Inactive this morning and not eating

[kdraak]

Hi, My little one has been acting weird for a few days, he was going through a shed and not eating and hiding.
Yesterday he seemed back on top form and ran at his food (although never eats as mush as he should!!)
he is only 5weeks old and about 5-6".
I have had him three weeks now and always seemed to be improving, I put it down to shedding this week but starting to get a little concerned now.
I went in this morning and he really bad stress marks and was still in the place where he fell asleep.
I got his food sorted and put some in a dish in his cage, he turned his head slightly then just looked away. he then starting closing his eyes like he was going back to sleep.
He has had a few baths this week so I think he is properly hydrated and i spray him
He always has fresh water and veg every day and offered crickets.
I have read and think his uv strip light is too far away but not sure how to suspend it lower safely, any ideas??
Here are some pics.

I have a reptiluxe 100w bulb & arcadia D3+ http://www.arcadia-uk.info/product.php?pid=66&mid=12&lan=en
All temps seem fine still fine tweeking them Some help on what ones are best would be great.
Try to keep hot end at 110f but it seems to go a bit higher sometimes (using a dimmer thermostat)
and middle about 90f.
there are also 2 thermometer probes in there one in the middle and one where he basks.

he had just got up here.

Please help I could not bare it if something happened to him through me not understanding him properly.
i have the name of a vets do you think i should either take him or get a poo sample checked??
he seemed fine yesterday

 

[zimbabwepegasus]

Are you in the US?
If so you could find a vet at herpvetconnection.com. If you decide to go that route, start with a fecal. It's considerably cheaper than a visit and if there is a problem, parasites are the most likely culprit.

That said... take out the hide for now. When Pele sleeps under her hide, she pretty much doesn't get up the next day unless I drag her out and plop her in the light/heat/UVB.

As far as the UVB goes. The only thing I can thing of is to raise his basking spot. Turn down the temp on the bulb so it's around 107 within 12 inches of the UVB. Arcadias are great bulbs and should be doing well by you.

If you happen to somehow have access to a UVB meter, you might want to double check the bulb. I seriously doubt you got a bum bulb because Arcadia rocks, but what you are describing does sound to me like insufficient UVB.

 

[kdraak]

Well I got home and he still had not eaten and looked very sleepy, I gave him a bath and he just lay there with his eyes closed. I put him under his basking lamp and he perked up stress marks went and his colours went lighter!!
I put some crickets in front him and made them move and he gobbled them up, he ate about 4 or 5 which is start
I have also moved the uv strip light to the back of the cage so it now 6" above him and the basking light them same.
Tweeked temps now so mid temp is about 90f and basking area 105f, do these sound ok?
He had pooed again, looked ok half white and half brown.
Going to get a smaller size cricket incase the ones I have are too big.
Better to eat loads of little ones I think.
I have found a vet (I live in the uk) so will see how he is tomorrow.
Thanks for the help

 

[zimbabwepegasus]

Good! Glad to hear it does sound like a UVB issue- totally solvable!

If his BMs are normal, I wouldn't worry about adjusting cricket size. From the pic, he should be on 3 week crickets, I would think... about 1/2 inch? crap.. centimeters.. um a little over a cm

One other idea. Are you feeding him in his tank? If so, you might consider feeding him in a smaller space. Sometimes lil beardies have trouble with crix in larger enclosures.

Don't overly worry about the "stress marks". They haven't actually been linked to stress and with my beardies, I find them much better indicators of temperature. Not even external temp, but their internal temp. Both my beardies have more dramatic tummy markings in the morning when they are still cold and lighten up as the day goes on provided they sit in their basking spots at all!

 

[kdraak]

Well good news he seem super active eating a few crickets not as many as he should I dont think but he is only small and eats more every day. He is now using all parts of his cage and even ate a piece of rocket the other day!!!
So all in all things seem to be looking up.
Thanks for the help