Hello all, first post and new member. Thank you Admin for my approval.
We have a 9 month female dragon.
She is normally very active, was shy to start with, but now happy to be held and spend time outside with my son.
Recently she has shown no interest in what we have been feeding her, Locusts/Mealworms and every other day some cubed cucumber.
She will only new feed by hand and will only eat Morio Worms and 5/6 a day.
I have read about the process of where they become sluggish and sleep a lot but this does not seem to be the case.
She is going to the toilet every other day which appears normal with 10% of the waste being white from calcium.
So I guess my questions are:
1. Is it normal for a BD to go off their food for a time?
2. Should we go without feeding her for a day to maybe reset her hunger and get her back into a routine?
She has also not shed for about 2 months, I would say she is approx. 14 inches in length and has been deemed healthy by the vet about a month ago.
Thanks for any help or guidance here to a first timer.
First we need to go over the lighting in the tank --- please either post pics of the tank and lighting or tell us in detail what the UVB is brand and bulb coil or tube and where in the tank is it https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG at the top of the message box and then click on the pic it should post
What are the basking temps and how are you taking them? NO stick ons they are inaccurate!
Please no more cucumber that has no nutritional food value at all here is a website for nutrition
ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
She should be getting fresh salads every day and protein 5 days per week w/ calcium D3 dusted on the insects -- vitamins as well dusted on the insects 2 days per week -- insects should be dusted once per feeding -- she should be eating more than 5/6 morio worms per day -- I would get some silk worms or dubia roaches to feed along w/ those morio worms -
Karrie
Karrie, thank you so much for your response.
I have attached a number of pictures of inside the tank, and also of Ronda.
She has not eaten at all today, but does seem quite bloated in the stomach.
The heat lamp is above the basking rock. And there is a fluorescent tube running the length of the tank above the glass doors.
Ok the first thing is you need is to get rid of the wood shavings for the substrate -- loose substrate can cause harm if ingested --- you can use some paper towels for now or get some NON adhesive shelf liner from Home Depot etc cut it to the size of your tank - its easy to clean and insects cant get underneath it - next the basking bulb looks like its putting off a yellowish color - I recommend you swap it out for a bright white basking bulb - make sure you have a digital thermometer or a infrared heat gun to get temps when doing that -- so the Arcadia is a good bulb but you need a 12% bulb the next time you change it out and I noticed there is no reflector behind that bulb -- you need a reflector --- you can get one from here http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/miscellaneous-accessories/arcadia-flourescent-lamp-reflectors-new-hot/ or get a fixture w/ a reflector whatever you decide to do the UVB needs to be directly over the basking decor approx 12-15 inches from basking decor but since your using a 10% I would recommend 6-8 inches -- if you get a fixture please do not get one the same length as the tank - if your using a 40+ gallon tank I recommend a 24" fixture - they need to be able to get out of the UVB rays w/ out hiding from the UVB --- she looks good she doesnt look bloated to me --- get your tank fixed and then we will see what her behavior does from there -- if you need websites for fixtures or whatever please ask I can post some for you
Karrie
What a cute little one!
Just a quick question on the Arcadia MVB light you just got. It is a great UVB light, but,
it is European so do you have a step up/step down converter to switch the voltage to the
US voltage so you can use it?
Definitely try to change out the substrate just so she wont get impacted & loose substrate
does contribute to more bacterial issues.
I am based in the UK so I think we should be fine.
I have removed all the substrate and for now it has kitchen paper down. Will later today look to get a more permanent liner. She has had a bath whilst I cleaned out the tank and she has done a big poo in the water which is good. Although it did seem to have undigested Morio worm shell in it so maybe they are not the way to go.
I am thinking to let her settle in to her new home and then they her with some Locusts and smaller mealworms in an hour or so.
Thank you.
With regards to temperature I am using the below thermostat and sensor.
Basking temps and UVB are the most important thing in the tank - if she has undigested morio worms her basking temps are either not high enough OR shes eating them too fast -- so w/ that being said temps for basking should be 105-110 F for her try that and if she still has undigested worms dont feed her so many at one time - your Arcadia UVB tube needs a reflector and if its on the back wall of the tank I would get it moved directly over her so she can sit underneath it -- WITH A REFLECTOR - here is website for the UK Arcadia reflectors www.https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/arcadia-t8-fluorescent-reflectors/ I would look at getting the bulb upgraded to a 12% desert bulb -- the distance for the T 8 should be approx 6-8 inches --
Karrie
How is your dragon doing today?
When feeding superworms, just limit the number you feed & she should digest them easier
then. Be sure you give ample time for him to digest before bedtime. Usually, a couple of
hours before lights out, for feeding is fine.
Let us know how she is doing.
Today is her first day with the new lamp over the basking rock.
The reflector is on order.
She still is showing no interest in food of any kind, I think if nothing has been taken by Monday to give the vets a call.
I don't think so for my temepratues are where they need to be, as they have been reading 93 F so am keeping the thermostat up full today to try and raise the temperature.
Hoping she will take some food later after a good day of heat and UVB rays.
Those wood shavings are making me itch just by looking at them! My sister has a hedgehog who she kept on aspen until we realized that everyone in the house is allergic to aspen.
The UVB is really doing no good w/ no reflector --- once you get that on and placed her behavior should change -- are you taking her outside for UVB? When is the reflector due in?
Karrie
Take her outside every day till your UVB comes --- let her sit on you for as long as you can stand the heat but be careful I dont want her jumping off you and you losing her -- you can place her in a plastic tote NO glass and set her in direct sun/ partial shade for 15 minutes NO longer you dont want to burn her up and watch her --- that 15 minutes is equal to about 4 hrs of UVB -- my guess the not eating is the lack of UVB --- if her behavior does not change after the new reflector is put in then its time for a vet visit but the new reflector should help - she is not able to absorb the calcium from her food -- did you get a new bulb as well the 12% or do you still have the 10%? I am going to say the 10% bulb should be at a distance of 6-8 inches inside the tank the 12% will need to be 12-15 if inside the tank or 8-10 on top of screen -- it needs to be placed directly over the basking decor piece --
Karrie