Scratching at floor

[Nicholas]

I have a female nearly 2 years old, I got her 3 months ago and the owner said she was 1.5 of age. The past 2 days she has been scratching on the floor of her tank(News paper as substrate) in the exact same corner each time she does it. The only recent changes in her life is a larger viv(Went from 36x18x18 to 48x2x2). She has 100-105f on her hot side, its been fluxuating and 80-85 on cool side. She has the same UVB which is repitsun 10.0 and same diet. Now I'm wondering what this could be I'm guessing from looking around its her being gravid, I'd like to prepare for that if it is necessary.

Thanks.

 

[bunnyrut]

has she stopped eating?
does she look huge?
and are her poops smaller and more frequent?

if you've answered yes to these questions then CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

You have a Gravid Beardie!!!

when you have a female beardie you should always have a lay box ready from spring to fall. she can lay eggs every few weeks or once or twice during the entire summer.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Do you have pictures you could post?
It sounds pretty likely, based on her behavior to that she could be getting ready to lay soon. They will scratch for awhile, to make their nest, then, lay.
At her age, it is a high probability. Would they be infertile eggs?
Be sure she is getting enough calcium for egg development. How old is the Reptisun 10 tube & how far away is it from her?


Tracie

 

[Nicholas]

Yes if she was to lay eggs they would be infertile, she hasn't came in contact with another dragon since I've had her.
My reptisun tube I've had since I got her so 3-3.5 months old and is 7 inches from her basking spot.

I noticed today she just started a shed, so could this behavior possibly be because she is frustrated from her shedding rather then being gravid? I will bathe her more often to aid her through the process.

Should I up the calcium dosage still? or is she not gravid and just shedding. I will post pictures if you would still like, just let me know what exactly I would be taking it of.

She still eats at her normal rate but will not touch her PW for the past week.
Her poos do seem a bit smaller, but at the same rate as before(once a day or every other day)
She does look slightly larger, but I think it might be all the good food she's been receive as of late because her previous owners were not feeding her correctly or nutritionally.

Thanks for the replys

EDIT:
She also has seemed a little less mobile the past 2 or 3 days.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

If she is shedding, that can sometimes affect the behavior. The Reptisun 10 tube bulb should be fine for now.
Just take a picture of her whole body so we can see the shape of her body & belly. Is she basking normally still?
If her stools are smaller that can be a sign of her being gravid along with a reduced appetite. How long has she not eaten much now?
She isn't moving around as much lately? Is her color good, no black beard thus far?

Tracie

 

[Nicholas]

I'm sorry I've been running around like a madman past few days and haven't had a chance to post back.

Her apatite is back to what I'd say is normal or close to normal now, and her stool seems to be even larger then it ever has been, so I think her eating habit was the culprit there. As for her colour she has been dark besides RIGHT after a meal. I have pictures of her before and after a meal, I hope they are what you are looking for if not I'll take more.

she has partial black bear all the time even before this happen, I've only seen her go full out black beard once when I first got her.

This is her on a normal day, notice how much better her colours are then they have been as of late.


Before breakfast today:




After breakfast:

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Has she shed yet?
Have you double checked the temperatures recently also to make sure they are still good?
She looks to have a good weight to her, well rounded right now. At least she is going to the bathroom more normally now.
Are you using a bright white light for basking?
It is a slight possibility that she has just done a slow down/brumation phase if the weather has been up & down.
It is hard to determine whether or not she is gravid or not, but if she continues to get more round, somewhat pear shaped then she likely has eggs. It can take awhile to develop them 4-6 weeks. How long on estimated, has this been going on?
She is beautiful though.

Tracie

 

[Nicholas]

I have 2 60w normal fluorescent bulbs, one white one clear I was originally using clear until the first one blew out. I'm at work at, but I do check my tempts at least once a day, they have been staying generally where they should be 98-106 on hot side and 78-86 on cool side.

She seemed very lethargic yesterday from the time I posted till she went to bed, could this be the possible brumation/slow down or should I be making her a vet appointment asap?

Also her sheds nearly complete, she just has a few little flakes left, and the behaviour changes started happening about 2 days before my original post on this topic.

Our weather has been weird around her which you said could also be the cause, it will be sunny and warm one day then cold and rainy the next it hasn't been constant or normal to what it should be at this time of the year since march, we got rid of our snow only a couple weeks ago!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It is possible she is brumating later due to the up & down weather. If she is just about done with her shedding, you can rule that out.
The basking lights you are using, they are not coated with neodymium right? There are bulbs called daytime lights that are a bluish tinted color but are not real bright actually to reptiles because the coating alters the yellow hues in the spectrum. You are using fluorescent tubes for the basking light?
She is not interested in food at all?
Keep me posted on her.

Tracie

 

[Nicholas]

No she will eat anything I throw infront of her face, I've been feeding her on medium silks, crickets coated in repashy multivitamin with d3, and a couple wax worms to keep her weight(I used to get her to her propor size and now she kinda just expects em to come in after her crickets) along side with her salads. This has been her diet for the last 2 weeks, I switch up what worms she gets every time I buy some just to add variety(mainly switch silk for Phoenix and wax for butter/horn.

I'm not sure if the bulbs are coated with that or not, I'll take a look at the packaging when I get home. I'm not using tubes just the regular dome bulbs, I thought fluorescent was the name of light it puts out? I could just be mistaken though. Now that I'm thinking about it I could have been wrong and meant halogen lights, ill double check that as well when I get home. If you want an idea of when I'll be able to tell this information that will be a little more then 3 hours from this post.

Thanks again.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The long fluorescent tubes you have, they are UVB correct, the Reptisun 10? They wont really emit a whole lot of heat really & are not bright enough to be used for basking, etc.
The basking bulb needs to be a bright white light such as a halogen or a regular house hold light bulb.
What wattage are the basking bulbs?
At least she is eating right now.
The multivitamin with D3, that is good, but I wouldn't overdo the vitamins. How often does she get straight calcium?
Her diet is varied so she should be good there, with adequate food choices. She is probably spoiled!

Tracie

 

[Nicholas]

I use my repti sun 10.0 tube for her UVB supply, she has 2 60w regular househould clear bulbs to put out heat. Could it be because they are clear instead of white? Someone on this forum told me giving the repashy is ok to give her daily because it does contain the calcium she needs as well, is this true or should I buy her calcium sperate as well? Tempts are 102 hot and 83 cool from time of this post.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is fine, the Reptisun 10 tube is great. It should stay effective for 6-7 months. Is it 6-8 inches from her also alongside of the basking lights?
The clear basking bulbs will be fine, no problem there.
The repashy is a great product. Is it just straight calcium, or is it mixed with vitamins also?

The temperatures are very good also. How is she doing today, hopefully basking for you?

Tracie

 

[Nicholas]

The repashy is mixed with vitamins and calcium. The reptisun is 7 inches from her basking spot and the basking lights are 10 inches from it, I can't makes them any closer unless I figure out a way to raise her basking area. She has been basking and eating like she should be, her coloring still isn't back to normal but she is brighting back up a little bit she is still seeming a little less active but I think she's coming around.

There was a pink looking substance in her feces yesterday, I wish I took a picture for you because it didn't look normal. If it shows up again I'll make sure to take a picture to see if maybe thats whats wrong with her.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Those distances for her lights are just fine then, no problem at all!
Were her urates pinkish?
She is starting to eat a little more now? If her colors look better then hopefully she is feeling better!

A picture would be good, if you can get one, that is.
I hope she picks up on her activity some more. Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie