New bearded dragon closing eyes?

[hinoco1225]

Hello,

I just got a baby bearded dragon on Saturday. He/she is about 2.5 inches snout to vent, 6 inches long including the tail, and I was told he is about 7 weeks old. I have a 10.0 UVB tube light on him and a regular white house bulb for basking and the lights are on a 12 on/12 off schedule. I have noticed he's closing his eyes a lot - any thoughts on why? I'm not an expert on bearded dragons but I don't think it's normal for a diurnal lizard to close its eyes much during the day. I thought it might be from the new UVB light, but he doesn't seem to be doing it any more or less whether he's under the light or not. He still does it a lot when I'm holding him. Any ideas?

 

[hinoco1225]

Here's a pic of him closing his eyes just now.

 

[kinyonga]

We need more information.
Can you fill out the "how to ask for help" questions at the top of the health section for your beardie and it might show us what's wrong.

 

[fluxlizard]

Can you run your finger along his spine from his neck through the first of his tail without feeling a bump or lump? Should feel smooth and flat all the way- no angles or risings. The photo isn't the best but it looks to me from the photo that he may have a bump, kink (top to bottom, not side to side), or lump above the pelvis- if so that is bad news and you should do your best to get a replacement immediately before any more time passes. You could not cause such a bump in a week, but if you wait to see how things turn out, the person who sold it to you may try to blame it on you. Of course, I could be totally wrong- could be an illusion on my part from the blurry pic and the pattern on the dragon. I don't think it is though, the longer I look at it. Run your finger down his spine and see and/or try to get an in-focus pic up.

heat and light and diet and supplements all critically important at this age. If his spine feels nice and level all the way down, fill out the form Kinyonga is talking about.

He should not have his eyes closed.

 

[ataraxia]

we do need more information to help you.

 

[hinoco1225]

Your Reptile - Bearded dragon, 7 weeks old, unsure of sex, in my care almost 5 days
Handling - Often
Feeding - A few crickets, two waxworms, and veggies so far. He is handfeeding veggies and waxworms, but not eating crickets very well. They SLOWLY disappear from his tank, but he definitely isn't eating as well as he should be. I was thinking this is because he is still getting used to being by himself and in a new place. Crickets gutloaded with fresh veggies and Fluker's dry gutload (occasional fruits as well).
Supplements - I have only dusted a few of his crickets with RepCal w/o D3 because he isn't eating them very quickly and I didn't want them to die before he ate them. I will get him on a better supplement schedule once I get him eating well.
Watering - Fresh water every day in a dish
Fecal Description - Dark feces with white urates
History - Came from a local breeder who has been very responsive to my questions, etc. I have already contacted him with my concerns and he doesn't seem worried. This was his response: "Don't worry about the closing eyes. All of mine seem to do it when they're relaxed, including my adults. When you hold yours and rub his head, notice how he almost always keeps one open."

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 15 gallon terrarium (will get a bigger one soon)
Lighting - 10.0 Repti Glo tube, 60 Watt white house bulb for basking
Temperature - 100 basking to 78 ambient
Humidity - 30-40 (hard to keep humidity low in Georgia)
Plants - None
Placement - On my dresser. No fans or vents nearby. Relatively low traffic as I am gone a good bit of the time.
Location - Kennesaw, GA

Current Problem - Closing his eyes sometimes, more often than I feel is normal for a diurnal lizard. Also not eating well.

 

[hinoco1225]

Can you run your finger along his spine from his neck through the first of his tail without feeling a bump or lump? Should feel smooth and flat all the way- no angles or risings. The photo isn't the best but it looks to me from the photo that he may have a bump, kink (top to bottom, not side to side), or lump above the pelvis- if so that is bad news and you should do your best to get a replacement immediately before any more time passes. You could not cause such a bump in a week, but if you wait to see how things turn out, the person who sold it to you may try to blame it on you. Of course, I could be totally wrong- could be an illusion on my part from the blurry pic and the pattern on the dragon. I don't think it is though, the longer I look at it. Run your finger down his spine and see and/or try to get an in-focus pic up.

heat and light and diet and supplements all critically important at this age. If his spine feels nice and level all the way down, fill out the form Kinyonga is talking about.

He should not have his eyes closed.

I am not home right now, but I hold and stroke him often and I haven't noticed a bump along his spine. Is it critical that I double-check tonight? I will if you think it's important, but otherwise I will check in the morning since his lights have already gone off for the night.

 

[fluxlizard]

This was his response: "Don't worry about the closing eyes. All of mine seem to do it when they're relaxed, including my adults.

Closing the eyes more than a few minutes during the day is not a sign that they are relaxed. I've been breeding bearded dragons since 1994 and have had raised hundreds of breeders and thousands of babies since that time. I rarely see mine with eyes closed at all during the day.

Because your temps seem correct and he isn't really eating well for you yet, he could just be adjusting and stressing and settling in a little.

I usually tell people to not handle their dragon or disturb it other than necessary to feed and water it for about a week or two and give it time to settle in and start eating and pooping on a normal schedule. This has 2 purposes- first the dragon may need to adjust and de-stress from being moved to a new home- hands off at first is the fastest way to accomplish this. Second it gives the owner a chance to learn what is normal for the dragon as far as appetite and poop schedule so they will know when something is wrong with the lizard in the future.

I still think you should check the spine. To me your photo just looks like his dorsal surface is too high above the pelvis- I could tell one way or the other in a couple of seconds looking at him in person, but hard for me to tell from the photo. Tonight isn't critical- if he's got a problem the damage is already done and the breeder is aware of your concerns and he's local- all that helps if you find a problem. If you are unsure after gently stroking his spine, take a photo exactly from the side, not at an angle, so we get a silhouette of the highest edge of his back, and I'll give you my best opinion from the photo.

Watch his behaviour- if he's functioning normally and your basking temps are correct, he should warm up in the warmest spot for a while in the morning (30-90 minutes) and then become active and move around the enclosure. Most of the rest of the day when he is basking he will avoid the hottest spot and bask slightly to the side, possibly moving to the hottest spot after eating or drinking or for a while in the evening. If he basks all day in the hottest spot- temps aren't warm enough so he stays hoping to build up more heat.

Your husbandry sounds pretty good. Don't stress too much about humidity- mine are outside all summer and I'm on the east coast too where it gets humid and it's no problem. (In fact it's been raining here all week and cool as the end of the summer nears- I keep the cages covered with tarps to keep the rain out, but it's still very humid out there, and it's never a problem after doing this every summer for years now). The substrate just needs to be kept dry. You shouldn't have a problem there on your dresser

I wouldn't skip any calcium though- believe it or not, at the size yours is at, some of my baby dragons will put on an inch of growth in a single week! That growth rate requires a lot of calcium. That growth rate is exceptional- most of mine grow an inch in 2 or 3 weeks at the size/age yours is at. Which still puts quite a bit of demand for calcium on the lizard. Dust a little less heavily so you don't kill the crickets. Problems from calcium/d3 deficiency can set in pretty quickly- I said in my last post if he has a spine problem you couldn't cause that in less than a week- you probably could in 2 if supplementation isn't kept up at this age. Which is why I feel it important to contact the breeder as soon as possible if there is a problem to get a replacement animal. Sounds like you already have him appraised of the situation which is the right thing to do.

Sounds like you are on the right track with your care overall. Just be aware that the closed eyes are not normal like the breeder is telling you, at least in my experience. My first suspicion would be inadequate supplementation prior to purchase, my second would be stress from rehoming/too much handling immediately after, and my third would be parasites- pinworms or coccidia which would require veterinary assistance. But his poops sound well formed so I doubt parasites.

 

[hinoco1225]

Thank you very much. I just looked at him and the spine looks level, but I will feel it to make sure in the morning.

 

[fluxlizard]

You're welcome. He's a beautiful lizard- should make a really pretty adult.

 

[ataraxia]

flux gave some great advice

 

[hinoco1225]

Thank you both very much. I did double-check his spine this morning and it feels perfectly smooth. He still closed his eyes for a few seconds while I was holding him though.

I have one more question. What type of substrate do you recommend for young beardies? I have heard that babies get impacted easily with sand, so I have him on reptile carpet. I don't really like it though because the crickets hide under it and that's certainly not helping with him not eating very well. Would sand be ok, or should I stick with the carpet for now?

 

[fluxlizard]

Well, for my babies I really use no substrate at all for exactly those reasons (impactions and insects hiding).

I feel like around 8-10" they can safely be moved over to sand. Otherwise I recommend paper towels for pet owners with youngsters which are easy to clean and provide grip for the dragon's nails (important for proper muscle and bone development compared to say the smooth surface of an aquarium or whatever). When I used plastic tubs, I roughed up the bottom with course grade sandpaper. Now I use reptariums and put paper on the outside below the enclosure.

That is what I would recommend- the paper towelling for another inch or two. If you lightly mist it or drip a little water on it when you place it in the terrarium, it will dry out quickly and dry formed snugly against the bottom of the cage which will help keep some crickets out from under it. The other thing you can do is masking tape it - sealing the edges completely so crickets can't get under.