conjunctivitus of my beardies eye?

[angela freeborn]

Hi there,
I took my beardie to the vet last week for his eye it was swollen and a bit ofa discharge. Theytell me he has co junctivitus of the eye and suggesyed i give him maxitrol eye drops. They want over 60.00 on top of his vet bill. Which i could not afford right away. I was wondering if someone has any advice on where i can get this over the counter so its not so costly. Or is it my best bet to go back when i get paid to get it? I turned off his UV light for 2 days and only keep it on every 2nd day now to play it safe. Thank you

 

[Hopehrl]

Hey! Vet tech and fellow beardie owner here! Would you be able to provide a picture?
Now I'm not going to say the vet is wrong, because Vets know allot and do allot of the right thing.
I'm just curious, is his eye infected? Because maxitrol is a steroid and antibiotic ointment.
I've personally dealt with many eye issues with reptiles (leopard gecko with a perforated cornea/ Chinese water dragon with bacterial conjunctivitis/ beardie with photo kerato conjunctivitis)
Unfortunately you can't get maxitrol over the counter because it's a prescription. BUT, you can ask for a script, or order it from another source and they can approve it. For instance 1800petmeds, chewy, etc.

 

[angela freeborn]

Yes thank you. I feel so bad for him and want to do what i can to clear this up right away.

 

[PatsyB]

What kind of UVB light are you using?

 

[angela freeborn]

What kind of UVB light are you using?

I am using the Zoo Med 100 W UV bulb left on with the basking light all day turned off at night. Its a 20 G tank.
Now i turned the UV bulb off yesterday and going to leave it off until tomorrow. Then i will put it on only every 2nd day. This is what i was told i should do. I so wish his eye would get better i feel so bad for him even though hes in good spirits. Im going to pick up the antibiotic called Maxitrol (eye drops for him on thirsday because i cant seem to find anything else that could help him and i dont want to just give him anything that would harm him. I wish i had the funds to just go get it today but i dont get paid until thurs

 

[Hdrydr31]

I am using the Zoo Med 100 W UV bulb left on with the basking light all day turned off at night. Its a 20 G tank.
Now i turned the UV bulb off yesterday and going to leave it off until tomorrow. Then i will put it on only every 2nd day. This is what i was told i should do. I so wish his eye would get better i feel so bad for him even though hes in good spirits. Im going to pick up the antibiotic called Maxitrol (eye drops for him on thirsday because i cant seem to find anything else that could help him and i dont want to just give him anything that would harm him. I wish i had the funds to just go get it today but i dont get paid until thurs

Is that a mercury vapor UVB bulb? or is that a compact kinda coil like bulb??

 

[angela freeborn]

I am going to very honest. I have no idea. Im very new to all this. One thing i do know is ever since i turned of the UVB light yesterday morn and his eye seems to be so much better already not even any discharge

 

[Hopehrl]

Of the picture below, what does your UVB light look like? Or could you provide a picture of your Beardies tank and lights?

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[angela freeborn]

This is what i got. I see it has mercury
Is that a bad thing?

Of the picture below, what does your UVB light look like? Or could you provide a picture of your Beardies tank and lights?

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[Hopehrl]

This is what i got. I see it has mercury
Is that a bad thing?

I personally am not a fan of those. And many times they've been tested to not give out an adequate or safe about of uv/uvb. When in doubt a T8 or t5 tube light is the best choice. I've attached some odd findings from a reptile rescue I follow on Instagram, in regards to the inconsistency of MV bulbs.

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[Hdrydr31]

MVB can be really good bulbs, I have seen that they are expensive...
Most of use use Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb systems as these allow the UVB to penetrate thru mesh tops down to where the beardie is..

Maybe your MVB wattage is too strong..

 

[angela freeborn]

I just pulled out the bulb and the side of it says EXO Terra UVB150. Would that be too much for a 20 gallon tank?
I shop at Pet Smart for all of my things. So i am going to stop in tomorrow to grab another bulb if need. What would you suggest?
I know the long tube bulbs i hear are good too but i dont have the proper light fixture to fit them ones i just have a couple of the round ones. Thank you for all your help with this everyone.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I just pulled out the bulb and the side of it says EXO Terra UVB150. Would that be too much for a 20 gallon tank?
I shop at Pet Smart for all of my things. So i am going to stop in tomorrow to grab another bulb if need. What would you suggest?
I know the long tube bulbs i hear are good too but i dont have the proper light fixture to fit them ones i just have a couple of the round ones. Thank you for all your help with this everyone.

Oh yea you want a different bulb the coil bulbs have been known to cause eye damage..

 

[Hdrydr31]

you could do a low low watt MVB just make sure your fixture can handle the heat they give off.. Or temp get a T8 fixture and bulb as that would be better than the EXO terra for sure.. just know the T8 bulbs don't penetrate very far down into the tank... T5 however do

 

[angela freeborn]

Oh yea you want a different bulb the coil bulbs have been known to cause eye damage..

Thank you for the advice. I will get a new bulb.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thank you for the advice. I will get a new bulb.

You will likely need to get an entirely new UVB setup just so you know depending on the fixture you have.