slightly swollen eye

[shazbaz123]

Around 3 days ago I noticed that my bearded dragons eye was slightly swollen on the right side. at first you wouldn't notice if you wasn't looking for it, now you can. I am worried as this is the first bearded dragon. He's around 1 year old now and I've had him for about 2 months. Originally he had sand substrate but I changed it to reptile carpet as I know the dangers sand has. The temps in the viv are around 35 degrees at the basking spot and 30/28 degrees overall (sorry I'm british and don't know fahreneit). His diet is mainly greens (he has a new found love for rocket). Another problem i found is that he loves to eat mealworms which can obviously cause impaction, he does eat locusts but very rarely,although he has been eating his greens daily whenever I put a locust in the cage he hasn't ate it and that's been for the last 4 days. he did eat one on Friday, this is obviously concerning but I can't force him to eat, it is there for him so is he just not hungry? to be honest though he never has been a big eater when it came to live stock, apart from mealworms. His past owners used nutrobal as a supplement which I have carried on using, is this any good? He doesn't seem to have lost any energy until tonight, I was given advise to turn of his UVB bulb which is a 10.0 repti-glo which is known to give eye problems. So I did, I returned home from work which was about 6 and a half hours after I turned the light of and what i came home to terrified me. I honestly believed he was dead! It scared the living day lights out of me. he was incredibly pale, a lot paler than what he usually is even when hes regulating his temperature. He was also sprawled out, so I immediately got him out of his cage. Within minutes he was back to his usual colour, however he wasn't running around like he usually does, he just had a little walk then stood still, although I was happy to see him walk fine I was scared about his lack of energy. This could be due to him being tired as it was half past 10 at the time.
I will post photos.

please help, as I am very worried
thank you

 

[mxw0rld]

Since you are British and you are using British words - rocket and the supplement we don't have here or know anything about those. Maybe post this on the UK bearded dragon forum as well. If you click on my name you will see it. It's the reptile and parrots forum.

That way you can get help from both places! Just a thought.

Plus the time difference. That forum is in your time zone!

 

[Hdrydr31]

Welcome to the forum... You may want to have your little one looked at by a vet as he looks pretty dehydrated and does look like he should be hungry as his fat pads look depleted Do you give him warm soaks? will he take supplements or blended veggies like a slurry thru a syringe??
Are you able to get Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 bulbs over there? What's your weather like? do you take him outside to get some good ol Vit D??
What's his poop looking like?

 

[shazbaz123]

Yeah he was warm soaks every other day and his cage gets mists, he eats his veggies daily it just live stock he seems not to be eating although he has ate two locusts today and I'm just about to give him his third. I don't think syringe feeding will be necessary as like I said he eats his greens perfectly fine.
I believe I could be able to get that as someone else recommended a US product and it came up with British currency. The weather here in England is pretty poor at the moment and it does tend to rain daily. We did have a good week a couple of weeks back and I took him out to roam for a while. His poop consistency is fine. I did notice however this morning that he did struggle to push the last bit out. After a big push it did, could this be a sign of impaction? I felt his stomach and felt no lumps or anything and he doesn't really have any other signs.


EDIT: just seen weather forecast and it looks nice I shall take him outside

 

[PatsyB]

I would have him taken to the vet for a checkup. His fat pads look sunken in on his head. Parasites would cause them to lose their appetite and will deplete any fat and calcium stores they have. Struggling to poop could be impaction. If he's dehydrated it's going to cause impaction and make it hard to poop. You don't want him struggling too much because it can cause a prolapse. I really would do a vet check.

@mxw0rld we do have rocket here in the states, it's called arugula!

 

[shazbaz123]

@PatsyB what do you mean by sunken in just so i can keep a check to see if this changes as his fat pads seem to change all the time. His appetite has increased with his veggies a lot he very rarely used to eat them but he was only young, he's had 3 locusts today which is quite high for him, I'm going to try him with another one in a moment.

 

[Hdrydr31]

@PatsyB what do you mean by sunken in just so i can keep a check to see if this changes as his fat pads seem to change all the time. His appetite has increased with his veggies a lot he very rarely used to eat them but he was only young, he's had 3 locusts today which is quite high for him, I'm going to try him with another one in a moment.

Behind his eyes on both sides if you look at his head being a triangle the top being his nose and the base being towards the back of his head.. there are 2 oval like depressions those should be plump...
What kinds of feeders are you able to get over there? Some nice fatty ones would be great.. As long as he's eating just make sure you don't feed too fast since he's on the skinny side it can lead to him throwing it back up..

 

[shazbaz123]

Thank you @Hdrydr31, the size of his fat pads change all the time is this concerning? They look pretty plump and the moment. Could it just have been the angle of the photos which made them look sunken in?

What do you mean by feeders? Like the locusts?

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thank you @Hdrydr31, the size of his fat pads change all the time is this concerning? They look pretty plump and the moment. Could it just have been the angle of the photos which made them look sunken in?

What do you mean by feeders? Like the locusts?

It's possible it's the camera angle and his head is a bit compact if that makes sense.. It is very possible they change alot as they may become more plump after his body takes in food but then deplete as his body is needing any reserves it has.. This will change as he becomes a more healthy weight.
Feeders as in what bugs are you able to get over there?

 

[shazbaz123]

I go to Pets at Home which is the main pet store in England, they offer most things such a locusts, crickets, a different types of worms. I haven't done much research to be honest in what is on sale around my area. I live in northern England and there isn't many reptile places around. This is why I have come to forums for advice as I believe any vet round here would only be a useful as my knowledge but I will certainly try to find one that isn't too far away. I guess they could perfrom tests on him to see if it is any infection or parasits. The swelling in his eye hasn't really increased it's still around the same. Today I tried a saline solution and will continue using it all week to see if that helps. He was on a sand substrate so if there is any left in his cage some may have got in his eye.

Could his lack of appetite of live stock be due to his age as he is around 1 now. What would you recommend feeding him as you say he appears underweight.

 

[shazbaz123]

Here's a photo where you can see his whole body. Is he quite small for his age? I'm worried about anything could he have MBD?

 

[mxw0rld]

Really the only way to know for sure is a vet check. MBD is serious. What makes you think he has that?

 

[shazbaz123]

Only because other people who have 1 year old beardies are a lot bigger and he is quite small. Have you seen the photo? Is he normal size for his age?

 

[mxw0rld]

Only because other people who have 1 year old beardies are a lot bigger and he is quite small. Have you seen the photo? Is he normal size for his age?

Yes I saw the photo. Not all beardies grow the same. There are different kinds with different breeds that can affect their size. Just because yours is smaller doesn't mean MBD. Do you know what MBD is? He does look on the small size but you said he mainly eats greens. That could be why he's tiny. He needs protein. As far as feeders/insects I'm not sure what is for sale in England. Do you dust his greens with calcium and vitamins?

 

[shazbaz123]

I have read about it but I'm no expert, any info would be greatly appreciated. I am using nutrobal as a supplement and a calcium supplement is on its way. This is the supplement his past owners were using so I carried on using that. I was adviced to use both so I've ordered some off amazon.

I don't think you have nutrobal in America do you want me to send a link to what it is

 

[Hdrydr31]

Here's a photo where you can see his whole body. Is he quite small for his age? I'm worried about anything could he have MBD?

He may be a bit small but for 1 year old he's not too bad.. Many things will account to their size 1. type 2. living conditions while a baby and juv for example small tank and bad lighting/general husbandry will stunt growth 3. food and supplements.
I don't see the typical signs of MBD like bumps/humps disfigurement.. he has a stubby head but who knows that may just be him...
Here are some examples of the values of the bugs, sorry I don't have complete values..

Black Solider fly larve:
Crickets: 74% moisture, 1% Ash, 18% Protein, 6% Fat, 3% Carbs, 3% Fiber, 14 Calcium
Earthworms:
Redworms:
ButterWorms: 59% Moisture, 16% Protein, 5% Fat, 1% Ash, 43 Calcium
Dubia Roaches: 61% Moisture, 2% Ash, 36% Protein, 7% Fat, 3% Carbs, 20 Calcium
Locusts: 62% Moisture, 41% Protein, 5% Fat
Superworms: 59% Moisture, 1% Ash, 20% Protein, 16% Fat, 6% Carbs, 11 Calcium
Mealworms: 59% Moisture, 10% Protein, 1% Ash, 13% Fat, 3% Carbs, 3 Calcium
Waxworms: 61% Moisture, 16% Protein, 18% Fat, 1% Ash, 8% Fiber, 13 Calcium
Phoenix Worms: <10% Moisture, 17% Protein, 10% Fat, 34 Calcium
Silkworms: 76% Moisture, 64% Protein, 10% Fat, 8% Ash, 34 Calcium
Hornworms:

 

[Hdrydr31]

I have read about it but I'm no expert, any info would be greatly appreciated. I am using nutrobal as a supplement and a calcium supplement is on its way. This is the supplement his past owners were using so I carried on using that. I was adviced to use both so I've ordered some off amazon.

I don't think you have nutrobal in America do you want me to send a link to what it is

not sure what nutrobal is so I am going to search it..

 

[shazbaz123]

He may be a bit small but for 1 year old he's not too bad.. Many things will account to their size 1. type 2. living conditions while a baby and juv for example small tank and bad lighting/general husbandry will stunt growth 3. food and supplements.
I don't see the typical signs of MBD like bumps/humps disfigurement.. he has a stubby head but who knows that may just be him...
Here are some examples of the values of the bugs, sorry I don't have complete values..

Black Solider fly larve:
Crickets: 74% moisture, 1% Ash, 18% Protein, 6% Fat, 3% Carbs, 3% Fiber, 14 Calcium
Earthworms:
Redworms:
ButterWorms: 59% Moisture, 16% Protein, 5% Fat, 1% Ash, 43 Calcium
Dubia Roaches: 61% Moisture, 2% Ash, 36% Protein, 7% Fat, 3% Carbs, 20 Calcium
Locusts: 62% Moisture, 41% Protein, 5% Fat
Superworms: 59% Moisture, 1% Ash, 20% Protein, 16% Fat, 6% Carbs, 11 Calcium
Mealworms: 59% Moisture, 10% Protein, 1% Ash, 13% Fat, 3% Carbs, 3 Calcium
Waxworms: 61% Moisture, 16% Protein, 18% Fat, 1% Ash, 8% Fiber, 13 Calcium
Phoenix Worms: <10% Moisture, 17% Protein, 10% Fat, 34 Calcium
Silkworms: 76% Moisture, 64% Protein, 10% Fat, 8% Ash, 34 Calcium
Hornworms:

Thank you for this, I'm going to try and invest in some dubia roaches but i have no idea where to get them from so i will have to do some digging. Due to his morioworm obsession I've stopped feeding them him and just started feeding only locusts and veg. I might try silkworms or waxworms if i can get them here

 

[shazbaz123]

His past owners were newbies like me and I think they got some bad information from their pet store as they did recommend sand as a substrate, wouldn't be surprised if the supplement is no good.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I have read about it but I'm no expert, any info would be greatly appreciated. I am using nutrobal as a supplement and a calcium supplement is on its way. This is the supplement his past owners were using so I carried on using that. I was adviced to use both so I've ordered some off amazon.

I don't think you have nutrobal in America do you want me to send a link to what it is

Ok so that's a multivit plus calcium... Primarily for birds..not saying that's a bad thing that's just what came up for me..
I would recommend getting him some calcium without D3 then some with D3 a multi vit and you may even want to get him on some probiotics to help restore his natural gut flora...
If you need examples please let me know also I do most of my ordering from (and I know you may not be able to get them from there but you'll have an idea of what most use) beardeddragon.co
I use Calcium with D3, calcium without D3, probiotics, dandelion powder, alfalfa powder and a good multivit (not all at the same time mind you )