Dragon not eating, eyes closed, lethargic

[CooperDragon]

Which size do you have? Is it a T8 bulb? (18'')

 

[Brezzy99]

You should be able to use any fixture that you can mount inside the tank. I am not sure what stores you have in your area or if you are ordering off of Amazon.

This one would work. You could mount it with Velcro or command hooks.

http://www.amazon.com/Goodearth-G9124D-T8-WHI-24-Inch-Cabinet-Fixture/dp/B001F9R5NU/ref=sr_1_7?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1399311509&sr=1-7&keywords=under+cabinet+fluorescent+light+fixture+t8

 

[Chiyo]

Yeah, that looks good. I'll look into it.

I gave her a little applesauce today but her appetite's still not back. She didn't eat much. I'm still very worried. These are so photos of her :

Sorry about the adds and pop-ups on the links...

 

[diamc]

I'm worried with the way she looks too. The way she is holding her legs looks like she has developed metabolic bone disease.

Did you leave the compact UVB off today too? Did she open her eyes at all?

How old did you say your beardie is? Were you able to pick up some chicken or turkey and squash or sweet potato baby food? If not, you need to do that asap as she needs some nourishment as well as protein and the choices of baby food I gave you, will help with that.

How often have you been bathing her? Have you had a fecal checked for parasites?

I don't think we discussed the exact thermometer you're using either. That is VERY important. Does the thermometer have a long wire & probe end?

 

[Chiyo]

The light was off all day today. Now I can't quite say what her eyes were doing for the entire day but every time I checked on her, she would open them for a few minutes just to say : who is this? Oh it's you. Then she would close them again.

As for the baby food, she wasn't having any of it. She ate a tiny amount of applesauce when I offered it to her but that was it. I tried crickets, chicken mixed with baby food...

The temperatures of my vivarium are about 104-105°F in the basking spot (where she spends 95% of her time) and 86% at the coolest part of the cage but she never goes there. The thermometer is highly reliable but doesn't have a wire and probe end.

At a year old, she's really small. I've been giving her baths and soaks pretty much every day often twice. I've never had a fecal check, the nearest vet who accepts animals is well over 100 miles away. None the less, I'm starting to consider looking into going there.

 

[Chiyo]

I don't think she's going to make it... I went up midday today and she was just lying there and looked half-dead, which is odd because she pooped by herself this morning and was looking more lively. Anyway, I immediately offered her some water but she couldn't even open her mouth to drink. I placed a couple of drops on her nose and she licked them up.

She was completely limp in my hand and just wasn't moving. I put some of that chicken mix on her nose but she couldn't even lick it up... She's just lying in the warmest part of the cage now, like this with the food on her nose :



I don't think I can take her to a vet, frankly the drop in temperature during the trip would probably kill her.

 

[diamc]

Oh dear, she's not looking good. Unfortunately, that picture confirms that she does have metabolic bone disease, that's why her tail looks like that and why her legs aren't able to support her but there are also other concerns right now of course too.

I would hold her in your hand and give her a bath. Drip some water on her nose again and see if she will lick it off.

Would be a good idea to get some saline eye wash, the type used for humans to wash particles out of their eyes, NOT the type of solution used for contact lenses. Or, you could get some Turtle eye drops from a pet store.

Do you think you'd be able to pull down on the side of her mouth and put a small amount of chicken baby food in there and then rub her beard to try to get her to taste & swallow it?

We need to know more about the thermometer you're using, very important. Is it a round gauge (dial) type?

 

[Chiyo]

The themometer is like this one :

Not the same brand though it's designed for terrariums/aquariums.

As for the baby food, I'll try again but she's really got almost no strength left... When I put her in the bath, I had to empty most of the water because she would just lie there with her head under the surface ready to drown.

Edit : I tried giving her a bath, as I picked her up I noticed that she stank and that some sort of smelly green liquid was coming out of her vent. I washed her off and dried her. She looked at me for a moment or so, then closed her eyes and went limp. She's still breathing but barely.

I made her comfortable on some soft paper and have put her in the warmer area. I tried with the food, even putting a bit in her mouth but she just can't swallow...

 

[diamc]

When you put her in the bath, you need to support her with your hand so that her head is above water. She needs your hand to support her. You want her vent in nice warm water though while you're holding the rest of her body upright. Then with the other hand, put some drops of water on her nose.

That thermometer won't give you accurate readings so it's hard to say how far off the temps are. You would need either a temperature gun or digital probe like this:

 

[diamc]

I'm sorry, it's not sounding good. Do you have even a normal vet close by?

 

[Chiyo]

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing... She can only take a little bit but for once she is pooing. As for the thermometer, I'll change when I can. Right now, I don't really know what to do. I'm keeping her warm and comfortable and she's had a little drink but she just can't take any food.

Where vets are concerned there is one but this is an agricultural area. Some of the locals haven't seen a lizard in their life, the vet doesn't do lizards and I'm not sure if she'd survive the trip.

 

[AHBD]

Poor little dragon....it may be that she is still feeling sickly from the oil that you gave her to help her poo, [ which it sounds as if she needed ] that, along with other problems, has made her weak. She does have MBD, the kinks in the tail + slightly misshapen front legs indicate that she has it, that in itself won't cause her to be in her condition, but the combination of problems can do it. [ Forgive me if I'm mentioning things that have already been stated ] As long as she'll drink a little water it may be best to let her rest, she may be near the end or she may turn around once her tummy feels better and the oil is out of her system completely. keep trying to dribble the water on her snout, then wipe up any excess....don't handle her much at all. If you have any Reptaid or other formula, once she starts drinking anything add that to the mixture. She may still pull through with lots of rest + some hydration as the first steps.

 

[Chiyo]

Will do. She keeps on looking like she's dead. Then propping herself up on her "elbows". I'm keeping an eye on her and I'm giving her water every half hour.

 

[AHBD]

A couple more things....avoid applesauce now that she has pood, it is somewhat of a bowel irritant/laxative, and she has already passed a lot of poo, so now just focus on hydration and very small amounts of baby food, critical care or other forms of nutrition. Sometimes taking a small insect [ dubia or cricket ] and smashing one end so the guts come out and rubbing that very lightly will get them to eat, but use small bugs and even pull the legs off if they aren't small enough. Since she is lacking UVB, take her [ pick her up very gently + place her in a box with a small towel to sit on ] and take her outside if it's warm enough. Even at 70 F and sunny, the box will warm up , but if you do this, be sure to be with her the entire time, maybe 15 - 20 minutes, then bring her back in.

 

[Chiyo]

Sadly, today is cloudy, rainy and windy. I put her in the sunlight about 1 hour ago but it was gone within moments. As for the baby food, there is some literally inside of her mouth and she just can't swallow it. It the diaerria which confused me, she hasn't had any paraffin in 3 days and when I gave it to her it was only 2ml over two days.