Baby beardie not eating

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JCur

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Hi! About a month ago I rescued a baby beardie and when I got him home he was all good at first and eating discoids that I was feeding him along with some veggies. However, over the last few weeks he has been very lethargic and hasn’t been taking any bugs or anything. He also doesn’t really move much or open his eyes at all unless I try to pick him up which he then gets up and will run around the tank and then lay right back down and close his eyes. I have been syringe feeding him squash baby food which he will take small amounts of but still doesn’t seem really interested and I’ve also still tried offering him baby discoids but those he won’t take at all. I’ve given him warm soaks with liquid calcium and he still just lays there and doesn’t move. He is currently in a 20 gallon tank with a Reptisun t5 10.0 but I will be moving him into a 40 gallon next week. His basking spot is around 100 degrees and his cool side is at right around 80 degrees. The vet said his set up is ok for now but there wasn’t much they could do considering his small size but they did say they don’t think it’s MBD because he is so young. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get him up and going again? I will also include pictures of him and his set up.
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JCur

Member
Original Poster
I also have a 36” T5 Reptisun on the way for him for his new enclosure so he’ll have more coverage than what he has now but he does spend almost all of his time right underneath where the uvb is positioned now.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The T 5 needs to be place directly over his basking decor 12-15 inches w / NO obstruction -- hes not getting enough UVB and basking temps what are they are how are you taking them? He needs basking temps 105-110 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer -- NO stick ons -- how long is the UVB fixture now? You dont want a UVB the full length of the tank --- that is why I asked how long the UVB fixture is your using --- it looks like a 20" fixture --these two things I have just gone over are the most important things in the tank -- he will not eat until those are correct -- make sure hes hydrated -- add water to the squash your feeding -- get his temps and UVB corrected and he should start eating again -- he looks very thin -- if this does not correct the problem there is another issue going on -- please get this done ASAP --you can get a digital probe from Petco or Petsmart for $8
Karrie
 

JCur

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Original Poster
His UVB is just the 14” and it is directly above his basking spot with no obstructions. His basking temps are usually at around 108 give or take but never below 100 which I measure with a temp gun. Vet ruled out uvb and heat because they are right where they need to be and where his uvb is placed is where he spends 100% of his time so I know he’s getting enough uvb and heat. He will be moved to a 40 gallon next week and I have a 36” Reptisun on the way for him so I guess I’ll try that and see if it helps.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You need to have the T 8 directly above him --- it needs to be 6-8 inches from his basking decor -- it is not strong enough to go the distance of 12-15 inches from the top of the tank --- please get a piece of decor thats going to bring it to that distance --- he will start eating again w/ correct basking temps and properly placed UVB
Karrie
 

JCur

Member
Original Poster
Again the uvb was ruled out and his basking temps are fine. For now I’ll just wait for his light to come and look for more information elsewhere. As for the discoids, they are just discoid nymphs and don’t have any sort of leg spikes or anything like that. Thanks for the replies though!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, I know it's sad for you to see your little dragon in this condition. You say he hasn't eaten for a couple of weeks but now just a bit of baby food squash ? Be sure to add extra water to his syringe feedings and add a pinch of calcium powder. He is actually in critical condition and I would advise that he not be moved to a larger tank, he will never get around to climbing a perch in his condition up high enough for uvb exposure. For now he's best off in that smaller tank but with more uvb coverage, when the new uvb bulb comes. Can you get some Oxbow Critical Care formula online or from your vet ? He desperately needs protein but I can tell that something very serious is going on and he may not recover. Try the Critical Care though and when the new larger uvb bulb comes in just put it on top of the tank he's in rather than a huge 40 gallon. Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. I do send my best wishes.
 

JCur

Member
Original Poster
Thanks so much for the reply! I have been feeding him Reptiboost but it doesn’t seem to stimulate his appetite so I will definitely order some of the critical care and see if that works!
 
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