Hyperactive, then Really Calm Beardie

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LemonadeDragon

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Hello, guys! :D

Alright, so I've got a couple of questions for you guys. Before all of the personality changes :lol: , my beardie was a pretty laid-back female. She would eat (usually only liking her bugs over her salad...I would sneak some salad with her bugs), then go to her basking spot and sit there all day, maybe moving a bit or so, as to not get too heated. She didn't really enjoy walking around when taken out of her cage; she just liked to cuddle.

Near the beginning of November, my bearded dragon began acting a bit strange. She became extremely hyperactive. She would run all around her cage all day long, just absolutely wrecking havoc. She would also poop everyday -->very small poops (before this, she had pooped every 2-4 days). Furthermore, she would occasionally get the black beard (Is this a sign of stress?). She also would walk in a random direction immediately when she was taken out of her enclosure.

Now, she has calmed down quite a bit! She'll eat like always and then bask afterwards. But, later, she'll move over to the cold side of her terrarium and slump down. She looks very tired, and she's pretty lethargic. She's also extremely dark colored. When taken out of her enclosure, all she wants to do is sleep. I don't know why the sudden change of heart, she was so exuberant before!

I don't really know what's happened to her, but maybe you guys can help me figure it out! Maybe she has parasites, or is she possibly egg-bound, or is it brumation? Or perhaps it's just hormones! She is 1 year and 5 months old, so it could be anything really. She's also lost 70 grams of weight, from 500g to 430g now. She is also 18 inches long.
If you guys need photos, enclosure setup, food schedule, or anything else, just ask! :D

Thanks so much!! <3
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
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Moderator
Hello,

They can sure stress us out with behavioral changes.
Has she shown anything that would seem like egg laying type of behavior? You are sure
she is female & not male?
The males can definitely be sporatic in behavior but also with their hormones they can be
ruled by them when mating season starts.
You could start with getting a fecal done on her to be sure her worm or parasite levels are
too high. The weight loss is a bit concerning so I would consider a fecal exam, first.
A blood test would show kidney & liver values, along with calcium levels & protein levels.
It would also reveal elevated albumin & globulin which could indicate possible egg issues.
Definitely post pictures of her, along with your tank setup,too. Which UVB source are you
using?

Tracie
 

LemonadeDragon

New member
Original Poster
I am quite positive that she is a female, even my vet said so. Here's a photo!
102812-2826659936.jpg

I am not sure if she really showed any kind of egg-laying type of behavior. She was just very restless and sometimes had a black beard. She didn't really dig, but rather glass surfed, like she wanted to escape her terrarium and run (which I did let her do).
I did put a little box of sand in there at one point, but she never really dug into that. Then I created an egg-laying box and set her into that for a few hours. This lay-box was a black plastic bin, that had some soft, reptile-safe substrate and a dome where she could go into, if she had wanted more privacy. All she did was try to escape this lay box; she showed no interest in digging and laying eggs. I also examined her belly and didn't see any lumps. I don't know if this means that she just didn't have eggs or if she is possibly egg-bound.

I had got a sort of recent-ish fecal and examination done on her; this was in August. I was told that she was all good, her poop and her shape. So, should I still get a fecal done? If so, should I get an examination done with it, too?

Her tank setup:
102812-4510097690.jpg
Warm side on the left and cold side on the right.
The warm side goes from 95 F to 105 F for temps.
The cold side runs from 75 F to 85 F for temps.
At night, the enclosure's temperature ranges from 60 F to 75 F.



These are her lights:
102812-4968529586.jpg
102812-701135635.jpg
She has one 100W heat bulb and one 75W bulb. (Equaling up to 175W)
Then she has a tube fixture with a reflector, for her uvb. It is a Reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 HO tube. I do have to replace this soon, maybe that's why the sudden laziness? It's been 6 months-ish since the last one.
As seen in the photo, she is about 6-12 inches away (depending on where she sits) from the lights.





Some photos of her now (Taken once she woke up -->today):
102812-8525203098.jpg
102812-8256329801.jpg
102812-4398991480.jpg
102812-4102198831.jpg
102812-9796969252.jpg





Photos before the sudden lethargic behavior (Taken about 2 weeks to 1 month ago):
102812-6813475890.jpg
102812-1577339969.jpg
102812-1118426836.jpg
102812-725277537.jpg

If needed, I can take some photos when I get home today. Though, she still may be the same dark color, and she will probably be laying on the cold side of her tank.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

She does look female. She has a great beardie belly too & looks healthy.
She could be developing follicles but if so, may reabsorb them. They do tend to get
stir crazy or have phases in which they run all over the place as she is doing, etc.
Has her beard been black or just her colors in general are darker? If she isn't basking
as much her colors will likely be off.
You could get a fecal done on her just to be check & be sure. If she isn't acting ill then
hopefully it isn't parasites. Egg binding is hard to determine but most times you will just
feel something isn't right. She would try to lay but nothing would happen & her beard would
probably be very dark from being in distress.

How is she doing today?
Tracie
 

LemonadeDragon

New member
Original Poster
She is doing pretty well! Yesterday night I took her out for a bit, and she ran around for about 20 minutes, then settled down and went to bed 30 mins early. Though, this morning she didn't move around much; she ate and basked.

Her colors in general are black, sometimes even when she is under the basking lamp which is a bit strange. I haven't seen a black beard since she was extremely active about 2ish weeks ago.

Yeah, she isn't acting ill I would say, just more lethargic and tired than usual!

I'll call my vet on Monday and ask about bringing in a fecal! I'll keep you updated on what happens! Might be a bit though!
Thank you so much for the help! I really appreciate it :D

Update: Her weight is back up to 500 grams (specifically 497grams). I don't even know how she gained more weight. I don't even know why it fluctuated from 500 to 430 to 500 again.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is great she is doing a little better. I'm glad to hear she at least basked & ate some,
anyway.
I hope her colors improve but that's good her beard isn't black. Hopefully she is feeling better.
Definitely let us know how things go at the vets, if you do take her in.
The cold weather does affect them though, which could be a lot of what's going on.

Tracie
 

LemonadeDragon

New member
Original Poster
Hello!
So, about a week ago I sent Ryū's poop to the vet for an examination, and today I just received word on it!
They told me that it looked healthy and that everything was all good. The vet also told me that she may be going through brumation, and if she loses more than 10% (about 50ish grams) of her body weight, then it could be bad. This worried me. She did lose some weight, about 70 grams. She was at a solid 500 grams just a week/2 weeks ago, and now she's at 430 grams. She's still eating a lot; she is fed bugs twice a week and a salad everyday. I'm not sure why the sudden decrease in weight (Any ideas on why this is?). She is also still pretty lethargic, but I think that may be the brumation.

Thank you!
 
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