Baby beardie acting weird - i am concerned and need imput :(

[diamondfontaign]

So, i have done quite a bit of research and have some experience with friends' older beardies, but i am still a first time owner. I just got my baby beardie from PetCo almost two weeks ago. Its name is Mellon, which is Elvish for Friend, and i seriously love this lil boop boop so much!
When i first brought him home he had some stress marks as baby beardies do. But overall things were going smoothly and he was light in color. However, the past few days, Friend has been acting weird. He (unsure of actual gender) has not been eating as much (only about 4 crickets a day), hasn't been moving around as much, and is generally darker in color except during bath time, and pretty much always has stress marks.
He is only 1.5 - 2 months old (about 5 inches, definitely a little baby). I have a 20 gal tank, a loose substrate meant for desert lizards, a Zilla slimeline UBV light and a zoo med basking light as well as a heat emitter (for night time). His tank is about 95 degrees in the basking spot. I know y'all tend to advise against Zilla and i'm aware of reasoning. i plan on getting a reptisun 10.0 soon as i can. I dont know the humidity level as the reader i was given stopped working and i havent been able to aquire a new one. Other than that, he loves his bath and mainly drinks water during it and closes his eyes while soaking and becomes lighter in color. He doesn't seem to mind being handled, in fact he will usually climb back onto my hand when i try to put him back in the tank, which melts my heart <3 (i mainly handle him when he's sleepy). He eats crickets (dusted with calcium a few times a week) but is totally uninterested in the salad we offer.
We started him on a vitamin supplement yesterday, and after giving it to him, he actually lightened up quite a bit, ate 5 crickets, and was generally more active. But today, he hasn't eaten at all and has pretty much been asleep all day, not moving, looking quite dark with very prominent stress marks. He did drink some water during his bath. He is going to the bathroom regularly and isn't showing signs of impaction or respiratory disease.
Could he be starting the shedding process? Could i be handling him too much? Could it be him seeing is reflection? so many possibilities...
He was doing well for about a week after he got here, and the past 4 days or so have just been off.
Sorry for the long read, but i am super concerned and just want my baby to be happy.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, 2 things to check on right away.....does the Zilla fixture have a plastic shield obstructing the uvb bulb ? That would block all uvb + need to be removed ASAP.

Also you will need to get rid of the loose substrate. Babies can become impacted + may still poo a little until it gets so bad that they stop pooing.

Being a pet store baby there may be a number of problems [ hidden ones due to genetics or illness ] but making a few changes can rule out a few obvious problems.

Can you post pics of the baby, of the set up and the size crickets he's eating ? Here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

 

[Gormagon]

Also 95° is to low for a baby, boost it up to 105° to 110° in the basking spot. They won't eat if they can't digest what they eat.

 

[PodunkKhaleesi]

First order of business: ditch the loose substrate. Yes, Petco would love you to buy this stuff every month for the rest of your pet’s life, but that’s in their best interest—not your lizard’s. Because your beardie is so small he’s even more vulnerable to the potentially fatal outcome of an impaction. So use reptile carpet, newspaper, paper towels, or tile for substrate, but remove the loose substrate ASAP. Are you measuring his basking temperature with a temp gun? If not, the stick on thermometers can be off by 20 degrees, so his basking temp may not even be in the ballpark of a healthy range. And because 95 is on the low side for a baby, try to bump it up so that the basking temp ranges from 95-110. You can choose cage decor that has “levels” allowing him to choose whether he wants to be 110 or 95 degrees at any given moment, so I recommend doing this so that he has options. The 95 degree temp is okay for an adult, but babies need it a little hotter. The Reptisun 10.0 tube or an Arcadia tube is vital. Many people using coil lights or other ineffective UVB lights notice a massive improvement in their beardie’s energy and appetite from this change alone, so this should be a priority. If you remove the substrate, get a decent UV light, and bump up the basking temp and he’s still acting “off” then I think a vet visit to rule out parasites or illness is in order. Babies eat insects like they’re trying to hit their fighting weight in 60 seconds so if the husbandry is corrected and he’s still not going Pac-Man on his insects I highly encourage a vet trip to make sure there isn’t a larger health issue at play.

 

[diamondfontaign]

His crickets are the right size, just lil babies. and we removed the plastic part of the zilla light. it's a long one not the coil kind. he currently only has one log in there and it offers a bit of a hide but we are getting some more furniture for him soon. i will see if i can upload pics. and he isnt showing signs of impaction or anything, but i think we will just switch to the carpet. i also need to get a humidity reader and better thermometer

 

[diamondfontaign]

I cant figure out how to post pics

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

Usually beardies dont show that their impacted, its something that happens over the time as they pick up more and more things they cant digest. However in some cases it can be fatal right away. I remember when i had a beardie before the three i have now, i think it was only a week old and around 4 inches to 5 inches or so when i was 8 and it died within a week with only maybe a 10 minute time period with calcisand.
To post pics go to here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/
and then once uploaded when you go to post again hit the tab that says "XIMG" to select it.

 

[EllenD]

Welcome to the forum! It's a learning curve, and unfortunately Zilla refused to remove those damn clear, plastic safety covers that block 100% of the UVB light emitted by the UVb tube. So he's gotten no UVB light at all, that's the main issue...

That Zilla Desert 50 UVB tube is a very weak UVB tube, so if you have it sitting on top of a mesh lid to the tank, you must get it mounted underneath the mesh lid immediately, as mesh lids block around 40% of the UVB light emitted by the tubes, and the Zilla Desert 50 is only a weak T8-strength UVb tube, and even though you removed the plastic cover that was blocking ALL of the UVb light emitted, the UVB tube is far too weak to have anything at all obstructing it. I know several friends who have dragons, well 3 total, who used the Zilla Desert 50 T8 UVb tube, removed the plastic safety covers immediately, but unfortunately all 3 allowed the tube fixture to sit on top of the mesh lid, and all 3 dragons now have physical disabilities that are permanent (weak back legs that are partially paralyzed, and trouble pooping) due to the mesh lid blocking the weak Zilla UVb tube.

It's very easy to get that entire Zilla Slimline Fixture strapped to the underside of the mesh lid. First of all, be sure to do this so that the UVB tube/fixture is going to be over the Hot Side of the tank, and so that there is room remaining for the bright white basking bulb, whether you have it in a dome fixture that sits on top of the mesh or in a clamp lamp that clips to the top of the tank, leave room so that both lights are right alongside each other, side-by-side over the Hot Side of the tank. This is EXTREMELY important, because you need to then located his Basking Spot/Platform directly underneath both of these lights within the Hot Side of the tank, so that he will be directly under both lights and getting both of them at the same time while basking. BOTH LIGHTS MUST BE ON EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR AT LEAST 13-14 HOURS MINIMUM.

All you have to do is poke 4 holes in the mesh lid with metal shears or a utility knife, being sure that the UVB tube will be over the Hot Side and right alongside the Bright White Basking bulb. Then you can use either those long, plastic Zip Ties, Shoelaces, Wire, Twine, etc. to strap the entire Zilla Slimline Fixture to the underside of the mesh lid. Then put the lid back on the tank, and put the bright white Basking Bulb right next to the UVB tube. Then move whatever you're using as his basking spot/platform directly underneath both lights. Done.

Also, when you use a weaker T8-strength UVb tube, no matter what brand, even the best one available, either the Reptisun 10.0 or the Arcadia T8, the basking spot/platform, whatever you're using as this for him, must be within at least 6" of that unobstructed T8-strength UVB tube. This is the maximum distance for a T8-strength UVB tube to emit effective UVB light to your dragon. Also, very important, ALL T8-STRENGTH UVB TUBES MUST BE REPLACED ONCE EVERY 6 MONTHS AT AN ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM!!!! This is because the T8-strength UVB tubes have a very fast UVB light decay-rate, and at 6 months old (average of being on for 10 hours a day, you need to have it on for at least 13-14 hours a day) they stop emitting any UVB light at all. The tube will not be totally burnt out at 6 months old, it will still emit plain light, but will be emitting no UVB light at all. So it's a good practice to write the date you turned on the tube right on the tube itself with a Sharpie, so you'll know what date you must replace it, otherwise he can develop a calcium deficiency pretty quickly.

You may want to think about upgrading to a much stronger T5-strength UVb tube in the future, you'll save yourself a ton of money, and if you buy it on Amazon.com it's actually cheaper than buying a T8 UVB tube is in any pet shop. You'd have to also upgrade the fixture as well to one that is rated for a T5-rated UVB tube (they are 24 watts, versus your T8 tube at 15 watts, you see the difference), but you can buy a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube for $23 on Amazon.com, and they offer a package deal for a matching 24" T5-rated tube fixture with a metal reflector included for under $50 shipped. The T5 UVB tubes only need replaced once every 12 months (much slower UVb decay-rate), they can sit on top of mesh lids because they are strong enough to not be effected by the 40% UVB light block, and they only need to be within 11" of the basking spot/platform rather than the 6" maximum distance for the T8 tubes...just something to think about for the future.

Just make sure that for now you get that UVB tube/fixture strapped to the underside of that mesh lid ASAP and within at least 6" of his basking spot/platform, and you keep both lights on for at least 13-14 hours every single day.

Your temperatures are pretty low for a Bearded Dragon, they depend on both adequate UVB light and proper temperature zones inside their tanks to digest their food and be able to absorb any nutrition from their food at all. You do need to buy a cheap Digital Probe Thermometer for $10 at Petco or PetSmart, as you have no way at all of measuring his Basking Spot Temperature right now, what you're actually measuring with the stick-on thermometer is the Hot Side Ambient (air) Temperature, as stick-on thermometers cannot measure the Basking Spot Temperature at all, it's a "Surface" Temperature.

You have to have a Digital Thermometer with a Probe on a wire that you can actually sit right on his basking spot/platform, allow it to sit there for at least 20-30 minutes, then read the temperature. That's the Basking Spot Surface Temperature....Also, the stick-on thermometers are extremely inaccurate, usually off by between 10-20 degrees. If his Basking Spot Surface Temperature is too low, he cannot digest his food and can become impacted and malnourished, especially with a loose substrate, which is extremely dangerous. So please get a Digital Probe Thermometer ASAP.

BASKING SPOT SURFACE TEMPERATURE (within the Hot Side of the tank): Between 105-110 degress for a baby or juvenile; most adults at a year or older like it between 100-105 degrees. ***110 degrees is the absolute maximum temperature that should ever be anywhere inside a Bearded Dragon's tank!****

HOT SIDE AMBIENT (air) TEMPERATURE (surrounding the Basking Spot/Platform): Between 88-93 degrees maximum.

COOL SIDE AMBIENT (air) TEMPERATURE (opposite side of tank from the Hot Side): Between 75-80 degrees maximum.

****Measure the Ambient (air) Temperatures by using the suction-cup that comes with all Digital Probe Thermometers. Place the suction-cup on the wire, right below the Probe. Then stick the suction-cup/Probe on the glass of either the Hot Side or the Cool Side of the tank, about 2" up from the floor of the tank.

*****Always allow the Probe of the Digital Thermometer to sit either on the Basking Spot/Platform or stuck to the glass with the suction-cup for at least 20-30 minutes before reading the temperature. You must do this each time you take a different temperature. This allows the Probe to heat-up/cool-down to the accurate temperature.

******Be sure to never measure a temperature until both the bright white Basking Bulb and the UVB tube have both been turned on for at least 1-2 hours minimum. This ensures that the inside of the tank is up to temperature.

You don't really need a Hygrometer (humidity gauge), I mean it's good to have one, but getting a Digital Probe Thermometer is an absolute must and extremely important. Bearded Dragons can live within a very broad range of humidity, anywhere from 10% up to 70% without any issues at all. Desert Reptiles are not effected by humidity anywhere close to the way that Tropical Reptiles are, and if you can only afford to buy a Digital Probe Thermometer and other necessary items that your dragon requires, don't worry about buying a digital Hygrometer.

 

[diamondfontaign]

We had removed the plastic coating ourselves so his lighting and temperature and humidity were as they were supposed to be. It turns out he had contracted parasites, either from some bad crickets from petsmart or he had them when we got them. I am still extremely saddened to say that he passed away. I loved him. And if i think about him too much my pregnant self cant handle it and i just start crying.
Some friends knew how sad i was and have gifted me a new baby beardie, who is bigger and plumper and much healthier. I named him Vala which means mighty in Elvish.
Mellon cant be replaced but i hope Vala and i become good friends. So far he is skittish.
Thank you all for your responses, nonetheless.