Need an Online Health Checkup - Concerned

I think I'm suffering from first-time parent syndrome, but better safe than sorry.

WARNING: BEARDIE POOP

Backstory: Three days ago, my 2-2.5 month old, Pascal, grabbed an oversized cricket. He chewed it before swallowing, but was still fairly concerned. The other crickets were somewhat borderline but at least close to safe size. He ate fine and pooped twice two days ago.

Yesterday, he refused food most of the day - was offered undusted crickets once and then dusted crickets a second time. Nothing either time.

I thought he might be shedding, but can't see any evidence of it.

Alright, then. Evening bath-time before feeding time, in the hopes that we'd get some movement. Within a minute or two, we did. And... the smell.



It filled the room. I gagged just from rinsing out the bathwater that already had the poop removed from it. I didn't know that something so innocent looking could actually contain the depths of Hades within it.

Picture, but I'll spare the direct image display. http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss26/roefactor/IMG_0711_zpsnuimn6g7.jpg

I felt like I could smell it an hour later well after I left the house. Something's not right there.

Anyways, after his bath, we tried him on crickets again and he ate about 8-12 (dusted).

This morning, I tried feeding him crickets again, but nothing. Lights on at 7, feeding attempt at 9. I did manage to hand-feed him a few pieces of collard greens. When I put him in the feeder tank with the crickets, he sat there for a few minutes and then just clawed at the side of the tank in the direction of his cage like he really, really wanted to get out, so I obliged him.

He's been sitting on his basking log and hasn't moved since then. He loves that log. I have a whole tank for him, and he sits on that log all day AND sleeps on it. He never comes down. Right now he's propping himself up on it while letting his lower legs hang off the end of the log - I'm not sure if that's normal or not. (The probe in the photo is well away from him; he can't reach it.)



Anyway, some concerns.

• Parasites? (the smell)
• My wife thinks he would do well with a female friend, but I'm not leaning in that direction.
• Still relocation stress? He moved in on Saturday. The breeder (hobbyist) kept him in a tank with 8-9 others from same clutch.
• Does he need to start being handled? Breeder was handling him daily, we haven't done much handling since we got him because I didn't want to overstress him; however, I'm concerned he's not getting enough exercise.
• Could he be dehydrated? He drinks his bathwater.
• Is the enclosure too big?

It's hard not to feel like a bad parent.

Here's an updated photo of the enclosure. (The light on the right side of the tank was only turned on for the photo and then turned off again.)



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INFO

How old is your dragon?
Birthday Mid-Late January 2017 – 2 months

How long have you had your dragon?
Acquired March 25, 2017

How long is your dragon?
Haven't measured. Roughly 6-8".

What is the sex of your dragon?
Male

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
55” x 22" x 25.5"

What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Tile

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?
Yes – T5-HO Reptisun 10.0 Fluorescent tube. First use March 25, 2017

How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
8” (log height)

Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
ExoTerra White 150W

What are the basking temps?
102-103F, where he's sitting. Hotter further up the log.

What is the cool side temp?
79F

Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Basking – temp gun
Warm & Cool - Digital with Probe

Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Under the basking lamp. I will also take where he sits.

Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
Two ExoTerra 25W 11"x17" UTH Pads on warm side of tank for supplemental heat. He does not have to walk on the tile unless he chooses, there are plenty of alternate paths to where he wants to go.

What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
Salad: Collard Greens, Kale. Occasional strawberries (inside, cut) and cucumber (inside, cut, peeled).
Protein: Crickets

How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Morning: 8-9 AM
Afternoon: 1-2 PM
Evening: 5-6 PM

Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
Fluker’s Orange Cube, occasional leftover bits of salad

Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Zoo-Med Repticalcium with D3 1x/Day Cricket Dusting
Zoo-Med Reptivite without D3 2x/Week Cricket Dusting

Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Once a day. Sometimes twice.

Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Daily. That's where he poops.

Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Standing water available and changed daily, on either side of tank (mostly for humidity maintenance)
Mist cage 3-4x a day. Big cage in dry basement. Humidity measured on cool side and at 35%.

Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
No.

Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
No.

I'm no expert, and I did not yet read your whole post just yet, but poop that clears the room is often a sign of parasites. I would recommend a fecal done as soon as you can to seek appropriate treatment right away. Here is an article regarding coccidia which may sound familiar
http://www.everythingreptile.org/coccidia.html

Also, please do not add another beardie to your beautiful enclosure. They may get along as babies, but as they grow older they become more territorial and this could lead to fights, leading to losing limbs or even a life Please do not risk it!

Your enclosure is a great size for an adult beardie. Being so little, it could be overwhelming him and stressing him out. He'll eventually adjust, but you can help calm the stress by adding a temporary divider to close down the space until he grows.

Also, kale is good on a rare occasion, but as a warning it does bind calcium so is not great daily.

Just thought I'd add that his belly looks huge, I think your crickets are probably a bit too large and he is uncomfortable. Try for a size smaller if you have any doubt.

UPDATE

Vet visit this morning. They have a fecal sample but otherwise said that he's healthy, strong, and big for his age.

He ate immediately after coming back, so perhaps he's starting to come around or it was just moving stress.

The one thing the vet recommended was a Repashy gel if he wasn't eating, but I'll make a separate thread about that.

Sounds good, and by the way your enclosure is beautiful. Lots of stuff for beardie to climb on. Just be careful of fake plants, many dragons actually try to eat them.

I think I found the problem.



My first hunch was right.

I'm not sure how I'm going to help him shed because he spends every single minute on top of his branch in the driest, hottest section of the tank and won't come down for anything, but that might explain some of his recent behavior.

He ate 15-20 crickets at his morning feed, but he was extremely difficult and active this morning (he almost jumped out of my hand trying to get him into his feeding tank!)