Hi group.... Topper, my female 5 year old beardie, hasn't been acting like herself...The past 2 weeks I've noticed the skin on her body has been getting slightly looser than normal...Her appetite is so-so...she normally eats twice a day - 2-4 large superworms with maybe a few bites of a mixture of collard, turnip, and mustard greens. I dust her meal with Flucker's calcium. I also spray water on her snout for her to drink, but for the past week or so, she hasn't any interest until today.
Today, in particular, I noticed her coloring had gotten "dark" all over her body and she just acted like she wasn't feeling well....and laid on her cork bark tunnel all day - very little movement on the cool end of her enclosure. The temp ranges around 80 degrees F and the warmer side is around 105 degrees F.
I'm wondering about her lighting - if I'm doing this right. Her previous owner had her from 1 year up until I got her in Jan. 2015 - she was 4 1/2 years old then. He had built her enclosure - it's length is 40 inches by width of 24 inches and height is 22 inches. It's all wood with plenty of ventilation with plastic sliding doors that have 3 vent circles on each door about 3/4 of the way to the top. The top of the enclosure has 4 ventilation holes that are covered with wire mesh. The holes for the 3 different lights are also wire mesh with a "dip" in the mesh to hold the domed light covers. I replaced her bulbs with everything similar with what the previous owner used - one is a flood heat lamp - on the warm side of the enclosure 250 watts; the other is an All Living Things UVB coil bulb on the cool side - not sure of the wattage, and a coil basking light in the middle - again, not sure of the wattage - I'm at home and she's at school - (class pet). But I can find out the info when I get back to work in the morning. I don't think she is getting the UVB she needs. Is it a good idea to get a tube UBV light and find a way to hang it from inside the enclosure or would that harm her? and is there anything out there in a UVB bulb that could reach the depth of 22 inches? Any advise would be appreciated.
I have noticed she may be in the early stages of starting to shed - some of her scales are starting to lift and separate - but slowly - and I don't bother them. I do give her a bath twice a week to help ease the discomfort - should I be doing more?
She did have a movement two days ago, and her schedule to have a movement is usually every 4-7 days...The past two movements have had the white first, but then some red, followed by the brown...Is that normal?
Sorry for the multiple questions, but I don't want to lose her and want to help her....
Thanks in advance!
Today, in particular, I noticed her coloring had gotten "dark" all over her body and she just acted like she wasn't feeling well....and laid on her cork bark tunnel all day - very little movement on the cool end of her enclosure. The temp ranges around 80 degrees F and the warmer side is around 105 degrees F.
I'm wondering about her lighting - if I'm doing this right. Her previous owner had her from 1 year up until I got her in Jan. 2015 - she was 4 1/2 years old then. He had built her enclosure - it's length is 40 inches by width of 24 inches and height is 22 inches. It's all wood with plenty of ventilation with plastic sliding doors that have 3 vent circles on each door about 3/4 of the way to the top. The top of the enclosure has 4 ventilation holes that are covered with wire mesh. The holes for the 3 different lights are also wire mesh with a "dip" in the mesh to hold the domed light covers. I replaced her bulbs with everything similar with what the previous owner used - one is a flood heat lamp - on the warm side of the enclosure 250 watts; the other is an All Living Things UVB coil bulb on the cool side - not sure of the wattage, and a coil basking light in the middle - again, not sure of the wattage - I'm at home and she's at school - (class pet). But I can find out the info when I get back to work in the morning. I don't think she is getting the UVB she needs. Is it a good idea to get a tube UBV light and find a way to hang it from inside the enclosure or would that harm her? and is there anything out there in a UVB bulb that could reach the depth of 22 inches? Any advise would be appreciated.
I have noticed she may be in the early stages of starting to shed - some of her scales are starting to lift and separate - but slowly - and I don't bother them. I do give her a bath twice a week to help ease the discomfort - should I be doing more?
She did have a movement two days ago, and her schedule to have a movement is usually every 4-7 days...The past two movements have had the white first, but then some red, followed by the brown...Is that normal?
Sorry for the multiple questions, but I don't want to lose her and want to help her....
Thanks in advance!
