please help sparky's not well.

[jeffjeff]

sparkys stopped eating and now his eyes have gone funny. nothing has changed exept the heat bulb which i think may be the cause (it was a halogen). but he still slept under it. if it was too hot would he not just move to a cooler bit? under the bulb was mostly around 98f ish there was one little bright spot about 1 inch in dia that was hotter 110f so that bulbs now gone. when he first cam out one eye was closed. i soaked him and it opened a bit. there's also little white blebs. and he keeps rubbing them, his uv is a arcadia t5 tube which has been in for a while. can any one offer any advice? i though some kids eye drops maybe help would that be safe? thanks for any advice.

 

[jeffjeff]

sorry in such a fluster i forgot to add the pics.

 

[lismar79]

I wonder if it was too much uv too close....?

 

[phebe121]

Im sorry hes not feeling well get better soon

 

[jeffjeff]

I wonder if it was too much uv too close....?

thanks for replying, the uv is about 13inch above the top of his shell for the most part. he can get closer if he climbs the hills (to withing 9inch). and he can get about 2ft away from it at furthest. if it helps. i've been bathing it with cooled boiled water.

 

[jeffjeff]

Im sorry hes not feeling well get better soon

thanks

 

[Randi]

Something is definitely bothering the eye. I would use saline solution to irrigate the eye. Could be some substrate. In the first picture, zoomed in really close, it looks as if there's a piece of soil in the left corner and discharge from the right corner.

 

[jeffjeff]

Something is definitely bothering the eye. I would use saline solution to irrigate the eye. Could be some substrate. In the first picture, zoomed in really close, it looks as if there's a piece of soil in the left corner and discharge from the right corner.

thankyou, i'll try the saline solution see if it helps. it did look a tiny bit better last time i washed it and he ate a little smushed cactus pad.

 

[dmmj]

The eyes do indeed look puffy to me ( a bit). So appetite is normal? Still active?

 

[jeffjeff]

The eyes do indeed look puffy to me ( a bit). So appetite is normal? Still active?

thanks for the reply, no he stopped eating for a few days and mostly just slept. then his eyes went funny. i never gave it much thought at first he's always been a bit sporadic with his eating. he'd eat well for a week or 2 then have a few days off then start again. he hasn't came out of his hide yet today if he's not up in the next half hour i'm going to dig him out for a soak.

 

[Tom]

I doubt the halogen was your issue. Those are fine to use for basking. That he stayed under it a lot is a good indicator that he wasn't feeling warm enough.

What are your four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking area and over night low?

How are you maintaining heat without your halogen?

What is the length and type of Arcadia tube? Is it a 12%? HO? Arcadia bulbs make a lot of UV. 9-13 inches seems much too close to me, and eye burns would certainly cause the symptoms you are seeing. I only use my Arcadia bulbs on a timer for about 4 hours mid day to simulate the natural UV patterns that occur each day. The only way for you to know is to check it with a UV meter.

 

[jeffjeff]

I doubt the halogen was your issue. Those are fine to use for basking. That he stayed under it a lot is a good indicator that he wasn't feeling warm enough.

What are your four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking area and over night low?

How are you maintaining heat without your halogen?

What is the length and type of Arcadia tube? Is it a 12%? HO? Arcadia bulbs make a lot of UV. 9-13 inches seems much too close to me, and eye burns would certainly cause the symptoms you are seeing. I only use my Arcadia bulbs on a timer for about 4 hours mid day to simulate the natural UV patterns that occur each day. The only way for you to know is to check it with a UV meter.

thanks for replying. the arcadia tube is a t5 24inch long 6% ho with reflector. temps are- night 70-75f the house heating keeps the entire room at least 70. cool side is 75f the hot side 85f and basking 95-100 depending where in the circle you measure. with the halogen it was about the same but a much brighter spot directly below it. i changed the halogen bulb to a normal light bulb. we call them reflector bulbs. i measured the temp by putting a rock about the size of him under the heat bulb and sat a digital thermometer on top of it for an hour. would that be a reliable way? i think the temp gun was measuring the temp of the rock. humidity hovers around 45%.

this is the heat bulb i changed back too just in case it was the halogen. it was the only thing that had recently changed.

 

[jeffjeff]

just to up date on sparky, i think his eyes look a little bit better he's still not 100% but defiantly improving. he's still not eating great tho a few bites here and there which i guess is better than nothing his weight is stable and he's pooping again which i guess means food must be going through his system. i still don't know the cause. i have found some little bugs in his enclosure some are tiny mite looking things and some are green, i think green fly. is it possible they caused it?
thanks again every one for the help me and sparky both really appreciate it.
here's couple pics i took today. do they look a bit better to you guys?.

 

[Randi]

Eyes still look a bit puffy, but I don't see discharge or anything else. I'd say there's been a definite improvement when comparing pics. I'd try to increase your humidity if you can.

 

[jeffjeff]

Eyes still look a bit puffy, but I don't see discharge or anything else. I'd say there's been a definite improvement when comparing pics. I'd try to increase your humidity if you can.

i will do that thanks, its hovering around 50% at the min, what would you recommend as a good level to aim for?

 

[bouaboua]

Glad he is doing better! ! ! !Great news..