PLEASE HELP...ASAP

Okay, I bought a baby BD on Sunday (2 days ago) and he seems extremely sleepy, and I fear that if I do not do something soon he may pass. I bought him from a local pet store, the only one around here that had one. When I brought him home he seemed scared and tired. He would be perfectly still and constantly sleeping. I thought that maybe he was scared because I would be too, but now it's been 2 days almost 3 and he seems to be getting somewhat worse. I bought his set-up as a package with the UVB lights, tank, calc-sand, water dish, etc thinking that that would be the best thing for him, not necessarily the cheapest. The tank is 30-gallons which I understand may be too large so I'm going out bright and early in the morning to buy him a smaller tank to eat in, as well as a new type of bedding because I do not want him to become impacted. I have fed him every day 3 times a day, and he seems like he's actually scared of the crickets, because he sometimes does the submissive stand on 3 legs and wave one. He rarely is able to catch one without me breaking a leg off of it so it is slower and he has only eaten about 10 crickets so far. I have hand fed him some Romain Lettuce because I feared that he was not getting enough food. I have not seen him drink yet, so I put water on the lettuce peices and he ate about 3 1/2-inch peices, which were not too big. He ate those right out of my hand, but will not eat lettuce in his cage. He has pooped twice so far, so I don't think he is impacted. He seems extremely tired, and just lays there with his head down and sleeps. Every once in a while, usually after I hand feed him some lettuce, he will run along the edge of the tank and seemingly 'fight' his reflection, but that only lasts about 2 minutes, then he's right back to sleep. The crickets are tiny, the smallest I could find, so they are not too big. He sometimes seems like he shakes when he moves, but not when he runs or walks, just like he is doing a morning stretch. He sleeps constantly, all night, and usually all day. Do you think he is just nervous about his new environment and I am being a paranoid daddy, or is there more to this? Please help me asap, as I hope little Romo is okay he is so cute.

I'm sorry about the format of this, it's kind of random thoughts I'm just really nervous and I'm trying to get everything I can think of in here. If you need any more information please let me know, as I will be up all night surfing the web for more answers. Thank you in advance for all your help!

-Romo's Daddy

Oh, also, I am going to purchase calcium dust for his food, but if he won't eat...how can I help him!?

HI,

Sorry your having trouble with your little guy.

A couple of quick things:

They go through relocation stress- this can last a couple of days to a couple of weeks - during this time they tend not eat much if at all.

If his reflection is scaring him/he is jumping at it - put something along the back & sides - this can be plain paper, pages from a magazine pretty much anything that will help reduce the reflection.

Don't waste money gettin a smaller tank - these guys grow quick - if he seems overwhelmed with the space, you can block a portion of it off until he settles in with a peice of cardboard.

If he is having trouble catching the crickets you can put them in the fridge for a few min to slow them down.

As far as your set up, if you could answer a few questions for us we can make sure you are off to a good start:

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
What are the basking temps?
What is the cool side temp?
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?

~Allison

Thank you for you're timely reply Allison!

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? The tank is 30-gallons, it's the one that the kit came with (I'm quickly regretting buying the setup in one, it seemed like the best idea at the time :/
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?I'm currently using Calc-Sand which is what he was in at the petstore and it's what they recommended to me, but I'm switiching to newspaper/paper towel in about an hour when I get home.
Do you use UVB lights? Yes, it is a coil UVB bulb, once again the one that the setup came with, you'd think they'd provide the healthy requirements
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Coil
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Not completely sure, I think 60W, but I will double check when I get home, please bare with me
How old is your UVB bulb? 2 days
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? About 10 inches
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Yes, once again I'm not completely sure I will double check that.
What are the basking temps? About 100-110 degrees
What is the cool side temp? About 85-90 degrees
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? Stick on thermometer, it's in the middle of the tank between the UVB bulb and the heating bulb
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? About 4 inches from the bottom of the tank
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?NO!! Heat rocks are bad! hehe

Howdy,
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?I'm currently using Calc-Sand which is what he was in at the petstore and it's what they recommended to me, but I'm switiching to newspaper/paper towel in about an hour when I get home.

Good, cali sand can cause impaction, which you don't really want to deal with at all.

If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Coil

Very, very bad bulb. You need to replace that right away with a repti- SUN 10. http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html. You can get one for 20 bucks there on that website. For right now I would take out that coil light, it will definately do more harm then good. Try taking him outside if you can for about an hour if it is not to cold.

Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? Stick on thermometer, it's in the middle of the tank between the UVB bulb and the heating bulb

Those thermometers can be off around 20 degrees either way. You need a digital probe gun or digital thermometer. Do you have a Walmart by you? If so there is a probe thermometer there for about 12 bucks. It's call an Acurite. It's with the outdoor thermometers, Walmart doesn't have any reptile stuff.

Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? About 4 inches from the bottom of the tank
You need to take the temp exactly where your dragon basks so he/she can properly digest the food.

Can you answer some more questions for me please?
What insects do you feed him?
Do you dust the insects you feed your dragon with calcium dust?
Do you offer a vitamin supplement?

Thanks SO much for that information.

I have a couple updates:

After I left my class tonight I sped to a pet store about 30 miles away to buy him new stuff, I couldn't stand to see him like this for another minute. I bought a Reptisun 10.0 and a fixture that I thought was made for it. Instead I bought a slimline fixture with a bulb already in it. Tomorrow I am going to head back to the store and get a fixture for the Reptisun and in the mean time I am using the slimline one as well as the coil. I bought the Herpivit Vitamin Supplement powder as well as the Calcium powder and as soon as I got home I changed his substrate from the sand to the newspaper and it was almost like he instantly cheered up! Then I put in a climbing rock under his heat source so that he could regulate his temp. I put paper around his tank so that his reflection no longer bothers him and then I put some freshly Calcium/Vitamin covered crickets in there for him. He ate about 4 which is more than he usually eats, and then he started running around and licking things, which he never did before! He seems soo much better already! Tomorrow I will go to Wal-Mart like you suggested and buy a thermometer, I wanted to get one tonight but they were trying to sell them for $49.00, which I thought was a little ridiculous.

Can you please tell me how I as well as how frequently to mist him. I don't want him to dehydrate, I've been dripping water on his nose every couple of hours just to make sure, but he never licks it off. He hasn't pooped yet today which has gotten me a little worried that the sand already got to him. Is there anything I can do just to make sure he isn't/doesn't get impacted, I'd hate for him to go through that.

Also, I have been feeding him small crickets, from the 'Bug Box'. He ate more today than he ever has, which is still only 4-5 and they were dusted with calcium and vitamins so I guess that's good.

Thanks again for you're help, and I will be providing updates as them become available, I hope he's okay!

-Matt

Hi,

I'm glad Menolly was able to respond to you.

Its great that you were able to get the Repti-sun 10.0. As far as the fixture for it, you can go to home depot or lowes (sometimes even walmart) and get a fixture for around $10-12. It will most likly have a plastic lens on it that you will have to remove to swap the bulb - it is very important that the lens remains off.

You can mist him everyday if you'd like - make sure you do this outside of his enclosure. If you spray in the enclosure you run the risk of spray hitting the bulb and exploding. You can also give him a bath. Fill the sink up to his armpits with warm water (temp you would use for a baby, test on the inside of your wrist to make sure its not too hot) and let him soak for 20 min.

As far as the dusting goes - you should be feeding 2-3 times a day, as many as he can eat in 15 min. 1 of the meals each day should be dusted with calcium 5 days a week and 1 day a week you should dust with vitamins.

Hey,
Did you find the thermometer?
I'm glad to here that he is doing so much better!! How did it go with the Reptisun 10? I bet he's loving that. Like Akingsley said, bathe him about 2 or 3 times a week. Not just for him, but yourself as well. It's the funniest/cutest thing you will ever see I promise :lol: , especially when they puff themselves up so they can float...it's priceless.
With the thermometer make sure you leave it on for 45 minutes.
Also, I read that you were feeding him from a bug box. There is probably only about 25 crickets in there, and extremely overpriced. What you want to do is find a reliable small pet store by your that sells crickets buy the box full. Trust me you will need them. Your beardie should be eating anywhere from 50-100 crickets a day. Having crickets come in boxes of 500 of 1000 will help to not burn so much of a hole in your pocket. I know around me a box of 1000 goes for 20 bucks. If you can't find one around your house then I would suggest maybe buying them online, because again you will be saving a lot of money.
Every now and then throw in some worms for variety, but make sure they are not bigger then the space between your dragon's eyes.
I'm glad to hear that your dragon is doing better!
Mel

UPDATE::

Thank you so much for everyone's help.

Romo is eating a little better, and seems to be coming around. He still isn't very active, usually he'll run around for a couple minutes and then sleep for about four or five hours. He eats about 4-5 crickets in one sitting, so I try to feed him about 4-5 times per day and hope that he eats them. The only thing that I am worried about now is that he hasn't pooed in almost 3 days. He pooed when I first got him, then the next day, and now he has yet to do so since then. Should I be worried? I gave him a bath yesterday hoping he'd go, but he just climbed the edge of the bowl for about 10 minutes so I took him out and put him back in his tank. Can anyone suggest anything? Is he impacted? I had sand in his tank for one day after his second poo but then took it out and changed to newspaper. I hope the sand didn't get to him!

Once again, I appreciate all the help you both have offered, and when I go to pet stores now, I'm actually answering their questions since visiting this site!

-Matt

Hey Matt -

Good to hear he is doing a bit better.

Were you able to get the fixture for the reptisun and the thermometer?

If you are concerned about impaction, baths will help but you may also want to pick up some sugar free apple sauce, some mineral oil and needless syringe. Mix a drop of the mineral oil in with a spoon full of apple sauce and use the syringe to drop a little bit on his nose.

Another Update::

Thanks again to everyone for their responses! Romo seems to be doing better every day, so I'm hoping he is just starting to get used to his new home. I have done everything everyone has suggested so far, and I don't think he'd be alive if you all hadn't helped. He ate about 20 crickets today, and the last time I fed him he ate about 10 in one sitting! He's doing very well eating his veggies too! He eats bits of Romain and seems to love them. I completely cover his crickets in Calcium and will do so 5 days out of the week.

As far as the Reptisun fixture, I have found one, and it's in the mail on its way so when I do get that I will return the low profile Slimline one. I'm currently using the Slimeline as well as a separate coil overhead fixture for UVB, which I will replace both with the Reptisun as soon as possible. His twitches seem to be gone and he is starting to become more active, running around, licking things, etc. I've also ordered two analog thermometers that have the probe on the ends, so that I can measure the temperatures more accurately and on each side of his tank.

The only worry I am left with now is that he hasn't pooed in about 2 days. I will get the sugar-free apple sauce and some oil and give it to him, and hope for the best. I'm going to give him a nice warm bath tomorrow if he does not poo by then, and see if that helps.

I'll give updates tomorrow and upload some pictures of baby Romo!

Thanks again for all the help.

-Matt

Hello,

I just had a comment to add, as Alison & Menolly did a great job.
Please do turn the coil UVB light off, ok? Just use a basking light right now, please. The coils are really not good for them, & they are too glaring on their eyes & emit somewhat hazardous levels of UVB.
So as soon as your Reptisun 10 comes in, just use the basking light in conjunction with the Reptisun 10 & make sure that the basking light is directly beside the Reptisun 10. That will ensure that he will have a basking spot in which he can get heat along with UVB exposure together which will encourage more basking behavior.
Please post pics of Romo when you can.
It sounds like you have taken the proper measure to improve his living conditions such as taking the sand out & getting the digital probe so you can better monitor the temperatures in there.
Let us know how things are going.


Tracie

Hi,

Thanks Tracy :wink:

I agree with Tracy. That bulb should be turned off. You dont want to undo all the progress you have made with him.

~Allison

I would give him another soak in the bath. My boy is slowly becoming acclimated to going at bath time, but at first it was hard to get him too. What I found is that the more water I put in the sink, the quicker he goes. When I only filled it up to his arms, he never went. Just make sure he has something to grab onto, like your hand or finger so they dont get stressed out.

Another thing, you can gently rub his tummy when he's in the bath and it might help him go.

Also, if he isn't eating much, he is not going to poop much.

If your lighting is off (temperatures/uvb) its going to be hard for him to digest his food. So definitely get that fixed as soon as you can. His tummy could just be in turmoil.

Update:

Romo pooed tonight ! I've never been so excited over an animal going to the bathroom in my life! He's getting so active, right now he is running around his tank, like he's got a huge load off his shoulders, no pun intended :silent: . It seems I can stop worrying and have fun with him now .

I do have two more questions though. He is currently on newspaper for substrate, and he seems like he wants to dig REALLY badly. He's keep scratching at the newspaper like he's trying to bury himself or something. Is there anything I can do for that, or for him? Also, it looks like he is beginning to shed, the skin under his neck is beginning to come off. Is there any way to help him with that process as well as quicken it for him? Thanks for the response everyone, you've all been such a great help!