Lethargic beardie

[Queenofshadows00]

Hi all ,

Just as little disclaimer (I'm British!) (Couldn't set it to GTM)

For the past 2 - 3 days my beardie has become really lethargic and not eating much. His name is Spikey and is about 19 inches long. (Still debating whether he's still a juvenile or an adult) Not quite sure how old he is but we've had him for roughly a month and a bit so far.

Only know the basics in beardie behaviour (black puffed out bearded - means angry af ECT)

Can anyone please tell me why he's so lethargic recently??

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, can you post pics of Spikey including his set up and lights ? Is he eating much ? What exact lights do you have [ be specific ] Proper uvb + heat is a huge factor in beardie health.

And although many dragons can become dormant this time of year [ that's another possibility, that he's brumating ] it's best to be sure that the lighting is correct.

 

[Queenofshadows00]

How do I post photos ???

 

[AHBD]

Sorry, I meant to include the link :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload the pics

 

[Queenofshadows00]

Spikey is asleep at the moment so I'll post pictures of him when he's awake. He has a 10% 25w dessert UVB bulb, heat lap is on a thermoregulater solar spot 100w here are a few pictures of his viv and lighting set up

 

[CooperDragon]

25w is that the 30'' T8? How far is it from the main basking area where the basking light is? You may want to add a reflector to it to direct more of the UVB downward.

The Arcadia Solar Spot should be a decent basking light. What do you have the temperatures set to?

Your setup looks pretty good overall. Maybe a bit short if he likes to climb. You might consider replacing the loose substrate with something easier to clean & sanitize like shelf liner. I don't think that's a factor in his mood though. It could be that the temps are off. Perhaps he is just going through a down phase which happens from time to time. Do you see signs of him shedding? That can have them acting weird too.

 

[Queenofshadows00]

I'm not sure what the signs of shedding are. And the lower shelf is his basking area. Temperatures regulate automatically keeping around half the viv cool and the other around 30-34 degrees celcius. We were thinking of trying to get him a bigger viv but just don't I've the cash for it. He likes to wonder round outside his viv though and really enjoys a bath

 

[CooperDragon]

It's good that he enjoys wandering around outside his viv. My guy likes that too. If he is in a safe area let him enjoy that. You can eventually get a portable basking light to set up and he will learn to return to it when he gets cold.

Signs of shedding include dull, waxy skin in areas. Sometimes it makes the skin look gray. This can be quite patchy rather than a full body shed at once. Eventually the waxy areas crack and peel away to reveal bright healthy new skin underneath.

How far is each shelf from the UVB light? Ideally you'd want a T8 to sit about 15-20cm above the main basking area. In this case he can probably move closer on the higher shelf if he wants to which is good.

For temps, I suggest boosting the basking area a bit. Set the basking surface at around 38-42. The cool end (under the big shelf) should be around 24-28 or so. That will give him a nice gradient to choose from. Making warmer temps available might help him perk up a bit.

 

[AHBD]

Those vivs are popular in the U.K, I've seen quite a few from the British posters here. There's good things about them but I think they provide too much bottom/empty hiding space. Is he staying under the shelves ?

And yes I agree with Cooper to bump the temps. up to hopefully raise his activity level.

 

[Queenofshadows00]

Basking light is about 25 cm from the shelf and the UVB pretty much spreads across the cooler end and part of the warmer end. At the moment the cooler end is 25 degrees Celsius and the warmer end is 32 - 33 degrees Celsius. I'll try making the warmer end a little hotter and check for signs of shedding tomorrow.

I've noticed that he likes to hide under the lower shelf. Is this normal?

And at 19 inches is he classed as an adult or a juvenile? We aren't sure as he's an active hunter and prefers insects over veggies. We've recently been feeding him less insects and more veggies but he's not interested in them. He's only rated 1 or 2 small leaves of basil. And we offer him veggies daily

 

[AHBD]

He's either an adult or subadult. Some dragons max out at 19", others continue to grow larger.

 

[Queenofshadows00]

I thought that when a beardie turns adult they tend to hunt less. Spikey hunts adult locust like he's still a baby.

I've heard that mostly meat diets aren't good for beardies. And I got a bit worried when he stopped eating his veg

 

[Queenofshadows00]

Those vivs are popular in the U.K, I've seen quite a few from the British posters here. There's good things about them but I think they provide too much bottom/empty hiding space. Is he staying under the shelves ?

And yes I agree with Cooper to bump the temps. up to hopefully raise his activity level.

Recently he's been hiding under the shelves a lot. We struggle getting him out because he tucks himself in the back corner. He likes to dig so we put calci sand in for him and he makes himself little burrows to sleep in

 

[Gormagon]

Calcisand when ingested turns into a concrete type substance. This stuff should be outlawed.
Bumping his temps a bit might get him back to eating better and be more active.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Please remove all the Calci-sand IMMEDIATELY , it's that urgent , as it doesn't take very much ingested to produce a lethal blockage in a dragon's gastrointestinal track and it is a particularly horrible and painful way for a dragon to die.

If you must have sand in the viv for your dragon , you are better off with dry screened play sand.

In their natural range there is very little actual sandy desert , the habitat is nearly all tropical dry savannah grasslands and woodlands on very ancient and highly weathered clays.