basking area under the light should be 100F. Don't guess, use a thermometer with a remote probe, or an infrared temp gun, to measure temperatures, and adjust your equipment to make sure they are right.
2) Lettuce is worthless. It has no nutritional value to speak of. Bearded dragons should be given a mix of collards, dandelion greens, mustard greens, and turnip tops. You can mix 2 greens each day, and vary them. (Don't feed the same two all the time). Greens should be offered every day. A bit of grated squash and green beans can be added to the salad a couple of times per week.
3) Cat and dog foods are designed to feed mammals, and mammals require a lot of fat. High fat diets are deadly to reptiles. They can cause fatty liver disease. Bearded dragons are insectivores, not carnivores. They eat large quantities of live insects. Crickets and superworms are good staples for adult bearded dragons. The insects should be fed on fresh vegetables for a day before you give them to the dragon, and they should be coated in calcium powder when you offer them. Once a week, use a calcium containing a vitamin D3 supplement.
4) UVB lights last for around 6 months, and the the amount of UVB produced is no longer sufficient to make them worth keeping. The bulb of a fluorescent UVB light should be replaced every 6 months. Additionally, fluorescent UVB lights are useless if they are more than 8 inches away from the animal.
If you are using a mercury-vapor reptile light, which produces both heat and UVB light, this should be replaced every 3 years. These lights are much better--they produce more UVB, and throw the UVB light for a couple of feet, instead of a few inches.
You must take your dragon to a veterinarian immediately. By the time a reptile shows signs of illness, it is generally seriously ill. Delaying treatment often proves deadly. Most reptile illnesses can be treated relatively inexpensively if they are caught early.
I also recommend you buy a good, recent book on bearded dragon care. Reptile care has improved dramatically in the last decade, and we know far more now about reptile nutrition and husbandry. Reptiles like bearded dragons are now able to live a full, healthy lifespan in captivity, but proper nutrition and husbandry are essential to that.
Her issue has now become very serious, and you need to take her to an experienced reptile veterinarian. Here are the steps you will need to take in order to care for her properly now, and once she has been nursed back to health:
1) Get rid of the hot rock. An overhead heat lamp is a good way to provide heat for a bearded dragon. Hot rocks can overheat and cause burns, and do not heat the air in the cage. They are inappropriate for all reptiles, and especially so for high temperature species like bearded dragons. The air temperature in her cage during the day should be 80F, and the basking area under the light should be 100F. Don't guess, use a thermometer with a remote probe, or an infrared temp gun, to measure temperatures, and adjust your equipment to make sure they are right.
2) Lettuce is worthless. It has no nutritional value to speak of. Bearded dragons should be given a mix of collards, dandelion greens, mustard greens, and turnip tops. You can mix 2 greens each day, and vary them. (Don't feed the same two all the time). Greens should be offered every day. A bit of grated squash and green beans can be added to the salad a couple of times per week.
3) Cat and dog foods are designed to feed mammals, and mammals require a lot of fat. High fat diets are deadly to reptiles. They can cause fatty liver disease. Bearded dragons are insectivores, not carnivores. They eat large quantities of live insects. Crickets and superworms are good staples for adult bearded dragons. The insects should be fed on fresh vegetables for a day before you give them to the dragon, and they should be coated in calcium powder when you offer them. Once a week, use a calcium containing a vitamin D3 supplement.
4) UVB lights last for around 6 months, and the the amount of UVB produced is no longer sufficient to make them worth keeping. The bulb of a fluorescent UVB light should be replaced every 6 months. Additionally, fluorescent UVB lights are useless if they are more than 8 inches away from the animal.
If you are using a mercury-vapor reptile light, which produces both heat and UVB light, this should be replaced every 3 years. These lights are much better--they produce more UVB, and throw the UVB light for a couple of feet, instead of a few inches.
You must take your dragon to a veterinarian immediately. By the time a reptile shows signs of illness, it is generally seriously ill. Delaying treatment often proves deadly. Most reptile illnesses can be treated relatively inexpensively if they are caught early.
I also recommend you buy a good, recent book on bearded dragon care. Reptile care has improved dramatically in the last decade, and we know far more now about reptile nutrition and husbandry. Reptiles like bearded dragons are now able to live a full, healthy lifespan in captivity, but proper nutrition and husbandry are essential to that.
June 19th, 2012 06:52
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