Henry not feeling well

:? Today we noticed that Henry is acting strange. He is not really wanting to eat and is lethargic. We also noticed that on the underside of his neck that it is darker then normal. The tip of his tail is also considerably darker then the rest of him. Could this be something as simple as stress, or could this be more serious? Here is a little background on him. He is about 3 1/2 mo old, he has grown about 4 in. since we got him, Sept 20, he is now about 10 1/2 in long. Basking temp is around 102-105, cool end is about 80. ReptiGlo 10.0 uvb. Eats (normally) 40-50 sm/med crickets a day, fresh veggies daily dusted with calcium 5 times a week, calcium 2 times a week. He is in a 55 gal aquarium, paper towel as a liner, lg basking area. Nothing new has been added to his "home". It has not been moved or anything else. Just trying to figure out what is going on.

It sounds to me like you're doing things right, except you need to change out your Reptiglo for a ReptiSUN 10.0. The Reptiglo isn't good for them, and it really can make a big difference in the way they act. That said, he's young, but he may be wanting to burmate. He's really too young though, so try to interact with him and keep him awake as much as you can.
Oh, and how's his pooping?

Thank you for getting back to me so soon. He is popping everyday. :lol: Funny how we ask those ?'s and it is norm. I am looking into the lighting and trying to figure out what the best, yet cheapest way to do it. Does the light need to run the whole length of his tank? We did move it today so that it is more over his basking are which is where he spends most of his time, even sleeping, guess he likes his log. Boy its amazing as to how quickly you get attached and become their slave. :lol: Problem is he is my daughters. :lol:

Hello,

The UVB tube light only really needs to run around 3/4ths of the length of your tank. That way there is an area where he can get out of the sun if he needs to do so.
A good site where you can get the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb is http://www.petmountain.com


Tracie

Thanks Tracie. The tank that we have is 48" long, would a 24" bulb be long enough or do i need to go with the36"? ( actual length of bulb) we do have a clamp style light that sits above for his basking. I figured 12" for that and another 12" for shade. I have learned that having a beardie is just like having your first baby, so many questions with so many different possibilities. :shock: And even though you try something you are still not sure that you are doing the right thing.

Today we were able to get him to come down and eat. He didn't eat as much as norm but something is better then nothing. I also noticed that his belly is full of " stress marks", his tail is much brighter today so i am thinking that is what it was. Who would of thought they would get stressed. Not sure what caused it though. We are going to attempt to move his home down to our living area soon so that he can get use to more things going on around him. Think we will wait for a week or so to let him get back into his normal groove first, don't want to stress the little guy to much.

zoolife":e9567 said:

I have learned that having a beardie is just like having your first baby, so many questions with so many different possibilities.

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I do not have a direct comparison but my MIL tells me weekly that this is waht having a beardie is like!! Except, altho children can be demanding they dont quite make us their slaves in the same way a beardie does!

zoolife":e9567 said:

I also noticed that his belly is full of " stress marks", his tail is much brighter today so i am thinking that is what it was. Who would of thought they would get stressed. Not sure what caused it though

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Is he by any chance shedding or just starting a shed? At times my little guy will eat a lot less when he is shedding. For example - he normally eats between 30 and 50 locusts per day - today, due to his back beginning to shed, he ate 4!
The tiniest movement or change of anything in their viv can also cause a degree of stress. An example which sticks out in my head - when Kazi was little I ran out of white paper towels and put down a slightly different textured blue roll instead... he had a very dark belly that entire day!

Im glad he is doing better! And moving him to the living area might be even better for him - constant slaves to cater to his every whim!

He just finished shedding his tail. But shedding usually has not made him not eat. He has done 3 sheds since we got him. My daughter said that two nights ago she saw a cricket sitting on his head by his ear. Which would explain, but the stress marks just showed up tonight. Who knows????

Hello,

That is perfectly fine, 12 inches of UVB & 12 inches of "shade" will work fine.
How are things going?
Do you leave crickets in the tank overnight with him? Try not to leave crickets in the tank for longer than 10-15 minutes as they can stress him out & bite him too.
How is his appetite? Is he eating again & did he finish his shedding yet?

Tracie

Last night I ordered a reptisun 10.0 from petmountain, should be here Thursday. Last night he ate really well for us, but this morning he only ate 4 and they were pretty small ones. He did eat veggies, last night. He is still not acting right though. Not sure what is going on with him. He is still showing a belly full of stress marks. We are not intentionally leaving crickets in his tank, but some like to hide on his basking log and they are not always seen. We do take it and shake it, but occasionally miss 1 or 2. He did finish the shed of his tail, noticing that his nose is starting to shed now. But he has never acted like this before when he has shed. :? If he is still not "right " in the morning i plan on calling the vet. Oh, his poop was a little different this morning as well. Instead of the white pee it was part white and part a yellow/brown in color, not sure what that might signify. Plan on aking that with me if i need to see doc.Any ideas what this might be?

zoolife":09dbb said:

We are not intentionally leaving crickets in his tank, but some like to hide on his basking log and they are not always seen. We do take it and shake it, but occasionally miss 1 or 2

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Have you tried feeding him in a separate container - a rubbermaid or something like that? That way there is no risk of any hiding in his viv and perhaps biting him during the night.

zoolife":09dbb said:

Instead of the white pee it was part white and part a yellow/brown in color, not sure what that might signify. Plan on aking that with me if i need to see doc.Any ideas what this might be?

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From what I can remember, off coloured urates may be caused by dehydration or too much calcium. Do you bath him and offer him water?

Yes he does have a bowl with water in his tank that is changed daily. He usually gets a bath every other day and is misted twice daily. We are very cautious when feeding that we count them as he eats and compare with what we put in to keep track. Last night and tonight he has ate pretty good, but mornings he only eats a few. Before he was eating good at both times. How do I know if I am giving too much calcium? And will it hurt him if he is getting too much? Its so hard to know if you are doing the right thing or wrong.