S.O.S.... sick beardie I think

[beardie parents]

Do you take him out in the sun? That helps our girls get really more active. They get at least one hour of sun per day, unless it's cloudy and rainy, which is not all that often in our area.

 

[zebraflavencs]

It will take him a few days to come around again. my dragon, yardley, his sun was old, and he stopped eating his roaches, but will clear through his salad, daily. it never hurts to get an official diagnosis, however, i suspect that early stages of mbd might be happening here, though you haven't said anything about poor balance or twitching limbs.
hope this helps out, and let us know what the vet says, what is prescribed, if any, and how much and when to be given. also, be aware that coccidea is present in every dragon, but a count of 5 or better will mean medicines. you will want , if that is the case, to get some soy yogurt, flavored is fine, and offer .1 cc daily to help keep good tummy bacteria up and functioning. many medicines will damage not only the bad bacteria, but the good as well. also you will want to increase bathing to daily, while on meds of any kind, as some will increase the chance of dehydration.
janie.

 

[diamc]

Just to be safe, is the Repti-Sun a strip fluorescent bulb? Also, what is the distance to the UVB?

 

[crickest]

I would take him to the vet, but we also live close to a veterinary hospital that has one of the best herp vets in the country working there, so I know my beardie would get great care. IMO, he should have started showing some signs of rebounding and becoming more active. You could also try switching him from applesauce to squash baby food. Our Spark really likes it and it is a staple you can feed all the time. It will give him more of the necessary nutrients that applesauce doesn't have.

Hope this helps.

 

[need2nogurl]

I actually just ran out to Shoppers after I read the thing about the squash baby food, all they had was butternut squash. One question.... is it okay to feed it to him in a little dropper and how much should I give him each day?

The UVB is a reptisun-10.0 and it is about four inches from his hammock and there is a screen top so he can't touch it.

Thanks for the help guys! The only thing wrong with Elvis that is visible is that he won't eat, other than that he is acting more normal. I will let you know what the vet says tomorrow.

 

[crickest]

I use a dropper and put the squash right on the end of Spark's nose and he licks it off. Feed him as much as he will eat a couple of times a day. Because its a staple, he can't have too much. Mine usually eats two or three droppers full twice a day, but you'll have to play it by ear. You can also give chicken baby food, which has the protien he needs. Heck, you can even mix the two if you want. I know that many people on the forum have had good luck stimulating their baby's appetite by using baby food. When I was going through my own light issue, I started with the baby food and it really helped.

The other thing you might try is changing up the feeders. Try offering crix in the evening and phoenix worms in the am. Some beardies get bored.

 

[need2nogurl]

So $300 later and still no explanation as to what is wrong with Elvis. They did some blood work at the office that came back normal, and they sent some out for testing. The vet did an x-ray and so far the only thing that shows is that he is full of poop (sorry for being crude). He gave him some fluids and some vaccination that should make him go to the bathroom. But he said he seems fine other than the not eating and not pooping.... well duh! I could have told him that :-( So now I wait a week for the test results... a little frustrated here.

 

[crickest]

How long has it been since Elvis pooped? The reason I ask is because the vet I saw at CSU vet hospital (Colorado State University) said that when they are full of poo it is difficult to tell if they are impacted. If your baby is full of poo and hasn't gone in a while, I would suggest a warm bath and belly rubs. Put him in water up to his armpits and support his chest and shoulders with your non-dominant hand. Stroke your finger from their armpit to their vent along their belly. It's recommended to do it on the right side, but I've done it on both. See it anything feels hard or solid under your finger. Keep stroking toward the vent. This should help him poo in the water.

What kind of substrate is he on? That might give us a clue on what else you can do to help him.

 

[need2nogurl]

I actually do give him a bath every other day for about 10 minutes. I have tried rubbing his stomach as well as on his right side, and I didn't feel any hard lumps. Elvis actually went to the bathroom after we got back from the vet, it would have been two weeks tomorrow that he hadn't gone.

 

[need2nogurl]

I just got back from my break at work, and I went home to check on Elvis and he pooped again!!! Not only that but he ate the rest of his worms that I left in there and some of his greens. I'm so happy he is doing better!!! But now I'm starting to think that maybe he was just constipated... I dunno what would have caused that though. Any suggestions?

 

[Jiffy]

So glad that Elvis seems to be doing better now.

 

[crickest]

I would guess that its taken five days for the UVB light and the heat to finally convince him that he needed to go.

It sounds like he's doing better. It is amazing how much of an impact the lights can have on them.