My lizard has no basking light and won't eat his meal worms. I have seen him eat a worm and I'm not sure if the lack of light would cause this kind of behavior. I believe he is going to die soon. Will someone please help me?
2007-05-15 16:45:24 · 7 answers · asked by sam 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
We had it by a window and it was doing fine. His light source was covered. How long will it take him to recover?
2007-05-15 17:17:06 · update #1
Why doesn't he have a basking light??
They need the heat to survive....they should always have access to a basking area with temps in the low to mid 90 degree range, or they cannot digest their food. The lack of a basking light will cause this behavior, and yes, he will die if he does not get one.
Setting him by a window has no benefit whatsoever, as the glass filters out any beneficial UV rays....and he still needs a heat source.
2007-05-15 17:09:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Set him up with a UVB Bulb, a heat lamp, I hope you are using a calcium supplement and you can help by buying Hydrolife... that will boost your lizard's immune system!
There are also solar drops but I have never used that before.
Take your Dragon to the vet and make sure that it is the UVB, heat and calcium that is the problem.
Those should all be in the initial set up and after buying that maintenance should have been easy.
Does he have swollen lookin limbs? If so that is a form of metabolic bone disease which if caught early might be reversed but if too late well, you will sort of have a crippled lizard.. I have seen this many times when people bring in lizards, turtles, and tortoises askin whats wrong.
Best wishes for your lizard!
2007-05-15 18:00:49 · answer #2 · answered by Gray Wanderer 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Water dragons must have a basking bulb and a UVB bulb available at least 10 hours a day. Light through a window is absolutely useless...the window filters out all the good rays. Lack of proper heat and UVB will cause very serious health problems and death. He won't/can't eat without them. Go to www.reptilerooms.com and click on the "forums" link on the left. Go to Water Dragon section and read everything you can and ask for advice. You need to make changes in your dragons living conditions ASAP and perhaps seek emergency vet care if you want to try to save him.
2007-05-15 17:26:21 · answer #3 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your dragon needs a basking light and a regular temp. If the temp drops more than 10-15 degrees between day and night you are risking upper respiratory viruses too. Make sure you give him a basking light, high humidity, calcium, vitamins, and a vet visit. There is exact care instructions and a list of qualified reptile doctors around the country at www.anapsid.org
2007-05-15 21:47:22 · answer #4 · answered by Matt F 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
obviously you get the point from the previous 5 answers you need a basking lamp. but I would bet your problem is a symptom of no basking lamp. what is the temp during the nightitme in the tank? if it is not 70 or above it will affect his digestion and basically put it to a halt. when that happens the material in the digestive tract hardens and begins to compress causing impactions. cwd's are not the easiest to care for but with proper diet and lighting along with heat and a well balanced diet they can thrive. I would take him to a vet along with pictures of your setup so the vet can ask questions about it such as is that basking lamp you have there is that a regular house bulb or is it a uvb lamp etc. also if he is compacted and you do not see a vet asap then he will die cwd's along with other herps do not just recover from impaction just as humans rarely do. we call it a bowel obstruction but either way it required intervention by a Dr. once impacted the longer you wait the less chance of survival. being lethargic is a number one sign of impaction basically the body is poisening itself. if he is removing his waste and you see him doing it then obviously impaction is not the problem and I would swing toward MBD as it also requires uvb to convert the calcium to usable vitamin D3 and as the previous answer states uvb through glass is diminished 90% through a mesh screen 30% that is why you do not get a sunburn sitting in front of a window. most all glass is designed to filter it out after about 1970. your best course of action is to get him to a vet and take his recommendations seriously and do your best to provide the correct environment for you r cwd.
2007-05-16 05:32:24 · answer #5 · answered by lizardman 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your water dragon needs not only a 5-7% UVB lamp (set up so he can get within 10" of the tube without glass or plastic between them) for his health, He needs proper temperatures (no heat rocks, only an overhead heat lamp or ceramic heat emitter) and high humidity. See the conditions/lighting they need at this link: http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/dragoncr.htm
Depending on his condition, you may be able to bring him back to health by improving his environment, although he may be suffering from metabolic bone disease if he hasn't been getting proper lighting or vitamin and calcium supplements in his diet. They are also prone to respiratory infections if the humidity isn't high enough for them. A vet that's experienced with reptiles would be able to advise you better of his chances for a recovery.
2007-05-15 17:49:06 · answer #6 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
... TASTES LIKE CHICKEN!!!!!!!
2007-05-15 17:57:59 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋