Hiding

[Fernanda]

So my beardie started limping yesterday, not a big one. That's when I realized I forgot to give him his calcium. I feel so bad! I've been giving him vitamins and calcium. He's doing a lot better now, he recently jumped from the floor to high up in his net. It was impressive. Anyway, he's been hiding all day in his cave and only comes out when he's hungry. Should I be worried?

 

[Varalidaine]

Your post is a little all over the place. It would be helpful to have the following information when trying to discover if something is wrong:

What type of UVB Bulb:
Age of UVB bulb:
Enclosure size:
Basking Temperature:
Cool-Side Temperature:
Age of Dragon:
Substrate:
Calcium Schedule:
Vitamin Schedule:
Diet:
A photo of the setup can also be helpful in determining if there was something that could have hurt him:

As for the limping, MBD is not something that would develop after skipping calcium for one day, so it was likely he injured himself somehow.

Depending on his age, he could be starting brumation. Read this for more info: https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/

 

[Fernanda]

1. 100w
2. About 4 days old
3. 20 wide; thought it's too small so I recently bought a 40, he hasn't been moved yet
4.105 temp
5. Not sure, I should buy another thermometer. I touch the glass it feels cool
6. Soon to be 3 months
7. Not sure what a substrate is
8. Calcium schedule was horrible, I actually forgot it for almost 2 weeks. I feel horrible. Now I'm planning on doing 5x a week calcium
9.Vitamin schedule same bad! I feel so bad. I'm planning on doing 2x a week
(I read an article on calcium and vitamins)
10. Crickets and fruits, I offer cabbage but he doesn't eat it
His cave is in the warm side. climbing net and food on the cool side. Water is in between.

 

[Varalidaine]

Thanks for all the info

For the UVB, I meant is it a coil bulb or a strip light?

Since he's so young, I would keep him in the 20 long for a few more months. It's easier to keep the smaller space warm and cozy for them. It's also less stressful than being in a large space when they're so little.

How are you measuring temperatures? With an IR temp gun, Probe thermometer, or the stick-on ones?

Substrate is what you put on the bottom of the tank, like tile, newspaper, etc. What do you use for him?

Does he have any other items in the tank? Babies often feel more comfortable off the ground, so it's good to provide multiple climbing spots besides just the cave. And for the climbing net, is it the green plastic-y Repti-Hammock?

 

[Fernanda]

UVB is coil bulb
I am using a probe thermometer
The substrate is a rug.
He also has a log.
And yes it is the green plastic net

Thank you!

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Those coil uvb lights are not very good. They cause appetite, eye and lethargy issues. That can be one reason why he's hiding. You want to replace it with a reptisun 10.0 Tube.

 

[Varalidaine]

The coil bulbs are not the best because they only give one direct point of UVB instead of having it across most of the cage. Some of the cheaper brands also give out a shorter, more intense, wavelength of light which could cause eye-damage after prolonged use. Over-all, they are not very reliable. I would definitely recommend investing in a strip light instead like the ReptiSun T5 10.0 or Arcadia 12%

For the 105 temperature you listed, where is that coming from? The surface area of the basking spot or the air temperature or floor temperature? Where are you placing the probe?

I don't recommend rugs as their toes can get caught on the fibers and they can rip a nail out or hurt their leg trying to pull it out. They also aren't sanitary as the liquid from their poop will soak in and grow bacteria. Cleaner substrates like tile, non-stick linoleum, newspaper, or paper towel are recommended. You want everything to be as sanitary as possible. Dragons have poor immune systems and are prone to parasites.

I would remove the green plastic net. Again, they can get their toes caught and injure a leg. Some members on here have actually had dragons either break their legs or pull them out of socket because of those hammocks. The limping from before was probably due to the hammock.