Is he sick or brumating?

[Edwtampa]

my five week old beardie Warlock has been lethargic for the past two days.he moves still some,and he will open his eyes occassionally.however he will not eat.i tried bringing some food to his mouth and he just closed his eyes.he doesn't even react to the tweezers,which he recognizes are the things that mean food.i put him in a bath today and yesterday.today he swam vigorously and made me feel happy to see him as he was before.but then he went back to the lethargic limpness.he had a bowel movement in his bath today and he does seem to be having one in a while,although they seem a bit runny to me.Warlocks cage consists of a low little water bowl,a little wooden arch,a clean rock and newspaper on the bottom.bare i know.i used to feed him three times a week,anywhere from one to maybe five crickets and he gulped them up happily.i would feed him iceberg lettuce everyday,which i've now stopped for fear that's what has made him sick.yesterday he drank quite a bit for him in the bath.is he brumating or is he really sick?i'm planning on taking him to the vet as soon as i know the scheduel for my job.

 

[kimmie]

5 wks old is too young for brumation.

What are your temps, how are you taking them? Ideal basking temps should be around 105-110 for babies. Cool temps should be no lower than 65. Stick on temp gauges are mostly off by as much as 20 degrees. You can get a good Accurite thermometer from Walmart ($15) and/or a temp gun (sears sells them) to take your temps with. What kind of lights to you have also? A regular house bulb will be great for basking and a ReptiSun 10.0 Tube is the ONLY recommended one for UV. That should be 6" - 8" from his body as well.

Also has he been seen by a vet for a parasite check? You might want to have a fecal done just to make sure. Also - how long have you had him? They do go thru relocation stress - lasts about a week or 2.

Iceberg lettuce - NO NUTRITIONAL value what so ever - check http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html for a great nutritional chart.

 

[Edwtampa]

i have a sticker thermometer thing that i had for my last beardie before it died.i know the cool side is around 82 degrees but i don't know for the hot side,because the stickers opposite the side where his heat lamp is.i think i have just a regular reptile lightbulb.and he hasn't been to a vet at all yet.also i've had him for three weeks.he was perfectly fine,alert and hungry up until two days ago.

 

[Edwtampa]

he keeps going under his wooden arch and i saw him moving just now.at first i worried he was heaving,but then i realized he was just shifting,as if he were trying to get comfortable.he kept his eyes closed the entire time i think.i don't know why he keeps going under his arch when i try to put him in a warm spot where the lamp can reach him.is this really not brumating?

 

[tonid]

No he is not brumating, he is way too young. What UVB light are you using? You should be offering him live feeders daily. Three time a week is not enough to feed him. Lettuce is also not good for him. You really need to know your temperatures and need to buy a proper digital thermometer with a probe. If you are not using a UVB light, this could be your problem. Are you dusting his food with calcium? You should do this 5 times per week and twice a week with a multi vitamin including D3.