EXHAUSTED ALL OPTIONS Not Eating HAPPY UPDATE

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obrown

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Hello Everyone,

My name is Olga. I got my first beardie(silkie), Cookie, almost 3 months ago. He is 5 months and 1 week old; his weight is 111 grams; He is in a very quiet/bright room/no other pets
Set up:
1. Vision Cage Model 422(48" W x 28" D x 18" H; has a heat/lamp shroud and 3 Rear Angle Vents (RA) built directly in.
2. Temperature – CURRENT (last 3days) Basking 98-101F; Cool side – 80F; Night- 73F
a. Previous – Basking 94F, Cool side -80F; Night-73F
b. Humidity aver 38-45
3. CURRENT UVB – Reptisun 10.0 T5HO; Basking – halogen floodlight 60w (replacement for 75w), 1070 lumens ;Previous - halogen floodlight 60w (650 lumens)
4. I measure temp with an infrared temp gun Etekcity
5. Soaks- every other day w unscented lotion
6. Food: offer collard greens, green pepper, mustard greens, hornworms, dubia, super worms, wax worms every day
Story:
1. I purchased him while he was shedding
2. Breeder soaked him 2x times a day and applied Lubriderm, unscented lotion
3. He was extremely stressed, and I reduced soaking to every other day
4. Originally, I had his basking spot too hot (110F +)
5. He was eating very little (1 hornworm, 3 dubia, etc.) then stopped eating and started to hide
6. Called a vet (one of the best in VA), and they told me to reduce to 95 F basking – I did
7. Was not eating anyways, diagnosed with the overload of 2 types of parasites (Coccidiosis; Flagellates) on 9/17; tested negative after the treatment on 10/08
8. Didn’t eat anything during treatment/after; I changed UVB from Reptisun 5.0 to 10.0
9. He started to eat for several days, cheered up; became more active; then started to shed and back again to 2 hornworms mode and stopped eating completely/hide (I increased his soaks)
10. 3 days ago, I changed the basking light because the temp was hardly getting to 94F
Bottom Line:
He has refused his food completely for 1 week after his full shed; I used a syringe filled with baby food (organic butternut squash), and he ate a good amount of it yesterday afternoon and this morning. I have started to hold him on my chest for 5 min every day, and he does not mind that (he was hissing at me the first 2-3 weeks). I have uploaded his set up/his pictures. I have been researching a lot/ purchased suggested items and very disappointed that he is not thriving. The vet suggesting giving him some space. I would really appreciate any help with this situation.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi Olga, so Cookie a silkie ? Please post some pics of Cookie as well as his entire set up. I agree that multiple baths are stressful, I've owned a silkie in the past and did not give frequent baths unless he was dirty and applied aloe vera [ plain, no additives ] if he had stuck shed or over his entire body once a week. Cookie's been through a lot so he does need to de-stress. Cut the baths way down, once a week at most or every 2 weeks. Here's how to post pics :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

I re-read the cage dimensions and I think that being only 18" H might be a problem. You need to go back to the 5.0 t5 uvb.
 

obrown

Member
Original Poster
Yes, he is a silkie. I uploaded the images before you sent me the link. I used ‘user imager uploader ‘on the top of the web page. I have posted several pictures of him and the cage. Would you please let me know if you can see them? I really want someone with experience look at my setup. I went from 5.0 to 10.0 because my UVB is on the top of the fine mesh screen that is built in. I will cut his soaks to 1 a week. It looks like he is ( and I am) in constant stress for almost 3 months. I will return to 5.0 if you look at the pic and confirm . Every change is very painful for him.
 

obrown

Member
Original Poster
I just deleted all of them and uploaded one more time (saved as JPG). Hopefully, you can see them.
Thank you for such your prompt reply.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
O.K., they're showing up now. Cookie is a little thin but looks good ! The set up is great but the design is not. That is not a good design for placement of heat + uvb bulbs, you only have choice of where to put them. Why they made the heat bulb holder built in like that is beyond me. Having only one area for each bulb was not good at all for the designers. For the basking spots it's best to get rid of the rocks and use only rounded wood pieces or something else that has no sharp edges. Their skin is super fragile. I had a male years ago that bred with my female and he actually caused his chin/beard area to get a small area rubbed raw from her small neck spikes. He was a very normal acting boy in all other respects , ate well and was an active + happy boy.
 

obrown

Member
Original Poster
109625-8873615958.jpg
109625-7380193639.jpg

I know, not to mention that I spent a lot of money on this cage; I regret this purchase every day.
Do you think I should return to 5.0? Or just purchase another glass tank? I am so sad.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I know it's frustrating but don't be too discouraged. You can still work this out. If the screen where the uvb sits is fine mesh you can use the 10.0 t5. Going back to the fact that Cookie was on pretty harsh meds. for a while, that would kill her appetite to a degree. Get some Fluker's Repta boost and a probiotic if you can. Add that to the squash slurry and just be patient. The fact that she just shed probably made her extra uncomfortable so do cut down on the baths and just apply the lotion once a week except for a quick, gentle dab on any funny spots . Keep offering insects every few days. She should snap out of this soon. They don't starve themselves to death, there will be an end to the finicky eating. She still looks good and she has a good owner. It will be alright. :)
 

obrown

Member
Original Poster
Hello Again,

I am super happy to share the great news with all of you. Cookie is doing fantastic. He is very happy and healthy. I started to feed him with a syringe ( blended mix 1-1.5 ml. total) right after my last post. I did it every other day (per our vet's advice) with oxbow critical care, a little bit of butternut squash or apple sauce baby food, fresh greens, dubia roaches, hornworms, etc. I also added to the mix Nutribac probiotics. I purchased him another enclosure ( since I could not get it right with his old one), got 3/4 of it covered with reptisun 10.0, and bought Solarmeter ( Reptile UV Index Meter). It's costly but helped a lot to get the right UV level at his basking spot. Additionally, I soak him only 2 x a week ( he hates soaking) with a small halogen lamp above his bath tab.

So now, he rarely hides and eats on his own ( worms, roaches, and greens). Thank you for your guidance; I know many people here struggle with the same problems. Not sure this scenario will work for all; I just wanted to share. It has been a very tough journey, but all good now.
 
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