Bearded Dragon discoloration

DrNo

DrNo

Overworked Member...
Jul 9, 2008
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Here's a photo taken tonight of my wife's Bearded (which she keeps at her office). He's an older male and the poor guy was badly impacted before Christmas. Vet visit revealed kidney strain/dehydration plus intesintinal inflammation. He was on a course of antibiotic for several weeks (completed one week ago). Bathroom habits have improved since, but the his stools also came back positive for parasitic ova. Anti-helminth medication is still on-going.

Today, my wife observed a very large area of discoloration on his back. It could be the start of a shed, but this is very unusual and my wife doesn't see any peeling scale layers (at least not yet). Appetite, bowel habits and temperemant are all normal. He's already headed to the vet again tomorrow for a check-up, but I wanted to see if anyone had seen anything like this before. Thanks for all feedback.

Lil_16_-_large_white_spot.jpg

Lil_16_-_large_white_spot.jpg
 
This is Dr Vader's wife, "Mrs Vader," and this is my beardie "Lil." I just wanted to touch base with other herp and beardie lovers about this. He had the "large white spot" before and after his bath this afternoon. I just want to know if I should be truly worried or if this is normal...
 
Hmmm....I'm not really sure what that is all about. Is it an old shed? It could possibley just be a new shed ready to come off. Have you tried letting the beardie soak in a warm tube of water for 20 minutes? That will help it to rehydrate it's self and possibley loosen the skin shed if that's what it is. The soaking will also help break up anything else remaining in it's intestinal tract. I'm glad you're taking Lil' to the vet tomorrow. Hopefully they will know what that spot is all about. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help. What all do you feed him? I've heard before that too much calcium can cause skin discolorations in adult bearded dragons.
 
Thank you. I think/hope it's a new shed. I've been soaking quite a bit for the last couple weeks with the recent impaction.

FYI: I feed salad, dragon bites, med/lg crickets and a pinkie every few weeks.
 
That's good that he's been getting soaked. Your diet sounds pretty good too but you really don't have to even offer pinkies. They're not a natural food item for BD's and they can have trouble digesting mammal tissue. Gut loaded, dusted crickets are a much better item. But I do know breeders who feed pinkies to breeding females once a month without any negative results. You could also try B. dubia roaches which some people squirm at the thought of but are actually much heathier and meater than crickets.

They only other thing you could add to the diet is more variety in veggie choices. You'd be surprised what they can eat. Here's a link with some plant/veggie/fruit choices. I hope your dragon gets back to his old self soon. :)
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=824
 
Not necessary to take him to the vet.

Dragons tend to shed in pieces(adults). Putting them in the water just helps ease their shed. My dragon used to love the water.

Good luck with him!

(PS - www.kingsnake.com is a great place for information on these herps.)
 
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I had my dragon, Sampson, for about 2-4 years. They're great pets and really grow on their owners.

I promise, I won't post anymore!

:)

[Edit:People usually feed pinkies to their gravid females to help with egg development. That is not necessary. As they get older, they should be offered a diet rich in vegetables.]

Your dragon looks perfectly healthy. My dragon used to shed pieces of his tail, for example, all the time.

Good luck!

[Lastly, try offering him waxworms. Sampson would jump out of his cage and race across my room for a waxworm on my hand. They were his favorite!]
 
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Newportjon -- Thank you so much for your encouragement! I love my dragon. He is in very good spirits. We have a vet appt Monday morning as a follow-up. I'll let you know how it goes. He's more interested in crickets than fruits and veggies. Greens are okay.
 
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