beardie not really eating....maybe about to shed??

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

so over the past few days osker has not really been interested in food....which i find odd as he usually eats alot...especially crickets....when i dropped em in today he didnt even look at em...also for about 2 weeks the only time i can get him to drop a deuce is when i give him a bath

his skin looks like he may be ready to shed....does that stiffle appetite??

we did just get him a new light....got him the repti sun 10.0.....but im assuming that since that was an upgrade it wouldnt be the problem

 

[Freeie]

Yep mine do the same thing sometimes when they are sheading for a few days here and there.

 

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

not sure what his deal is...he wont even look at the crickets....i just had to catch all the ones i put in today cause he was asleep and there were a few on him....all he will eat is acorn squash, and only if i hand feed him....usually if i put 20 crix in they are dust within 2 mins or so.....kinda sucks cause we have to leave town for a week tomorrow and my brother is watching him and is nervouse that somethings wrong...what else would make his appetite be so low??

 

[Jamie94]

i have 2 beardies at about 2 mths old , one eats crickets like his life depends on it ,and is huge where his little brother/sister isnt so keen and seemed to shy away and would only eat cress (i was stating to think he/she was turning veggie), so i went back to the pet shop and got some micro crickets and that seemed to do the trick

 

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

SO MY BROTHER SAID HES STILL NOT REALLY EATING AND IS SUPER INACTIVE.....SAID HE TOOK A MASSIVE DUMP IN THE BATH.....IM ASSUMING SINCE THE MAIN PEOPLE WHO POST MOST REPLIES ON HERE HAVNT SAID MUCH I HAVE NOT TOO MUCH REASON FOR ALARM......SOMETHING IS CLEARLY NOT RIGHT WITH HIS DIGESTION THOUGH......HE GETS REAL SLUGGISH AND WONT EAT, WE POOP HIM IN THE BATH, AND THEN HE EATS A LITTLE AGAIN.....SO WHAT IS CAUSING HIM TO GET BACKED UP? CANT BE DEHYDRATION IF WE ARE GIVING HIM BATHS EVERYDAY......I KNOW THAT EVERYONE SAYS THE REPTISUN IS WAY BETTER THAN THE LIGHT I HAD BEFORE BUT THE DAY AFTER WE CHANGED THE LIGHT IS WHEN HE STARTED ACTING WEIRD....COULD THE LIGHT CHANGE BE STRESSING HIM

 

[Embee]

SO MY BROTHER SAID HES STILL NOT REALLY EATING AND IS SUPER INACTIVE.....SAID HE TOOK A MASSIVE DUMP IN THE BATH.....IM ASSUMING SINCE THE MAIN PEOPLE WHO POST MOST REPLIES ON HERE HAVNT SAID MUCH I HAVE NOT TOO MUCH REASON FOR ALARM......SOMETHING IS CLEARLY NOT RIGHT WITH HIS DIGESTION THOUGH......HE GETS REAL SLUGGISH AND WONT EAT, WE POOP HIM IN THE BATH, AND THEN HE EATS A LITTLE AGAIN.....SO WHAT IS CAUSING HIM TO GET BACKED UP? CANT BE DEHYDRATION IF WE ARE GIVING HIM BATHS EVERYDAY......I KNOW THAT EVERYONE SAYS THE REPTISUN IS WAY BETTER THAN THE LIGHT I HAD BEFORE BUT THE DAY AFTER WE CHANGED THE LIGHT IS WHEN HE STARTED ACTING WEIRD....COULD THE LIGHT CHANGE BE STRESSING HIM

Ah, these dragons love to worry us. I must say I have never heard the term "drop a deuce" before and I just had to giggle on that. :wink: Some dragons do go in for that bathtime "deuce" indeed!

What is your beardie's age and what are the temps, in particular basking temps, running? And what are you using to gauge temps?

Em

 

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

his basking temp sits at 105.... we are useing a lil sticky thermometer but it hangs from his log rather than have it stick to the side of his house so..... i know those arent the greatest but have a friend with this lil digital pointer thermometer and it read 106......i still need one....at night its about 75 though....we have a ceramic heat emiter for night time but it doesnt keep it warmer than that

as far as age....not sure exactly...we have had him since christmas and he is about 18 inches from tip to tail.....really dont like that this has been going on for 8 days now and it makes me nervous i cant be there to observe his behavior....kinda takes the fun out of being on vacation....i havnt seen my dad in a few yrs and all i can think about is getting home to see whats going on with osker

 

[chancellor91]

you could always take him to the vet and get an x ray to see if he is impacted, sure sounds like it


and i agree the "drop a duece" is super wierd and funny lol :mrgreen:


you could try some sugarless apple sauce or some olive oil it might make him go more regularly, but it sounds like
he/she might be impacted if he/she only "drops a duece" once a week



hope that helps

chancellor

 

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

hes not pooping once a week...he will poop everytime we put him in the bath....which is weird......the main problem is he will not eat....normally he eats alot and very quickly

 

[Embee]

hes not pooping once a week...he will poop everytime we put him in the bath....which is weird......the main problem is he will not eat....normally he eats alot and very quickly

Well, I know there are plenty of people who bath their dragons daily in order "train" them to poop in the bath so it's not entirely unusual. How often do you bathe in general? Could it be that he's a tad dehydrated and the bath help him digest and then, poop?

As for temps, yes I recommend getting a probe so you can know for sure (however, the temp guns are usually pretty accurate). The thing is however that temps change from day to day, depending on room temps, etc. and being able to gauge them accurately often is helpful. Being that he's larger/older, I would think 105 would be sufficient, but some dragons need slightly more heat in order to digest properly... that balance of heat and hydration is key.

I wish I had more advice for you. Please keep us posted.

Em

 

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

we have a thermostat so it will never rise above 105.....when i get home im gonna buy a probe....as for osker my brother says he ate all his crix and squash today so thats good.....we generally bathe him every day we dont see poop in the viv....which is daily

is there another way to ensure hydration...he eats alot of squash which i thought would be pretty good....and his beardie bites are pretty moist....but if there are better ways to ensure proper hydration let me know....thanx again

 

[Embee]

we have a thermostat so it will never rise above 105.....when i get home im gonna buy a probe....as for osker my brother says he ate all his crix and squash today so thats good.....we generally bathe him every day we dont see poop in the viv....which is daily

Oh, this is good to hear. Glad Osker enjoyed his crickets and veggies today. Indeed, the probe can really help take away any concerns about temps, and as they do tend to vary, it's good to know from day to day what's going on for beardie under the basking lamp, in particular.

is there another way to ensure hydration...he eats alot of squash which i thought would be pretty good....and his beardie bites are pretty moist....but if there are better ways to ensure proper hydration let me know....thanx again

Bathing, 2-4 times per week, 15-20 minutes up to shoulders is really the best for them, as they take in most of their hydration at the vent. Also, gutloading crickets with the water gel or cubes, and of course veggies that offer moisture. Keeping temps in the right range. It truly sound like you're doing all the right things there.

The best and please keep us posted on Osker.

Em

 

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

SO I GUESS HES EATING AGAIN BUT HASNT GONE POO IN A FEW DAYS......WOULD THAT BE NORMAL SINCE HE DIDNT EAT FOR A FEW DAYS???? MY BROTHER SAID HE GAVE HIM A REALLY LONG BATH AND STILL NO POO

 

[HUMBOLDTGUY]

so hes eating back to normal....still not pooping on his own though....just got home and bought a digital thermometer and its reading way high....its says 115....so ive got the thermostat set to turn off at 105 to kill the heat emiter....do i need to raise his light too??

 

[Embee]

so hes eating back to normal....still not pooping on his own though....just got home and bought a digital thermometer and its reading way high....its says 115....so ive got the thermostat set to turn off at 105 to kill the heat emiter....do i need to raise his light too??

Hi, good to *hear* from you.

Glad to hear your dragon is eating. I'm beginning to wonder if you're dragon simply "prefers" pooping while bathing, as some surely do. :wink: However, being that your basking temps were running high, this could explain things, as he needed that extra hydration to go. Now that you've got them to more recommended levels, perhaps he will be able to work things out a bit.

As to the light, are you referring to the ReptiSun tube, or the basking light? You are using a CHE as well, in addition to your basking light? Am I getting that right? Or is the CHE his only source of heat? If it's the latter, you need to change some things. Beardies need their daytime heat to come in the form of bright white light, the UVA is important for health, and also (very important) for guarding their eyes from the UVB, which even under a quality lamp such as the ReptiSun, can be harsh. The basking light can be a pet store type, or a regular household incandescent, flood of spot. The wattage will vary as to tank size, and you may need experiment there (and also with the height of the light) until it gives you proper temps (again, 105-110, 85-90 and 80 gradient). Ideally, beardie can get to within 6-8 inches of the UVB, and the basking, being upwards in a dome fixture (usually) would be higher up. Also, you want your UVB tube and basking light to line up at the basking end of the tank as follows:

__________tube
0 basking light

...so that beardie has benefit of both lights while basking.

What is the size of your tank?

Thanks,
Em