Baby bearded dragon help!

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xxbyamomentx

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I got a baby bearded dragon as a gift for my birthday and I need some help. She is very small, is staying very small, and has me worried. I got her three weeks ago and she was just under four inches - the breeder she was bought from said they didn't know her exact date of birth but that she was young, and I know she was way too young to be rehomed. The tip of her tail was dead from being nipped by another baby dragon she was housed with by the breeder, and that tip fell off the next day and seems to have healed fine. I didn't have a scale for her at this time, so I don't know what her weight was - but she was so tiny.

From the time I got her she would eat somewhere between four and six small crickets per day. Last Monday she was going through a shed and on Monday ate one cricket, Tuesday one cricket, and Wednesday nothing at all. Thursday she ate another cricket and a phoenix worm and this morning she ate a cricket but I'm going to try and feed her again later. Almost all of her shedding is done so I think the hunger strike is over. She still pooped at least twice a day through all of this.

As of today she is about 4.5 inches (obviously, without the bit of lost tail), so I got a digital scale today and she is 4 grams. She is very alert and when she moves she's active and seems healthy. She just isn't really growing and it scares me. I was wondering about pinworms, but looking up panacur doses makes me think she's likely too small to even receive a treatment?

She has the 10.0 18 inch UVB bulb and a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter in a 33*24*24 enclosure. She has a basking rock, a decorative rock, and a fake plant for reptiles that she loves to lay on at night. Her basking temperature is around 101 and the ambient temperature is in the mid 80s, and at night she gets around the low 80s because I live in Florida and that's about as cool as it gets this time of year.
 

destiny1998

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Hi. He needs a bright white basking light. Ceramic heat emitter is for if the house gets below 65 at night.
 

xxbyamomentx

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Original Poster
Thanks for the response! I bought one last night and installed it this morning.

When I went to turn her lights on for the morning, I found her unresponsive and completely limp. I warmed her up and got her hydrated and called the vet. I made an emergency Sunday vet visit and they gave her panacur, an antibiotic, and some carnivore care as she hasn't eaten anything today either. They sent me home with a new bag of carnivore care and instructions to offer small crickets and waxworms and to feed carnivore care in small doses 4-6 times daily until there is an improvement. I suspected parasites all along and I'm hoping between the medications, the new bright heat light to complement the UVB, and with some love and time that she'll finally start to grow and thrive. I'll keep weighing her daily and I have the vet's number in case anything happens or there isn't an improvement soon. :)
 

CooperDragon

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It's scary that you found her unresponsive. Hopefully the bright white basking bulb will make a difference. How far above her basking area is the T8 bulb? Is there anything between the bulb and the basking area?

Since you are in Florida you can try bringing her outside to sit on your lap and enjoy some bright natural sunshine. Natural sun is great for them and often helps them perk up when they aren't feeling well.

Did the vet run a fecal test and confirm a specific parasite? Panacur and antibiotics can be harmful to her system so I advise holding off on that if she is acting lethargic. I would be concerned about doing more harm than good with medication.
 

xxbyamomentx

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Original Poster
They actually were not able to test her at the time because she completely stopped pooping after I found her unresponsive, which wasn't at all what the vet or I wanted to do but we were kind of desperate at the time. She has actually gained weight, had an appetite since about eight days after her medication, and is currently in shed and being weighed daily to make sure she's steadily gaining weight. Nothing was ever between the UVB bulb and her, and the flood light is keeping her basking area at a solid 110.1. I've got a nice basking rock for her and a fake plant right against it and she spends most of her day basking on the rock and sleeping in the leaves. No nodding out/unresponsive behavior since the day after her vet visit, and we have a follow up coming up to make sure she's free and clear since she's back to pooping regularly again. Normally I never would have agreed to medicating without testing first, but I truly thought we were losing her that day and I was willing to give anything a try that might help. I'm still keeping everything washed daily and changing out her paper towels and water at least once a day just in case - and plan to keep that up in general because she's scared of her own poop anyway. :)
 
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