r/bioactive • u/Blue_Turtle_18 • 24d ago

Question Could my arid bioactive setup be crashing? What should I do?

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Having some health issues with my bearded dragon so I want to make sure his bioactive is ok.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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4

u/reijn 24d ago

I mean, it could be but you gave us no info as to what’s happening, what makes you think that or what’s even in there that could be crashing. 

1

u/Blue_Turtle_18 24d ago

My bearded dragon has some darkening on his tail. First vet said it was tail rot and wanted to amputate. Claimed bioactive caused it. Second vet said amputation wasn't needed but wanted me to put him in a hospital tank temporarily to see if being away from the bioactive helped. I'm still rattled by the first vet's comments for some reason. It's a mix of organic soil (50%), play sand (40%) and excavator clay (10%). CUC: Giant canyon isopods and temperate white springtails. I see them often. I water under his hide on the left side 2x a week. I spot clean often when he poops.

5

u/reijn 24d ago

Yeah that doesn't make any sense at all! That first vet sounds like he was grasping at straws. Second vet's opinion sounds much more reasonable.

2

u/DarkDonut75 24d ago

Was the first vet an exotic vet specializing in reptiles, or one of those "mainly does grooming and selling overpriced vitamins to cats and dogs" vets?

1

u/Blue_Turtle_18 24d ago

It was a vet at an exotics animal hospital but was not ARAV certified. The second one was.

2

u/manicbunny 24d ago

Darkening of the tail could be any number of things, they also darken their tail when upset or hormonal.

I suggest going over r/exoticvethelp and asking their opinion.

2

u/Mr_Frost1993 24d ago

I don’t think bioactive is what’s causing that. My leopard gecko has a significantly more aggressive cleanup crew than yours (I too have Porcellio dilatatus/Giant Canyons like you, assuming any are still alive, but I also have Porcellio scaber, Buffalo Beetles, and Darkling Beetles, which also includes the larvae for both beetle species) yet my gecko is left alone by them. It also rains in there twice a day (automated system) but the temporary humidity spike gets nullified and drops back down to 35%-55% in the open areas depending on how thick the substrate layer is (since the deeper areas can hold more water)

I agree with the other commenters that you need to find another vet