First Vet visit on Wednesday

[CHRISTLIKECHEF]

Hi Everyone,

Dylila has her first vet visit this Wednesday. She is my first BD, my first reptile as well. I am an over protective parent to begin with, and I just don't like the way she is acting. I got her on the 4th of June, we bought 2 at once.....stupid pet store said they could live together. Within the first week we bought a whole second set up so they would be separated. I gave her a couple of weeks to see if things would get better once she was adjusted, but I am afraid she might have a parasite or something.

She is very tiny and wieghs somewhere between 2-4 grams?? Scale would not even really register until I took her off, then it would say -2 once and -4 the next?? She is a very poor eater, she eats an average of 6 crickets per day and there are days she does not want to eat at all....Sunday she had 1 cricket and refused anything else the entire day I give her baths daily and she is a great drinker. She has never been very active, which I don't mind, as long as it is normal.

My set up is good. We are using the repti-glo(all we could find out here)10.0, she is 5-6 inches away from it and it is on the inside of the tank. 100 watt basking bulb. Shelf liner (duck) substrate. Dusting crickets once a day with calcium 5 days a week and herpavite once a day 2 day a week. Also tried baby food and she seems to like it. Temps are hot side: 100-106, Cool side: 85, Humidity is between 41 and 46....hot side is always lower than cool side.

She poops daily and it has good consistency.

Here is a pic of my little girl....at least we think she is a girl :roll:

This is her viv - I took out the water dish to help the humidity levels....I give her daily baths instead.

Our second little girl, Virginia is doing great BTW....eating like a horse and growing like a weed!!

 

[Cammy]

Hello!

Often when two beardies are housed together one will become more food dominant than the other, as I'm sure you already know. Even when the more submissive beardie is separated, it can take quite a while for it to begin eating normally again. The best thing you can do is to continue what you are doing. Your setup is great, so I don't think her lack of appetite is due to any husbandry issues. Taking her to the vet just to double check for infection or infestation is a great choice. Better safe than sorry, I always say.

How long has she been separated from the other beardie? Like I said, it can take many weeks for them to start eating more. Depending on how long she was housed with other beardies (both at home and at the store), she may never eat as much as a more dominant beardie might. It's just something you have to keep trying with.

Don't forget to have greens available daily. Some beardies who are not the best hunters respond better to eating salads.

Most beardies are pretty lazy, but is she alert? Are her eyes open and bright or does she sit with her head on the ground and eyes shut? Also, take a look at her tail, particularly where it meets the body. It should be full looking with no indentations. If you can visibly see the tail bone ridge, with hollows on either side of it, it could be an indicator of a more serious problem (usually parasitic).

I know how nerve wracking being a beardie parent can be. Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing!

 

[CHRISTLIKECHEF]

Got an A+ at the vet today, he was shocked at how young and tiny she was. He said she is eating good for her size and her fecal was negative. Pink gums, alert....she was gaping at him :laughing6: It was so cute, she was a little angry with him!

I am just so happy that she is doing well and he was very pleased with my set up and what I was feeding her.....WHEW!!! What a load off my mind!!

 

[CHRISTLIKECHEF]

BTW....they were only housed together for a total of 7 days.....

 

[Cammy]

That's great news! I'm glad the vet was able to relieve your stress. And 1 week isn't long at all in the grand scheme of things, so I doubt it will even have much effect on her. Sounds like she's doing great and has a very caring owner. Keep up the good work!