issues with over heating, possible neuro injury, won't eat

[bfelksmn7]

so, 2 days ago i had accidently positioned my beardie's bulb a bit too close to his tank. he was asleep and woke up in a panic off his log a while later, from which point i quickly took him out and treated him with a warm bath to slowly cool down his body temp. he spent most of yesterday resting. today he's much more alert, but hasn't been eating. i tried several time today to feed him, but all failed. i noticed earlier a change in his behavior, he's moving around a lot less but looking around a lot more. i don't know how long beardies can go without food, but i'm seriously worried he won't eat unless i forcefeed him which i don't want to do. i'm fairly certain he experienced some kind of brain injury, which hurts a lot to know considering it was my stupid mistake.

 

[KarrieRee]

so, 2 days ago i had accidently positioned my beardie's bulb a bit too close to his tank. he was asleep and woke up in a panic off his log a while later, from which point i quickly took him out and treated him with a warm bath to slowly cool down his body temp. he spent most of yesterday resting. today he's much more alert, but hasn't been eating. i tried several time today to feed him, but all failed. i noticed earlier a change in his behavior, he's moving around a lot less but looking around a lot more. i don't know how long beardies can go without food, but i'm seriously worried he won't eat unless i forcefeed him which i don't want to do. i'm fairly certain he experienced some kind of brain injury, which hurts a lot to know considering it was my stupid mistake.

How close was the bulb and what was the surface basking temp? Those should be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer analogs are inaccurate They will move away from it if its too hot- dragons go thru a slow period of not eating during the winter - hes not going to starve himself --- they get lazy too --- what is the UVB your using a coil or a long tube fixture?

 

[bfelksmn7]

How close was the bulb and what was the surface basking temp? Those should be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer analogs are inaccurate They will move away from it if its too hot- dragons go thru a slow period of not eating during the winter - hes not going to starve himself --- they get lazy too --- what is the UVB your using a coil or a long tube fixture?

this is how it usually is, at that time the thermometer measured 120 but it was closer to the thermometer than to my beardie at that time. i'm not sure if this is the correct one, but he was sleeping at the time and he was hot when i took him out.

 

[KarrieRee]

View attachment 86322
this is how it usually is, at that time the thermometer measured 120 but it was closer to the thermometer than to my beardie at that time. i'm not sure if this is the correct one, but he was sleeping at the time and he was hot when i took him out.

You want the bulb 6" above him no closer-- 120 is too hot for surface basking temps ---95-100 -- they will not bask under a lamp at that temp- I see the digital thermometer that is ambient temp your getting - the probe needs to be placed on the spot where he sits for basking --- it doesnt need to stay there but you need to check that temp every couple of weeks or so - heat bulbs do lose their intensity after a while or they can just blow out as well

 

[bfelksmn7]

You want the bulb 6" above him no closer-- 120 is too hot for surface basking temps ---95-100 -- they will not bask under a lamp at that temp- I see the digital thermometer that is ambient temp your getting - the probe needs to be placed on the spot where he sits for basking --- it doesnt need to stay there but you need to check that temp every couple of weeks or so - heat bulbs do lose their intensity after a while or they can just blow out as well

my issue isn't with the bulb, moreso how to care for him from here on out. as i mentioned, his behavior has been very different from before. before this incident he feared taking baths and would try to near constantly scramble out of the sink, today he just sat there for most of it. when i would take him out of tank to walk around my room, he behaved much differently. before he would get grumpy after over a day with no food, now any food he gets he just looks at for a bit before losing interest.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I hope he will be alright!
Has his beard been black at all since he got overheated? I would also try to get some extra oral fluids
into him. Depending on his mood, do your best to keep him hydrated & stress free.
You may need to assist feed if he isn't eating much on his own. Be patient, maybe he just need a little
time to get back to normal. Watch his temperatures carefully & for now, keep them at the minimum
for basking, around 95-96F.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[bfelksmn7]

Hello,

I hope he will be alright!
Has his beard been black at all since he got overheated? I would also try to get some extra oral fluids
into him. Depending on his mood, do your best to keep him hydrated & stress free.
You may need to assist feed if he isn't eating much on his own. Be patient, maybe he just need a little
time to get back to normal. Watch his temperatures carefully & for now, keep them at the minimum
for basking, around 95-96F.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

thank you for replying, i'll keep your advice in mind. his beard hasn't been black from what i've seen since the incident, he spent the day after mostly sleeping but other than that no visible signs of stress. he hasn't eaten since before the incident so, about 3-4 days i'd say? i've tried helping him eat his usual worms but he has seemingly no interest in them. i watched him stare incredibly closely at the worms in his bowl, but he didn't eat any of them. i'll take your advice though and give him time. he's about 2 1/2 months old, is there anything else i can try feeding him?

 

[KarrieRee]

thank you for replying, i'll keep your advice in mind. his beard hasn't been black from what i've seen since the incident, he spent the day after mostly sleeping but other than that no visible signs of stress. he hasn't eaten since before the incident so, about 3-4 days i'd say? i've tried helping him eat his usual worms but he has seemingly no interest in them. i watched him stare incredibly closely at the worms in his bowl, but he didn't eat any of them. i'll take your advice though and give him time. he's about 2 1/2 months old, is there anything else i can try feeding him?

Have you offered salads? Nutrition Content
Ignore the kale info its outdated and is a good staple- he should be getting salads every day and a staple insect-- meal worms and super worms are treat worms - he needs a staple feeder like crickets dubia roaches BSFL I recommend these to lure him to the salad bowl or silk worms --

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Definitely keep an eye on his behavior to be sure that he continues to be improving on a daily
basis. I'm glad to hear that he doesn't have a black beard right now, hopefully he isn't feeling
too badly right now.
Be sure to monitor his temperatures closely to avoid him getting overheated at any time right
now.
If he isn't eating enough on his own, you can try using some chicken or turkey baby food, mixed
with sweet potato & squash baby food, too. You can use a plastic dropper to drop some of the
mix onto his nose to see if he will lick some of the food off of his nose.
Keep us posted on how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[bfelksmn7]

Hello,

Definitely keep an eye on his behavior to be sure that he continues to be improving on a daily
basis. I'm glad to hear that he doesn't have a black beard right now, hopefully he isn't feeling
too badly right now.
Be sure to monitor his temperatures closely to avoid him getting overheated at any time right
now.
If he isn't eating enough on his own, you can try using some chicken or turkey baby food, mixed
with sweet potato & squash baby food, too. You can use a plastic dropper to drop some of the
mix onto his nose to see if he will lick some of the food off of his nose.
Keep us posted on how he is doing.

Tracie

hi, thank you for the advice! as an update, he's finally eaten the mealworms that were in his tray. for some context, my parents were the ones who got him, but could not keep him in their room due to our other beardie, so i 'offered' to take care of him, and got attached quickly. i'm not the one who gets the food, so you can imagine my surprise finding out that the meal worms and super worms they've been living on are treat worms. i still need to do more research on proper dieting for him, but i wanted to ask what can do for now as the basics? ive been relying mostly on the internet for how to properly care for him, but it obviously isn't perfect. i've looked up what foods are edible for him, but with all the results at once it gets a bit overwhelming.

 

[KarrieRee]

hi, thank you for the advice! as an update, he's finally eaten the mealworms that were in his tray. for some context, my parents were the ones who got him, but could not keep him in their room due to our other beardie, so i 'offered' to take care of him, and got attached quickly. i'm not the one who gets the food, so you can imagine my surprise finding out that the meal worms and super worms they've been living on are treat worms. i still need to do more research on proper dieting for him, but i wanted to ask what can do for now as the basics? ive been relying mostly on the internet for how to properly care for him, but it obviously isn't perfect. i've looked up what foods are edible for him, but with all the results at once it gets a bit overwhelming.

Website for nutrition ignore the kale info its outdated and a good staple feeder
Nutrition Content

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The mealworms are ok but not as a staple. Superworms are ok, as long as they aren't given in
excess. You can try silkworms or hornworms, if you can find them. Crickets are a very good
staple as well.
How is he on eating his greens right now? It is challenging to get all of the correct information on
getting things all setup properly in the tank as well as the right nutrition.
Keep us posted on him!

Tracie

 

[AHBD]

What kind of tank is that, it looks plastic ? What size is it and can you post a few pics of your full enclosure and also your beardie ? I'm glad he's feeling better !