not sure if my beareded dragon is ok?

Question
QUESTION: hi tracie, i have read loads of Q&A's about bearded dragon care but not sure were i'm going wrong if at all.
my dragon is a male roughly 7-8 months old.

when i first got him he was quite livley and chased his food and went exploring. he ate about 10-15 crickets each day and poo'd every other day.

now he just stayes on his perch nearly all day wont eat as much, wont chase the crickets (just waits till they come close enough, lazy? lol)and only poo's every week or so.

i have a white basking light 100w (zoo-med) and a zoo-med 10.0 uvb tube light about 8 inches away (streches about half of the cage length)
cool side temp = 80-85*
hot side temp = 90-95*
*depending if its a hot day

i dust his crickets with calcium 5 days a week and nutibal for the other two

i'v started to bath him once a week just in case he was dehydrated (but didnt make any difference)
also just bought a new uvb tube just in case it was that (same)

i use washed playsand as a substrate, could this be the culprit? as i have seen him get a face full somtime when he dives at the crickets, could he be full of sand? and is it curable?

sorry if im asking a question thats already been answered on here but i am worred bout him and the nearest vet is over 40 miles away but i will go if he needs it.

thanks for any help.
steve



ANSWER: Hello Steve,

Well, your setup doesn't look too bad.  I have just a few questions.  :-)
How old is your UVB tube bulb?  They do need to be replaced every 5-6 months because they lose effectiveness over time & stop putting out much UVB emissions.
It is possible that he might be partially impacted.  I am not sure.  How do his stools look, does sand come out with the stool?  You could give him some sugar free applesauce along with some a couple of drops of olive oil to help anything pass through a little better.
What type of thermometer do you use, a stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?  The basking temperatures should be more around 95-110 & the cooler end needs to be around 78-82 or so.  How large is the tank he is in?
Also, when they get a little older, they are sometimes not as active as they were when they were younger.


Tracie

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


on his perch   QUESTION: my ubv tube is brand new only 2 days old, the previous was only two months.

i didnt notice any sand in his poo but will check thourouly next time, but there really sloppy and quite alot of white stuff is with it (think this is urates?) say 70% black 30% white.

i will try the applesause and let you know how it goes.



i use two digital termometers, one at either end. the tank is 1m long by 0.5m wide and 0.5m high.  pic included

i will move the basking light over a bit and this should get the temps right.

if i put his perch opposite the uvb tube do you think that would be better?

- he seems scared most of the time, dont know if that is a symptom of anything. -

thanks again i appreciate ur help
steve

ANSWER: Hello Steve,

I think keeping the basking bulb right beside the tube UVB is where it needs to be.  I can't quite tell from the picture exactly how far the basking bulb is from him.  If you are using a digital probe then the temps are accurate.  So, try to get the temps up to at least 100 on the basking anyway, that should help with his activity levels.
Do you handle him daily?  
What does he have to bask on, a rock?
Also, one other thing that could greatly improve his conditions is to get a flourescent tube light fixture with reflective backing on it to help project the UVB light downward & to protect his eyes.  When the UVB tubes are mounted that way, the UVB light tends to refract unevenly & scattered not projecting in a very uniform manner.  The fixture will help it become safer & less glaring on his eyes while improving the UVB emissions for him.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

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


side view   QUESTION: - the basking bulb is a couple of inches above his head when he is on the rock. is this too close? (cannot get is higher due to the lid)

- rock is a plastic type bought from shop.

- i try to handle him daily. i let him sit on my arm while im watchin tv. but some times he is asleep when i get in so dont want to wake him.

i will get a reflector (think it may be glaring as he squints quite alot), raise the temp and try some apple sauce and oil.

i made the tank myself and on refection i maybe should have just got a store made one as its been nothing but promlems. hard to fit the fixtures in the right place and the crickets keep escaping and end up crawling on me. lol

this may seem daft but when i bought him he was in with another dragon could he be depressed that i split them up?

thanks for the great advice anyway! and i will let u know if he perks up.
steve  

Answer
Hello Steve,

Yes, 2 inches for the UVB & the basking light is too close.  So do try to raise that to a 6-8 inch clearance for him, while keeping it right by the basking light.  Remember also, that a screen will filter out a lot of the UVB so if you move the UVB to on top of the screen, maybe you could cut a little bit of a hole to allow penetration for the UVB more for him.  
You could place the basking light on top of the screen, & increase the wattage a little bit to keep the temperatures optimal for him.  
Yes, that is most likely why he squints too much.  The UVB is too close & it is too glaring.  
Also, try to place the basking light more on one end, to where he can have a basking spot or rock to sit & bask on.  They really like that.  
No, it is highly unlikely he misses the other dragon.  If you make it a little brighter in there, & get the lighting changed up a little with that reflector, he should improve quite a bit for you.  


Tracie