mackaroni":1z298joa said:
on one end of his tank the temp says 88 (using fahrenheit) and the other says 80.. its usually a little warmer in there.
i think I'm using uva bulbs. they are mvb bulbs.
the bedding is a terrarium carpet.
i normally feed him small crickets and meal worms. there small crickets but a little bigger sized meal worm. i give him 6 or 7 crickets and 3 meal worms but since he hasn't eaten any i have put them in there and left them for 30 minutes or so and removed all of the ones he didn't touch. i feed him 2-3 times a day.
Cut back , I suggest stop giving , mealworms .... very poor feeder insect for young beardie , even worse for a sick one.
If he really likes his worms, get him a stack of BSF maggots (excellent feeder insects) and some small (mealworm sized) silkworms (another excellent feeder insect).
If he refuses to eat , you have no option but to handfeed, even force feed him. See recommended reptile "liquid"/"slurry" type reptile suppliments from VetaFarm. Other good products to look at using to get Fred past this are
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/vets/products/carnivore_care which I believe are often given to very sick lizards in order to build them back up.
MVBs are very good, but I think their efficiency at producing UVA and UVB falls off with age and they need replacement every 6months or so depending on the brand and hours they are on each day.
Are you sure it's an MVB and not something else ?
If the max temperature in his tank is 88F, it's too cool , you need a basking spot temp about 100F.
You might find keeping Fred warm 24/7 while he's sick will help as it will increase his metabolic rate. SO overnight (non-luminous) heating for his tank to keep him warmer than 28degCelsius overnight such as a heatpad placed in a sandwich of ceramic tiles and placed under his hide and or a thermostat control CHE might be order.
Photos of Fred and his tank showing the lighting and setup are going to be helpful to give us some idea why he is so sick. I really think Fred needs intensive care at this stage and you need to have him seen by a good reptile vet as a matter of urgency , as is sounds like he's extremely sick.