Is She Brumatating?

[ColoradoRiverRafter]

Okay, so my couple month old bearded dragon Jessica seems to be brumatating. She's really sleepy all the time and eats sporadically. She hasn't eaten anything in a day. My Mom and I are really worried that she might be sick or something. She can't be impacted because she is still pooping, doesn't have a bruise on her lovely tummy, and her stomach feels soft when pressed against very softly. Can anyone have a diagnosis? She's too young to be brumatating. She is maybe 5 months old. Thanks for all the help! Jessica sends her thanks too.

 

[Cammy]

Can you tell us more about her setup? What are her basking and ambient temperatures and what kind of thermometer are you using to measure those temperatures? What kind of UVB light (brand, style, strength) are you using? How much of the cage does it cover? How close is the beardie to the UVB bulb when basking? What are you feeding her and how much? What kind of supplementation are you using and how often are you using it? Be as detailed in your answers as you can.

Definitely too young to be brumating. Hopefully it's just a husbandry thing which can be easily fixed. However, for safety's sake, have a reptile specialized vet on hand of it does turn out to be a larger problem.

 

[ColoradoRiverRafter]

Basking temp-85-90 degrees
Cool-80 degrees
Small circle thermometers which are not digital
Repti-glo 10.0 uvb tube-my Mom refused to buy online for a repti-sun
24" UVB
Very close to UVB and heat bulb with UVA
Feeding pinhead crickets
Calcium every day once a day
Vitamin and mineral supplement once a week
She only eats green peas for veggies. She refuses to eat anything else.

 

[Jess]

Bump up her basking temp to about 107*F. 90*F is even a little cool for an adult, so that could be why she is feeling a tad sluggish.
I would get a digital thermometer first though, since the dail ones could 20*F off in either direction. You can get a cheap Acu-Rite one at Walmart. That is what I use.

As for the light... Why won't she let you get one? If you order them from Petmountain.com, they are even cheaper than the Glos. They are on sale for $22 right now, and you get free shipping if you spend $49. What I usually do is get a mass order of 2 ReptiSuns, vitamins and calcium, and what ever else I need so I get the free shipping, and then I don't have to order anything else for another year LOL. You could even get the digital thermometers there, and that and 2 ReptiSuns would get you the free shipping.

 

[ColoradoRiverRafter]

My Mom really doesn't understand the importance of different brands of items, unlike me so that's why, but really I think that I will end up just finding some way to buy the correct supplies myself with minimal dispute from my mother. Ah, I have an idea already. Since I have 2 itouches, I'll sell the one I don't want and use the money to buy the supplies. As for raising the temperature, how can I raise it besides a UTH. I have a CHE but only one dome. Should I get another?

 

[Jess]

Try a higher watt light bulb. You will want to get the digital therm first though, to make sure the temps are correct before you raise them.

I want an iPod touch! LOL. I have the ancient square nano version.

 

[ColoradoRiverRafter]

Yeah, I have no money right now, so I'm gonna need to sell my iTouch pretty fast. Craigslist will work well. I'm gonna start looking at stuff on petmountain right now for stuff Jessica might need.