I think my beardie is sick.. I don't know what is wrong with him exactly yet. I think it may be impaction. He hasn't gone for maybe a week. He's lethargic and black all over his belly and on his beard. He doesn't want to eat either. I've been feeding him prune baby food and bathing him but it doesn't seem to work. he used to walk on sand.. now I switched to alfalfa. I got a new uv bulb too.
if he's black bearding and it's not hormones then it sounds like he is unhappy. That could be due to digestive issues.
I wouldn't use any loose substrate, tile, lino or replaceable towels are a better solution as they are less likely to get ingested as well as less potential bacterial issues.
What are the temps in your enclosure and what uv bulb did you purchase? How close is it to his main basking area?
The uv bulb is the reptisun 10.0 uvb. I have the uvb in the middle of the cage which is like maybe a foot from his basking spot. It has reflectors on it so I think he is getting his uv. He always lays there with his eyes closed. His belly is sagging near the vent too. The temps are not exact because we use a strip but I think it's about 90-100.