Beardie not eating!!!

[Jelly]

Yet again my beardie is not eating. She has been off her food for about a week now. Although she isn't eating, she is extremely active. She is bolting around her viv trying to climb the background. Her temps are right and she is drinking and he colors are very bright (no stress marks). Any ideas what is going on??? Help please!!

 

[fresnowitte]

How old is your beardie?

 

[Jelly]

How old is your beardie?

About 10 months old.

 

[fresnowitte]

Okay I'm thinking "extremely active yet not eating???" These are the things that come to mind...

1) Temps to high would have been one of my first thoughts.

2) Possibly getting ready to shed.
This would be cause for not eating...and the activeness could be her trying to break the skin to start the shed.

3) Possibly gravid???
I know she's young but stranger things have happened.

4) Slight case of Spring Fever she is at the age to start maturing even though to young to breed.
This will also cause this type of behavior as the hormones go crazy they don't always want to eat.

How is she pooping? Do they look normal when she does?
Is she loosing any weight? If not I'd not worry to much yet. :wink:

 

[Jelly]

1) I checked my temps with a digital thermometer with a cord and probe at the end and the air temp is at about 105F.
2)Might be true, she shed her front and hind legs about 2 weeks prior (this was also the first time she stopped eating)
3)Possibly, how can you check? I feel something in there but not sure whether it's an egg or an intestine or something LOL
4)That might be possible. She had stopped eating after she shed her front and hind legs and about a week later she started eating again 20-30 crickets a day, but then around a week after that, she stopped again.

She poops everyday but barely anything comes out (because she isn't eating anything). Sometimes it comes out as a little brown pebble shaped poo with some white urine stuff and a part of it with a tinted yellowish brown to it. But one time, she pooped and all that came out was this clear liquid and some white stuff mixed inside (looked like sunny side up eggs, except the white part of the egg is the clear liquid and the yoke is the white stuff in the poo).
Sorry for being so graphic :roll:

Well her belly isn't as fat anymore

 

[fresnowitte]

Have you had a recent fecal test done? Always a good idea to eliminate the possibility of parasites. And being that you mentioned that her belly isn't so fat anymore sounds like she's lost weight...I'd start by taking in a fecal test.

As for being gravid...feel her abdomen with just your finger tips ever so gently like you are taking someones pulse. Most of the time you can feel the eggs but not always. Watch for lots of glass dancing and digging at the floor and corners of her viv. If she starts the digging motions then you want to offer her a lay box just to be safe.

 

[Jelly]

Have you had a recent fecal test done? Always a good idea to eliminate the possibility of parasites. And being that you mentioned that her belly isn't so fat anymore sounds like she's lost weight...I'd start by taking in a fecal test.

As for being gravid...feel her abdomen with just your finger tips ever so gently like you are taking someones pulse. Most of the time you can feel the eggs but not always. Watch for lots of glass dancing and digging at the floor and corners of her viv. If she starts the digging motions then you want to offer her a lay box just to be safe.

Look at what I found in her vivarium!! I'm pretty sure it's an egg.

 

[fresnowitte]

It's definately an egg! Do you have a dig/lay box set up for her?

 

[Jelly]

It's definately an egg! Do you have a dig/lay box set up for her?

Not yet, I thought that she would only lay one egg. Will she be laying more? Btw She is only 14 inches or so (she is a rescue). Is she at risk if she is laying eggs at such a small size? Can I use Exo-terra plantation soil for the dig box? It's all I have right now, I use it for my crickets to lay their eggs in. Should I put the dig box inside the viv or put her in the box outside of the viv? How moist should the soil be?

 

[fresnowitte]

Yes you can use the coconut fiber that is actually what I use. Others use moist playsand or a mixture. You can do it either way in or out of viv. She will probably lay a dozen to 20 eggs, so, yes there are more to come. The dig box is needed so she doesn't hold on to them waiting for a good spot and get egg bound. You want a tub that is large enough to make the soil about 12" deep if possible or as close to. It needs to be wet enough so that you can pack it down and she can burrow a tunnel into it without it colapsing.

To help her out in staying healthy and bouncing back when she lays those eggs make sure she's getting a good diet and up her calcium as it's depleted in the process.

Also when she's done you want to give her a long warm soak and huge yummy salad. :wink:

 

[Jelly]

I have a few more questions :? (sorry)

Will she do the egg laying all in one go? So what you're saying is getting a large container full of the soil, then wet it up good and packing it in tightly? How often does this type of thing happen? Can I make an omelet out of the eggs? (Just kidding :wink: )

 

[fresnowitte]

Yes get it good and moist don't want there to be standing water...pack it firmly and introduce her to it. It may take a couple of tries. Once she begins digging in the soil she should begin to lay them she will lay all of them then turn around and bury them. This means she's done and ready for a good soak.
They can lay as many as 7 clutches a year but for most it's more like 3.

 

[Jelly]

I put here in the lay box and she started digging for a few mins and then she just jumped out. I tried putting her back in a few times but she just wanted out. I put her back into her viv and she started glass dancing again. Any advice on what to do?

 

[Jelly]

I tried again the next day and she laid 2 more eggs!

EDIT: Make that 5!

 

[fresnowitte]

Is she still at 5 or did she spit the rest out yet?