Need help yet again.....

[Roccosmama]

Im not even sure which forum to post this in so mods. please feel free to move it. My baby Skooter is not growing. We got her in January and were told she was about 2 months old. She was 7 inches long when we got her and now.... 6 1/2 months later, she has grown a half an inch. Im at my wits end. She has been to the vets and we have had fecals done. She still has coccidia which we are treating again but why isnt she growing??? The first fecal we had done they told me she had coccidia and pinworms but the coccidia levels were so high they treated that first. Her second fecal the pinworm levels were down but the coccidia was still high and thats why the vet is treating her again. Her appetite is great although I dont think she eats enough crickets. She probably eats an average of 50 a day. She has a Reptisun 10.0 and I check her temps constantly. She is in a 29 gallon viv right now. I havent upgraded her to a bigger home yet because she just hasnt grown. She is offered veggies daily and she eats some. She gets calcium and vitamins as suggested on this site. I thought that I had learned so much after all the mistakes I made with Rocco before finding this site but im just stumped. The vet cant help and im hoping you guys can. Am I doing something wrong? Or is there something else I need to be doing? She is the cutest lil thing but I want her to be a cute big thing! LOL! Thanks everyone for your help in advance.

 

[IAmThor]

Hi Roccosmama

What are her temps on the basking side and cool side?
Is she eating 50 crickets in one sitting?
What's her cage set-up like?
Is she basking enough?
I don't know what 29 gallons is in feet as that's what I'm used to lol but if it's smaller than 3 foot she may be having a hard time trying to regulate her body temperature? Especially if there's not a large enough thermal gradient and she's running around trying to cool down and escape the heat?

Good luck with her, she sounds a right cutie Luke

 

[Roccosmama]

Her viv is 32 x 14. Her temps right at this moment are 110.3 in her basking spot and the cool side is 79.7. She basks nearly all day long. I have her basking lamp on the far side of one cage with the UVB right next to it. As for crickets, she does not eat all 50 in one sitting. I feed her a few times a day so that is throughout the day. Here is a pic of her set-up. I DO NOT use the stick on thermometer to measure temps. I use that to keep on eye on the humidity because I have a water dish in her viv most of the time because she actually drinks out of it. I compare it to my digital thermometer with a probe.

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from General to Health]

 

[mark83]

Not sure how much of an effect its having on growth but I'm thinking(based on the picture) that she isn't getting enough UVB. So here are a few tips I've picked up from this forum and http://www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttubes.htm

1) It should be within 6-8 inches of the dragon.
2) It should run over the same area as the basking spot so the dragon gets adequate UVB while basking.
3) It should be replaced every 5-6 months.
4) A screen can reduce UVB output by 20 percent.
5) A reflector can increase UVB output by 50 percent.

The more of those you can follow the better. Of course the first 3 are required IMO.

Good luck

 

[kariann]

Chronic infection with coccidia can be a reason for failure to gain/grow alone. What has your vet prescribed for Skooter's second treatment for coccidia? I would strongly suggest ponazuril as this drug is more effective and rapid against ridding bearded dragons of coccidia than albon. Ponazuril is the generic of an equine drug called Marquis. S

So for bearded dragons or other small animals, ponazuril needs to be compounded to a lower strength to ease administration and cost. Diamondback pharmacy is one such compounder that can make this medication at your vet's request. The typical dose is 20-30mg/kg orally and there are many different dosing frequencies but one is give every other day for two total doses and repeat in 3 weeks. Of course, you must remove feces asap and clean enclosure and furniture daily during treatment to prevent reinfection as coccidia has a direct life cycle.

Hope this helps!

 

[Roccosmama]

Thank you Makr and Kariann for your responses. To answer a few questions.....for the coccidia treatment she has been on Albon, both times. I am obsessive about keeping her enclosure clean especially during treatment. I also wondered myself if she was not getting enough UVB. The basking lamp and UVB sit right next to each other but I dont know if this is enough. In order to have them side by side I would definitely need to go with a bigger enclosure as there is just not enough room on the top of the screen. I would love to custom build an enclosure for both Rocco and Skooter but I just dont have the time right now. I will have to talk to the vet about perhaps prescribing her something different.
Thanks again for your responses. Everyones opinions and advice are greatly appreciated!

 

[vickson420]

My first thought it defitaely the UVB.You should try mounting it on the inside of the tank.There are many ways to do it,3M hooks,heavy duty velcro,home deput sells chains and hooks you can use as well but that shouldnt have been that stunting on her growth.There are some micro beardies that just do not grow but are non the less healthy although the Coccidia may have played a part.Try feeding her some canned pumpkin daily,it has natural anti-parasitic qualities and works well with Coccidia.The Albon is generally effective so it is a bit strange.Do you have a close up pic of her?Is she pure beardie or is she possibly crossed with a Rankins?