bearded dragon turning black and has something coming fromits rectum

Question
QUESTION: Hi there can you p[lease help me.

My bearded dragom seems really unwell, its bearded has turned black and hs a few black spots around its body. also it has not neen eating properly.. Now today it has somthing coming from its rectum a round bloody type egg.

the tank is warm enough for it clean and perfect for the lizzrd... it was totaly fine then just turmned recently...please help :)

ANSWER: Hello Stephen,

Unfortunately, your male has a prolapse.  It is either a intestinal, colon, rectal or hemipenis type of prolapse.  How old is he?

Let's go over your tank setup to see what could be off.  What type & brand of UVB light are you using, is it a florescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  How old is your UVB light?
What type of basking light do you have, a bright white light or a colored light?
What are the temperatures in the tank, & what type of thermometer do you use?  Is it a stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?
Are you using calcium supplementation, & if so, how often do you use it?
What type of substrate do you have, sand, tiles, paper towels?
What types of food does he eat?

The best thing you can do at the moment, while trying to secure a vet visit is to dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in warm water.  Then, add some cool water.  Soak your dragon in the water a couple of times per day to try & get that area of swelling to subside & "possible" get it to go back in.  Do NOT try to put it back inside of him as that could cause extensive damage in addition to what has already been damaged.  Try to get some KY jelly or some vaseline to put on the area to keep it from drying out too badly.  

This IS an emergency situation & he will not last for an extended period of time with his insides on the outside like this.  So, you will have to get a vet visit for him.  In the meantime, if you could answer the questions for me, we can figure out why this has happened.  

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi thanks for the quick response..  I use a exo 10 uvb light but it recently broke so i am just using a normal tube white light.. as a basking light i am using a red bulb light hoping it would make it warmer for my beardie,,  the temps in the tank range from 70-80 and in basking its ranges from 90-110. i use a temo gun and check temps regulary.. i did used to use sand for my vivarium but am now using paper and it seems to enjoy this better.. i feed it alot of vegetables to try n gain extra calcium.. should i use anything else?

I have tried the solution with the sugar and nothing really happens.. i will keep trying this.. my lizard is around 4 years old... i rang my emergency vets and they say that it may die regardless of what they do as any sort of surgery could kill it.

thanks for the quick reply  

Answer
Hello Stephen,

You need to try to find a reptile vet who can do a suture on him, there have been successful surgeries for this type of problem.  Try looking here:
www.herpvetconnection.com

The Reptiglo 10 tube bulb is not a good light & doesn't put out strong enough UVB for bearded dragons.  It is also not conducive to D3 synthesis, so I have a feeling he has not absorbed his calcium & has metabolic bone disease.  How long have you used the Reptiglo 10?  I recommend getting a Reptisun 10 tube bulb instead.  Do you use a calcium powder 3 times per week for him?

The red basking light is not bright enough, so you will need a bright white basking light such as a regular household light bulb or a halogen flood light for his basking light.  Are you using a digital probe to measure the temperatures?  

Continue to soak him in the sugar water & keeping the prolapsed area moist as much as possible.  Please consider getting him to a vet, if at all possible.  

Keep me posted on him!
Tracie