Dying baby beardie?

Hi folks. New beardie mom, here. We've had Phoenix for about 3 weeks now. I never thought we'd develop such an attachment so quickly but we're desperate and devestated. We came home the other night and found Phoenix at the top of his stick, head twisted back and facing up, pale (almost white). His color is back, though he is nearly black all over today. He's very dark... He's being very lazy. Last night he slept a lot, as high to the top of the tank as he could get, with his face and two front paws pressed against the glass. I had to pick him up and move him to get him to eat. Even then, he stayed put where I had him and only ate the crickets that came close. He did have a few bursts of energy throughout the day and zipped across the tank to follow me, sat briefly in his water spot, and willingly took one tiny piece of kale from me. I did go talk to a woman and a guy at Petsmart yesterday and they both own several beardies. They went back to talk to the vet. The thought was we possibly purchased an already sick baby, possible dehydration, possible lack of UV exposure, definite stress. The reason for that is because the guy at PetCo told us that beardies require frequent handling to domesticate them. So, I've allowed the kids to hold him...a lot. I feel horrible. They told me he should only be held once or twice a week for short periods of time. ? They had me purchase a new UV light that extends all the way across his tank, in addition to the one attached to his basking light. His basking light has a 75 watt bulb. Temps range between 84 and 88. Sometimes it will get up to 90. They told me that's where it should be for that size tank. They told me to unplug the heating pad from the "cool" side. He's not even trying to get to the top of the branch to bask today.

Hopefully you have a digital probe thermometer, that’s the best way to get the real basking temp. The stick on ones can be 20F degrees off. The basking temp should be 100-105F. You can drip a few drops of water on his nose, by hand or by an eye dropper, he may be dehydrated.

Hi there, can you post pics of your little guy as well as the set up including the lights ? I'm not sure what you meant by his neck twisting but there is something called stargazing where they stretch their neck back until it looks like it will almost snap. It's a neorological problem, if that's what you're describing.

Here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

Hello,

How is your baby doing today?
Pictures of your dragon along with your tank setup/lighting would be great if you can.
Definitely review your tank setup with us, such as the type/brand of tube UVB Light you are
using, supplementation, feeders, etc so we can be sure everything is all correct.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Hi guys. He is more active today. I'll get pics figured out after homework and kids get settled but wanted to update. The reptile guy at Petsmart told me to increase his basking bulb to 100 watts to get the temp up in his 20 gallon tank to 100-105. That's not working. It's at 90 right now but that's because I set the heat on in the house to bring it to 76 in here. He also said to block out all sides of his tank to destress him so that he can't see all the activity going on around him and to not hold him for 6-8 weeks. I'm misting him instead of handling him for baths, instead. His coloring is improving. The guy told me to get large crickets. Well, Phoenix will not eat those. I put 3 in his tank at 7:30 this morning and they're still in there. So, we're going back to small crickets. He ate a blueberry I had cut up and put in there but skipped over the greens. He pooped twice today. Good sign, right?

I don't have anywhere to plug in the probe moniter. Do you have another good suggestion? I'm desperate for any of your advice. If I can get him to eat the crickets again, I'll feel better. I do hate blocking him out. That feels horrible to me. He goes to the back of the tank and stares at the wall or goes to the top of his branch and stares at the top of the tank like he's listening to us.

Hello,

How is your dragon today?
Do you mean you don't have anywhere to plug in a digital probe thermometer? They just need
a battery to operate. You will need to place the probe directly on/under the basking spot to
check the basking spot. It's best if you leave it there for at least 15-20 minutes to fully acclimate
to the temperatures to register properly. What are you using right now to measure the temps?
In a 20 gallon tank, it is hard to maintain optimal temperatures due to the size so he could be
getting too hot. If you are using a stick on type, then the temperatures will be off.
I have to say that I totally disagree with not holding him for 6-8 weeks. He will miss out on a lot
of attention & bonding. You can limit how long you have him out but delaying getting him out
really isn't the best option. He will probably calm down with the sides blocked off for awhile.
The temperatures need to get ironed out though.
I'm glad to hear he ate a little bit, hopefully his appetite will pick up soon.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie