bearded dragons health

Question
QUESTION: hi i recently took in a male bearded dragon of around 3years old he seemed really healthy, about 3 weeks ago i noticed some blood in his stools not alot but a small amount passed out after his stools did.. he started shedding all over just after i got him (he wasnt being looked after properly at my local pet shop) i also noticed hes still got left over patches of unshedded skin..ive been bathing him to help the shedding and maybe ease the healing of his cloaca (i thought maybe hed strained him self passing stools in the past) ive had him for about 2months now hes still very alert and active. ive got the temperature right at 95-105f hes got a new uvb light aswel? he doesnt seem to pass blood all the time though, just today he was passing stools and i noticed he had dark blood in his cloaca not in the stools its self? it was quite thick blood? ive had many other lizards and never had this problem before.. can u help please? thank you.

ANSWER: Hello Shane,

Oh, poor guy.  You have not had him long enough to be responsible for his previous care.  He most likely has not had any or very little UVB exposure or calcium.
Which type & brand of UVB are you using, a flourescent tube bulb, or a compact/coil light?  The brand should be stamped on the base of the bulb.
It could be worms or parasites which can cause blood in the stool.  It could also be him straining due to low calcium because when they are hypocalcemic, it causes Gi distress.  The smooth muscles of the GI tract operate off of calcium so it poses a problem when they are low in calcium.  
What type of thermometer are you using, a stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?  What type of basking light are you using, a bright white light or a colored light?
Maybe you could post some pictures of him for me.

Tracie

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heff shanes bd   QUESTION: hi again, ok that would make some sense as i wasnt happy with the way hed been kept at the shop he had very little heat and as far as i could tell a blown out uv light hed been kept with 4 hermanns tortoises he was very dirty. ive been dusting his crickets every other day and im trying to get plenty of greens and some fruit in him.im using a compact coil uvb 10 bulb 2 100 watt (pearl not clear) heat bulbs as the tanks homemade and quite large 3ft lng 3ft high and 2ft deep. all bulbs are 6 to 7 inches from him.ive noticed today his skin seems to be going a milky shedding colour so pleased about that hopefully hel shed them old patches off. he seems him self but its hard to tell as they dont show anysigns of being in pain. heres a pic of him for you hes a big lad as you will see. you will notice the skin patches on his back and tail. i appreciate your help.

Answer
Hello Shane,

Overall, he looks pretty good & doesn't appear emaciated.  His hipbones are not sticking out so that is good!  He does look like he is in preshed so hopefully he wont take too long to shed & wont have any trouble shedding.
You are right, they do not always show illness which makes it very difficult to determine if something is wrong.  
One thing is to look into the eyes, they say a lot.  His eyes appear healthy & he does not look depressed or unhappy or in pain at the moment.
The main thing you need to change is the UVB light, I hate to say.  They are hazardous, especially if you are using the Reptisun 10.  I do not think they have changed their formula on the bulbs yet & it was producing low wavelength UVB which is hazardous, close to UVC.  Here is a report for you to read about them:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

Another thing with compact/coil lights, they simply do not emit much UVB light for reptiles with high UVB requirements such as the bearded dragons.  I highly suggest getting the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb, or a Megaray mercury vapor bulb or the T-rex active UV heat mercury vapor bulb.  
Good, dusting every other day for awhile will be great.  In a month or two you can back down to 3 times per week when he gets better.  

Good that you are giving him a good home now, I am sure he appreciates it.  :-))
Oh, I would purchase the Reptisun 10 tube bulb online, they are way too expensive in petstores.  Here is a link where you can get it for uner $20 for him:

http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-rept

Tracie