Help me, not sure what to do

[williams50]

I am a fairly new beardie owner. Mine is about 6 months old and has been doing so well. He outgrew his cage so last Friday I got him a new one. I put crushed walnuts in it as a substrate (apparently not a good idea). He is now acting very sick. He is eating fine but he is acting lathargic and keeps his eyes closed alot and is not basking. I found him this morning in the corner of the cage and I thought he was dead but once he warmed up he ate but he is not pooping like he used to. He used to poop once a day but has only gone twice this week. I am going home and take out that darn substrate but I can't find any cage liner big enough for his cage (can you just get carpet?). Anyway, does anyone think I should take him to the vet? Since he has been eating, I have been reluctant to take him. I thought since the bag of walnut shells recommended it for Beardies that it was fine, but after reading posts on this site, I guess I was wrong. Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks.

 

[Goonie]

[Moved by Moderator from Website Comments to Health]

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What type of light source does your beardie have? Are you using a UV light? If so, is it a compact coil (known to have detrimental effects on beardies' eyes)? What are the temps in the tank?

Do you believe that your beardie had ingested some of the crushed walnut? If so, he might be impacted. Soak him in a warm bath (the temp should be no warmer than what you would give to a baby) and gently massage his tummy from armpit to vent to help move things along. If after a couple of days he doesn't seem to get better, then a vet visit would be recommended.

As for a different substrate, you could use paper towels if repticarpet isn't within your budget. Non-adhesive shelf liners also work very well because you could easily remove the liners, wash off the poop, dry off, and it could go right back into the tank.

 

[williams50]

I do have UV light. I am not sure what you mean by a compact coil but before the new cage I was using one that looks kind of like those new light bulbs but I got it at the pet store. However, when I got his new cage, I bought one of those Reti lights that has the round UV light and the basking light in the middle. The temp in the cage is staying at about 85 degrees to 90 degrees. I tried soaking him this week and he pooped on Monday but then he wouldn't go again. He pooped again yesterday in his cage. I can get the Repti carpet but could you give me of any ideas of where to find it. I have looked at the pet stores closest to me and they don't have it. Thanks.

 

[Goonie]

UV Light Source:

(only UV)
or

(both UV and heat)

Substrate:

or

(all from PetSmart online)

You'll need to increase the temps at least 5-10 degrees for the basking spot. That may be why he isn't having as many bowel movements as he should.

 

[beardie parents]

About the repti carpet. We just use some carpet we have left over when we bought the place we have now. Since we have one baby and one juvie, we put shelf liner over the carpet to protect it. Petmountain.com has some repticarpet on sale, if I remember correctly, it's in the clearance tab. Shelf liner is around $5 at walmart. You can find different patterns to fit the coloring you want.

What do you take your temps with? If you have a stick on, your temps could be too hot. If you have a temp gun or a digital thermometer with probe, they are too cold. The younger beardies need temps closer to 110.
Could you be more sepcific about the uvb you use, what brand/name is it?

If you have a fluorescent, the best ones are the RepTISUN 10, then the Reptisun 5 then the reptiglo 8. What size is your new tank? If it's a 40 breeder or larger, you can use the mega ray which is the best uvb you can get and is very well tested by the maker, Bob Mac. Go to http://www.reptileuv.com for more information.

Gina, we posted at the same time. I'm glad you got the pics of what he should use. I just recommended the mega ray.

 

[williams50]

I have a stick on thermometer but plan on getting a digital one today to verify temps. Please tell me again what the temp in the cage needs to be and then the temp of his basking site. I also read some other things on this site and I think my basking site is too close to the light so I will have to work on that. My tank is a 40 gallon reptile tank. I can't remember what brand the UV light is that I have, I will have to look at that this afternoon. As for shelf liner, do you just use that soft shelf liner that doesn't slip that they have at Walmart or do you use the kind that sticks down to the bottom (I would think they would slide around on that)? Thanks to everyone for your help. My kids wanted this Beardie and now I have gotten very attached to him. I wish I had looked for this site a lot sooner as you all are so helpful.

 

[Goonie]

Don't use the liners that have the adhesive on the back. Some adhesives would emit toxic fumes when heated. Most won't move as long as they're cut to fit corner to corner, and if you have accessories in the tank that has any weight to them, that should hold down the liners. And they're mostly made of a rubber-like material that would stick to glass anyway.

The basking temp should be in the average range of 90 to 110°F; cool side around 80°F. Some beardies, like mine, doesn't like the basking temp at over 100°F; he'd hide away from the heat. In the same token, some like temps higher than 105°F. You'll have to experiment the temps with your beardie to see what's more comfortable for him.

This is the type of thermometer I use:

You'll have to place the probe closest to the basking spot; if possible, "on" the basking spot would be ideal.

The distance depends on what type of bulb you're using. I can't remember off the top of my head what the specifics are; maybe Lori or someone else could help out.

 

[williams50]

Okay. I read where the distance from the light to the basking light should be about 6 inches but not sure if that is right or not. Mine is about 4 inches right now. I almost forgot to ask, I have a heat rock in there, it seems like some people are recommending not to use a heat rock, what do you think? Thanks again.

 

[beardie parents]

While you are in Walmart, go to where the hardware, or ceiling fans are and you will find an Accurite digital thermometer with probe for $12. It gives you the temp at the probe and where the housing is and the humidity reading. You put the thermometer at the cool side and put your probe at the basking spot.

Yes, I used the non-stick shelf liner.

 

[Goonie]

Heat rocks are dangerous to beardies because they absorb heat from the top of their body, not their tummy. Especially for babies, heat rocks had been known to cause serious burns on their underside due to the inability to properly guage the heat being emitted, thus staying on the rock longer than they should.

• [Disclaimer: Do not attempt this with your beardie]
  I used to have two male beardies who were brought up with a heat rock. They had never been burned nor overheated. The only times they'd sit on the heat rock is first thing in the morning and whenever they feel cold during the day, and never more than a couple of minutes at a time.

You can still keep the heat rock as a tank furniture - Just cut the cord off to avoid accidental plug ins.

I believe with the Megaray it should be 12 inches away from the basking spot. I'll have to search for it to be sure, so don't hold me on that.

 

[beardie parents]

I believe with the Megaray it should be 12 inches away from the basking spot. I'll have to search for it to be sure, so don't hold me on that.

Yes, Gina, the mega rays should be at LEAST 12 inches from the basking spot. I also found out something yesterday. You can buy an extension thingy to put the drop light farther above the screen top. I found one on Petmountain.com that extends to 36 inches.

 

[williams50]

Thanks to everyone for your responses and help. I took my Beardie to the vet yesterday and she has coccidia. According to the vet, it was pretty bad but he thinks we caught it in time. I gave her the first dose of medicine yesterday afternoon and she already pooed this morning and is much more active. She has been running around her cage all morning. Just wanted to let everyone know what the diagnosis was and in the meantime, I got the temps in her cage right now, removed those walnut shells and the heat rock so even though that was not the cause of the problem it is good that we were able to get those issues resolved. Thanks again for everyone's help........