Something Strange! anything to improve etc.? (also pics!)

[alkemisten3]

I will use one of the mods small template, this template should be sticky!

How old is your dragon? I beleive around 6-7 months
How long have you had your dragon? 1,5 months
How long is your dragon? approx 30cm+/12inch+
What is the sex of your dragon? female
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? solely glass, see photos
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? carpet underneath to keep warm and then some nice shelf liner
Do you use UVB lights? Yes a "bad one" - Exoterra Reptiglo 10.0 UVB compact
How old is your UVB bulb? As old as I have had my beardie, 1.5 months
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? + / - 6 inch / 15 cm
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? yes, 100 W exoterra bulb
What are the basking temps? around 114 F / 45 C
What is the cool side temp? between 74-80 F / 22-25 C
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? digital therm wire probe
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? everywhere basically... checking always
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? Nope!
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Crickets: little bit over sized, a little bit of superworms sometimes and wax worms. This is because on Malta it is temp. out of stock with any good feeders. Yes its true!
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? Feed once or twice daily: Morning around 8.30 (lights on 7.30) and/or around 2-3PM, lights off 6.30
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Sure! Oats, apples, carrots, vitamins, calcium
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? PROREP Calci dust 7 days a week, Nutrobal multi vit 4 days per week
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Hmm, around every 3rd day yes
Do you bath your dragon? How often? Yes, every 5th day
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? No misting, offering bath bowl which she is not using
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? No
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? No

ADDITIONAL INFO
She is eating a little less and less, not interested in the crickets anymore (could be because they are too big) but still likes the superworms - except for today. She is eating 2-4 pieces of cactusfruit/prickly pear every day, and thats what she will touch in salad way. The most crickets she ever ate so far was 30 in a day. Today for example, she only ate 1 cricket and 5 superworms (again I am very aware that she should not eat this but currently no choice, separate thread for this). I do not know what an active dragon is really since I think she has never been very active since I got her... She is mostly still when I see her and moves around perhaps from the basking stone to her favorite log, and back. Today she was also sleeping in my t-shirt (in the terrarium) when I came home, very strange.

She cannot possibly be under much stress, I am not home much of the day at all, and handles her max 30 minutes per day - any day.
Now thing is, the breeder is a very experienced herp breeder, pet shop owner with Loads of animals by himself in his own home (13 years of experience), so I felt safe when bying from him. He is using this UVB light for basically all his lizards, and they are all fine according to him - and this means that she has grown up with this light. He said he would "throw in" 30 crickets in the terrarium when she was living with another beardie, and they would be gone... she was eating in other words around 15 per day.

And of course... some photos!
I am just merely wondering if my dragons poo is fine or not.
Less firm now, and with loads of liquid.
Firstly; around 2 weeks ago:

Today:
Much more loose and loads of liquid (please notice I did take away half the liquid, and most of the brown poo)

Incredibly interested in the crickets... not HAHA (look at the tail)

My baby!

Some more photos:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=136425
PS. Very sorry for long post, THANK YOU!

 

[Beardednoob]

hmmm...
Lights should be on for 12-14 hours. If I read that right you are on a 9 hours of "lights on"?
If the crickets you are feeding are too large I would just cut them back to the size smaller. Until your dragon gets bigger. The larger feeders can often stay undigested. Like the looks of your second poo photo. I would up the baths from every 5 days to every 2-3 days. If at all possible get a fecal examination...
How old is your UV light? After 6 months all UV sources should be replaced as the UV is often cut in half after that time.
Anyone else?

 

[alkemisten3]

Hello, as I have read:
Lights in summer 12 hours, autumn spring 11 and winter 10? I have now 10 hours (7.30 am to 5.30 Pm)
She was very active and happy in the morning, a little shy. She is today trying to sleep in the middle of the day under my black t-shirt, any ideas why?
Will try to cut the smelly crickets... as stated, cannot get hold of smaller feeders at the moment, would do so otherwise of course.
UVB is as stated 1.5 months.
I will try to see if fecal can be done. Oh if I would only live in US/UK I bet this would be so much cheaper and easier! Malta is not meant to be a place with beardies
More suggestions are welcome... and Yes; I have found partly undigested food in feces, what does this mean?=

 

[Buggsy]

It usually means shes isn't getting enough time on the basking spot to digest her food or that the basking spot is too cold, if she is eating then running off to sleep its probably why. I would hazard a guess that she has some parasites, or is partially impacted. She is very skinny (the tail should be much chunkier) but not dangerously so yet, that coupled with the low appitie, lethargy and the second poop you showed would mean a fecal exam needs to be done and possible some medication.

On the other hand is she is impacted from the large feeders, this can also cause lethargy etc, but poops would be less frequent.

114 is too high for a basking spot, she could be dehydrated. Try to get it down to 105ish. I would also pop her in a luke warm bath (water up to her arm pits) and let her soak for 20 min, see if re hydrating her helps a little.

I would consider starting up a roach colony or something so you can get hold of feeders when you need them, not sure what the import rules would be on that though!

 

[alkemisten3]

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Ok, you mentioned first basking might be too cold and then too warm?
Recommended basking temps are just what I have, and since she is a juvenile, warmer is better as I have understood? She is not particularly dehydrated, cannot see this on skin, eyes nor in stool (quite some white).
What I have notice is that she gets lazier if I change my basking light from 100 W to 60 W but I will try again and see what happens.
I think she also might have some parasites, any way to reduce the amounts? Since I live in Malta and she is in a glass terrarium, two main reasons why humidity is pending between 70-85% unfortunately...
I still do not understand the sleeping bit. She is although basking quite some more now, will see how next stool is, do u have any idea why so incredibly much liquid?

I think that one reason she is lethargic is also "wrong" feeders at the moment... I have moved around the terrarium quite some so I will try not to do anything now to really settle her down. I will bath her today again... She does not stay there for long but seems to like it. So I just have to pop her back and then 3 minutes later she jumps away hah!
will try to get a fecal, but will be very difficult if not impossible in this lovely sunny place. I have tried to give her 1/4 pure apple juice and water with a syringe but she will not really drink much... she is still quite nervous about everything. Stressed?
Thanks once again! :shock:

 

[balak]

Hi alkemisten3,
I am also in Malta and I am a proud owner of 7 month old Dragon. If you need to buy small crickets email me.

Hope you beadie gets better soon.

If you know of a good reptile vet in Malta let me know.

 

[Buggsy]

Juvies need basking spots of 105-110 and this decreases down to 100-105f at about 1.5 to 2 years. Cold temps should be 70-80f. So with a basking spot of 114 she may well be dehydrated. Its hard to tell in reptiles, but are the eyes sunken in any??

Also you should be bathing the dragon twice a week any way to keep her hydrated.

And i actually undigested food may be caused by low temps or 'not spending enough time on the basking spot'. If they feel then the basking spot is too hot they avoid it and dont digest properly, sorry i though i had explained that.

There are no ways to lower most parasites without drugs, which need to be prescribed by a vet.

 

[alkemisten3]

text.

Great ok I will lower the temps. She is although spending a lot more time in the basking now and I guess one reason she has not digested it properly could also be it is too large... ?
I have contacted the person residing in malta in the thread, hoping for some small crickets soon.
Thanks a lot for all your info!
Regarding light: I have now bought a second normal bulb holder, do you have any suggestions for a good type of light, I think I have read halogen?
... and so the liquid in the poo, once again, what could this be? rather smelly too.. :lol:
Thanks

 

[Beardednoob]

As far as I can gather the liquid is just that, extra water that was left over or not utilized and turned urate. They say it means that your dragon is very well hydrated. Not that your dragon would be dehydrated if it wasn't there but, not as hydrated.

 

[alkemisten3]

Ok now the temps around basking area is only 107 F / 41 C and around the warm part approx 80 F/27C Cold part is currently 74 C / 23C and she is not moving at all barely today... She did walk around a bit, went for basking and I took her out to put her in the sun. She did poo and I attached a picture of it. It looks totally normal and she looks normal as well... so Still I Have no idea what is wrong. :shock: Need a vet soon...
She did not eat any fruit, nor crix and 4 superworms only during the whole day - not in once.

Update: Bathed her, she liked it and pooped only white (urates)

thanks

 

[noola]

Hi your beardies poo looks slightly bad my 12 inch girl is pooping really well and its never runny she eats some times only 1 or 2 crickets other days up to ten. Your girl does look as thouh she is going to shed soon so that prob putting her off her food, and making her act little strange. It would be better to get a strip uv bulb for her though . Good luck with your gorgeous girl.

 

[alkemisten3]

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Yes I am aware of the UVB light, I have a reptisun 10.0 super duper tube on the way from germany...
The poo looked actually quite normal today as I can see it, not very dark though, but not strange when she has not had a cricket in days. Maybe she is just cranky because she is shedding. I weighed her, and she has increased 3 grams during 4 days (now 130 g instead of 127 g) and perhaps 0.25inch something. I have now covered the sides on the viv a bit (as seen in last pic) as I read about some person who had her beardies from a wooden viv, where the dragons never saw their reflection (like mine who has lived in a wooden one before) and then got very lethargic when they moved to a glass viv, but very happy when sides were covered!
Will keep you updated :?

 

[BeardedDragon6]

when my beardie poos something runny like this (well its very soft when my drag poos) then I Just don't give him mealworms and only dry food (crickets with Calcium) and some salad so his poop then gets better, Try to Hold him on a diet don't give him soft food like mealworms or any worms, It May be also Parasites visit your Reptile Vet to give him a Anti parasite tablet the tablet needs to be gaved to your beardie at least twice a year (i think) but I think to young dragons like juvies is better to give them only Once a year, My dragon usually eats around 6 medium crickets and, when his poop is too much runny I just put him on a diet and give him some dry crickets and yeah remember to feed your feeder crickets with apples and carrots so your dragon gets the vitamines without needing to eat some salad :]] but dry food would be the best for some weeks and then we will see if it got better :] when not and its still runny go to the Vet


Hope I helped a bit and from where I know this well I know this from my dragon he had a runny poop because I was giving him waay to much mealworms so I reduced mealworms on 1 everyday and gaved him more dry food and his poop is now all right :]] just gonna give him a bath so he can poop as I didn't had any time for him for a exercise (he poops only when Im letting him run around the room)

best wishes

 

[alkemisten3]

Hi again...
Small update> she is not losing any weight, I am bathing her now every day and clearly she is not dehydrated thus. She is quite inactive in the terrarium but very active when I took her out for a few minutes today and yesterday. Since basically everything is correct in the terrarium (except UVB light) I must visit a reptile vet. and make at least a stool sample. I am suspecting Coccidia, since she is generally quite stressed still (remember the previous owner never handled her nor took her out). I put her in the sun today for a good 2 hours but she refused any food except 6 superworms (I know it is not good, but as you can read previously, nothing else available here in Malta for me right now, and she will not eat crickets)... I have also notice I have given her WAY too much vitamins, since on the pack it says "a pinch for 25 crickets" and I have been bathing the crickets/worms in this powder 5 times a week, according to http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html (multi vit. 5 times a week)...

I attach a few more photos.
She did not eat anything yesterday and the day before, and as mentioned today only 6 superworms. I tried feeding her in different places, with my hand, with tweezer, left her alone... Nothing she will not touch the food.
She pooped this morning a big load and then again when I took her out - good girl!

Sun bathing with full window open

Morning poo! Semi solid...

Eyes look strange, this is always after she has just bathed. Could it because of high chloride levels? It later dissapears

Afternoon poo, greyish and urates miscolored (slighly yellow as you can see)

which dragon would NOT eat this?
Rucola/rocket salad, butternut squash, yellow and red prickly pear (cactus fruit) dusted with calcium...

 

[Beardednoob]

Cut the pieces of salad bite size, if it is then the plate makes them look bigger.