3 month old beardie, signs of stress?

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benbji

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i purchased ed from a breeder in august, and she has had a relatively uneventful growth. however recently, for the past week or two, she has shown near constant signs of distress. a dark beard, gray patterns on the stomach, retreating to “safe spots” and erratic appetite. i cannot for the life of me figure out what’s wrong. she gets a mix of healthy veggies and live insects, both dusted with calcium and vitamin powder. her humidity is under control, her tank is clean, and her uvb light is a T-8 inside the tank with her. she’s got about 60 gallons of space, which is plenty of room for a 9(rough estimate) inch lizard. her bowel movements are once a day and her stool is solid and normal. her hot side is always 100+, and her cool side sits around 80. temps during the night don’t go below high 70. even while writing this, she puffed up at me and pancaked, even though i’m all the way across the room. i can’t understand for the life of me why she’s stressed, if anyone has any advice it would be appreciated
 

benbji

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a picture of her and her tank. i use a temperature gun but i do have thermometers in there as well as humidity gauges. as you can see she doesn’t flee my hand, but does darken a bit at it
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
What are you using for a UVB? Is the basking a light a All in One and if so the brand and wattage? Do you plan to leave her on the floor? I would maybe look at getting her off the floor so she can better see her surroundings instead of your feet - also its going to be drafty and make it easier to work w/ her off the floor - she sees you coming from above --
Karrie
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
i forget the brand of the uvb but it’s a T-8, which i’ve been told must be in the cage. the basking lamp is zoo med i think, and is not all in one. i forget the wattage but it’s enough to keep the tank at the optimal temperature. i put paper towels on all sides of the tank, which seems to calm her down because she can’t see her reflection. i’m hoping to eventually get her off the ground, but i don’t understand why she would suddenly have a problem with it now but not any of the months prior. there are only two things i can think of that may cause this behavior. 1. it’s fall, which mean it is getting colder. her tank temps still stay where they need to be, but it is getting colder outside.
2. i fed her some slightly bigger crickets last week. they didn’t seem too big for her, but maybe it caused impaction? i don’t think it’s likely though, because she has regular bowel movements, is alert, and doesn’t slump at all
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Are there any cats or dogs running around where she can see them? That will stress her out--- if shes pooping shes not impacted --- The T 8 should be 6-8 inches from basking decor directly over head w/ NO obstruction I would look at getting her off the floor ASAP and see if that does not change her behavior --- could be the temp change if shes just now doing it --- you can get a old dresser or stand from a used furniture store - I picked a old dresser up for $40 w/ drawers those are handy to keep extra stuff in there for them
Karrie
 

benbji

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i do have a small dog, but i keep the door closed so they don’t see each other much. i ripped the plastic off the t-8, and it is in the cage with her. the height may be why she’s stressed, but i think the cold weather might be more likely seeing as she has never had a problem with her tank height before now. if it is the cold weather, then idk how i can comfort her because her tank temp has stayed more or less the same. i think i will give her another day (i cleaned her tank yesterday) and see how she does tomorrow. it’s going to be unnaturally warm for the rest of the week, so that may improve her mood
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
hello, some time has passed and ed’s condition has worsened. she eats very little, only about a few crickets a day, although she does eat quite a lot of veggies. she’s been stuck on a shed since that last picture, and spends most of her time in one part of the tank. when i try to touch her. she shivers and swats my hand away. if i continue to do so, she will panic and run away. just being in the same room with her might cause her to close her eyes. i’m at a loss, but have been trying to bond with her more
 
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