We took Jimmety Cricket to the vet with a stool and they said everything appears normal, no paresites, nothing except a few facial scarrings. But I have a theory he was wild caught because when we were at Petsmart the day I bought him, I asked them if they were wild or not and the clerk said, "I don't know but we got them from this reptile dealer." I think I don't really need a second one but I have one because I'm weird. My second reason is that he has scars. They aren't scratches, they are deep down ugly to the core facial features. The only reason infection hasn't set in is probably some one gave him medications (or maybe he was just lucky). We took him to Briarcrest Vetrinary Clinic. However Jimmety Cricket won't eat and I'm able to count his ribs now so I need an answer on how to accomodate a wild caught dragon and fast! I'm not giving him back to Petsmart since they will do nothing.
WC specimens are usually loaded with both endo and exoparasites... Most large chains recieve their animals from a middle man (possibly the 'dealer') who gets them from a puppy mill breeder (e.g: Fluker Farms). Not ruling out that it wasn't an import - but the original sources usually overcrowd animals which can result in bullying, scratches, bites, tail and toe nips, etc. I'm not overly familiar with CWD care, but the first step would be to check, and double-check husbandry. Ensure that everything is being monitored accurately and husbandry is flawless. If things don't improve, then there is likely an underlying issue. It might not be a bad idea to have a stool sample checked out by another vet. I recall in another thread that the vet you were taking your beardie too refused to touch the animal and they might not be so familiar with herps. I've had vet techs completely screw up fecal samples to yield negative results or mis-diagnosis...
In addition to what Jeff has said, I wanted to clarify what kind of UVB bulb you are using. In a previous thread you said it was a Zoo Med bulb, but specifically what kind of bulb is it? Is it the MVB, or is it a compact fluorescent? Better yet, can you show me a picture of what you bought? (It should be easy to find online if you got it at Petco.)
Thanks we will do that as soon as possible. I use a Repti Glow 10 with Jimmety Cricket. As his UVB Bulb (Not sure about UVA Bulb, we have had that since Christmas so the box is gone and it doesnt say the brand on the bulb). I don't house him in eye sight of other animals. I only let Kiki in eye sight of the dogs but I had duct tape on the bottom so they couldnt really see eachother. What I find odd is the only symptom of disease is his loss of appetite. He ate the day we got him and then stopped eating. He bask regularly, isn't shy with us, active and alert, drinking twice a day (or more I'm not home often). His temperatures of the warm side are 90-95 degrees and cool side 80-85, never below or above. If they are, I quickly correct the temperatures by turning off some heat sources or warm the room using air conditioning. His humidity never drops below 80% and never abovr 90% (we have an automatic mister so I don't have to worry about the humidity often). I change his water daily all though he never gets in it. I always have mealworms in a dish in his cage, never crickets since we don't allow those to roam without supervision. I have done everything right. I don't have a clue what it is. He ate the first day but stopped the second. I have paper towels as substrate so he doesn't have compaction. Do I need to add plants? We were cutting back on money when I bought him so we never bought plants, just a few rocks that are larger than him and a HUGE climbing log. We have him in a larger cage than Petsmart so I can ensure you that's not it. We have screening at the top that he never tries to touch. And a heat rock that has the cord cut off and duct taped over the hole (heat rock is only for decoration, it is never on). The room he is in has no one but me in it but I only am in there to do quiet activities such as reading and researching. Him and Cici are in two different rooms (Jimmety Cricket in the study room and Cici in the bed room). The dogs are downstairs and the lizards are up. We haven't held Jimmety Cricket yet except when I was making sure his vent was clear and he was healthy (which took maybe 5 minutes). I refuse to give him back because Petsmart won't do nothing for him except let him die. I'm starting to be forced with the option of force feeding now, I can count his ribs. Each individual one.
In your other thread, you noted that the UVB bulb was 12 inches away from his basking spot, so I assumed it was a mercury vapor bulb. As it turns out, you are using a compact fluorescent. These require the reptile to be much closer to the surface of the bulb than the MVBs. Your dragon actually needs to be able to get within 6-10 inches of the bulbs surface. It should also be noted that compacts have not done well in previous UVB output surveys. They tended to deteriorate very quickly, leaving them essentially useless after a few weeks. For now, the bulb will have to do, but definitely move it closer or adjust the basking branch so your dragon can get up higher. I would look into getting a better UVB bulb for the future, however. I know you've been linked to this before, but I again encourage you to look over this quick little pamphlet on UVB bulbs. http://www.reptileboards.com/threads/uvb-basics.64396/ UVB is essential for proper metabolic functioning in diurnal reptiles, so a lack of UVB light would definitely explain a loss of appetite. Please do not force feed your water dragon yet. It has not been that long since he last ate, and you will assuredly stress him more than you will help him. Fix the lighting situation and see if that works first.
Thanks, I'm sooo embarresed that I don't know the different kind of UVB Bulb's . One question though: Can UVB go through screening? I have been told it can't and I was just making sure.
Very fine screening can filter out a large amount of UVB. Most resources suggest using screen that is .5" spaced apart. Using the desert (10.0) UVB bulb for a tropical animal and using a foil reflector can help accomodate for some of the UVB lost if you are using a finer screening. You could also cut a hole below where the UVB bulb sits to allow unfiltered light to pass through.
