Help please!!!! Beardie having issues

AHBD":2x7gjqmh said:

Hi there, sorry that your boy is having trouble. The problem is almost certainly low calcium/MBD. The reason he seemed depressed in the other tank was that the coil uvb did not give him the proper uvb and this is the result. Dust his food very well with calcium and get him in the sun as much as possible for now.

The 55 gal. is a tall tank so you will need to mount the Reptisun 10.0 down inside the tank to do him any good. You can rig it somehow with velcro, wire or string/fishing line. He needs to get within about 8" of the Reptisun unless it's a t5 rather than a t8. And your white basking bulb is fine but the red should be replaced with another white one when you get the chance. Let's hope that Sampson can get back to better health soon.

Can you post pics of the set up here ?

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Motherofdragons428":3rxprq07 said:

My Sampson, who is about 4 months old has recently been having some difficulty. We bought a new, forever home for him as he seemed depressed in his old enclosure. Our set up is a 55 gallon tank and we recently moved from reptile carpet to play sand. Today, we bought a new reptisun 10.0 18" bulb and moved to using 75 watt basking and a 75 watt red bulb.
<<< remove the red globe, it's likely effecting his appetite because he thinks it's bed time.

He's on a 12/12 schedule
<<<< recommend bumping that up to 15-16 hr per day
closer to summer time daylight hours in their natural range , whereas 12 hrs is very winterlike.

and his tank is 85 cooler area, 101 basking area. The new tank set up went up Tuesday and he seemed like his old self as he was running and hunting cricket which he hadnt been doing lately. Then Friday he began acting strange. He's dragging himself across the sand and it looked as if he wasn't using his back legs but now it seems that he isn't using his front legs (kinda sluggish and jerky) as he literally dragged himself up his log to bask yesterday.
Perhaps he had some impaction either from the sand or the insects (too big) , is he still doing it ?

At first, I thought impaction, so I gave him a warm bath Friday and Saturday night and pooped both times (no grit, white tip). He is not really eating although I did get him to eat 3 superworms (I just wanted him to eat something. His food is always dusted with reptile and we provide him with a mix of turnip greens, mustard greens and fresh basil from the garden. He isn't too big on greens but he did eat some Wednesday (a good amount) and Thursday.

Not much I can add to what has already been said.

Just some guidance on feeding :
Suppliments used ?
>>> is the calcium powder vitD3 fortified ? == use with caution.
Potential risks are hypervitaminosis D3 (from excessive ingestion of vitamin D3) and inability to metabolise dietary calcium leading to a buildup of calcium in your beardies blood (hypercalcemia).



basic Feeding schedules :

hatchlings
three feeds of live appropriate sized insects per day as many as they want per session offered a few at time if it's hoppy or fast moving
+ offer fresh high calcium greens daily (might not eat it).

Juveniles (6 months to 12 months)
two feeds of insects per day
+ offer fresh high calcium greens daily (might not eat it)

Good staple insects
>> BSF maggots
>> blowfly gents
and the pupae and flies , great for hatchlings and juveniles , naturally rich in calcium
>> silkworms
small (1-1.5 inch for sub 3 month olds)
medium (1.5 - 2 inch for larger hatchlings and juveniles)
large ( > 2 inch for beardies older than 12 months.
>> crickets / roaches / locusts , must be gutloaded with calcium rich foods and greens & dusted LIGHTLY with calcium powder.

Repashi GRUBPIE is acceptable as a backup food.

Hard and soft pellets are dubious , ok mixed in as softened croutons through their greens/salad (maybe).

Bites = rubbish food.

And this is illuminating :
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=236074

lighting (basking & UV) and heating guide here :

comparison of UVB sources vs distance and w/ w/out reflectors :
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611





I am worried MBD, which is why we bought the reptisun today as we were using a coil uvb but realized how crappy they were. Am I doing all that I can? I took him outside with me the past 2 days and it seemed to perk him up a bit and he slithered around and ate those superworms. I'm trying the best I can to do whatever it takes. Any input? Anything I'm missing? Any tips? Any help or advice would be helpful and so appreciated! I'm scared to lose my baby boy. This is our first beardie and he's quickly become a member of the family.

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AHBD":3efi3hrg said:

That's great, time in the sun supplies a good dose of uvb + D3 so it really helps quickly with calcium issues if they're caught early. Go Sampson !

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AHBD":6lxl22jk said:

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear this ! Wasn't he doing a little better ? Did he take a big turn for the worse suddenly ?

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