Picked up my first beardie last night, he's 2 years old and called Steve.
Trying to sort out his lifestyle as the person I got him from said he is not pooing unless put in a warm bath.
I have changed the UV light strip, altered the temp on the lamp as when I put a thermometer on the basking stone it went off the scale at over 130 degrees, and I have also changed his diet from crickets and spinich to locusts covered in calcium powder and savoy cabbage. Going to change the substrate on friday from play sand to calcium sand, friday as the local exotic petshop is getting some in then and the owner who has been breeding for 20 years recommended it.
I believe he hasn't had a poo for a couple of days now and think if he hasn't had one by the time I get home tomorrow after work then i'll have to give him a bath.
Was really excited to see his response when I put the locusts in his tank - WOW!!!! they can certainly move!!!!
One thing I will ask is I have turned the temp down on the habistat to the point where the bulb will go out and it is still reading 100 degrees on the basking stone and yet the habistat is only reading 76 degrees. The bulb is 60 watt - any ideas why?
Any advice or help will be really appreciated as I want to make sure I am doing things right.
there are a few questions you may want to answer just to check your set up. i know beardies need 95-110 basking temp and i'm just wondering a few things:
Do you have a uvb?
what type?
how old is it?
is it a compact/coil/tube/mvb?
what are you measuring your temps with?
oh and the calci-sand is no good, it can cause impaction, stick with sifted washed playsand or tile/newspaper/paper towel/repticarpet
Yeah please don't use calci-sand, it's horrible.
I personally don't see a problem with only going in the bath, both of my girls do it and it means i don't have to clean poo out of their vivs.
Is the probe from your habistat right on your basking spot? Are you checking it with a digital probe thermometer?
there are a few questions you may want to answer just to check your set up. i know beardies need 95-110 basking temp and i'm just wondering a few things:
Do you have a uvb?
what type?
how old is it?
is it a compact/coil/tube/mvb?
what are you measuring your temps with?
oh and the calci-sand is no good, it can cause impaction, stick with sifted washed playsand or tile/newspaper/paper towel/repticarpet
The light is a UVB 10.0 and it is brand new yesterday and it is a tube.
I gave him a warm bath just now and rubbed his belly, he was in the bath for about half an hour. I just put 3 locusts covered in calcium powder in his tank and he scoffed them in no time at all, he's not touching any other food i.e savoy cabbage and I've put in a bit of green pepper aswell.
Dawned on me today why the habistat was turned down really low but the heat lamp was up around 100 degrees, it's the probe, it is further down the tank so thus registering colder so wattage going up on the lamp thus hotter. Sorted that one.
How long should I leave him before i consider going to the vets?
Just managed to get hold of the previous owner as she said the last time he had a poo was last week so thats been approx. 5-6 days, she also said that she has always given him a bath to have a poo as thats what the previous owner told her thats what they did.
Just given him a bath and yippee!!!! he has had a poo, first in a week, first one I have experienced and not what i expected, but then didn't really know what too expect.
He pushed out a little white sack before about 5 brown ones, is this quite normal?
ive noticed, that sometimes beardies, when they are getting used to their new home will stop the poo, for a little...
They will eat, but not poo. and their stomach wont look completly bloated, its like where is it all going?
then all the sudden they will poop a HUGE one.
so im guessing that happened with you.
my female bd is the same.i left her to see how long she would go without the bath,i gave up at just over a week!she pooed forever!must just be one of them funny quirks thet have,now my male is the opposite,it doesnt matter where he is,if he gotta go he's gotta go! :lol: