Dragon wont open eyes

hey i just got a dragon a few weeks ago and the first couple of days he was fine running around and eating great on gutloaded crickets and squash and lettuce but now it seems like all he wants to do is sleep. if i miss with him he opens his eyes for a sec then shuts them right back up. hes in a 55 gallon tank with ceramic tile bottom and im using a repti-sun 10.0 and a 75wat bulb for heat the uvb bulb hangs in side the cage about 7 inches from the basking spot. temp is around 100-105 at basking spot. hes about 4 and 1/2 months old and hasnt woken up all day to eat. so im just looking for some advice

Hello,

Sorry about your dragon having some problems.
You mentioned you have the reptisun 10, is it a flourescent tube bulb, or a compact & or coil type of light? I really need to know, ok.
Is your basking light a bright white one placed near the UVB light or a colored light?
Is he closing his eyes all of the time? Does he close them while he is basking, or is he basking at all?
Great you have tile for substrate & not sand.
What are you taking the temps with a stick on type of thermometer or a digital probe or a temp gun?
What do his stools look like, are the urates hard or soft?
Are you supplementing calcium, & if so, what type & brand are you using?

Tracie

the 10.0 reptisun is a compact bulb and the basking bulb is a bright white over lapping the uvb bulb. yes he is closing them all the time and he is laying in the basking spot but when i pull him out of the cage he opens them for a sec then closes again. and im taking the temps with a digital probe. and his stools are hard and i havent been using calcium yet cause i just got him but i do have rep-cal herptivite.

no ones got any idea?

Hello Zach,

Yes, it is your light, ok? Here is a report that was posted a little while back. It is very alarming regarding the reptisun 10 compacts & coils. This is your problem.
So, can you get a reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb? That will begin to fix the problems.
Here is the report. Please read it, & then, we can talk some more. Thanks!

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

Tracie

Zach-now that you know what the problem is-I hope that your Dragon is better soon

Tracie-
Thanks so very much for this information
Although I do not use any of the mentioned bulbs(thank God) I had been interested in them at one time and for some reason I decided against them
Thanks again

Sandy

Hello,

No problem Sandy! I try to help. It is hard to sift through all of the lights today. Dr. Baines works very hard at all of the testing, too.
I am curious how Zach's dragon is doing now, as well.


Tracie

he is doing well now that i took that compact bulb out but i was wondering on whats a good bulb to use

Hello,

GREAT you took the compact out & he is doing better now.
The best flourescent tube UVB lights you can are either the reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb, or the reptiglo 8 flourescent tube bulb. The reptisun 10 is the best one though, & is best used in conjunction with a bright white basking light such as a halogen placed right beside it to encourage basking.

I am happy to hear he is doing better. How do his eyes look now?


Tracie

he re opened his eyes but about a week ago i took him to the vet to get him checked out and get a stool check and it came out that he had parasites so i got meds from the vet and have been treating him for the past week but he hasnt been eating very well i mean hes been active and moving all around but he will only take a couple crickets and maybe a bite of his veggys and thats it so i was hoping maybe u would know something. i got a reptiglo 8.0 now but im not sure what to do. could it be maybe because of the meds or maybe cause of the parasites. and how long could it take for him to start eatting normal.