Lethargic beardie baby

[Lexileigh9]

Hi guys- new beardie owner here, got my guy about 3 weeks ago. Getting straight to the point, my beardie baby is so lethargic and his legs are so weak and I’m freaking out. He seems to be able to move his legs still though, but he can’t hold onto / grab anything (like when I hold him he doesn’t grab onto me). I accidentally committed a beardie mom sin and had put walnut shell sand at the bottom, replacing with carpet literally tomorrow, I have a layer of paper towel on top now in the mean time. He doesn’t feel impacted, his belly is still squishy/I couldn’t feel any impaction. I did notice some come out when he pooped today, but also I am having to massage his belly and help him poop almost. Today was the fourth day of this. He was fine until he wasn’t. His tail is also shedding. I went out and bought a stronger UVB from my Zilla mini bulb one, I attached a pic. Switched from crickets to roaches (dusted in calcium) for an extra nutrient boost. That’s my info dump on the situation. I attached some pics for reference. I’m just so sad watching him try to crawl around and barely be able to and don’t know what to do. How do I get my crazy baby lizard back

 

[Lexileigh9]

Additional info that I thought of: he is still eating (he had two roaches today) so he hasn’t completely lost appetite, and wasnt a big fan of his salads so that hasn’t changed. No head/leg shaking, just has noodle arms/legs. No bearding. Still let’s me hold/handle him and will chill and close his eyes. I attached a video that will hopefully provide some clarity on how he is.

 

[hdochow]

it's good you are replacing the walnut shell. it is toxic to them. that 10 gallon tank is going to be too small VERY quickly. the next thing i suggest is replacing the uvb. those compact bulbs are notorious for causing health problems, including eye problems. you want a long tube uvb in a fixture that has a reflector. (usually i would recommend a 12% arcadia bulb and fixture, but i have no clue what to recommend for an enclosure that small.) are you using a red bulb too or is that just the lighting of the picture? they should not have red/blue/colored bulbs. all of these things could be causing the lethargy you are concerned about. shedding also doesn't help, but that can be dealt with by them much better if the other set up issues are taken care of.

 

[Lexileigh9]

it's good you are replacing the walnut shell. it is toxic to them. that 10 gallon tank is going to be too small VERY quickly. the next thing i suggest is replacing the uvb. those compact bulbs are notorious for causing health problems, including eye problems. you want a long tube uvb in a fixture that has a reflector. (usually i would recommend a 12% arcadia bulb and fixture, but i have no clue what to recommend for an enclosure that small.) are you using a red bulb too or is that just the lighting of the picture? they should not have red/blue/colored bulbs. all of these things could be causing the lethargy you are concerned about. shedding also doesn't help, but that can be dealt with by them much better if the other set up issues are taken care of.

Yeah I plan on upgrading his tank very soon! Interesting you mention the red light, that’s his night hear lamp. Noted on the UVB, I literally just bought it the other day. I am most concerned about his noodle legs, I know they’re so calcium deficient naturally so I want to get him back on track. I’m in college, so trying to avoid the vet bill if possible lol.

 

[hdochow]

good to hear on the tank size upgrade! you'll want AT LEAST a 40 gallon, which will need to be replaced again. i believe the general recommendation is about 120 gallons, or 4'x2'x2', which a lot of us use.

they don't need light at night at all. and they like it cooler while sleeping so you only really need to provide heat at night if your temps are getting below 65°. if that is the case you can use a ceramic heat emitter which provides no light (there's another thing that's newer tech and i can't remember its name. another member here, i think it is @Rubble1212 can fill you in on that.)

did you buy a kit from a pet store by any chance? they usually don't have much anything worth using in them. lots of people have been sucked into those kits by pet stores, including the person i rescued my guy from! i get the college student angle, both my daughter and i are in college too. it will be spendy in the beginning to get everything you actually need to have, but in the long run, and the health of your dragon, it is still cheaper than a ton of vet bills. some things, like the uvb, are more critical and need to be addressed before other things which lets you research and budget for them. the noodle legs are more than likely a symptom caused by one or more of these things being off.

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

The other heat emitter @hdochow mentioned is called a deep heat projector. I actually just replaced my basking light with one and my guy really seems to enjoy it. It is made by Arcadia and emits IR-A and IR-B heat which penetrate the muscles better than just heat from a bulb that only goes skin deep. They are very powerful so I would wait until the new tank if you are going to go that route.

 

[hdochow]

The other heat emitter @hdochow mentioned is called a deep heat projector. I actually just replaced my basking light with one and my guy really seems to enjoy it. It is made by Arcadia and emits IR-A and IR-B heat which penetrate the muscles better than just heat from a bulb that only goes skin deep. They are very powerful so I would wait until the new tank if you are going to go that route.

thanks! knew i had read a thread where it was being discussed.

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Yeah it's really nice. His colors look so much better with only the tube for light, not so washed out. He loves sitting on his basking spot. I went from a 150 W "intense" basking light to an 80 W DHP, so cut the energy consumption almost in half. Temps are a nice 99-104 on the basking spot. Took a couple of days where I had to use a smaller bulb to supplement before it kicked into high gear, but now it's awesome.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Which UVB light are you using, what brand is it & is it a long tube bulb?
I am thinking he may be partially impacted. For now, I would try giving soft foods such as canned or fresh pumpkin,
sugar free applesauce, squash & a few drops of olive or coconut oil to help things pass through.
Be sure the insects are smaller than the space between the eyes, too. Maybe hold off for a few days on giving insects,
to be sure his system is passing everything through.
Are you giving calcium supplementation too?
If you can keep him a little warmer overnight, around 75-80 go ahead & do that to help expedite his system.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[Lexileigh9]

Hello,

Which UVB light are you using, what brand is it & is it a long tube bulb?
I am thinking he may be partially impacted. For now, I would try giving soft foods such as canned or fresh pumpkin,
sugar free applesauce, squash & a few drops of olive or coconut oil to help things pass through.
Be sure the insects are smaller than the space between the eyes, too. Maybe hold off for a few days on giving insects,
to be sure his system is passing everything through.
Are you giving calcium supplementation too?
If you can keep him a little warmer overnight, around 75-80 go ahead & do that to help expedite his system.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

I am using the Zoomed mini desert UVB lighting combo 100W. And no it’s not a long tube, it’s a short stick bulb (not a coil though). Noted on the soft food, I will start that today! Insects are smaller than the space between his eyes. Yes, I dust everything in calcium. And I’ll make sure to keep it there at night. Thank you! I’ll keep you posted.

 

[Lexileigh9]

good to hear on the tank size upgrade! you'll want AT LEAST a 40 gallon, which will need to be replaced again. i believe the general recommendation is about 120 gallons, or 4'x2'x2', which a lot of us use.

they don't need light at night at all. and they like it cooler while sleeping so you only really need to provide heat at night if your temps are getting below 65°. if that is the case you can use a ceramic heat emitter which provides no light (there's another thing that's newer tech and i can't remember its name. another member here, i think it is @Rubble1212 can fill you in on that.)

did you buy a kit from a pet store by any chance? they usually don't have much anything worth using in them. lots of people have been sucked into those kits by pet stores, including the person i rescued my guy from! i get the college student angle, both my daughter and i are in college too. it will be spendy in the beginning to get everything you actually need to have, but in the long run, and the health of your dragon, it is still cheaper than a ton of vet bills. some things, like the uvb, are more critical and need to be addressed before other things which lets you research and budget for them. the noodle legs are more than likely a symptom caused by one or more of these things being off.

I did buy a kit- after even asking if it was better to just buy things separately lol. Oh well. Yeah, I’d rather spend the $300 on better products for him vs a vet bill after I’ve seen a few horror stories of vet visits in here.

 

[Lexileigh9]

Hello,

Which UVB light are you using, what brand is it & is it a long tube bulb?
I am thinking he may be partially impacted. For now, I would try giving soft foods such as canned or fresh pumpkin,
sugar free applesauce, squash & a few drops of olive or coconut oil to help things pass through.
Be sure the insects are smaller than the space between the eyes, too. Maybe hold off for a few days on giving insects,
to be sure his system is passing everything through.
Are you giving calcium supplementation too?
If you can keep him a little warmer overnight, around 75-80 go ahead & do that to help expedite his system.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Okay I got a sticky side tank heater to help bump the temps for him, as well as the carpet. Gave him a little olive oil. After massaging his belly again he pooped and it was almost all substrate. Wasn’t interested in his roach, but that was before he pooped. I’m glad he passed a good amount, and hoping if there is more, it comes out soon with the additional of oil and a warmer tank. He’s still has his weak noodle legs. Still sleeping a lot, but sits up and looks out the window he’s up against periodically (he loves looking out my window / watching the cars and such).

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is he doing today? I would highly recommend getting a long tube bulb for a better UVB exposure for him.
We all recommend either the Reptisun 10 T5 or the Arcadia D3 12% T5 for the best lights. If he doesn't have
adequate UVB exposure he will end up getting metabolic bone disease from lack of UVB & that also contributes
to weak muscles & neuromuscular problems.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[Lexileigh9]

Hello,

How is he doing today? I would highly recommend getting a long tube bulb for a better UVB exposure for him.
We all recommend either the Reptisun 10 T5 or the Arcadia D3 12% T5 for the best lights. If he doesn't have
adequate UVB exposure he will end up getting metabolic bone disease from lack of UVB & that also contributes
to weak muscles & neuromuscular problems.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Still the same. Is perking up a little bit though. I made him a kale + water + calcium powder + multivitamin powder smoothie to lick off my finger (and he did) just to get something in his system. He hasn't eaten any roaches when I offered it to him the last couple days. I put out some veggies for him to see if he had any desire to graze on those.

 

[Mimi2001]

Question with that!! Do you usually let it burn a bit before you let your beardie use it? Like I read something about letting it burn for a bit before you use it for your beardie.