Pouting from new environment??

[Lalap1]

So my son upgraded his dragon to a 75-gallon tank about 2 weeks ago, and ever since then for the most part we have been dealing with his dragon hiding in his rock and basically having to drag him out for basking. The only things changed are obviously the larger tank (although it’s on a lower stand), some rearrangement of hammocks, and a new and bigger hide (although he’s still hiding in the almost-too-small original rock).

For reference, we’re not sure if “he” is a “she” - could this matter with behavior? We’re using the same lighting as before and with temperature checking it seems like things are fine. Using a digital infrared ZooMed thermometer and temp ranges are around 80 on cool end to about 90-95 on hot end. The bulbs are a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5HO 22 Reptile Lighting Fluorescent Tube and then a 100-watt mercury vapor all-in-one bulb in dome fixture on basking side. It’s about 12 inches from the hammock.

He gets fed crickets dusted with calcium and/or multivitamins at least 4 times a week and greens daily but pretty much won’t touch the greens. He will eat apple though as much as you’ll give him but of course we only give once a week. He poops once a week and it looks mostly normal except maybe slightly runny/mucous-y (sorry). I did notice some twitching in his abdominal area toward hindquarters but he’s getting vitamins and eats really well so don’t know if that’s just a fluke? I should mention he will come out to eat - and eats aggressively - but tends to want to go right back in his hide/rock. He used to get in his tree but hasn’t done that since we got new tank ? I do try to drag him out and put him on one side of his hammock where he will stay for a few hours and then fall asleep there.

Do we need to plan a vet visit? How long should we expect “pouting” or acclimatization to new things, if that’s in fact what it is? Could he be brumating?? It’s pretty much springtime in Georgia right now... ?

Thanks for any help or advice - I’ll try to upload some pictures below.

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Can you post a picture of your setup and him?

I'm a little confused on your lighting, so let me just lay it out to make sure I understand it.

1 reptisun bulb
1 reptile lighting bulb? (can you elaborate on this? Brand or what it is?)
And a MVB bulb. What type of MVB is it?

Typically you wouldn't use an MVB and a fluorescent UV bulb together. And 12 inches is quite close for most MVB bulbs.

Do you have a digital with probe end thermometer also? I only ask because IR guns can misread surface temps if it's not the proper surface type.

Seeing pictures of your setup should help a lot though if you can get them.

Changing things up can cause relocation stress, but it doesn't really sound like that's what is happening. It sounds like he's hiding from either the lights, or the temperature. Especially since he is still eager to eat.

-Brandon

 

[MrSpectrum]

It sounds like he's hiding from either the lights, or the temperature.

Those are pretty much my thoughts. Two weeks seems a bit long for relocation stress.

Also, the fecal consistency & abdominal twitching have me wondering about possible parasites. Many vets will do a fecal analysis (dropping off a sample) without a whole vet visit--up to you.

 

[Lalap1]

So I can’t figure out how to post a picture. But we did replace bulb with just a regular 100-watt lightbulb and it didn’t seem to make any difference. He hid all day today and most of yesterday. If he won’t poop tomorrow to take sample to vet how can they test it for parasites? We took a sample there around 6 months ago, but it was negative. Could he have gotten them from new crickets? He doesn’t really go out anywhere and we don’t have any other reptiles he interacts with. And wouldn’t his appetite be affected at all with parasites?? UGH.

 

[MrSpectrum]

So I can’t figure out how to post a picture. But we did replace bulb with just a regular 100-watt lightbulb and it didn’t seem to make any difference. He hid all day today and most of yesterday. If he won’t poop tomorrow to take sample to vet how can they test it for parasites? We took a sample there around 6 months ago, but it was negative. Could he have gotten them from new crickets? He doesn’t really go out anywhere and we don’t have any other reptiles he interacts with. And wouldn’t his appetite be affected at all with parasites?? UGH.

To upload pics, use the User Image Uploader on the top horizontal tool bar.

Yes, new crickets could be a source of parasites, as could vegetable matter (less likely)--depending on the source--that may have eggs. Just wait for the next "sample" to appear, and drop that off at the vets. Appetite may or may not be affected; it depends on the parasite, and how bad the infestation.

 

[Claudiusx]

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/
What bulb did you replace with the regular bulb?

Parasites wouldn't really make him hide but still be willing to eat, typically.

-Brandon

 

[Lalap1]

So an update (and hopefully a photo of it works). Took her to vet this afternoon with stool sample. Negative for parasites. Don’t know if I’d already mentioned this but we had noticed some twitching on her abdomen, and I mentioned that to the vet. He said possibly this is due to pain? So anyway - she had gained weight and looked good from what he could see. Gave her a B12 shot and sent home with a pain med to give every other day and see if appetite and energy level improves. I’m going to attempt to upload a picture of the tank and setup if anyone can give me feedback...

 

[Lalap1]

 

[Lalap1]

Ignore the dome light on back left side - that one's empty, and we only use one side of the dual fixture on the right (to house the mercury vapor bulb). The left side is the long UVB tube light - is it okay that it sits on top of the wire or could that be the issue??