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Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Sun time for Tiger
Tiger went outside for the very first time today. At first he was a bit spooked out, but then he buried his head under his blankie and went to sleep. He relaxed on my shirt and soaked up the warm sun. It was awesome to watch his native bearded dragon instincts kick in.
Seriously-- the BEST thing you can do for your beardies and other reptiles is to let them get lots of direct sunshine when it is warm enough. Windows filter out the UVB so it must be directly on them. They love it and it will make them healthier & happier. As summer approaches, please consider getting your beardies an outdoor cage (NEVER a glass tank) but an old bird cage or rat cage that they can sit in and bask. They need a shady area, water, and enough heat. My big boys *LOVE* their summer tanks and they are healthier all year because of it.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Update on Spike: "there you see it, now you don't"
I took Spike in for a follow up this morning. He's back up to 500 grams (when he was super sick he dropped down under 400) and looks great! He was so happy that he left the vet a present on the floor! ;)
Dr Folland said the beard looked good and, at this point, the tube was doing more harm than good. So he snipped it out and now Spike's a free man!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Sun Time!
My favorite vet, Dr Doug Folland, likes to say that the single best thing you can do for your reptile is to give it sun time. Especially this time of the year when it is warm outside, sun time is a great way to make your beardies healthy.
I have two males, Max & Spike, who have their own cages outside, and they both believe they should NEVER have to be inside in a tank. As soon as the sun rises past my neighbor's trees, I take my big boys outside and they spend the day in the sun/shade.
Their set ups are simple: a rat/guinea pig cage with leftover pieces of astroturf on the floor. Max's cage has a shelf on it; Spike's cage has a tree branch. I use astroturf or reptile carpet to cover part of the top of the cage so there is always shade.
Today I put my old parakeet cage on the table on it's back so I could sun Toothless for awhile. Because he's so small, he could fit through the bars on the other cages. A parakeet cage is perfect. He has a rock to perch on.
When these guys are outside, I check them hourly to make sure they have sun & shade. In the heat of the day (between noon and 3) when the sun is at its highest, I put up my patio umbrella and position it so it shades their whole cages. Even with the umbrella up, they get plenty of heat and UVB reflection. Also when it is hot, I'll spray down the astroturf with a water bottle to keep them from overheating.
Upstairs in our south facing window is Lizzie. He's the little bump on the right side of the window. The window filters out the UVB light, but he still enjoys have the sun & warmth.
Downstairs in our south facing window is SweetPea. She is too timid to be outside, but she loves being on the window ledges in the sun. Here her head is up, but most of the time she looks like this:
So here's my helpful hints for outside sun time:
1-- NEVER EVER EVER use a glass tank. You will kill your reptile quickly!! Use an old bird/ferret/rat/small animal cage.
2-- Check on your beardies hourly to make sure they have plenty of sun & shade. Put them in a location where they won't be bothered by neighborhood animals.
3-- Windows filter out UVB (that's their job) so the only natural UVA & UVB light is direct sunlight. So get them outside when it's warm or consider opening up your windows when it's not as hot.
4-- Always keep water in their cages. When they spend a lot of sun outside, bathe/soak them more often to keep their hydration levels up.
5-- Beardies like the heat. It may be too hot for you, but it is perfect for them. In the wild, beardies sun themselves in temps up to 110 degrees. As long as they have both sun and shade and water, they should be fine with the heat. But that goes back to rule number 2-- check them a lot. If they are gaping consistently, or hiding, or trying to get out, it may be time to move them back to their tanks.
6-- Start off small. Try 30 minutes a day until they get used to being outside. SweetPea is too freaked out by alone outside time. She'll stay with me on my lap, but can't handle being outside. Most other beardies will adjust quickly to being outside with new sights & smells & sounds. But you can build them up. Until you are sure they can handle the new environment, give them short segments of time during the day (maybe once in the morning and once in the afternoon).
Anything else? Leave a comment below!
I have two males, Max & Spike, who have their own cages outside, and they both believe they should NEVER have to be inside in a tank. As soon as the sun rises past my neighbor's trees, I take my big boys outside and they spend the day in the sun/shade.
Their set ups are simple: a rat/guinea pig cage with leftover pieces of astroturf on the floor. Max's cage has a shelf on it; Spike's cage has a tree branch. I use astroturf or reptile carpet to cover part of the top of the cage so there is always shade.
Today I put my old parakeet cage on the table on it's back so I could sun Toothless for awhile. Because he's so small, he could fit through the bars on the other cages. A parakeet cage is perfect. He has a rock to perch on.
When these guys are outside, I check them hourly to make sure they have sun & shade. In the heat of the day (between noon and 3) when the sun is at its highest, I put up my patio umbrella and position it so it shades their whole cages. Even with the umbrella up, they get plenty of heat and UVB reflection. Also when it is hot, I'll spray down the astroturf with a water bottle to keep them from overheating.
Upstairs in our south facing window is Lizzie. He's the little bump on the right side of the window. The window filters out the UVB light, but he still enjoys have the sun & warmth.
Downstairs in our south facing window is SweetPea. She is too timid to be outside, but she loves being on the window ledges in the sun. Here her head is up, but most of the time she looks like this:
So here's my helpful hints for outside sun time:
1-- NEVER EVER EVER use a glass tank. You will kill your reptile quickly!! Use an old bird/ferret/rat/small animal cage.
2-- Check on your beardies hourly to make sure they have plenty of sun & shade. Put them in a location where they won't be bothered by neighborhood animals.
3-- Windows filter out UVB (that's their job) so the only natural UVA & UVB light is direct sunlight. So get them outside when it's warm or consider opening up your windows when it's not as hot.
4-- Always keep water in their cages. When they spend a lot of sun outside, bathe/soak them more often to keep their hydration levels up.
5-- Beardies like the heat. It may be too hot for you, but it is perfect for them. In the wild, beardies sun themselves in temps up to 110 degrees. As long as they have both sun and shade and water, they should be fine with the heat. But that goes back to rule number 2-- check them a lot. If they are gaping consistently, or hiding, or trying to get out, it may be time to move them back to their tanks.
6-- Start off small. Try 30 minutes a day until they get used to being outside. SweetPea is too freaked out by alone outside time. She'll stay with me on my lap, but can't handle being outside. Most other beardies will adjust quickly to being outside with new sights & smells & sounds. But you can build them up. Until you are sure they can handle the new environment, give them short segments of time during the day (maybe once in the morning and once in the afternoon).
Anything else? Leave a comment below!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Bath Time-- a Weekly Must for Adult Beardies
Adult beardies need a bath *at least* once a week so they have an opportunity to drink and to poop. Once they get used to the bath, they will do both of things without fail.
Juvenile beardies (over 6 months) need a bath a couple times a week. It's best to not bathe baby beardies because they can't handle the temperature changes.
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Bath water should be warm, but not hot! Don't burn them. It's not supposed to be a sauna. Be sure to add more warm water if they are in the bath for a long time.
Most beardies will involuntarily puff up with air when the get into water; it's a survival instinct to keep them afloat. Don't worry about it.
Some beardies like to swim around and play; some don't. If they like to swim, let them swim. My older three beardies got in tonight, got a drink, and then wanted out.
A beardie who has had a lot to drink will have a very full belly! Don't squeeze them too hard or they will spit the water back up.
---------------------------------------
For new beardies who aren't used to baths, I dip my fingers in the water and dribble it on their noses to make them drink. It may take a few drops, but usually they will start opening their mouths and licking up the water. You can keep doing that until they stop licking or you can gently coax their mouths down toward the water so they can drink directly. Once my beardies learn to lap up the water themselves, I don't even have to dribble water on their noses-- they do it immediately.
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If they poop in the water, then bath time is over. Don't let them drink the poopy water. If they haven't had anything to drink, drain the water, wash out the sink, refill the water, and put them back in.
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Once my beardies have bathed, I wrap them in a clean towel and put them back directly under their basking spot so they can warm back up.
---------------------------------------
When I have new beardies, I change the water for each one so I don't spread any diseases. Tonight Thor got the first bath, then I washed out the sink and refilled it for Toothless. I also used separate towels for them. Because Lizzie, Max, and SweetPea have been with me and around each other for a long time, I let them share the same water.
Juvenile beardies (over 6 months) need a bath a couple times a week. It's best to not bathe baby beardies because they can't handle the temperature changes.
---------------------------------------
Bath water should be warm, but not hot! Don't burn them. It's not supposed to be a sauna. Be sure to add more warm water if they are in the bath for a long time.
Most beardies will involuntarily puff up with air when the get into water; it's a survival instinct to keep them afloat. Don't worry about it.
Some beardies like to swim around and play; some don't. If they like to swim, let them swim. My older three beardies got in tonight, got a drink, and then wanted out.
A beardie who has had a lot to drink will have a very full belly! Don't squeeze them too hard or they will spit the water back up.
---------------------------------------
For new beardies who aren't used to baths, I dip my fingers in the water and dribble it on their noses to make them drink. It may take a few drops, but usually they will start opening their mouths and licking up the water. You can keep doing that until they stop licking or you can gently coax their mouths down toward the water so they can drink directly. Once my beardies learn to lap up the water themselves, I don't even have to dribble water on their noses-- they do it immediately.
---------------------------------------
If they poop in the water, then bath time is over. Don't let them drink the poopy water. If they haven't had anything to drink, drain the water, wash out the sink, refill the water, and put them back in.
---------------------------------------
Once my beardies have bathed, I wrap them in a clean towel and put them back directly under their basking spot so they can warm back up.
---------------------------------------
When I have new beardies, I change the water for each one so I don't spread any diseases. Tonight Thor got the first bath, then I washed out the sink and refilled it for Toothless. I also used separate towels for them. Because Lizzie, Max, and SweetPea have been with me and around each other for a long time, I let them share the same water.
 |
| SweetPea drinking. She's about to shed so her back is white |
 |
| Max drinking. He weighed a lot more when I picked him up! |
 |
| Toothless & her first bath with me |
 |
| Lizzie drinking. He used to hate bath time, but now he enjoys it |
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
"Help! My beardie is sick"-- a Checklist for sick beardies
I've been to the vet enough times that I know the "drill" for assessing sick beardies. I often get phone calls asking me for advice and I find myself using the same questions. I thought I'd post them here for you.
Any time your beardie is acting strangely or not normal, answer these questions FIRST:
1- What's the heating in his tank?
There should be a hot basking area of 95 to 105 degrees. The cool side should be around 80 degrees during the day and no colder than 70 degrees at night. A beardie that is too cold cannot digest his food properly, will not eat, will not poop, and will slowly become sicker and sicker.
2- Does he have a UVB light?
EVERY BEARDED DRAGON MUST HAVE A UVB LIGHT!!! If you do not, you are dooming your beardie to a slow, tragic, painful, horrible, miserable death. They will NOT get UVB rays through your windows in your house; your windows filter out the light. The cheapest place to get UVB bulbs is on Amazon.com. You can pick one up for under $10.
3- When did he poop last?
A beardie who is not pooping may be impacted in their guts. Give a warm bath daily (or several times a day) to help them poop. The longer their food is inside them, the harder it becomes and the harder it is for them to get rid of it. Some beardies poop daily, others every few days. I have a female who prefers to poop once a week and in her water. More than weekly is not healthy for the beardie. Weekly warm baths will make a difference.
4- What substrate do you use in your tank?
My vets recommend using astroturf in the tank bottom. You can buy it cheaply at Home Depot (it comes 6 ft wide) and cut two of them for your tank. Keep one in the tank and one as back up. When the beardie poops or makes it dirty, you swap the dirty one out for the clean one. The astroturf is super durable and is perfect to put outside so it can be "sun bleached" to kill germs etc.
Sand -- even calcium sand-- can become impacted in your beardie's guts (though some beardie owners will debate this). Reptile carpet is very expensive but works fine if you want to spend the money. Another option is to get indoor slate tiles from a home improvement store and cut them to fit your tank (the store will usually cut them for free). Slate is easy to clean and has the bonus of filing down your beardie's nails. It will just make your tank very, very heavy.
5- When was the last time your beardie had anything to drink?
A dehydrated beardie will be lethargic and shrunken looking. Every adult beardie needs a weekly bath; juvenile beardies should have a bath every other day; baby beardies should only be misted with room temperature water. Give your beardie a warm bath for at least 20 minutes and see if he perks up after.
6- When was the last time your beardie had direct sunlight?
Direct sunlight is a great thing for your beardie! It can do more to help build calcium & vitamin D levels than any other supplement or light can. During the summer, beardies can go outside every day. Be sure to give them an area of shade and water. I have a rat/guinea pig cage on my back patio that is partially covered with leftover strips of astroturf that my big boy Max likes to stay in. He adjusts his position to keep himself cooler/warmer and is quite happy being outside even when it reaches 100 degrees here. Remember that beardies are desert animals and like the heat.
NEVER put them in a glass tank outside. You will KILL them very quickly. Use a wire pen like a rat cage or a bird cage that allows air to pass through.
7- What are you feeding your beardie?
Juvenile beardies need 75% protein and 25% greens. You can feed them calcium dusted or gut loaded crickets/mealworms/roaches daily. Once they hit 1 year, you need to transition them to 75% greens and 25 % protein. Most beardies I know do not like making this transition. Eating crickets daily is like feeding your kids mac n cheese & hot dogs every day-- tasty, but not very healthy. Your beardie may do a "hunger strike" for a few days (even a week or two) to protest the new healthy diet. Eventually he will start eating again and he will be healthier for it. Too much protein in an adult beardie will fatten up their livers and shorten their lives.
In the winter, beardies tend to stop eating and being active. It's called "Brumination" and it helps them to stay healthy. Never fear, after a few weeks, your beardie should perk up again. Other times, a beardie can go a week or so without eating. Sometimes that is a sign that something is wrong and sometimes it's just your beardie taking a break.
--------------
If you can answer "yes" to the questions above and your beardie still isn't acting normally, there may be something more serious going on. Your best bet is to find a reptile vet and take your beardie in.
---------------
My vets like to say that outdoor time is one of the best things you can do for your reptiles. Summer is the perfect time for outdoor time so USE IT to make your beardies healthier.
If you have any other questions, please post them below. I'd be happy to try to answer them. :)
Any time your beardie is acting strangely or not normal, answer these questions FIRST:
1- What's the heating in his tank?
There should be a hot basking area of 95 to 105 degrees. The cool side should be around 80 degrees during the day and no colder than 70 degrees at night. A beardie that is too cold cannot digest his food properly, will not eat, will not poop, and will slowly become sicker and sicker.
2- Does he have a UVB light?
EVERY BEARDED DRAGON MUST HAVE A UVB LIGHT!!! If you do not, you are dooming your beardie to a slow, tragic, painful, horrible, miserable death. They will NOT get UVB rays through your windows in your house; your windows filter out the light. The cheapest place to get UVB bulbs is on Amazon.com. You can pick one up for under $10.
3- When did he poop last?
A beardie who is not pooping may be impacted in their guts. Give a warm bath daily (or several times a day) to help them poop. The longer their food is inside them, the harder it becomes and the harder it is for them to get rid of it. Some beardies poop daily, others every few days. I have a female who prefers to poop once a week and in her water. More than weekly is not healthy for the beardie. Weekly warm baths will make a difference.
4- What substrate do you use in your tank?
My vets recommend using astroturf in the tank bottom. You can buy it cheaply at Home Depot (it comes 6 ft wide) and cut two of them for your tank. Keep one in the tank and one as back up. When the beardie poops or makes it dirty, you swap the dirty one out for the clean one. The astroturf is super durable and is perfect to put outside so it can be "sun bleached" to kill germs etc.
Sand -- even calcium sand-- can become impacted in your beardie's guts (though some beardie owners will debate this). Reptile carpet is very expensive but works fine if you want to spend the money. Another option is to get indoor slate tiles from a home improvement store and cut them to fit your tank (the store will usually cut them for free). Slate is easy to clean and has the bonus of filing down your beardie's nails. It will just make your tank very, very heavy.
5- When was the last time your beardie had anything to drink?
A dehydrated beardie will be lethargic and shrunken looking. Every adult beardie needs a weekly bath; juvenile beardies should have a bath every other day; baby beardies should only be misted with room temperature water. Give your beardie a warm bath for at least 20 minutes and see if he perks up after.
6- When was the last time your beardie had direct sunlight?
Direct sunlight is a great thing for your beardie! It can do more to help build calcium & vitamin D levels than any other supplement or light can. During the summer, beardies can go outside every day. Be sure to give them an area of shade and water. I have a rat/guinea pig cage on my back patio that is partially covered with leftover strips of astroturf that my big boy Max likes to stay in. He adjusts his position to keep himself cooler/warmer and is quite happy being outside even when it reaches 100 degrees here. Remember that beardies are desert animals and like the heat.
NEVER put them in a glass tank outside. You will KILL them very quickly. Use a wire pen like a rat cage or a bird cage that allows air to pass through.
7- What are you feeding your beardie?
Juvenile beardies need 75% protein and 25% greens. You can feed them calcium dusted or gut loaded crickets/mealworms/roaches daily. Once they hit 1 year, you need to transition them to 75% greens and 25 % protein. Most beardies I know do not like making this transition. Eating crickets daily is like feeding your kids mac n cheese & hot dogs every day-- tasty, but not very healthy. Your beardie may do a "hunger strike" for a few days (even a week or two) to protest the new healthy diet. Eventually he will start eating again and he will be healthier for it. Too much protein in an adult beardie will fatten up their livers and shorten their lives.
In the winter, beardies tend to stop eating and being active. It's called "Brumination" and it helps them to stay healthy. Never fear, after a few weeks, your beardie should perk up again. Other times, a beardie can go a week or so without eating. Sometimes that is a sign that something is wrong and sometimes it's just your beardie taking a break.
--------------
If you can answer "yes" to the questions above and your beardie still isn't acting normally, there may be something more serious going on. Your best bet is to find a reptile vet and take your beardie in.
---------------
My vets like to say that outdoor time is one of the best things you can do for your reptiles. Summer is the perfect time for outdoor time so USE IT to make your beardies healthier.
If you have any other questions, please post them below. I'd be happy to try to answer them. :)
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
The Dark Side of Rescuing
I spent this past weekend texting a friend who had just bought a beardie with her husband. At first, everything seemed fine and they took care of the little guy as though nothing was wrong.
Sadly, it quickly turned into a rescue mission. The 3 year old beardie wasn't anything like what they were told. He was underweight, dehydrated, sickly, and suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease. I told them what I would do had I brought him home. They spent Saturday night giving him Pedialyte baths and calcium.
Yesterday, he took a turn for the worse. His joints stiffened, his beard & tail turned black, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. I had tears in my eyes as I gave them some "last ditch" instructions. Water & warmth were all they could do-- more baths and a nice warm light.
It was too little, too late for this guy. He passed away sometime yesterday evening. I applaud my friends for their valiant efforts to save this guy. In the end, in his final hours, he was loved and taken care of. He left this world with someone caring for him. What a priceless gift that is.
His death was completely & totally avoidable. His sickness and poor health were a result of lazy pet-parenting. Metabolic Bone Disease angers me. There is NO reason that any reptile should suffer from this E.V.E.R. It is a failure of prevention and education. Pet owners by a cute little beardie from the pet store and take it home in the oh-so-inexpensive tank the pet store sells, thinking they know everything to care for him. Pet stores too often fail to educate about the critical need for UVB and pet owners fail to continually educate themselves on how to best take care of their beardies. Education is as simple as a Google search or a book from the library. Beardies are among the easiest reptiles to take care of. They need UVB light, heat, & good food to be healthy.
This failure of education & prevention lands many beardies into rescue. I spend a lot of my time cleaning up the "messes" other people made. Sometimes, regardless what what I do, it is too little, too late.
And that is the dark side of being an animal rescuer.
Sadly, it quickly turned into a rescue mission. The 3 year old beardie wasn't anything like what they were told. He was underweight, dehydrated, sickly, and suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease. I told them what I would do had I brought him home. They spent Saturday night giving him Pedialyte baths and calcium.
Yesterday, he took a turn for the worse. His joints stiffened, his beard & tail turned black, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. I had tears in my eyes as I gave them some "last ditch" instructions. Water & warmth were all they could do-- more baths and a nice warm light.
It was too little, too late for this guy. He passed away sometime yesterday evening. I applaud my friends for their valiant efforts to save this guy. In the end, in his final hours, he was loved and taken care of. He left this world with someone caring for him. What a priceless gift that is.
His death was completely & totally avoidable. His sickness and poor health were a result of lazy pet-parenting. Metabolic Bone Disease angers me. There is NO reason that any reptile should suffer from this E.V.E.R. It is a failure of prevention and education. Pet owners by a cute little beardie from the pet store and take it home in the oh-so-inexpensive tank the pet store sells, thinking they know everything to care for him. Pet stores too often fail to educate about the critical need for UVB and pet owners fail to continually educate themselves on how to best take care of their beardies. Education is as simple as a Google search or a book from the library. Beardies are among the easiest reptiles to take care of. They need UVB light, heat, & good food to be healthy.
This failure of education & prevention lands many beardies into rescue. I spend a lot of my time cleaning up the "messes" other people made. Sometimes, regardless what what I do, it is too little, too late.
And that is the dark side of being an animal rescuer.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Warning Signs of Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)
MBD is a terrible, slow, tortuous way for a bearded dragon to die. Without the right nutrition, their bodies rob their bones of calcium and vitamin D. Slowly the bones become soft and brittle. Seizures can start. Beardies can lose their coordination and muscle tone. They slowly & painfully die.
My first beardie, Nigel, has an underbite because of poor nutrition and lighting when he was young (they had a plant grow light on his tank). My rescue Spike had an underbite too from early malnutrition. I suspect that Midgee's broken tail was brought on by her eating garbage salad mix daily. And now we can all see the severity of Squiggy's MBD. All of these problems were totally & completely & easily preventable!
I showed up at my herp vet months ago with my rescue Spike who had an infection in his toe. Next to me was a teenage boy who had rescued a sickly beardie from his friend's house. This beardie was curled into a sideways ball, his beard was black, and his eyes were closed. I tried to touch him and he had just enough energy left to flail his mouth towards me. I was horrified. I have never, ever seen a beardie *that* sick before. The vet ended up putting the beardie down because he was too far gone to be saved. It broke my heart. That poor beardie suffered needlessly for years before he died.
So how do you prevent MBD? It's actually pretty easy.
1. Get a good UVB light for your tank and keep it fresh. Replace it every 6 to 8 months.
2. Gut load your feeder insects with calcium and dust them with calcium before giving them to your beardie.
3. Offer them a healthy mix of greens-- GOOD greens, not junk greens like spinach & iceberg lettuce.
4. Keep their tank at the right temp. Every beardie needs a basking spot of 90 to 100 degrees with a cooler side of the tank that is around 80 to 90. Beardies digest properly when they are warm enough.
It's really not that hard to prevent MBD. Sadly, most of the beardies I see for sell on our local classifieds have a heat lamp and no UVB. I wish pet stores did more to educate people on the need for UVB in beardies. They will NOT get UVB rays through the windows-- your windows job is to filter out the UVB. They need their own lights.
Light, heat, calcium, & nutrition. It's that easy to keep a beardie healthy and happy.
Here's another article with good MBD info.
My first beardie, Nigel, has an underbite because of poor nutrition and lighting when he was young (they had a plant grow light on his tank). My rescue Spike had an underbite too from early malnutrition. I suspect that Midgee's broken tail was brought on by her eating garbage salad mix daily. And now we can all see the severity of Squiggy's MBD. All of these problems were totally & completely & easily preventable!
I showed up at my herp vet months ago with my rescue Spike who had an infection in his toe. Next to me was a teenage boy who had rescued a sickly beardie from his friend's house. This beardie was curled into a sideways ball, his beard was black, and his eyes were closed. I tried to touch him and he had just enough energy left to flail his mouth towards me. I was horrified. I have never, ever seen a beardie *that* sick before. The vet ended up putting the beardie down because he was too far gone to be saved. It broke my heart. That poor beardie suffered needlessly for years before he died.
So how do you prevent MBD? It's actually pretty easy.
1. Get a good UVB light for your tank and keep it fresh. Replace it every 6 to 8 months.
2. Gut load your feeder insects with calcium and dust them with calcium before giving them to your beardie.
3. Offer them a healthy mix of greens-- GOOD greens, not junk greens like spinach & iceberg lettuce.
4. Keep their tank at the right temp. Every beardie needs a basking spot of 90 to 100 degrees with a cooler side of the tank that is around 80 to 90. Beardies digest properly when they are warm enough.
It's really not that hard to prevent MBD. Sadly, most of the beardies I see for sell on our local classifieds have a heat lamp and no UVB. I wish pet stores did more to educate people on the need for UVB in beardies. They will NOT get UVB rays through the windows-- your windows job is to filter out the UVB. They need their own lights.
Light, heat, calcium, & nutrition. It's that easy to keep a beardie healthy and happy.
Here's another article with good MBD info.
Friday, June 21, 2013
My Amazing Herp Vets
I could never, ever do bearded dragon rescue without the help of two amazing vets.
Dr Doug Folland & Dr Scott Echols
Parrish Creek Veterinary Clinic
Centerville, Utah
Visit their Website here
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