Help my Rex :(

[hanturp]

Hi!!! I rescued a neglected beardie named Rex about a year and a half ago. I got all the stuff from his previous owner. He was never super active and I don’t know how old he is I just know he’s at least over 5 years old. But he was fine and sort of playful for a year and a half I even replaced his bulb the day I got him I love him so much but he just now stopped eating and is limp and won’t move. I researched and realized he doesn’t have the correct lighting or diet because he won’t eat veggies so I feed him live bugs calcium and the flukers adult bearded dragon food and he loves that. But I think he’s suffering from MBD. I have always added calcium to his food and recently started giving him multivitamin powder too. Then I found out you’re not supposed to give them calcium every time they eat I just got him the best ubv light and basking bulb that they recommended at a trusted reptile care store. I was wondering if I should keep the uvb light on constantly until he’s feeling better? Maybe even the basking light? Because I don’t think the temperature in his tank was ever well maintained. I also just upgraded him to a 120 gallon tank. I’d appreciate any tips anyone has for me. I want him to be happy and healthy

 

[Sadie]

Hi!!! I rescued a neglected beardie named Rex about a year and a half ago. I got all the stuff from his previous owner. He was never super active and I don’t know how old he is I just know he’s at least over 5 years old. But he was fine and sort of playful for a year and a half I even replaced his bulb the day I got him I love him so much but he just now stopped eating and is limp and won’t move. I researched and realized he doesn’t have the correct lighting or diet because he won’t eat veggies so I feed him live bugs calcium and the flukers adult bearded dragon food and he loves that. But I think he’s suffering from MBD. I have always added calcium to his food and recently started giving him multivitamin powder too. Then I found out you’re not supposed to give them calcium every time they eat I just got him the best ubv light and basking bulb that they recommended at a trusted reptile care store. I was wondering if I should keep the uvb light on constantly until he’s feeling better? Maybe even the basking light? Because I don’t think the temperature in his tank was ever well maintained. I also just upgraded him to a 120 gallon tank. I’d appreciate any tips anyone has for me. I want him to be happy and healthy

Please lower the UVB it's a T 5 correct? It needs to be directly over him 12-15 inches I would get it down to 12-- he has not been able to absorb the calcium w/ out the UVB correctly positioned- basking temps need to be 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer-- dust the insects w/ calcium D 3 every time you feed him for now-- the UVB will help w/ the d 3- watch his behavior -- he is suffering I am thinking w/ mbd let's hope w/ the changes he improves-- how old is the T 5 ? If it's over a year replace it NOW

 

[hanturp]

Please lower the UVB it's a T 5 correct? It needs to be directly over him 12-15 inches I would get it down to 12-- he has not been able to absorb the calcium w/ out the UVB correctly positioned- basking temps need to be 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer-- dust the insects w/ calcium D 3 every time you feed him for now-- the UVB will help w/ the d 3- watch his behavior -- he is suffering I am thinking w/ mbd let's hope w/ the changes he improves-- how old is the T 5 ? If it's over a year replace it NOW

Please lower the UVB it's a T 5 correct? It needs to be directly over him 12-15 inches I would get it down to 12-- he has not been able to absorb the calcium w/ out the UVB correctly positioned- basking temps need to be 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer-- dust the insects w/ calcium D 3 every time you feed him for now-- the UVB will help w/ the d 3- watch his behavior -- he is suffering I am thinking w/ mbd let's hope w/ the changes he improves-- how old is the T 5 ? If it's over a year replace it NOW

It is a T5 HO yes! I just got it today. I used to use a single 160W mercury bulb with both UVA and UVB and just now added the T5 uvb light with a brand new 160W basking bulb with both uva/uvb. I switched the mercury bulb every 5 months since I’ve had him and haven’t noticed anything wrong with him until now. He last ate two days ago but he won’t eat anything at the moment not even live food that I offer to hand feed him. I do dust his crickets with calcium but I’m also afraid I may have been giving him too much I’ll lower the uvb fixture and center it so he can get better benefit from it thank you for the advice! I used to keep his lighting on the outside of his enclosure which was not a good idea either. If you have anymore advice I’d appreciate it I’m trying my best to bring him back to health also I have no idea how old he is. I got him from an old roommate who had him for 2 years and didn’t want him anymore. She got him from some random people from Craigslist and he was an adult at that time too. So I know he’s been neglected pretty much his whole life. I got him to gain a little weight and become playful and a lot more active since I’ve had him so I thought I was doing well he has always been skinny though I was told the new lighting should improve him over the next few days I’ll lower it and I’ll keep you updated thank you for responding

 

[Skybug]

Welcome to the forum, ahh poor guy, aside from not having the proper uvb, he doesn’t look too bad, (many beardies can live a long time with mbd) he looks hydrated, his nails arnt long, hes not so under weight (but he is on the skinner side) may i ask whats in his feed dish? I see dead bugs (thats no good) he needs other live bugs (crickets arnt the best of feeders) to help him with digestion id order some soft fleshy bugs (hornworms, wax worms, bsfl, etc, these wont run away either) basically bugs without a hard outer shell, can u try picking him up and putting him on all four feet and quickly take a picture? I wanna see how bad his mbd is (be gentle) is his tail limp? Or can it be curved up and stay there? What vitamins is he getting? I see the repcal on the ground there, with d3? Or without? If its warm in your state, try taking him outside for half an hour to get some real sun(that might do him some good) if he stops wanting to take food altogether , id get some high protein baby food as a critical care food, next poo take a picture, if his urate(the white in his poo) has ever been hard then he was getting to much calcium, but I doubt you over dosed him.

 

[hanturp]

Welcome to the forum, ahh poor guy, aside from not having the proper uvb, he doesn’t look too bad, (many beardies can live a long time with mbd) he looks hydrated, his nails arnt long, hes not so under weight (but he is on the skinner side) may i ask whats in his feed dish? I see dead bugs (thats no good) he needs other live bugs (crickets arnt the best of feeders) to help him with digestion id order some soft fleshy bugs (hornworms, wax worms, bsfl, etc, these wont run away either) basically bugs without a hard outer shell, can u try picking him up and putting him on all four feet and quickly take a picture? I wanna see how bad his mbd is (be gentle) is his tail limp? Or can it be curved up and stay there? What vitamins is he getting? I see the repcal on the ground there, with d3? Or without? If its warm in your state, try taking him outside for half an hour to get some real sun(that might do him some good) if he stops wanting to take food altogether , id get some high protein baby food as a critical care food, next poo take a picture, if his urate(the white in his poo) has ever been hard then he was getting to much calcium, but I doubt you over dosed him.

Thank you! I put some flukers brand adult bearded dragon veggie food in there and some of their “gourmet” type mealworm food he’s a really picky eater and won’t walk and the only live food I had at the time were crickets and some mealworms and he wasn’t eating them even when I tried to hand feed him I didn’t want them roaming his enclosure. I’ll get him the wax worms though! He really likes those! I’ll take a picture when I’m back from work! He is very limp though he doesn’t have any lumps or weird curves and when I held him last yesterday his tail was limp. I live in Utah so I’ll take him outside too! The calcium I’ve been giving him does have d3 in it is that good or bad? I also dust his live food with a multivitamin powder! I’ll add a picture of it! He’s been like this for two days now Last time he pooped it was all very runny actually. He doesn’t poop very often I was worried he was constipated a few weeks ago but he was pretty active and eating then and finally pooped but it has been a couple weeks now since the last time

 

[Sadie]

Please lower the UVB it's a T 5 correct? It needs to be directly over him 12-15 inches I would get it down to 12-- he has not been able to absorb the calcium w/ out the UVB correctly positioned- basking temps need to be 95-100 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer-- dust the insects w/ calcium D 3 every time you feed him for now-- the UVB will help w/ the d 3- watch his behavior -- he is suffering I am thinking w/ mbd let's hope w/ the changes he improves-- how old is the T 5 ? If it's over a year replace it NOW

No do not leave his lights on get that uvb positioned w/ the correct distance-- you want a photo period of 12 hrs on 12 hrs off-- make sure he's hydrated- his salads will do that rinse the greens before serving - drop water on his nose and let him lick- a bath as well if he will drink-

 

[Sadie]

Please take a fecal sample into the vet -----the runny poop could be caused by diet lack of UVB and parasites-------www.arav.org--- he may or may not have parasites --the improper placement of UVB and parasites can cause the behavior your getting -- - get the fecal tested so you can rule those out ----- here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
ignore the kale thing its a great staple feeder----- please post a pic of him so I can see him better ---- please do not feed a lot of wax worms they are real fatty and too many and long term use can cause liver damage --- and if hes not real healthy now I would advise not ---- please get him some dubia roaches www.dubiaroaches.com they are a better feeder and would be a better one since hes not moving much - you can put those in a bowl w/ his salads you can use a bowl like this for worms and roaches-- also horn worms are a good hydration worm they grow real fast so order a small amount dubia roaches has nice horn worms --
https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
Another option is BSFL since hes not moving very good too -- order large DO NOT DUST them -those can be used as salad toppers feed as many as you want --- you will need to rinse them as they come in a dirt like substrate - www.symtonbsf.com -- please get him some super worms for treats a great place for those is https://flukerfarms.com/crickets-live-feeder-insects/ they have nice big super worms they come in a tube so you will need a plastic container w/ a lid w/ holes and bran to feed along w/ some carrots for hydration --- I usually order a 100 at a time they keep good --- please get the UVB placed and keep me posted on how he is doing - the MVB your using is a what brand and how far away is the MVB? I-What is the distance you have it at -- it looks pretty close for a 160 watt

 

[hanturp]

No do not leave his lights on get that uvb positioned w/ the correct distance-- you want a photo period of 12 hrs on 12 hrs off-- make sure he's hydrated- his salads will do that rinse the greens before serving - drop water on his nose and let him lick- a bath as well if he will drink-

Okay! I repositioned the light and did end up turning it off for the night! Also He never eats greens I’ve tried since I’ve had him. any tips on getting him to start? the only things he’ll eat besides live bugs and the veggie pellets are watermelon, grapes and strawberries but I don’t give him those too often. I mist him once a week but another person told me I should be letting him soak in the bath for an hour a day right now so I’m also going to start doing that!

 

[hanturp]

Please take a fecal sample into the vet -----the runny poop could be caused by diet lack of UVB and parasites-------www.arav.org--- he may or may not have parasites --the improper placement of UVB and parasites can cause the behavior your getting -- - get the fecal tested so you can rule those out ----- here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
ignore the kale thing its a great staple feeder----- please post a pic of him so I can see him better ---- please do not feed a lot of wax worms they are real fatty and too many and long term use can cause liver damage --- and if hes not real healthy now I would advise not ---- please get him some dubia roaches www.dubiaroaches.com they are a better feeder and would be a better one since hes not moving much - you can put those in a bowl w/ his salads you can use a bowl like this for worms and roaches-- also horn worms are a good hydration worm they grow real fast so order a small amount dubia roaches has nice horn worms --
https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
Another option is BSFL since hes not moving very good too -- order large DO NOT DUST them -those can be used as salad toppers feed as many as you want --- you will need to rinse them as they come in a dirt like substrate - www.symtonbsf.com -- please get him some super worms for treats a great place for those is https://flukerfarms.com/crickets-live-feeder-insects/ they have nice big super worms they come in a tube so you will need a plastic container w/ a lid w/ holes and bran to feed along w/ some carrots for hydration --- I usually order a 100 at a time they keep good --- please get the UVB placed and keep me posted on how he is doing - the MVB your using is a what brand and how far away is the MVB? I-What is the distance you have it at -- it looks pretty close for a 160 watt

Thank you! I will do all that! There’s only one exotic animal hospital in my area and they’re very booked out I’m looking into other places that take beardies to make him a sooner appointment! It’s a 160w solar glo and i know it is pretty low It’s only been like that for a day so far since I used to keep the lamp on top of the metal top! I got him the new enclosure 3 days ago and it didn’t come with the best hookups to get it right where I wanted so that’s why there’s so many zip ties and it’s a mess right now I’m probably going to end up buying a new lamp today that will work better so it can sit it higher and in the corner more. Thank you for all the information and help I will take a better picture of him as soon as I’m back from work!

 

[Sadie]

Thank you! I will do all that! There’s only one exotic animal hospital in my area and they’re very booked out I’m looking into other places that take beardies to make him a sooner appointment! It’s a 160w solar glo and i know it is pretty low It’s only been like that for a day so far since I used to keep the lamp on top of the metal top! I got him the new enclosure 3 days ago and it didn’t come with the best hookups to get it right where I wanted so that’s why there’s so many zip ties and it’s a mess right now I’m probably going to end up buying a new lamp today that will work better so it can sit it higher and in the corner more. Thank you for all the information and help I will take a better picture of him as soon as I’m back from work!

What lamp are you talking about ? If your replacing the basking light get a regular bright white basking bulb like a exo terra intense bulb its going to be trial and error w/ those bulbs make sure you have a digital probe thermometer -- I am posting a pic of my Zen like yours --- please get some of this stuff for the fixtures it works great I use it its like Velcro strap cut into strips and wrap around your fixture https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-15-ft-Cable-Ties-Hook-and-Loop-Spool-Black-10375/304220195
This is a pic of the tank when I had his 14% bulb in the UVB I have since put in a T 5 bulb --- I cant find the pic I was looking for so I am going to get another one today and repost --

 

[Skybug]

Did u feed anything that might cause him to have really runny stool? Was it formless? (Like a puddle?) or did it have some shape, it could just be the fruit (watermelon does cause loose stool) , but i agree with sadie, get a test done, once we know hes clean then we can eliminate whats going on, im guess he might have some tummy bugs along with the in proper uvb, if hes survived this long he has a fighting spirit! Thats very good, let us know as much about his symptoms as u can this’ll help.

 

[Sadie]

here is the pic of Hiccups tank

 

[hanturp]

Did u feed anything that might cause him to have really runny stool? Was it formless? (Like a puddle?) or did it have some shape, it could just be the fruit (watermelon does cause loose stool) , but i agree with sadie, get a test done, once we know hes clean then we can eliminate whats going on, im guess he might have some tummy bugs along with the in proper uvb, if hes survived this long he has a fighting spirit! Thats very good, let us know as much about his symptoms as u can this’ll help.

I think at the moment he was eating more fruits bc he enjoyed it and I liked watching him eat it he pooped last night though! He’s currently at my friends house because my apartment doesn’t allow reptiles. They said that his poop was solid for the most part! He’s also moving now! He’s standing on his front legs since getting the new lighting! He also just ate a horn worm! He’s doing so much better now! I’m still giving him baths Daily and looking for anymore tips you guys have! I’ll also upload some pictures to show how his MBD when he’s done eating! but he’s doing much better now! Im happy he’s actually moving and eating!

 

[Sadie]

I think at the moment he was eating more fruits bc he enjoyed it and I liked watching him eat it he pooped last night though! He’s currently at my friends house because my apartment doesn’t allow reptiles. They said that his poop was solid for the most part! He’s also moving now! He’s standing on his front legs since getting the new lighting! He also just ate a horn worm! He’s doing so much better now! I’m still giving him baths Daily and looking for anymore tips you guys have! I’ll also upload some pictures to show how his MBD when he’s done eating! but he’s doing much better now! Im happy he’s actually moving and eating!

Where is the UVB you got? Did you place it like I posted? And what exactly did you get? Ok please no more baths daily--- you will dry his skin out --- feed green salads and rinse before serving

 

[hanturp]

What lamp are you talking about ? If your replacing the basking light get a regular bright white basking bulb like a exo terra intense bulb its going to be trial and error w/ those bulbs make sure you have a digital probe thermometer -- I am posting a pic of my Zen like yours --- please get some of this stuff for the fixtures it works great I use it its like Velcro strap cut into strips and wrap around your fixture https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-15-ft-Cable-Ties-Hook-and-Loop-Spool-Black-10375/304220195
This is a pic of the tank when I had his 14% bulb in the UVB I have since put in a T 5 bulb --- I cant find the pic I was looking for so I am going to get another one today and repost --

I’ll definitely get those to help keep the fixtures in place! I did lower the uvb which has helped him so much already! It’s on zip ties though so it never stays pointed downward so I’ll get those! He also just ate a horn worm he’s been crawling and moving around his tank more since yesterday and I’ll upload pictures of him when he’s done eating to show how his MBD is doing I appreciate any other tips you have to keep him healthy and further his recovery

 

[hanturp]

Where is the UVB you got? Did you place it like I posted? And what exactly did you get? Ok please no more baths daily--- you will dry his skin out --- feed green salads and rinse before serving

I did! I lowered it with more zip ties it does shift so it won’t stay pointed down so I’ll be getting what you recommend to keep it in place! I’ll see if he’ll eat some salad now too but he doesn’t like any greens or vegetables

 

[hanturp]

I did! I lowered it with more zip ties it does shift so it won’t stay pointed down so I’ll be getting what you recommend to keep it in place! I’ll see if he’ll eat some salad now too but he doesn’t like any greens or vegetables

 

[Sadie]

Ok get him some BSFL use them as salad toppers first thing in the morning -- DO NOT DUST- they are a great staple and calcium enriched --- add them to the salads in front of him --- hand feed him a couple to get him interested in them -- they will need a dish they cant get out of like this
https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
Are you getting the cable / hook ties from Home Depot?
www.symtonbsf.com order large

 

[hanturp]

This is the basking lamp and bulb I have for him right now I did end up placing it on the outside of the enclosure for now so about 30% of the rays get filtered out according to the zen habitat person I asked but now it’s not too close to him since it’s 160W.I didn’t know you had the same enclosure! Where do you recommend I put the basking lamp? Is outside on the top okay or should I figure out a way to attach it on the inside? I can’t tell where yours is placed in your picture but I’ll move his uvb lamp more center like you have it! I put it more towards the hot side of the tank

 

[hanturp]

Ok get him some BSFL use them as salad toppers first thing in the morning -- DO NOT DUST- they are a great staple and calcium enriched --- add them to the salads in front of him --- hand feed him a couple to get him interested in them -- they will need a dish they cant get out of like this
https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
Are you getting the cable / hook ties from Home Depot?
www.symtonbsf.com order large

I have a dish like that! I’ll definitely order some now that he’s eating! I am going to be getting the ties from Home Depot!