Is Jack sick or just "unique"?

Hey! I got Jack when she was a hatchling. Even as a baby she would NOT eat her veggies. She would eat 2-3 dozen crickets per day!!! She has always been and still is active and loves to run around the house. Right at the time she turned 1 yr (Aug) she decided she does not want crickets. I tried her on superworms and she loved those for approx a month. Now she only eats one or two every other day and rarely I can get her to eat some romaine. I did get some grasshoppers and waxworms, but she ate one grasshopper and that's it. The guy at the pet store said to try the appetite stimulant from RZilla. I have been giving her that for 3 days and last night she ate some grape slices and apple pieces. She still goes poo and it is the same consistency and color as always. She will bask and is she is active. Could her eating habits be caused by my hand feeding her when she was a baby? Is something wrong or is she just "unique"?

She's in a 30 breeder with a 100Watt Powersun bulb and the substrate is crushed walnut shell. The cool side is 75-85degrees and her basking spot is approx 110 and she can get within 5-6 inches of it.

Karen/2dragoons

Well your temps sound good and that powersun is a MVB right? The only prob I see is the walnut shells. They have sharp edges, and if she ingested any they could have hurt her mouth or tummy. I'd get rid of those asap.
The other possability is preperation for brumation. At 1 yr she could be getting ready. Several folks have said theirs are starting to gear down. Read Denise's article on brumation. The link is on the front page. It's very interesting and informitive.

Sandy H

Hi...How old is your UVB? If it is more than a year old it needs to be replaced. Even tho it still gives off light, it is no longer giving off the needed UVB rays.

Did you try syringing some chicken and either green beans or squash baby food to Jack? You can mix the appetite supplement with it. It would be better than feeding fruit.
Good luck
Patsy

I just bought her light 3 weeks ago. I haven't tried the syringe thing yet. I was wondering if you could feed them baby food especially chicken for the protein. I'll give that a shot. I did read Denise's article on brumation and a lot of it sounds like the type behavior Jack is exhibiting. She will still drink from me when I put the drops on her nose. I have been giving her V8 Fusion fruit juice diluted 50/50 with water. This way she's still getting some vitamins and minerals. The reptile people at the pet store said that was fine and she laps it up like a dog!

Thanks to you all for your help and advice.

Karen/2dragoons

Just wanted to let everyone know I got a syringe and baby food for Jack and she is eating approx 1 tsp. daily. She ate 4 meal worms today and her baby green beans. Her little belly is getting normal again and her skin is not wrinkling and hanging on her ribs anymore! yeah! I still think she's in a light brumation though because as Denise suggested in her article some beardies will still eat but just take long naps. Also, every time I let her out to exercise, she'll run for awhile then go find somewhere dark to sleep. I took a shoe box and cut an opening in it and put on the cool side of her cage and she immediately disappeared into it!

I'll continue to follow Denise's instructions for brumating beardies until Jack comes out of it!

Thanks to everyone for your advice!

Karen/2dragoons

Hi, sounds like a few different things might be going on. We don't suggest using a mercury vapor bulb in anything smaller than a 40 gallon tank because they are strong & throw off lots of heat. With a 100 watt MVB, it should be a minimum of 12" from your beardie so at a distance of only 5 to 6 inches, it is actually too strong for her. If you are using any type of stickon thermometer, they can be off by as much as 20 degrees. The only 2 ways to get an accurate reading are with either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a probe on the end. I suspect you are using a stickon type because at that close distance in that sized tanks, the temps should actually be much higher. I'll bet she hasn't been basking much & the reason she went to the cool side and hid in the shoe box is because she is trying to escape the heat. Could you fill us in on the thermometer type?

Here's a site that shows the best greens to feed: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html A lot of fruit isn't good for them because of the sugar content but is ok to offer a little with some good staple greens like collards, mustard, escarole, endive, dandelion. I think the V-8 fusion juices contain sugar so if you want to give diluted juices, the best choices would be 100% juice (with no sugar added) like apple, grape, cherry, cranberry. You would dilute with 4 parts water to 1 part juice.

Are you dusting her food with calcium without D3 (because you have an MVB) but that is phosphorus-free 3 days a wk & with vitamins 1 day a wk but at only 1 feeding a day for each?

I wouldn't worry about it. It either brumating or its on an eating strike!

Well, if the temps are off & the MVB is too close, then that is something to worry about.

Sorry, I was kinda confused by the question about the MVB light and dusting her food. The superworms and greens are dusted with ReptiCal and I use ReptiVite powder. I give her Romaine everyday whether she eats it or not. I give her the diluted V8 once a week. I have been giving her the baby food every other day. She is getting something in her system daily. I tried crickets again today and she just looked at them, but when I put in the superworm she snatched it up (only one though).

The thermometer is a stick on. I'll switch it asap and I'll move the clamp lamp up. However, today she did bask on her rock after eating her worm.

Still concerned like any mom would be!

Karen

Have you taken a fecal into your vet to have it checked? Before assuming it's brumation, they need a fecal done to make sure there is no parasites causing havoc inside them. Being active is not being in brumation normally. When my two are going in semi brumation (which they are doing now) they are inactive. Meaning they will bask but not window dance or run around crazy like they do in the spring and summer. Having an MVB light 5-6" from your dragon is not correct. Like the posters above me stated it has to be 12" minimum or they can get to much UVB causing havoc on them.

I haven't taken her to the vet yet. I'll call to see what I need to take (fresh poo, etc) for an appt. Luckily, our regular vet does specialize in reptiles and exotic pets. I have a shoebox w/ a hole in it for Jack to get in and she is going in and staying in. I'm taking the box out during the day so she'll get some warmth and UV. She's staying in the same spot now(today and yesterday) when I remove it. I had a cave in her cage about 3-4 mo ago and had to take it out because she would go in and stay for days. That's when I got her the stronger bulb because the pet store people said she probably wasn't getting enough heat. Whenever I do let her out she runs to the kitchen and back to the living room, finds a cool, dark place and curls up to sleep. She has never done anything by the beardie books!

Karen

Hi...As recommended, get your thermometer ASAP. You can get the digital with a probe at the end of a wire at Walmart...AccuRite...for $12. You will leave it on the basking spot 45 minutes for a correct temp. You may be cooking her. That is why she keeps hiding.
Are you soaking her 20 minutes daily up to her armpits to rehydrate her?
Keep us informed
Good luck
Patsy

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know how Jack is doing. I got a digital thermometer and her basking spot is 106. Her cool side is 75. She has been basking and today she at THREE superworms!!! She ate a grasshopper last night and some romaine. She still likes to curl up in the corner of her cage on the warm side to sleep. Like I said before, she's never done anything by the books!

Thanks to all for your concern.

Karen/2 dragoons

Glad to hear she is doing better. I wonder if she is related to my Oscar, who also doesn't do things by the 'beardie book'.

That's great that you got the digital with probe and that now the temps are perfect. Did you find the other temps to be quite high from using the other thermometer? Are you still using the MVB but now have it raised at least 12" from her to get the 106 basking reading? She must feel more comfortable with the basking temp since she is basking happily now. At least now she is curling up on the warm side rather than going to a hide on the cool side, that's much healthier for her. All my beardies are falling asleep earlier now, so what she is doing now, is actually typical for this time of yr. 8)

Does she like any greens other than romaine? There really isn't any nutritional value in that. Here's a site that most of us rely on: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html It shows the daily staple greens in green print.

Thanks so much for the "Jack update". That's very good new.