So, I have a maybe 3 or 4 year old female beardie (as the vet guessed) with MBD. Got her about two weeks ago now. She’s also rather underweight and maybe dehydrated too, judging by how wrinkly and dry she feels. Also is missing 4 toes, though that’s not terribly relevant I guess lol. Anyways, before me, for a couple of weeks she was in the care of the girl who initially found her in a dumpster. She was eating her greens, veggies and bugs just fine it seemed. When I first got her, she ate her greens immediately as soon as I put her in her tank. And she would go crazy for dubia. That’s how it was going for a few days. Then as you may remember from my other post lol; I realized unfortunately I was giving her too many bugs and she started not caring about greens at all. I was going to just “wait it out,” but others encouraged me to just to keep on giving her gutloaded bugs given she’s underweight and I was told I can worry about getting her on a regular diet once she’s up to a healthy weight. So I gave her some more dubias, which I have been gutloading with veggies and greens. Was also giving her some wax worms here and there. But primarily dubia. Anyway, then all of a sudden she didn’t really want to eat anything at all, and has sometimes been pooping multiple times a day (usually very small or just urate) whereas before she’s pooped maybe, 2 times in the time I’ve had her, but then this week since this has all been unfolding, she’s pooping ALL the time. And she would get major zoomies and just run frantically and climb and just very restless, which I thought at first was maybe just the poop (I cleaned it as soon as I could) but then this behavior has continued regardless of poop or not. At first it was just very restless running around and climbing, but now she is also glass surfing as well on top of that. And she doesn’t want to eat anything, not even her fav dubia or a hornworm treat. She basks, then she’ll start going crazy again, poops several times a day now usually, even if it’s just a very tiny amount or only urate. I’m starting to suspect she’s gravid, but obviously, this has concerned me, because she’s already underweight and dehydrated, and now she doesn’t wanna eat anything. I give her baths so she can soak usually everyday, in hopes of getting her to drink or whatever, but I’ve only seen her drink water maybe 3 times the whole time I’ve had her these last 2 or so weeks. I sprinkle water on top of her head (she drank it the first time when I first got her) and she drank when I gave her her first bath, and I think she even took one lick out of her little water bowl once too. But I haven’t seen her drink anymore besides that, unless I just haven’t seen it. I know they get hydration from their veggies and stuff too, but she’s not eating right now so that’s tricky. But regardless, given I’ve just barely got her, and just want to help the poor thing get back to better health, you guys can probably understand my frustrations and worries about it all. Just an inconvenient time to be gravid LOL. But I guess I just wanted to ask if this does indeed seem to be gravid symptoms, and what I should be doing? I have made her a dig/lay box. And any time she gapes while basking, I have been trying to sneak veggies, greens and bugs in her mouth. It’s only worked a few times. But from what I understand loss of appetite is normal when gravid.. but it’s just concerning me given her condition— I mean she’s not like deathly horribly underweight, but she is underweight, and with her MBD too, it’s frustrating with her not eating since that’s where she gets her calcium powder (she does have a good UVB bulb, at least). So yeah, just any advice, information, help etc would be so very appreciated. I just wanna help this poor girl.
I’ll attach some pics of Martha <3 She is pretty spunky (especially now LOL) and despite her MBD and missing toes, she really does a good job getting around and climbing, even if it takes her a minute sometimes, she’s very determined.
PS. You guys see that darker bit on her beard?? It’s very similar to a chunk on her tail— is that shed?? Cos it’s always like that. She had part of this darker she’d come off her tail, but there’s some more still, and it kinda looks like she’s got some on her beard too? Idk lol, but like I said I have been giving her a lot of soaks.
Thank you guys sm. I really appreciate you al and I really love this forum. Everybody is very nice and helpful here and you guys don’t make me feel stupid when I ask all these weird questions
I’ll attach some pics of Martha <3 She is pretty spunky (especially now LOL) and despite her MBD and missing toes, she really does a good job getting around and climbing, even if it takes her a minute sometimes, she’s very determined.
PS. You guys see that darker bit on her beard?? It’s very similar to a chunk on her tail— is that shed?? Cos it’s always like that. She had part of this darker she’d come off her tail, but there’s some more still, and it kinda looks like she’s got some on her beard too? Idk lol, but like I said I have been giving her a lot of soaks.
Thank you guys sm. I really appreciate you al and I really love this forum. Everybody is very nice and helpful here and you guys don’t make me feel stupid when I ask all these weird questions