Stopped eating / Impaction Related??

[DLohrman]

I've been struggling with my beardie for 5 weeks now. He was acting "normal" since October when I got him & his cage mate. Ate daily his salad (per Beautiful Dragons nutrition guide), pooped & peed daily and seemed fairly alert & energetic.

All seemed to go downhill after I bought & used the coil UVB lamp for only 2 weeks, then took it away per all the warnings. I also fed him superworms which probably also contributed to his downward spiral. Suddenly had no interest in crickets or salad at all.

So fearing impaction, which I could feel a bump in his belly, and maybe some dehydration, I was bathing almost daily and giving him electolytes orally. He seemed to come around and finally ate crickets - that was 2 weeks ago. Now he's back to not feeling well again. I've had some successful poops in the last week, every couple of days, but they're very large and hard. He doesn't want to even bask in natural sunlight in the backyard and will only sit under his branch looking bummed out.

I have been giving him small bits of baby food (green beans & squash) which he does eat eagerly but after that, no interest in anything else.

Please, any advise would greatly be appreciated.

 

[DLohrman]

OK, so I took him the yard and back to his enclosure and he actually ate a few bites of salad. So could this be a good sign??

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

Once you took the coil out, did you ever replace it with a different uvb? Low levels of UVB can decrease appetite, which would make sense that once you took him outside, he got uvb, and ate a bit.

 

[DLohrman]

UVB lamp was replaced to a Zilla Desert 50 UVB T8 Fluorescent bulb 18" fixture. I placed it right above where my 2 normally hang out in the cage. Funny thing though, outside my bummed one hides under his driftwood and not really wanting to be in direct sun. Unless, he's already warm enough - haven't noticed gaping lately - but he'll turn that sort of weird yellow color, looking like he's deflecting light.

Interesting enough though this morning, I made their normal Friday salad. His cage mate kept looking at me and then his empty dish, so I knew at least HE was hungry (always is). I moved my bummed one to the food dish just to see if there was any interest and he DID eat, more than I have seen in a few weeks. In fact, he's been picking away at it for at least the past 10 minutes. He's even standing up, alert again... Im feeling that his lack of appetite has made him real weak.

Im going to take them to the backyard again today, for their baths and suntime, even though its a bit overcast today. Should I just keep doing what Im doing and maybe look into a stronger UVB?

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

I personally use the Reptisun 10.0 tube bulb- I've never had any issues with it, and its only 23$ on pet mountain.com. Puts out great uvb.

Natural sunlight is wonderful for dragons (4 hours a week is the same as all day every day in their viv)

So glad that he's eating again!

 

[Maxwellsmomma1989]

soo glad hes eating you should not have to worry about superworms as i was always told they did not have the shell like meal worms do and meal worms are fine if the beardie is at least 17 inches i think it is ..glad your taking them outside its wonderful for them my maxwell loves his outside time

 

[DLohrman]

Thanks for the pet mountain link! Will begin purchasing my equipment from them from now on. As for the superworms, my beardie with the current problem is just over 13" and yes, it was a mistake to feed him that food - lesson learned - he ate probably 10 in a row. I figured he was impacted because he "looked" like his tummy hurt and his back legs were sticking out and he could barely walk, just scooted almost like a frog. He is now actually standing and walking like he used to, and seems to be getting better.

He's now had his bath, which Im keeping up on almost everyday, and is out in the natural sun. I keep them out there from 12-3:30 or 4, with appropriate shady spots.

Now Im wondering if I'm in the clear to start again on crickets or should I wait to see if his old behavior is completely back?