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Teal/Green Patches on Beardies Belly. HELP

donniesd

donniesd

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Bearded Dragon HELP
I havent had a beardie for a few years. My buddy needed someone to watch his for a few months.... I agreed.... I have had him for a few days, and he has devloped some spots on his belly...

The beardies habatat is a 30 Gallon Aquarium with a screen top and is bone dry, so I dont think it could be Fungus...

Note: my buddy was using eco-earth for substrate... (to eliminate the blue/green sand/substrate question)... I will be replacing the eco earth with sani chips this week.

What causes this? is he dehydrated? Is he Stressed?

Thanks for any help... I have never seen this and I am a bit worried...
 

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To me, he looks stained, like what happens when they are put on colored sand.

What have you been feeding him? Have you given him a bath? If not soak him for a few minutes in warm water, the use a soft bristle toothbrush & some dawn dish detergent and see if it washes off.
 
Snake-Queen said:
To me, he looks stained, like what happens when they are put on colored sand.

What have you been feeding him? Have you given him a bath? If not soak him for a few minutes in warm water, the use a soft bristle toothbrush & some dawn dish detergent and see if it washes off.
Click to expand...


I will try the bath today. crickets, mealworms and spring mix(kale, musterd greens and other leafy greens)
 
It looks stained from putting on colored sand I would hope know that eco earth sand chips aspen etc are not an okay bedding dragons eat those beddings when goinh for food and that can cause impaction and death in several cases paper products only to line the bottom they will be happier and healthier on it.
 
Hard to say looking at a pic, first thought in that area something came out the vent and got smeared or maybe a stain. doubt if it's anything to be overly concerned about. put it on paper after you give it a good bath then check it in a few days. if it starts to get red and infected looking see a Vet.
donniesd said:
what do you think about the teal patches on his belly?
Click to expand...
 
I soaked the BD in warm water and scrubbed at the area with a wet paper towel, and it didn't fade or go away....

I am in the process of cleaning out his cage and laying down paper..I knew Eco-earth was no good for BD's but was always told sani-chips were the way to go...

when i had BD's I kept them outside with brick as a habitat base and would wash with hose to clean... I wasn't planning on building an outdoor habitat seeing as I am just temporally fostering....

Thanks for the help, i will keep posted....
 
It just doesn't look like a natural colour does it?

Without knowing much of anything about bearded dragons specifically, I'd be looking for some kind of outside stain source - if not the substrate then anything in the tank? Any way he got near a coloured pen or a piece of paper that sort of colour? No artificial colouring in any of his food?
 
Sani chips are tiny pieces of wood, if ingested will probably cause an impaction.

I keep all my hatchlings on bare cage bottom. I have to clean the bottom of cage 2-3 times a day. once they hit 10-12" you can put them on sand.
donniesd said:
I am in the process of cleaning out his cage and laying down paper..I knew Eco-earth was no good for BD's but was always told sani-chips were the way to go...
Click to expand...
 
I keep my hatchlings on paper towels. But like Ed I have seen others use nothing.

If sand is used, I have heard that play sand is the best way to go. It is prewashed & less dusty than commercial reptile sand.
 
I have paper in the bottom now... and just fed him... he is still feeding aggressively and has normal looking fecies... I will keep my fingers crossed, and update with a posting soon...

thank you all for your help,

Allen
 
If it is a stain, and not water soluble, you might try wiping it gently with a small amount of gentle nail varnish remover on a tissue to see if it will dissolve in a solvent (and then immediately cleaning that off with a damp pad afterwards)

Stay away from the sensitive skin of the vent though..... :eek:
 
That color has got to be from an outside source, and not from any type of sickness. If it doesn't wash off, just wait until he sheds...I'll bet it comes off with the shed.
 
dden said:
That color has got to be from an outside source, and not from any type of sickness. If it doesn't wash off, just wait until he sheds...I'll bet it comes off with the shed.
Click to expand...

thanks dden, i am thinking the same thing.... I have been racking my brain on where it came from....

just wondering what you think about UTH's.. I have never had them with my beardie in the past, but allways were kept in an outside habatat with a "warm spot" hide/shelter... as mentioned, i am just fostering for a while while my buddy is away... so this is his set up.

UTH = under tank heater
 
It is not advisable to use UTHs with bearded dragons. I have heard different reasons why, the most prevalent is that they cannot sense heat on their undersides ... (but my question would be, then why do they like to bask on rocks?)

Dragons don't need another source of heat other than their basking light.
 
I prefer under-tank heaters for my dragons...especially for the hatchlings and juveniles. With a UTH you can provide a much larger basking area, and you can regulate the temps to perfection (with the use of a Helix or other similar thermostat). I have mine set to 110 degrees for the daytime. I use 12" wide Flexwatt heat tape and I tape the Helix sensor directly to the hot part of the Flexwatt. This way I can provide a large area with a SURFACE temp of 105-110 degrees (different parts of the tape, like where there are spaces between the 12" sections, stay a little cooler than 110). I have been using this method for over 20 years and have never had a problem...
If you use this method, make sure that the temp sensor is located OUTSIDE the cage so you are only measuring the temp of the heat tape so nothing, like spilled water, or dragons laying on the sensor, can effect the temperature. Some UTHs are pre-set to run at a certain temperature, so there is usually no need for a thermostat, but you need to make sure you know what temp is it set for if that is the case...
 
I should mention that I don't use any basking lights on the juveniles...just Under-Tank Heaters.
 
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