Rankin's acting strange

rhendriks

Member
Beardie name(s)
Onyx
hi!! i've had my juvenile rankins dragon, Onyx, since september and things have been going great. i've noticed with the colder months hes started acting different and i'm getting very worried, hoping i can get some advice before possibly going to an exotic vet.
1. i've never had any issue with him eating, yet for the past 3-4 days hes not paying attention to his crickets at all. i've struggled to get him to eat salad since i got him, but hes always gone crazy for the crickets. i've still been feeding, but they've just been staying in the tank and hes not going after them.
2. it seems as though hes not walking properly/doesn't have full strength in his legs. they seem swollen & im not sure if its abnormal or he's just growing. (picture attached) up until the last few days he was moving around fine, getting appropriate calcium & vitamin supplements with his food, but lately its like hes struggling to get around.
3. he's been much more lethargic, i notice rather than basking and moving around hes been sticking to one spot on the floor of the tank for most of the day. when he is up and about, he's been glass surfing. i handle him everyday. he is in a zoo med 25 gallon terrarium (i plan to upgrade as he grows)
4. hes not shedding regularly. for the past few months he was shedding often, getting regular baths and shedding weekly. he hasn't begun to shed at all in a couple weeks.
5. he hasnt pooped in 3-4 days. i know that if hes not eating he obviously wont be pooping, but its just adding to my worry.
I don't know if this is him beginning to possibly go into brumation? I'm worrying because of the way hes walking it could be leading into MBD but I don't understand how that could be as he's ate and acted normally up to this point.
he has his 100w basking bulb, a 10.0 uvb tube bulb going across the back of the tank, and a 100w ceramic heat emitter on 8am-9pm. the cool side of his enclosure is 71°F, warm side 90-100°F, basking spot 104°F. Please let me know your advice/questions!!!
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
hi!! i've had my juvenile rankins dragon, Onyx, since september and things have been going great. i've noticed with the colder months hes started acting different and i'm getting very worried, hoping i can get some advice before possibly going to an exotic vet.
1. i've never had any issue with him eating, yet for the past 3-4 days hes not paying attention to his crickets at all. i've struggled to get him to eat salad since i got him, but hes always gone crazy for the crickets. i've still been feeding, but they've just been staying in the tank and hes not going after them.
2. it seems as though hes not walking properly/doesn't have full strength in his legs. they seem swollen & im not sure if its abnormal or he's just growing. (picture attached) up until the last few days he was moving around fine, getting appropriate calcium & vitamin supplements with his food, but lately its like hes struggling to get around.
3. he's been much more lethargic, i notice rather than basking and moving around hes been sticking to one spot on the floor of the tank for most of the day. when he is up and about, he's been glass surfing. i handle him everyday. he is in a zoo med 25 gallon terrarium (i plan to upgrade as he grows)
4. hes not shedding regularly. for the past few months he was shedding often, getting regular baths and shedding weekly. he hasn't begun to shed at all in a couple weeks.
5. he hasnt pooped in 3-4 days. i know that if hes not eating he obviously wont be pooping, but its just adding to my worry.
I don't know if this is him beginning to possibly go into brumation? I'm worrying because of the way hes walking it could be leading into MBD but I don't understand how that could be as he's ate and acted normally up to this point.
he has his 100w basking bulb, a 10.0 uvb tube bulb going across the back of the tank, and a 100w ceramic heat emitter on 8am-9pm. the cool side of his enclosure is 71°F, warm side 90-100°F, basking spot 104°F. Please let me know your advice/questions!!!
The UVB is what bulb? T 5 or a T 8? crucial !!!! I would get the cool side of the tank up to around 80 during the day 71 is a good night time sleeping temp-- are you getting surface basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer? I would look at upgrading the tank like yesterday- there are places that have them on sale -Pet Smart was running Zens on sale well I guess not anymore here are two links to them
or you can go straight to Zen habitats and see what they are charging now
try www.symtonbsf.com as well or www.dubiaroaches.com for tanks ---
hes struggling to get around. is not good -- we need to get the UVB properly placed for the bulb
 

Hazel_Basil10

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Hazel my female two year old beardie
Hi!

That is one handsome fella! I agree with @KarrieRee. Is the light a coil? Coils are demons and can hurt your beardie. please get a hood and a light fixture of T8 or T5.
 

rhendriks

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Onyx
The UVB is what bulb? T 5 or a T 8? crucial !!!! I would get the cool side of the tank up to around 80 during the day 71 is a good night time sleeping temp-- are you getting surface basking temps w/ a digital probe thermometer? I would look at upgrading the tank like yesterday- there are places that have them on sale -Pet Smart was running Zens on sale well I guess not anymore here are two links to them
or you can go straight to Zen habitats and see what they are charging now
try www.symtonbsf.com as well or www.dubiaroaches.com for tanks ---
hes struggling to get around. is not good -- we need to get the UVB properly placed for the bulb
I have a zoo med reptisun T5 10.0 Uvb 22" tube bulb in the zoo med T5 high output reptisun terrarium hood. i have a digital thermometer that takes spot temperatures, no probe thermometer. getting the temp up a bit is something i've been struggling with as i have what i know to be the correct bulbs/lamps & wattage of bulbs on the terrarium and im worried of running the risk of overheating by upping the wattage of any bulbs/lamps. ill insert some pics of my lighting set up.
 

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rhendriks

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Onyx
Hi!

That is one handsome fella! I agree with @KarrieRee. Is the light a coil? Coils are demons and can hurt your beardie. please get a hood and a light fixture of T8 or T5.
isn't he though!!😊 i have a T5 10.0 Uvb tube in a T5 high output terrarium hood
 

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xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Your setup looks pretty good, so does your dragon, he is a Cutie. But his front legs do look swollen a bit in one of the pics.
Have you tried offering other feeders like dubias? They can get bored with their food.
 
Last edited:

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I have a zoo med reptisun T5 10.0 Uvb 22" tube bulb in the zoo med T5 high output reptisun terrarium hood. i have a digital thermometer that takes spot temperatures, no probe thermometer. getting the temp up a bit is something i've been struggling with as i have what i know to be the correct bulbs/lamps & wattage of bulbs on the terrarium and im worried of running the risk of overheating by upping the wattage of any bulbs/lamps. ill insert some pics of my lighting set up.
Please get the digital probe thermometers they are the most accurate - I would not do any adjustments w/ basking bulb till you get accurate surface basking temps--
 

Hazel_Basil10

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Hazel my female two year old beardie
Okay thats good. I didnt see the tube fixture so! In one of the pics his foot does look swollen, It almost kinda looks like a bug bite of some sort......
 

rhendriks

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Onyx
Your setup looks pretty good, so does your dragon, he is a Cutie. But his front legs do look swollen a bit in one of the pics.
Have you tried offering other feeders like dubias? They can get bored with their food.
just crickets, mealworms & salad so far. i'll try switching it up. he spent basically the whole day sleeping today, i dont know if hes going into brumation
 

rhendriks

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Onyx
Please get the digital probe thermometers they are the most accurate - I would not do any adjustments w/ basking bulb till you get accurate surface basking temps--
he spent almost the whole day sleeping, which hes never done.. could it be brumation/is that normal for young dragons?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
just crickets, mealworms & salad so far. i'll try switching it up. he spent basically the whole day sleeping today, i dont know if hes going into brumation
No meal worms too much risk for impaction --- get some BSFL from www.symtonbsf.com - use them as salad lures to the salad bowl -- feed first morning feed - feed as many as you want they are a great staple feeder -- do not dust them
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Crickets will chew holes in your beardie, they need to be removed. If your going to feed crickets it's best to feed them in a different container
 

rhendriks

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Onyx
No brumation for dragons under a year old--

yes
last night he just crawled into his skull to sleep around probably 5-6pm which hes never done and slept all through the night. hes still sleeping this morning. still hasnt eaten or pooped. should i wake him up and get him to bask? i don't want to make him uncomfortable or force anything. i did get a probe thermometer, his basking spot is 125-120°. waiting for a more accurate lowest temp reading tonight
 

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