Ahh!! Not doing anything, Nervous!!

[Creeps]

Hey folks,
I'm pretty concerned regarding our beardie. For the last month, he has barely moved out of his sleeping spot. Most days he doesn't move at all unless we move him/take him out. Has not been using the bathroom at all, unless in a nice warm bath. He's just a little over a year, so we only give him salads and then supers every 4 days for a treat...about 3 or 4 supers.
He's temps are bang on. We take him out into the hot sun almost daily for 15mins.
Not sure what's happening. Impaction maybe?? he has used the bathroom when given a bath.
Any ideas??
Thanks

 

[diamc]

Hi. Could you fill us in on the tank temps and what type of thermometer you're using? Also, what brand & type of UVB? If you could post a picture of his setup, that would be helpful. It sounds like he is avoiding the basking spot for a reason so we need to rule things out.

Actually, since your beardie is just a little over a yr, he isn't full grown yet as they continue to grow until about 2 yrs of age. You could actually increase the amount of feeders you're giving him as about 6 to 8 supers a wk isn't even enough for an adult. A full grown adult can even have 35 to 50 feeders a wk so you might want to consider increasing his protein.

Good that you're taking him outside almost daily. How often do you bathe him?

 

[Creeps]

Hey,
i have a 4x2 wooden enclosure. I have the lights mounted on the inside....reptisun 10.0 uvb next to basking light. I also have another light, on the other side, doesn't produce heat. Temps are usually around 75-80 cool side and on his basking spot around 102. i'm using digital thermometer.
I'll start giving him more protein....I thought they didn't eat nearly as much once they turned a year.
I'll post a pic here in a sec.....

 

[Creeps]

 

[diamc]

That's a nice looking viv, thanks for posting the pictures. Good that you're using a probe thermometer. Is the 102 reading with the probe laying right on the basking log for about 45 min or so?

Do you know what the distance of the Repti-Sun tube is to him when he's in the basking spot like in the 2nd picture? Is the tube a T5 or T8 bulb?

Also, how often are you dusting with calcium & vitamins?

 

[Creeps]

yes, the probe laying right on his basking spot.
it's a t8 bulb...approx 15inches from light to basking spot.
i dust his supers with both when i feed him, which has only been couple times a week for the last month and a half......up until then i dusted his crickets mon to fri with calcium....every other day with vitamins

thanks for the responses,,,,i appreciate it. New to beardies, love them, trying to get it all right

 

[diamc]

You're certainly getting good temps then. :wink:

Since you're using a T8 Repti-Sun fluorescent tube, the distance from the light to your beardie while in the basking spot should actually be within 6 to 8". So, he's actually not getting enough UVB penetration at that distance according to the UVB testing that was done on that particular bulb. Would you be able to either lower the UVB or get a higher basking log to bring him closer to that bulb? Of course, then you may have to use a lower basking bulb wattage.

If the tube was a T5, high output bulb then a distance of 12 to 15" would be the recommended distance. Also, the UVB & calcium work together to synthesize the right amount of calcium their bodies are able to absorb. At his age, he should be getting his feeders dusted with calcium about 3 times a wk and with vitamins only once a wk and on different days. I think it would be a good idea to make an adjustment on the supplements since he needs the calcium more often than the vitamins and too many vitamins isn't good.

Have you been replacing the fluorescent tube every 5 to 6 months since that's when they start to decline?

New to beardies, love them, trying to get it all right.

That's why we're all here.

 

[Creeps]

I could make his basking area higher somehow i'm sure.....or, if you see in the pic....do you think if i lowered the tube to under the vent that it would be too low??
i just replaced his light, it was 6 months old.
I'll start with that calcium, vitamin schedule, thanks. Right now, i only have supers....is that suitable, or should i still be getting some crickets, or different feeders?? Do you dust their salads??

 

[diamc]

Before you try to move the UVB lower, it would be a good idea to measure what the distance would be first. Ideally, you would want the tube mounted so that it is over him while he's in the basking spot so not sure if you would be able to put a basking log more toward the back so he could get the benefit of both bulbs at the same time OR move the UVB fixture a little more toward the front so that it is closer to the basking log. You don't want your beardie to have to stare right into the UVB light while he's basking so it should be overhead instead. Hope I explained that clearly, sometimes it's hard to put things into words.

Good that you have a new UVB light.

Great that you will change his supplement schedule around a little. Supers are fine to feed him and it's always good to use a 2nd feeder so they don't get tired of just one. Us humans sure like variety in our food. You could get some silkworms, horn worms, butters or dubias. Here's a site that has some cups for a reasonable price: www.lindasgonebuggie.com

If I dust feeders, I don't dust the salad, not a good idea to do both. If he's eating his salad good, then you can dust that instead by the recommended supplement schedule.

How is your beardie acting now?

 

[Creeps]

Hey,
it's a terrible pic, but i tried moving his basking light back further into the corner, and in closer to wall to get closer to uvb bulb,,,,his spot still isn't high enough though, i'm at 12 inches away....have to get some more rocks to make it higher.....what concerns me though is the higher it gets, the more uvb rays will be blocked the dome his basking light is in. It's a fairly wide dome, but works great.

he's doing not too bad....came out from cool side cuople of times on his own,,,,still spends alot of time on that cool side. Ate some supers no prob, but i still have to give him warm bath to have a poop.