She just stopped eating

[Moria]

Hello all,

I am concerned about Moria, my dragon, she was eating great until yesterday afternoon she started to favor her left eye and just seem to loose her desire to chase the crickets. I left her some greens yesterday while I had to run and take care of something simple and when I got back she had eaten some of the green but was just lay up on her favorite spot. Well this morning I got up like normal and feed her but she hasn't moved from her spot. Should I be concerned and what should I do to try to get her to seem alittle more active. Thanks for any help.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi Moria and welcome to the Family !
How old is she ?
What are her basking temps and cool side temps ?
How do you measure these temps ?
What UVB are you offering her, how old is it, and how close can she get to it ?
Do you offer baths ?
What is her specific diet ?
Do you offer supplements ? Calcium and vitamins, please offer the brands.
What substrate is she on ?

I think with the answers to these questions, we can pin point perhaps the issue at hand and get her right again.
Janie.

 

[Moria]

Hi and thanks for the reply,

I am was told she was 8 months old and 15 inches. I do ,not happy about it but, have the repti glo 10 compact and looking to get another but not able to until maybe next week. crickets with cal. dust 7 to 10 a day depending on how much she eats. Dark mixed greens as a vegi and my temps are around 95 at the basking spot and 78 in the cooler end. She seems very alert and alive but just dont seem to want to eat this morning. I am using two 150w Haligon bulbs at her spot to try to rise the temp today.
Rep Cal is the dust I am using for my crickets.

I gave her a bath yesterday and she seem to enjoy it but that Is when things started to change. She had a major poop yesterday in the bath. Two about the size of two inches each. Gross I know but really concerned.

Substrate is Sand.

I hope I covered everything. Thanks again for any help.

 

[Moria]

Update,

I just heard something that sounded kinda like a sneeze. Should I be concerned?

 

[spurlee01]

Hi Moria,
I think your problem might be with the reptiglo 10.0 compact. Unfortunately both the reptiglo 10.0 itself and compact bulbs in general can cause problems with beardies including lack of appetite.
Here is a link about the reptiglo 10.0: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=101703&p=793076&hilit=ReptiGlo+10.0#p793076
Here is one about compacts in general: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=65424&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=coil+uvb
For a UVB bulb, the best bulb by far is the reptiSUN 10.0. http://www.petmountain.com has the best price I've found so far. Your other option would be a mercury vapor bulb if your tank is larger than 40 gallons. These put out heat and UVB.
What kind of sand are you using? If it is calci-sand or vita-sand, these can be deadly. They encourage beardies to lick them and they can clump in a beardie's stomach and prevent anything from passing.
7-10 crickets a day doesn't sound like much at all for an 8 month old. There have only been a handful of days that Lilly (7 mos tomorrow) has wanted those few crickets and it's always been when I had to offer her second feeding too early because of work. I've found that in the morning she will only want 7-15 crix usually, but in the evening it's anywhere from 10-30 typically. In a day, 25-30 is her norm. Do you feed twice a day?
One sneeze wouldn't concern me, but is there any wheezing or crusty stuff around her eyes or nose? What is the humidity in your tank?
Sara

 

[Moria]

The sand is regular play sand. Like you would find outside. The humity has been alittle high lately. I am trying to get it down. Sense My last post I offered a bath and she had a nice poop but still seems to drag. At the moment she is trying to sleep with all the lights on. It was only one sneeze but she seemed to be a little bloated before the bath and she also seem like she was burping some. She seemed very active in the bath and when I held her she was very moving. Just when she is in her home she seems almost depressed. Jeez, just what be a good owner. LOL. This is my first and I am sure I might be just over nervous and I have only had her for 5 days now.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Ahhh, what you are seeing is most likely relocation stress. Give her a bit more time, up to two weeks to allow her to settle in, and I would bet, with the light change, you will see a whole new dragon !
Janie.

 

[Moria]

Wow,

Thanks so much Sara, I should give myself a good quick kick in the butt for over reacting. Is the relocation stress delayed sometimes. She was doing so well in the beginning and this just happened yesterday but the first 4 days was wonderful? Thanks again.

 

[zebraflavencs]

It can, yes, given if she was handled on a regular basis. Just give her some more time.
Janie

 

[Moria]

Thanks to all of you who replied. I was worried there for a moment.

 

[zebraflavencs]

We have all been there ! You are a good Mommy !
Janie.

 

[spurlee01]

Oh I forgot to mention, it's probably better for your dragon if you just turn off the UVB. Dragons can go 2 weeks without UVB. It's probably good to give her a week away from UVB. I forgot that you said you were getting a new one, so sorry about the UVB lecture ! You are going to be a wonderful mommy. The first few days are scary, but it'll get better.
Sara

 

[Moria]

Hello everyone and thanks for all of your help so far,

I am posting an update on how Moria is doing. I feel she is still have difficulties. She sounds like she is a cat with a hair ball caught in her throat. Is this normal? :?

Patrick..."owner of Moria"

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Have you given her a bath recently? If not,it sounds like you maby need to pay a visit to the vet!! Good luck!!

 

[crickest]

The cough can be a sign of a issue with their breathing. That was the sound our Ash was making when he started getting sick. He had chronic bacterial pneumonia from lack of vitamin A, and had been sick so long it had changed the cellar structure of his cells. I doubt your dragon has that, but the noise she is making isn't normal. I would recommend taking her into the vet asap.

Have you turned off the UVB yet? We had a bad UVB bulb and when it was turned off we saw improvement in activity and interest almost immediately. Some dragons seem to react more strongly to the bad UVB.