Little guy stopped eating, sleeps all the time

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TheMick75

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Hey everybody, new to the board. For Christmas we bought our son a baby beardie, he was fairly tiny. When we brought him home, he was very lively and would veraciously eat 3 times a day about 10 small crickets at a time. He would hunt them down so long as he saw them moving. He quickly grew and is now probably about 3 inches longer than he was at the time we got him.
The pet shop was feeding them meal worms and sent us home with some for a week, and thanks to this forum we found that was not good for his health.
After a month we switched from crickets to baby dubias, and he loved them. He would eat 10-15 in a sitting, 2-3 times a day. We've always provided him fresh fruits and veggies (mainly strawberries, collard greens, and carrots), though I've only ever seen him eat any of them once and that was 2 bites.
Then about 3 weeks ago he stopped eating almost altogether. It went from eating like a monster, to no interest. After a few days we gave him a warm bath to see if that would help any blockages that he had, and he did wind up pooping a strange looking, gel like poop that had a couple worm carcasses in it and also shed almost his entire body. That night we fed him as usual and he ate like 6, which to that point he didn't eat any for days. So I thought maybe we were in the clear.
The next day he was back on the hunger strike. Most of the day he sits on his perch, asleep. He rarely moves from it except to get in or out of the warmest spot. Then at night he goes to his bed. I gave him some crickets to see if perhaps he was just tired of eating dubias, and he did eat 2 crickets, then became disinterested in them and certainly didn't chase them around the tank like he used to. Any ideas?
He lives in a 40 gallon tank with a hotspot of 107-110, and a the rest of the tank at 80. We have the reptisun HO that spans the entire length of the tank for UV. The lights are on from 7am until 8pm. At night the tank drops to around 74-75. He has constant water. Usually there is a reptile carpet in the tank, I removed it this past week so it would be easier to track his poop. When he was eating, I'd have to clean poop up every day, but since the hunger strike his poops are watery and less frequent. When I give him warm baths he will drink water for a few seconds. From time to time I'll see him at his water bowl. Here's two images from him this morning, the one has my hand in it for size reference. Any thoughts?


 

kyleena29

Sub-Adult Member
Hello, congratulations on your new baby. There is definitely something going on here.
A few questions for you.
Is the UVB 10.0 and is there a screen, glass or plastic covering it? Basically you don't want anything between that light and your baby.
How often are you giving calcium/vitamins?
I would put him on 14hr lights on schedule.
Temps are ok, if you are NOT using the stick on type thermometers, they are not accurate. If he spends most of his time basking you can get it up to 115 while he is a baby.
It sounds like those mealworms might of backed him up. You can try baby food squash mixed with a little olive oil. He might also need to be checked for parasites. I would bring a fresh stool sample as soon as you can.
If you can try you can lower his lip a little and try to push a dubia against his teeth and he might eat.
He does look pretty small. How old is he?
 

TheMick75

Member
Original Poster
Yes, it's the reptisun 10.0 HO. There is a plastic screen, i'll have to figure a way to get the light directly on him.
I was dusting calcium and vitamins for his dinner 5 days a week, plus gut loading the insects with it.
 

kyleena29

Sub-Adult Member
If it is a plastic lens over it I'm afraid your baby has gotten pretty much no UVB :(
I have made this mistake before too. He needs that removed asap and if it's a little warm outside get him some natural sunlight for 15-30 minutes the longer the better. This would explain his appetite and size. You want to dust calcium 1 meal daily 5 times a week and vitamins 1 meal daily the other 2 days. I would do every meal calcium for 3 days and see if any improvement. I hope he gets well soon.
 

TheMick75

Member
Original Poster
kyleena29":128ifr1w said:
I should ask the age of the uvb too, sorry.

It's a Reptile T5HO 34" Standard Fixture & Reflector, and the bulb is a Zoo Med 26062 Reptisun 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb 39W Fluorescent Lamp, 34" and was purchased new and installed December 20th, so almost 2 months old and was a little over a month when he started acting oddly.
 

kyleena29

Sub-Adult Member
That's really good. If he is able to get to at least 10-12 inches to it then he's probably ok on that part. I would find a way to hang it inside to get him the full benefit. The only thing I can think of is the meal worm casings are stuck in his intestines or parasites. Do try the baby food mix. If you can't get him to eat his bugs you might have to try chicken/turkey baby food mixed with squash or green bean baby food. Are you using a digital w/ probe or infrared thermometer?
 

TheMick75

Member
Original Poster
kyleena29":2d0kh49k said:
That's really good. If he is able to get to at least 10-12 inches to it then he's probably ok on that part. I would find a way to hang it inside to get him the full benefit. The only thing I can think of is the meal worm casings are stuck in his intestines or parasites. Do try the baby food mix. If you can't get him to eat his bugs you might have to try chicken/turkey baby food mixed with squash or green bean baby food. Are you using a digital w/ probe or infrared thermometer?


I was just able to move the light inside...it's the exact width of the tank so wedged it into place. I have three digital probe thermometers, one on the perch, one below that, and one on the cold side of the tank. I've tested with a friends infrared gun thermometer and they differed by less than a degree at that time.
 

kyleena29

Sub-Adult Member
That's perfect then. I would get a stool sample done.
Parasites can either suck their blood or steal their nutrients. He is very small and thin. He's been with you long enough to be over the settling in stage. You can also try black soldier fly larvae. They are easier to assist feed with and are really good for him. Hopefully you can get dubias or crickets in him but he doesn't sound like he has much energy right now. Hopefully you will be able to, let us know how it works out.
 

TheMick75

Member
Original Poster
Unfortunately our little guy did not make it. I think I waited too long before thinking he was really sick. I tried the things mentioned above, including force feeding him some baby horn worms, etc. A day after this post he wouldn't even bask, would just stay in his usual sleeping spot. The following night he passed.
I think the reason was the UVB was on the outside of the screen and by the time I moved it inside it was too late. My 7 year old was so sad. We're going this weekend to a reputable reptile dealer to check out a 9 month old sand fire colored beardie. He's a 2 hour drive away and is the closest to our area that I can find that's not a petsmart or petco.
 

traildrifterphalanx

Sub-Adult Member
That is heartbreaking... poor little guy... :(
From your description it sounded like you were doing all the right things. Even the bulb on top of the screen shouldn't have caused an issue that fast.

I'm glad you have found a new beardie to give a loving home to, and I have no doubt that he will be in good hands :)
 

kyleena29

Sub-Adult Member
I'm so sorry to hear that :( it's hard to say what was the cause. If he could get within about 12" from the light even with the screen that's probably not it. The bulb you have is pretty good plus you have a reflector. It could of been parasites, adeno, inbreeding, who really knows. I would get your new one checked for parasites after 3-4 weeks of settling in. I hope you find a nice healthy one and have better luck.
 
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