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Baby bearded dragon sick, but no parasites? PLEASE HELP

aduffy0303

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
My boyfriend and I got a baby bearded dragon about a month ago named Louie. We got him from a local pet store and they said he/she was probably around 2 months old. At first, Louie was very active, playful and just a joy to have and we have gotten really attached to him. Unfortunately, about 2 weeks ago, Louie began to change. He wouldn't play, wouldn't be awake as often and didn't want to eat crickets or greens anymore. In addition, Louie would be very selective with opening his eyes and seemed to favor one over the other. I noticed some crust in the eye he was no longer using and took him to the vet. She got the crust out and said the eye itself was healthy and it may be a side effect of him being sick. I sent in a fecal sample and got the news yesterday it was negative. The vet gave me some reptaid to help Louie. This is his 2nd day on it. He has a 10 gallon tank. The hot end is between 95-110 degrees and the cool side is between 65-80 degrees. The vet said the tank may be too small but I don't see how that is causing all these problems when he has the right temperatures and the right lighting that was recommended to me. I am worried about him losing weight. He hasn't eaten in 3 days and I don't know what else to do and I don't want to take him back to the vet because they seem at a loss too. I don't want Louie to suffer. He already hates receiving the medicine and I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and the outcome of that experience.
Thank you!!!
 

Aziara

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
59
That should be good, how about the substrate? What are you using for the floor of the cage?
 

aduffy0303

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
we have a terrarium liner that came with the cage. The vet told us to take it out for about a week and use paper towels just in case he was allergic. So it’s been paper towels for a couple days now.
 

BeardedHippy

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
672
Location
Scarborough UK
Hi again, I forgot to ask before ,what kind of basking bulb you are using? Paper towels are fine as a substrate by the way. What are you using to measure those temps?
 

aduffy0303

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
The basking bulb is a 100W zoo med bulb from petsmart. And we have a digital probe thermometer that tells us the temperature.
 

BeardedHippy

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
672
Location
Scarborough UK
I am now thinking that as your tank is so small and you are using a high output UVB that he may be getting too close to it, this could well account for the eye problem and crusty discharge. Does he have a hide in his tank? if so, does he seem to be using it a lot?
 

aduffy0303

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
That’s what I initially thought but the vet said she thought it was a parasite and to keep on the UVB. and then the test came back negative so I’m receiving missed messages. He does have a hide and he typically sleeps under it every night but stays on his hammock throughout the day because that seems to be his favorite thing in the cage. Should I only keep the UVB on a certain amount of time or maybe hang the UVB higher up so it’s not as close to the cage?
 

BeardedHippy

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
672
Location
Scarborough UK
What is photo-kerato-conjunctivitis?

This is a painful eye condition caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation.

It is exactly the same as "snow blindness" in skiers, from excessive UV reflected from snow, and "arc welder's flash" experienced by people working with metal welding equipment, who have not worn protective glasses. It is very painful - like having sand in your eyes - and it is caused by damage to the delicate transparent cells on the surface of the eye (the cornea) and the lining of the eyelids. Fortunately, only the superficial layers of the eye are affected; the lens and retina are not damaged (the UVB does not reach the deep structures of the eye) and so it does not cause permanent blindness.

The pain is protective (it makes sufferers close their eyes) and healing begins at once, when the harmful UV light is removed. Unless there have been serious burns, the eyes heal remarkably quickly. The damaged cells are replaced within days and the pain disappears.

Most cases open their eyes again within 2 - 3 days and all symptoms are gone within a week or so, with no medication being necessary. If there has been skin damage to the eyelids this may take a little longer and veterinary examination is essential in case the damaged skin has become infected. We have heard reports of some cases with a sticky discharge from the eye and/or peeling of the skin around the eyelids.
 

aduffy0303

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
This is exactly what I thought was wrong with Louie and I suggested it to the vet and she said she didn’t agree and wants to pursue an X-Ray if he isn’t better in the next 5 days but I don’t want to spend that money if that isn’t necessary. I’ll try to turn off the UVB and see what happens
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
Messages
9,390
Location
Chicago
You said your bulb was a Reptisun 10.0 but what kind of bulb? Is it a tube style bulb or a coil or a compact fluorescent. Reptisun 10.0 comes in different types of bulbs.

Unfortunately sometimes babies have failure to thrive. It's no fault of yours, just genetics. If the fecal came back negative, I would have a blood test done to test for other things like atendovirus. Also, make sure that you are seeing a reptile vet and not a regular vet that treats reptiles occasionally.
 

PatsyB

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I reread the OP. So a compact fluorescent isn't horrible for a 10 gallon tank but you should get him in a bigger tank as soon as possible with a tube style bulb. Compact fluorescent bulbs don't work in a bigger tank because they don't penetrated deep enough down into the tank to provide enough UVB, nor do they cover 2/3rds of the length of the tank.

What are you using to measure the temps in your tank? I ask because a 10 gallon tank is small and you have a great temp gradient between the cool side and the basking area. That's really hard to achieve in a small tank. Analog (stick on) gauges are very inaccurate and only measure the temp of the glass and the area around the glass, places your dragon can't sit. You really want an infrared temp gun or even 2 digital probe thermometers, one for each side of the tank. With the probe thermometers you want to put the probe right on the basking spot under the light, which is kind of a pain in the ass because then you have a wire in the way but that's where you need to measure the temps.

I'm really thinking his problems are a tank and lighting problem. If his basking spot isn't 107-110 consistently, he is not going to be able to digest his food or even want to eat. If his UVB isn't producing enough UVB, he is going to be sluggish and just want to sleep because he is not eating and he's not making any energy. You would be surprised at how getting the right lights and temps will perk them right up. When mine were younger, I used to know the UVB needed to be changed because they slowed down considerably and didn't want to eat or play. Once I got the new bulb, they were like new dragons!
 

aduffy0303

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
We have digital probe thermometers. The probe is right above his hammock which is where he typically basks and the other is near his food bowl where he likes to lay and cool off. When we initially got Louie, the pet store didn't give us high enough wattage lightbulbs, as coil UVB and the thermometer didn't work. So we went to a different pet store and got all the right wattage and working thermometers and we did see him perk up shortly after, but has recently gone back down hill. I would like to get him a bigger tank of course, but I'm worried about spending that kind of money just after paying for numerous vet appointments and tests. I have been told its conjunctivitis. I have been told its too small of a tank. I have been told it could be a parasite which was just recently ruled out. And now the vet wants to do X-rays which I know will not be cheap so I am stuck as to which route I want to go down considering the vet doesn't know what is wrong with Louie. Today is his 3rd day on his medicine and I'm seeing little differences so I think I will wait and see after the 5 days are up if anything changes, but I will go ahead and start looking for cages to get prepared for that to be the problem.
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
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Beardie Club
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Do you use a colored bulb to heat the tank at night?
 

Aziara

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
59
We have a 100W Exo Terra night heat lamp. It has a slight purple tint to it.
That could be part of the problem. Colored lights aren't good for their eyes. A ceramic bulb would better if you need supplemental heat at night (often referred to as a CHE or ceramic heating element.) If the tank doesn't get colder than 65 F during the night, you don't really need one though.
 
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