stomach blockage?

Question
QUESTION: I got my first bearded dragon last christmas,he(or she?) was a hatchling and has been growing at a normal rate,eating normally,pooping normally, but a few days ago i noticed my beardie was sleeping a lot and had a large bump on his back(you could tell that the bump is caused from something inside) and a smaller one at the end of his tail.he wont eat anything and he doesnt seem to be moving.. i don't have the money to take him to the vet, so is there anything you can tell me that might help?

ANSWER: Hello David,

Can you post a picture of your dragon please?
Are you using UVB lighting?  If so, what type & brand is it, a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil bulb?  
What type of basking light are you using, a bright white bulb or a colored bulb?  
What type of substrate are you using, sand, tiles, paper?
Do you use calcium supplementation on a regular basis?


Tracie

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bearded dragon   QUESTION: okay,i attached a photo.
we are using aquarium light bulbs(15w and 120v)(coil bulbs)and for heating we use the repti-therm reptile heater.(by zoo-med)
we use calcium sand to line the bottom of the tank,but ever since he has been acting differently we layed down a piece of paper over the sand so he doesn't eat it
and we put calcium powder over his salad and mealworms

im afraid he might be dying, he cant even eat anything..how can i get him the nutrients he needs?

ANSWER: Hello David,

Oh, he doesn't look good at all.  
Has he eaten the substrate?  If so he could be impacted yes, definitely.
However, how long have you been using the coil bulbs?  
I hate to tell you but he most likely has metabolic bone disease & you must act immediately or he will not make it.  The coil bulbs emit NO UVB at all.  So, during this time, he has been growing, his bones have become leached of calcium because due to having no UVB exposure, he has not been able to absorb any of the calcium that he has taken in.  Those bumps are bone deviations, unfortunately.  
The Reptitherm heater, is it a infrared light, undertank heater or a white basking light?   
What you need to do is first, go online & order this light, the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb from here:http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-rept

Or, if you want to blast him with UVB & you have a 30-40 gallon tank, I highly recommend getting the mercury vapor bulb, the Megaray from here:

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php

I realize it is a bit expensive, however, this light will last you at least 1 year, probably more like 18 months.  It is well worth your money & will give him the very best chance at survival.

Next you need to get him some liquid calcium.  You can get it from:

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Meds.html#Calcium

This calcium will be better absorbed than the powdered type is.  

In the meantime, I recommend that you start assist feeding him.  Get some chicken or turkey babyfood, & some squash babyfood along with blended greens, calcium & vitamins & blend it all up until it is smooth.  Use a plastic dropper or a plastic syringe to get some food into him.  If you can take him outside for short stints, that will help until you get a good UVB light on him.  

What are you using to measure the temps in the tank, & what are the temps in the tank?

We will discuss the basking lights more, once you decide on a UVB light.  

Tracie

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QUESTION: tracie,
hes doing a lot better today, since we have been giving him water from the plastic dropper,he even made a small poop(very off color) but something is better than nothing.he's starting to move his head around a little bit more each couple hours. and about the feeding,my mom has got some baby food and we are going to try our best to get it into him,we will alternate taking him out side after feeding so he gets some sun and should i turn off the tank light for now since we don't have the right bulbs?
we are going to try and go back to our local pet store asap to get the things he needs
temperatures are about 80-86F during the day an at night we turn off the light and the temperature drop to about 70F
and for the heating we have an under tank heater.(the little black patch looking thing)
-about the substrate, i think he might have had ingested a bit of it,and maybe that's why the poop was discolored.but he is on paper now.
the lights you suggested are a bit out of our price range right now,but when ever we can were going to see what we can get at our pet store that offers UVB .
thanks so much!

Answer
Hello David,

The Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb is only $20 at the website, petmountain that I sent you.  It is the cheapest one you can get online, & the best.  Please do not let the petstore clerk talk you into anything else.  All of the lights that I said to avoid, please do so or you will be wasting your money.  Anything cheaper is just junk & he will not get the needed UVB emissions.  
The ONLY good flourescent tube bulb is the Reptisun 10.  Only get that one.    
Do you have a regular household light bulb or a flood type of light that you could use to provide for a basking light for him right now in his tank?  If so, just use that in the light fixture that you had one of your coils is.  Yes, go ahead & turn off the coil lights, & the undertank heater, they don't do well with underbelly heat.  They do much better with overhead heating.  Just use a basking light right.  Don't let the petstore clerk talk you into an expensive "reptile basking light" as they are no better than a regular household bulb or a bright halogen light.  If you get a halogen, they are really great for basking lights.  Then, just combine that with a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb, & he will have the perfect setup for his lighting.  
The recommended basking temps are 95-110 & the cooler end around 78-82.  You will need to get a digital probe or a temp gun for the best accurate temperature readings.  The stick ons & digital dial types are not good for reading basking temps.  You can try walmart, there is a brand called acurite, that is is a digital  probe.  It is sometimes found in the plant section.  Remember, the temps are very important in their overall health for digestion & behavior.

Great you changed the substrate out & have put him on paper.  You can keep him on paper & later on get some non adhesive shelf liner which looks nice & is easy to keep clean, too.  
Keep on giving him small amounts of babyfood, several times per day, to give him nourishment right now.  That should greatly help him out.  Only feed him soft foods right now, to make it easier for him to digest everything.  The sunlight will be great for him, it should perk him up a lot.  

Keep me posted on him.

Tracie