Beardie shaking head and walking backwards when feeding

[Ruby_bird756]

The last couple of times I have fed my beardie she has flinched away from the bugs and seems to try to shake something off her head and backs up with her head down. She is very slow to move often thinking her steps in advance. Is it a tickle from the bug possibly getting in her nose, some sort of seizure or anxious reaction? Unfortunately I have not gotten a video.

 

[KarrieRee]

The last couple of times I have fed my beardie she has flinched away from the bugs and seems to try to shake something off her head and backs up with her head down. She is very slow to move often thinking her steps in advance. Is it a tickle from the bug possibly getting in her nose, some sort of seizure or anxious reaction? Unfortunately I have not gotten a video.

please record on youtube and post the link -- please go over surface basking temps and how your getting them and the UVB your using brand and bulb

 

[Sue E.]

Does she actually end up eating the bugs? How old is she and what size and what type of bugs are you feeding her?

 

[Ruby_bird756]

She's a year old and about 18-20 in. I haven't measured her. She has the petsmart lamp with 75w both heat and uv. I let her kinda chill after and she does go back to eating bugs. She seems shocked

 

[Ruby_bird756]

She's a year old and about 18-20 in. I haven't measured her. She has the petsmart lamp with 75w both heat and uv. I let her kinda chill after and she does go back to eating bugs. She seems shocked

It's the large superworms about 1.5in

 

[Sue E.]

She's a year old and about 18-20 in. I haven't measured her. She has the petsmart lamp with 75w both heat and uv. I let her kinda chill after and she does go back to eating bugs. She seems shocked

Oh she needs a long tube uvb light...either a zoomed reptisun t5 10.0 or an arcadia t5 12%. Im sorry that Petsmart sold you the wrong uvb, they tend to give people the wrong info, but she really needs the long tube uvb to prevent things from getting worse. That may well be her problem. Petsmart does sell the zoomed long tube t5 10.0 uvb: it looks like this:
They also sell the hood for it (2nd pic):
The Arcadia t5 12% tube also fits in the zoomed hood, but I dont think Petsmart sells the Arcadia tube. The zoomed reptisun and the Arcadia are the only reliable brands of uvb, and the coil bulb for uvb is inadequate.

 

[Sue E.]

Please post back when you get the long tube uvb, and we can help you with placement of the tube in your enclosure (under the screen). You will also need a digital probe thermometer to accurately measure your surface basking temps on the spot she basks.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You will definitely want to get the long tube bulb, as Sue suggested. While I am not sure if she had a type of seizure or what.
I would suggest using a smaller sized superworm in case it might be too large for her. Sometimes if a bug is too large, it can overwhelm them. I don't know if that is what happened, but I always err on the side of caution & go with a slightly smaller insect to avoid impaction or choking problems.
We will all be happy to help with your lighting setup when you get your new light.
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[Ruby_bird756]

Oh she needs a long tube uvb light...either a zoomed reptisun t5 10.0 or an arcadia t5 12%. Im sorry that Petsmart sold you the wrong uvb, they tend to give people the wrong info, but she really needs the long tube uvb to prevent things from getting worse. That may well be her problem. Petsmart does sell the zoomed long tube t5 10.0 uvb: it looks like this:
They also sell the hood for it (2nd pic):
The Arcadia t5 12% tube also fits in the zoomed hood, but I dont think Petsmart sells the Arcadia tube. The zoomed reptisun and the Arcadia are the only reliable brands of uvb, and the coil bulb for uvb is inadequate.

What heat lamp do you recommend

 

[AHBD]

The last couple of times I have fed my beardie she has flinched away from the bugs and seems to try to shake something off her head and backs up with her head down. She is very slow to move often thinking her steps in advance. Is it a tickle from the bug possibly getting in her nose, some sort of seizure or anxious reaction? Unfortunately I have not gotten a video.

Once in a great while a superworm will bite and give a surprising pinch s that's probably what happened. They aren't too big, that's a normal size for a 19-20" dragon.

 

[Sue E.]

What heat lamp do you recommend

Any bright white halogen or reptile basking bulb will do. I personally use the zoomed repti basking bulb in a deep dome fixture on top of the screen. Others have used flukers basking bulbs or exoterra. As long as its bright white..no colored bulbs or golden bulbs. This is what I use..some people dont get long use out of them, but Ive had mine over a year with no problems. The dome fixture needs to have a ceramic socket and be rated for higher than the wattage of the bulb (I use a 150 watt bulb in a fixture rated up to 160 watts in a 4x2x2 tank)

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh that is true, supers can sometimes bite/pinch which will definitely cause them to draw back! I don't
know if that's what happened but quite possible.
How is she doing today?
The halogens are nice & bright & do emit a good amount of heat also. As Sue suggested, be sure to use
a ceramic based socket dome fixture rated for up to at least 150 to 200 watts, for safety.

Let us know how things are going.
Tracie