Erica582
Hatchling Member
Hi everyone,
I have been struggling with my beardie for months and I feel like I've tried everything. I'll try and give a very brief rundown
Peachy is a year old now. I have had her since September. I went away for two weeks in January and left her with my roommate, when I came back her appetite greatly decreased, I assumed it would pass. I went away for a week in February and left her with my roommate again, when I came back she was eating about 4 crickets every couple days, and stopped eating salad. During this time, I was using a coil uvb bulb which I asked a local 'expert' here about, he said he participated in a study on it and they are not harmful to beardie. I think she was not absorbing enough calcium due to this bulb, as she developed mild mbd. In April, I bought her a tube bulb and she began to eat more, between 70-100 crickets a week! Looking more alert and was even chasing her own food.
It is now July and her appetite has again decreased, she isn't eating crickets, in fact all she wants to (eagerly) eat is blueberries. She will eat the occasional cricket if I put it in her mouth. Last week she began to spend a lot of time with her mouth open, slightly gaped, and puffing out her beard and opening and closing her mouth. She spent a night sleeping with her mouth open in a sighing fashion, so I assumed she had a respiratory infection.
I took her to the vet today, and the vet says she does not have a respiratory infection, and did a stool sample and sees no parasites or anything abnormal. In fact, she says shes very healthy except for being tiny. She weighs 190g and is 13.5"! I asked for an appetite stimulant, and the vet gave Peachy a shot of B12. She also gave me a 'general antibiotic' called Novo-Trimel (I think?). Lastly, she told me to buy chicken & Veggie baby food and syringe feed her 5ml a day.
I would love any input on similar experience! Thank you for reading
I have been struggling with my beardie for months and I feel like I've tried everything. I'll try and give a very brief rundown
Peachy is a year old now. I have had her since September. I went away for two weeks in January and left her with my roommate, when I came back her appetite greatly decreased, I assumed it would pass. I went away for a week in February and left her with my roommate again, when I came back she was eating about 4 crickets every couple days, and stopped eating salad. During this time, I was using a coil uvb bulb which I asked a local 'expert' here about, he said he participated in a study on it and they are not harmful to beardie. I think she was not absorbing enough calcium due to this bulb, as she developed mild mbd. In April, I bought her a tube bulb and she began to eat more, between 70-100 crickets a week! Looking more alert and was even chasing her own food.
It is now July and her appetite has again decreased, she isn't eating crickets, in fact all she wants to (eagerly) eat is blueberries. She will eat the occasional cricket if I put it in her mouth. Last week she began to spend a lot of time with her mouth open, slightly gaped, and puffing out her beard and opening and closing her mouth. She spent a night sleeping with her mouth open in a sighing fashion, so I assumed she had a respiratory infection.
I took her to the vet today, and the vet says she does not have a respiratory infection, and did a stool sample and sees no parasites or anything abnormal. In fact, she says shes very healthy except for being tiny. She weighs 190g and is 13.5"! I asked for an appetite stimulant, and the vet gave Peachy a shot of B12. She also gave me a 'general antibiotic' called Novo-Trimel (I think?). Lastly, she told me to buy chicken & Veggie baby food and syringe feed her 5ml a day.
I would love any input on similar experience! Thank you for reading