Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi my 3 year old male dragons eyes have been looking funny for the last 24 hours. They seam to be popped out and he keeps them closed. I read that it can be caused by shedding. But he hasnt shed in a while. I gave him 2 baths and he opens his eyes when he is in there and they seam clear and normal. But when I put him back in his tank he closes them and keeps them closed. Is this normal or should I be concerned?

What type of UVB bulb are you using? Eye bulging with regards to shedding is something that BD's and other lizards do but only for maybe 30 secs. at a time. Compact UVB's can cause eye irritation resulting in the animal keeping it's eyes closed or mostly closed. Perhaps posting a pic. would be helpful.

I dont know how to post pics. But I recently switched to a t rex active uv bulb. One of those bulbs with the uv and heat in it. He seemed to be more active and showing more color with the new bulb. Do you think thats the problem?

How close to the basking spot is the new bulb?
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PHLdyPayne

I don't know. But if you made the change recently and then the problem started I would consider trying something else temporarily and see if there is improvement. MV bulbs should be at LEAST 18" away. Is the bulb at least that far away?

I'm not a believer in MVB's. They just don't put out enough heat at the minimum distance to be a one bulb solution. They also tend to create only only bright part of the enclosure as opposed to linear fluorescent tubes that spread light throughout the entire cage.

I dust his insects probably twice a week. His greens are chicory, squash, carrot, and collard greens. I just started to feed him collards because I used to not be able to find them but he was still getting all of the other greens I mentioned. Do you think the introduction of the new greens would do that? His bulb is like 10 inches from where he is if he is on the basking spot. But I have had it there for years and not had a problem until now. The bulb was a t-rex uvb and heat in one bulb that I just switched to a week ago. I took it out last night and put his old just heat bulb and turned on his strip uvb bulb which is a zoomed 10.0. He seems to be slightly more alert and opening his eyes a little more now that I have the old bulb in. But he still closes them a lot. I was able to hand feed him a dozen meal and wax worms last night. And he ate some squash this morning so hopefully he is getting better. Does my setup sound right, or should I change some things around? Thanks

It is highly probable that the MVB was too close...you MuST read the instructions when using them...most require a bit more distance than that,depending on the wattage. For 100 watt it will not be as great a distance as a 150-160. Even a 100 needs about 15" or so. The higher the watts,the further away it should be but you have to look at the manufacturers recommendation. The good news is it willheal once you correct that problem. As far as greens,collards are great for larger dragons ,you can ad mustard and turnip greens too. They are staples.

Most likely the mercury vapour bulb caused the eye issue, as it is far too close to the basking spot. These bulbs need to be a minimum distance from the basking spot, else they can cause issues.
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PHLdyPayne

Ok thank you so much everyone for the info. I switched back to the old bulb and he seems to be recovering. Do you think if I raise the lamp higher I will be able to use the mercury vapor bulb again or should I just stick with whats working?
Thanks again

It would be helpful if you could post a picture of the dragon and his set up. It's hard to make suggestions without a visual picture.