beardie keeps going under log for last 6 weeks!

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godzilla4

Member
Hi there,
my little beardie keeps doing as the heading says for the last 6 weeks now. eating very minimal. its ust like shes gone into brumation but its the middle of summer!
her temps are good and setup is fine i believe but will include pics!
she last pooed 3 weeks ago so not impacted.

its the same routine everyday.. i go to work come home and find her under her log. will put her under basking spot where she will sit for 3 -4 hours max then go back under log! it does sound like basking spot is too hot but sure temps are fine!!?
i am absoloutley lost on this!
she has a new arcadia 10% uv tube and refelctor in 2 weeks ago thinking that might of been it!
please!! any adivce is much appreciated!

THANKS!
Sam
93728-2538700947.jpg
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this temperature is at her basking end
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
First off ARE THOSE CRUSHED WALNUT SHELLS IN HER ENCLOSURE??????

IF SO GET THEM OUT IMMEDIATELY!!!!

You say she hasn't pooped in 3 WEEKS? 3 WEEKS is much too long to go and not poop, if that is not a typo, then she is absolutely impacted, most likely do to her substrate!!! Whatever that is it needs to come out of there right now, loose substrates cause horrible impactions all the time, but nothing is more deadly than CRUSHED WALNUT SHELLS! That stuff should be taken off the shelves and banned! Not only can they not digest it all all and it then causes horrible impactions, but it takes only 1 little sharp edged piece to cause internal bleeding! I've seen more beardies die from this stuff than anything else, no joke or exaggeration at all, someone else will be along soon to back me up.

She should only have a solid substrate, like tiles, non-adhesive shelf liner, carpet, paper towels, etc. For now dump that garbage out immediately, completely disinfect her entire tank (loose substrates also harbor lots of bacteria and fungi and hold it in to reinfect them over and over), and just put down clean dry papertowels for now that can be replaced every time they get soiled. No sand of any kind, no mulch, wood chips, bark, Coco husk, gravel, pebbles, rocks, nothing loose at all!

And your temperatures are only being taken by that round stick-on thermometer and the long aquarium strip thermometer? There's your temperature issue if so, because the round thermometers are cheap and very inaccurate, if tested they are usually off by up to 20 degrees!!! And you cannot measure the basking spot temperature with one of those at all, so your basking spot might be cooking her!!! You need to run to a pet shop and buy a digital thermometer with a probe on a wire. They cost around $10 at any pet shop (I have 2 in each enclosure, one to measure the basking spot and the other I move the probe back and forth to measure the Hot Side and the Cool Side). Make sure you allow the probe to sit for at least 20-30 minutes before you read the temperature, and do this each time you move the probe to measure a different area. My guess is that his temps are all way too hot, and if he truly hasn't pooped in 3 WEEKS (I'm hoping that's a typo) then you need to get him on an impaction protocol immediately after you dump that substrate in the trash!!!
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Also, after looking at her photo, her belly seems awfully lumpy and big...How old is she?

I'm hoping that she's not old enough to be carrying a clutch of eggs, as sometimes you can actually see them if they are large enough...If you put your hands under her belly and very gently palpate her left side, starting under her left armpit and working your way down the left side of her belly towards her vent, do you feel any hard spots or lumps? I also just saw that she's been doing this for 6 weeks now, and not eating much, yet her belly looks extremely lumpy and full, so I'm thinking if it's true that she hasn't had a bowel movement in 3 weeks and she hasn't been eating, either she's very, very impacted, or she's carry a clutch of eggs, of both, and possibly the temperatures are way too hot on top of that (unless you are using an accurate thermometer to measure her temperatures including her basking spot, that you just don't show in the photos)...

Please verify that she hasn't had a bowel movement in 3 weeks, and that you are only using the round/aquarium thermometers to measure her temps, and what her substrate is, because you may have some very serious issues going on that need remedied quickly. I'm hoping these are just typos...

I
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Hello? Have you purchased a digital thermometer and measured the temps in his enclosure? Have you gotten rid of that horrible walnut shell substrate?

I really think this is a combination of your beardie being extremely impacted by the walnut shell substrate (3 weeks without pooping is too long and she looks very bloated/lumpy), and her enclosure being far too hot because you're using cheap thermometers that can be off by up to 20+ degrees, and that you have no way at all of measuring the basking spot with...

This could potentially be very, very serious, if he's got that walnut shell substrate inside of him it can not only cause a bad impaction but also internal bleeding, and 3 weeks without pooping is far too long. And if his temps are so hot that he hasn't come out from under his hide in 6 weeks then you could literally be cooking him!
 

Betty53218

Hatchling Member
Hi Sam,
Sorry the last replier was a little harsh, but in general she was correct about the subsrate. Try to get a probe or a temp gun to test the basking spot. It should be around 100 degrees right where your beardie is sitting in your pic. The ambient temp looks good if those thermometers are correct. The digital ones are best though. I keep my ambient temp on the warm side around 90. That's a very interesting branch in there. I like it. It looks like her head is about to shed also. That can make them grumpy and tired. Presently, yes in August, my beardie has been brumating since the end of June. He did this last year too. Slept until October and was up the entire winter in cold and snowy Northern Wisconsin. It is winter in their native Australia right now after all. So it is entirely possible for yours to be wanting to sleep also. Mine hasn't eaten or pooed since going down either. I take him out and bath him every couple of weeks and play with him for a short time and then he's out again. So, if your beardie is over a year old she might indeed be trying to brumate.
 

godzilla4

Member
Original Poster
Hi betty!
first of all thank you for amuch calmer more rational response.
my little godzilla is 2 and a half. she has brumated before but only in winter. she is behaving exactly like that i only got worried as i really had no idea they could also in the summer?
HEr substrate is infact corn. i have been using this since day 1 without er every having any problems.
i got a digital thermometer yesterday to check and her basking area is coming in at around 102F thats literally taken right now.
and her cool side measuring 80F. to my knowledge thats pretty ok?
okaay.. thats quite reasuring you say that then maybe it is just brumation. i simply thought they didnt brumate in summer!?
thank you so much for your response.. i guess illust leave her be and check in time to time huh?
 

Betty53218

Hatchling Member
Your temps sound fine to me. I read that if their instincts are strong enough, that they can think it is winter during the actual Australian winter time. My beardie is 2 1/2 also. We got him in February of 2015, so we assume he was born around the first of the year. He did a semi- brumation the summer of that year. He was already 19 in. long by July. Last year he went down in Aug. and slept until October. This year he went down in June and is still sleeping. He is healthy and keeping his weight on as he sleeps. I weigh him with a kitchen digital scale every time I get him up to bathe him.
I would think about changing your substrate, even if it is corn. I personally use non-adhesive shelf liner. I made up two right away, and alternate them between cleanings. It really is much easier and cleaner than anything loose in their viv- not to mention cheaper! If you do use it, be sure to air out the strong smell of the liner before use.
Overall, I think your dragon is just wanting to sleep for awhile. Keep a close eye on her for any signs of sickness in case it's not brumation. My guy moves around and switches positions quite often, but stays in his cave. It kind of gives us a break from their daily demands for awhile, but we sure do miss their company.
 
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