Concerned new mama

Status
Not open for further replies.

stribits

New member
Hoping someone can help! I just got Lenny at Christmas (hes about 6 months and was being re-homed due to a space issue) and at first he seemed OK but now he is hiding all day, barely eating, very low activity (he does tend to run from one end of his tank to the other while kind of scratching at the glass for about 5-10 minutes a day - then right back to digging inside his little cave and sleeping). I have tried live and thawed crix and aside from eating about 20 in one shot 4 days ago, hes not interested. Same with the meal worms (freeze dried variety) and super worms (live). I give him fresh salad everyday and try to mix it up with what I'm using and he's just not eating. I'm not sure if I need to be concerned or if this is normal when they are re-homed/during winter months. I got another guy (6 years old) at the same time and he is doing just fine (shedding away but great!). I'm worried about my lil Lenny :( Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
Are they housed together? If so you need to separate them ASAP, especially with that big age and size difference. No matter the age, gender, or tank size beardies are solitary animals and do not do well together, usually one or both with fail to thrive, become sick, hide a lot and then die from starvation, stress or injury.

If they arent then good, what type of UVB lights does he have, what kind of substrate, how big of a tank does he have, what are his temperatures, what are you monitoring the temperatures with.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/
You can upload pictures there and then to post them when you go to reply hit the XIMG tab to select them.
 

stribits

New member
Original Poster
They are not together. Lenny is in the livingroom and Tupac is in my sons room so they dont even see eachother and i keep them separate during bath and free roam time as well. I have a thermometer (sticks to the side of his tank) from pet smart that says the temp is at 109 (lights been on since 7 this morn). I use a ground walnut substrate from All Living Things and his heat and uv light are from the same brand. His tank is 40 gallons. He seems to be pooping ok (solid but small and only every other day) so I know he's getting a bit in but he's barely touching food. I even tried hand feeding. I don't think he's stressed and he's not shedding (that I can tell anyway). I'm at a total loss and worried I'm doing something wrong.
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
Okay so theres a few things wrong with the setup.

The stick on thermometer needs to be a digital gauge with a probe or a temp gun. You can get it off amazon. The reason this is, is because you need to know the surface temp not the air temp.

The substrate needs to be replaced ASAP as that could be one of the causes hes inactive and not eating, however its most likely do to bad UVB. All particle substrates can cause impaction, which is when something is lodged in the digestive track blocking everything up. It can be fatal if not fixed.
The particle substrate your using can also mess up the eyes and cause blindess, as the ground walnut shells are actually quite sharp.

He will need a new uvb tube as all living things is a cheap knock off brand, i recommend getting a reptisun or arcaidia T5 HO 10.0 34" tube light with a reflective fixture. You can get it on amazon, replace this every 6-12 months.
Without proper uvb light he could possibly end up like this eventually. Which that is called MBD, or Metabolic bone disease.
89510-6544472775.jpg
 

stribits

New member
Original Poster
Thank you so much! I am going to go to the reptile store in town right now to get him proper sand and lights. Thanks ☺☺
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
No no, no sand. What you need is paper towels, tile, or non adhesive shelf liner. They dont come from areas with really any sand at all. So it's very un-natural for them, and creating their natural habitat would be actually a bit hard to do in captivity.
 

stribits

New member
Original Poster
Good to know! The girl I got him from said that I absolutely MUST use the ground walnut. I read a out compaction issues but she was adamant. You've been so helpful. I will visit home depot for some tile ☺
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,690
Members
75,966
Latest member
georgiarichmond
Top Bottom