jesserussell
Member
I got Francis at the end of June of this year. I don't believe she has ever been all that healthy or happy since I got her. I was hoping it was the poor tank setup I had for a starter. I got her in the new enclosure I built (crossfire build 4'x2'x2') a few weeks ago. I was so happy that it seemed like it made the difference. The first 3 days in it it was a total turn around. Her color was bright and shiny, no stress marks at all and much more energy. After those 3 days she went back to the way she had been in the previous tank. She is almost constantly black in color, fairly lethargic, poor pooping habits (smelly, undigested, runny, only does it every few days). The only time her color changes is when she is eating crickets or when she is out running around my apartment. Sometimes she will inexplicably turn color and seem completely pleased, but it never lasts.
I took her to the vet on Monday since I felt like I had done all I could (thanks to this forum). The vet diagnosed her with pinworms which explains the poop, but do you think it could explain her poor condition as well? Pinworms seem pretty common from reading this forum and no one seems to report them causing any problems other than the poop. I gave her her first dose of Panacur tonight.
Here is a picture of the tank setup:
That is a 36" reptisun 10.0 UVB along with a 100w halogen fixture for basking that I dim as necessary. I feel like I have tried every temperature combo under the sun. You will notice they look off right now but for the most part I keep the basking spot at 105-115 with the cool side (left) around 80-85. The cooler end has been a little too cool since the weather changed, which I am thinking about fixing with a ceramic heat emitter on the left side.
There is also a yellow spot on the top of her head that I am a bit concerned about. It seems as if it has prevented her from shedding the top of her head. I tried treating it with lamisil as it looked fungal in nature per someones suggestion here, it seemed to help for awhile but would not go away. I am worried it is yellow fungus but she has had it for several months now with no change in it at all. I do not see any other concerning spots spreading elsewhere. The vet said we should deal with the pinworms first and see if the spot on the top of her head changes or spreads and deal with it after the pinworms are clear.
She gets fresh greens daily. I mostly cycle between collard and mustard greens, with occasional squash types mixed in and sometimes switch to dandelion greens, swiss chard, etc. Occasionally I will treat her with some grapes that she seems to enjoy. She will pick them out of a salad leaving everything else. She mostly eats crickets for live feeders, dusted 4x a week with calcium w/ d3 and 2x a week with multivitamins. Her appetite has mostly not suffered through any of this. She can and does devour crickets with ferocity. The vet told me to stop letting her eat as many crickets as she can in 10 minutes and limit her to around 10-15 per day and also told me to vary it up some more.
All that being said, do you see anything wrong in my tank setup? My feeding habits? Do you think pinworms are severe enough to cause what seems to be poor health / mood in general?
I took her to the vet on Monday since I felt like I had done all I could (thanks to this forum). The vet diagnosed her with pinworms which explains the poop, but do you think it could explain her poor condition as well? Pinworms seem pretty common from reading this forum and no one seems to report them causing any problems other than the poop. I gave her her first dose of Panacur tonight.
Here is a picture of the tank setup:
That is a 36" reptisun 10.0 UVB along with a 100w halogen fixture for basking that I dim as necessary. I feel like I have tried every temperature combo under the sun. You will notice they look off right now but for the most part I keep the basking spot at 105-115 with the cool side (left) around 80-85. The cooler end has been a little too cool since the weather changed, which I am thinking about fixing with a ceramic heat emitter on the left side.
There is also a yellow spot on the top of her head that I am a bit concerned about. It seems as if it has prevented her from shedding the top of her head. I tried treating it with lamisil as it looked fungal in nature per someones suggestion here, it seemed to help for awhile but would not go away. I am worried it is yellow fungus but she has had it for several months now with no change in it at all. I do not see any other concerning spots spreading elsewhere. The vet said we should deal with the pinworms first and see if the spot on the top of her head changes or spreads and deal with it after the pinworms are clear.
She gets fresh greens daily. I mostly cycle between collard and mustard greens, with occasional squash types mixed in and sometimes switch to dandelion greens, swiss chard, etc. Occasionally I will treat her with some grapes that she seems to enjoy. She will pick them out of a salad leaving everything else. She mostly eats crickets for live feeders, dusted 4x a week with calcium w/ d3 and 2x a week with multivitamins. Her appetite has mostly not suffered through any of this. She can and does devour crickets with ferocity. The vet told me to stop letting her eat as many crickets as she can in 10 minutes and limit her to around 10-15 per day and also told me to vary it up some more.
All that being said, do you see anything wrong in my tank setup? My feeding habits? Do you think pinworms are severe enough to cause what seems to be poor health / mood in general?
