beckyp
Member
Hi All, I'm hoping that some of you more experienced beardie owners out there can offer me some advice on Stumps, my one year old beardie... I'm really at my wits end and don't know what else to try.
Stumps hasn't eaten a thing for nearly 5 weeks - it doesn't matter what I offer him, he has absolutely no interest. I have struggled to get anything into him by hand feeding him, so for the moment he is being fed twice a week via tube at the vet. He does poo a couple of days after a vet feed, but he has to sit in the bath for 40 minutes or so before anything comes out, and then its a pretty poor effort. He has always had a brilliant appetite, to the point where before all this started he was probably a bit porky (which is probably a good thing, given the amount of weight he's lost now).
I took a faecal sample into the vet at the beginning of last week, and this showed pinworms ++++ and 3 snake mites seen, I have absolutely no idea where these have come from? The vet gave him an initial dose of Panacur last Thursday, and I have to do another one in a weeks time. I took all the sand out of his viv at the end of last week and thoroughly cleaned it all out, and put kitchen towel down. I've only seen one mite on the kitchen towel, and when I bathed him in a Betadine solution last night (can you tell I've been searching the forums for advice?) I didn't see any, so I'm not really sure how to go on with the mite situation.
I took him to the vet again tonight for another feed, and he suggested that he try a dose of Metronidazole. He's not my regular vet, and says that he's not really too experienced with beardies. He thought that blood tests would be the next step, but wants to wait until my regular vet returns next week, as "he's the man with the plan" apparently...
So he's had his antibiotics, and now after reading the posts here I'm thinking I should probably try and get some acidophilus down him - only problem is you can't seem to buy it in pet shops over here, so can anyone advise me on how to get some?
The main problem is that he is getting so skinny and is totally lethargic - he sleeps all day, and has no interest in anything. I can feel all his organs when I pick him up and his skin is just hanging off him. I'm starting to worry that I'll wake up one morning and he'll be gone... I'd really appreciate any advice you can give me on helping him.
I know you'll ask questions about my set up, so thought I'd answer now!
How old is your beardie? 1 year old
How long have you had him? Since he was about 4-6 weeks old I think
How big is her cage? Not sure in gallons (in UK), but it is 5ft by 2ft
What substrate do you have her on? Was on play sand, now on kitchen towel
What UVB light do you have? (brand, %, and is it a tube, coil or compact?) ReptiSun 10 - he's always had these, replaced it a couple of months ago as previous one was getting old
What are her temps (cool and basking) and how do you measure them? (stick on gauge, digital with probe or temp gun?) 100ish basking side, 85ish cool side, checked with digital probe
What were you feeding her before she stopped eating? (try to be as specific as possible) Locusts, curly kale, spring greens, and the odd waxworm as a treat
When did she last poo? Other than when the vet has tube fed him, he hasn't pooed for 4 weeks or so, as hasn't eaten anything
Do you normally bath her? If so how often? Baths 2-3 times a week, more often at the moment
Do you mist or offer any other source of water? One mist daily, but he won't drink from a bowl, only in the bath
What supplementation are you using? And how often? Calci-something, it's a UK brand and I can't remember its exact name at the minute!
Thanks everyone, and I hope this isn't too much of a ramble, I'm just not sure if I'm doing everything right and am really worried about him.
Stumps hasn't eaten a thing for nearly 5 weeks - it doesn't matter what I offer him, he has absolutely no interest. I have struggled to get anything into him by hand feeding him, so for the moment he is being fed twice a week via tube at the vet. He does poo a couple of days after a vet feed, but he has to sit in the bath for 40 minutes or so before anything comes out, and then its a pretty poor effort. He has always had a brilliant appetite, to the point where before all this started he was probably a bit porky (which is probably a good thing, given the amount of weight he's lost now).
I took a faecal sample into the vet at the beginning of last week, and this showed pinworms ++++ and 3 snake mites seen, I have absolutely no idea where these have come from? The vet gave him an initial dose of Panacur last Thursday, and I have to do another one in a weeks time. I took all the sand out of his viv at the end of last week and thoroughly cleaned it all out, and put kitchen towel down. I've only seen one mite on the kitchen towel, and when I bathed him in a Betadine solution last night (can you tell I've been searching the forums for advice?) I didn't see any, so I'm not really sure how to go on with the mite situation.
I took him to the vet again tonight for another feed, and he suggested that he try a dose of Metronidazole. He's not my regular vet, and says that he's not really too experienced with beardies. He thought that blood tests would be the next step, but wants to wait until my regular vet returns next week, as "he's the man with the plan" apparently...
So he's had his antibiotics, and now after reading the posts here I'm thinking I should probably try and get some acidophilus down him - only problem is you can't seem to buy it in pet shops over here, so can anyone advise me on how to get some?
The main problem is that he is getting so skinny and is totally lethargic - he sleeps all day, and has no interest in anything. I can feel all his organs when I pick him up and his skin is just hanging off him. I'm starting to worry that I'll wake up one morning and he'll be gone... I'd really appreciate any advice you can give me on helping him.
I know you'll ask questions about my set up, so thought I'd answer now!
How old is your beardie? 1 year old
How long have you had him? Since he was about 4-6 weeks old I think
How big is her cage? Not sure in gallons (in UK), but it is 5ft by 2ft
What substrate do you have her on? Was on play sand, now on kitchen towel
What UVB light do you have? (brand, %, and is it a tube, coil or compact?) ReptiSun 10 - he's always had these, replaced it a couple of months ago as previous one was getting old
What are her temps (cool and basking) and how do you measure them? (stick on gauge, digital with probe or temp gun?) 100ish basking side, 85ish cool side, checked with digital probe
What were you feeding her before she stopped eating? (try to be as specific as possible) Locusts, curly kale, spring greens, and the odd waxworm as a treat
When did she last poo? Other than when the vet has tube fed him, he hasn't pooed for 4 weeks or so, as hasn't eaten anything
Do you normally bath her? If so how often? Baths 2-3 times a week, more often at the moment
Do you mist or offer any other source of water? One mist daily, but he won't drink from a bowl, only in the bath
What supplementation are you using? And how often? Calci-something, it's a UK brand and I can't remember its exact name at the minute!
Thanks everyone, and I hope this isn't too much of a ramble, I'm just not sure if I'm doing everything right and am really worried about him.