PogoLover
Juvie Member
I have had Pogo for about 6 months. She was about 6.75" and 10g when I got her (probably about 6 weeks to 2 months old). So, she is at least 7 months old now. She is only 9.75" and 45 grams.
She has been trouble since I got her - would only eat a couple of crix a day and then nothing after the first week. I started feeding carnivore care mixed with squash baby food out of an eyedropper and took her to the vet (and then another vet who had much more reptile experience). She took Panacur (I think that was the name) for parasites (vet made me bring multiple stool samples to be sure), and then an antibiotic because the vet thought she has a GI tract infection (some blood in the stool).
After that I kept up with the eyedropper fed mix. She started taking phoenix worms about 6 weeks or so later, but only if I put them in her mouth (not force fed, but held them up to her lips until she opened up to take them). She started growing and gaining and I thought we were over the hump. She got up to more normal numbers of bugs (maybe 40 or so a day combo of phoenix worms and small dubia) and collard greens, still with the baby food squash for variety. Still all of this had to be pretty much held to her lips to get her to eat. After about a week of "normal bug" intake, she regurgitated some bugs (and she had been pooping up to four times a day) - in other words, it was too much. She turns her head when she doesn't want to eat, or clamps her mouth and won't take the food, so I know when she is done. That was November.
I slowed down on the bugs and she maintained weight, but didn't grow. Then she got a limp in one hind leg, and then one front leg. Back to the vet. Vet said it was likely septic arthritis, but could possibly be MBD - put her on Baytril and liquid calcium (to ensure she was getting the proper amount). Stool sample was negative for parasites. The vet also said that she was too fat for her length and that could be causing trouble with her limbs as well.
Her limbs are fine now after two weeks of the antibiotics - she is jumping and running again (albeit slightly more slowly than before - she used to be able to run like a cheetah before). I let her lose a few grams (she had been up to 50, and now she is down to 45). She seems to like being this weight better - can climb, etc. much better.
The whole time I have had her, she has had a Reptisun 10.0 T8 tube (which was replaced with a new one after 5 months). She spends most of her time within 6-12 inches of that tube (no screen). She has had calcium supplements, etc. Her temps are right - she has a wide range of temps in her cage (tested with a temp gun, 80F to 120F - and, yes, she likes being that hot - she will stay at 115 and not gape), and she likes to stay really hot most of the time. She drinks water from her bowl and from her bath all of the time. She poops normally (or maybe a little bit more than normal) - solid green/brown poop with soft white urate and some liquid (she drinks a ton).
Her dubia are fed fluker's cricket food and some apple/banana/carrot at times. Her phoenix worms are fed moist juvenile beardie pellet food.
Everything I have read has said that stunted growth is caused by bad husbandry, but I can't think of what base I haven't covered on the husbandry. She has a tile substrate. I have to hand feed her, so I know exactly what she is eating (phoenix worms, dubia, collard greens, squash baby food, and very occasionally apple/blueberry or banana baby food for variety). I get poop out of the cage within a couple hours. I disinfect routinely.
She has also had stress marks most of the time that I have had her. Over the last month she got completely white bellied for a few weeks (except when she was eating - she always gets dark stress marks while eating!). For a while, she would only get white if I took her out of the cage and let her sit on my shoulder and climb in my hair. The minute I put her back in the viv - stress marks. But I can't carry her around all day (or else no UVB).
Does anyone have any idea what this is all about? Vet says that she is too small to get a good blood sample from. Vet also said that she would likely be dead by now if I hadn't been caring for her the way I have - this is my first beardie but I have been hand her feeding 2-3 times a day for almost 6 months, because other than the first week I had her, she absolutely will not hunt. I have tried feeding cages, bowls of worms/greens in her cage, dropping food in front of her . . .
If I have to feed her like this for the rest of her life, I will. But I am nervous about her size - if I feed her more, she just packs on width not length - as though she were an adult (but she can't be an adult). I need to get her bigger for a good blood test to see if there is something really funky going on. I have tried crix again two different times, but she won't have any of that and holding them to get them in her mouth is impossible. Does anyone know a good place to buy silkworms - maybe she will eat those on her own? Any other suggestions?
She has been trouble since I got her - would only eat a couple of crix a day and then nothing after the first week. I started feeding carnivore care mixed with squash baby food out of an eyedropper and took her to the vet (and then another vet who had much more reptile experience). She took Panacur (I think that was the name) for parasites (vet made me bring multiple stool samples to be sure), and then an antibiotic because the vet thought she has a GI tract infection (some blood in the stool).
After that I kept up with the eyedropper fed mix. She started taking phoenix worms about 6 weeks or so later, but only if I put them in her mouth (not force fed, but held them up to her lips until she opened up to take them). She started growing and gaining and I thought we were over the hump. She got up to more normal numbers of bugs (maybe 40 or so a day combo of phoenix worms and small dubia) and collard greens, still with the baby food squash for variety. Still all of this had to be pretty much held to her lips to get her to eat. After about a week of "normal bug" intake, she regurgitated some bugs (and she had been pooping up to four times a day) - in other words, it was too much. She turns her head when she doesn't want to eat, or clamps her mouth and won't take the food, so I know when she is done. That was November.
I slowed down on the bugs and she maintained weight, but didn't grow. Then she got a limp in one hind leg, and then one front leg. Back to the vet. Vet said it was likely septic arthritis, but could possibly be MBD - put her on Baytril and liquid calcium (to ensure she was getting the proper amount). Stool sample was negative for parasites. The vet also said that she was too fat for her length and that could be causing trouble with her limbs as well.
Her limbs are fine now after two weeks of the antibiotics - she is jumping and running again (albeit slightly more slowly than before - she used to be able to run like a cheetah before). I let her lose a few grams (she had been up to 50, and now she is down to 45). She seems to like being this weight better - can climb, etc. much better.
The whole time I have had her, she has had a Reptisun 10.0 T8 tube (which was replaced with a new one after 5 months). She spends most of her time within 6-12 inches of that tube (no screen). She has had calcium supplements, etc. Her temps are right - she has a wide range of temps in her cage (tested with a temp gun, 80F to 120F - and, yes, she likes being that hot - she will stay at 115 and not gape), and she likes to stay really hot most of the time. She drinks water from her bowl and from her bath all of the time. She poops normally (or maybe a little bit more than normal) - solid green/brown poop with soft white urate and some liquid (she drinks a ton).
Her dubia are fed fluker's cricket food and some apple/banana/carrot at times. Her phoenix worms are fed moist juvenile beardie pellet food.
Everything I have read has said that stunted growth is caused by bad husbandry, but I can't think of what base I haven't covered on the husbandry. She has a tile substrate. I have to hand feed her, so I know exactly what she is eating (phoenix worms, dubia, collard greens, squash baby food, and very occasionally apple/blueberry or banana baby food for variety). I get poop out of the cage within a couple hours. I disinfect routinely.
She has also had stress marks most of the time that I have had her. Over the last month she got completely white bellied for a few weeks (except when she was eating - she always gets dark stress marks while eating!). For a while, she would only get white if I took her out of the cage and let her sit on my shoulder and climb in my hair. The minute I put her back in the viv - stress marks. But I can't carry her around all day (or else no UVB).
Does anyone have any idea what this is all about? Vet says that she is too small to get a good blood sample from. Vet also said that she would likely be dead by now if I hadn't been caring for her the way I have - this is my first beardie but I have been hand her feeding 2-3 times a day for almost 6 months, because other than the first week I had her, she absolutely will not hunt. I have tried feeding cages, bowls of worms/greens in her cage, dropping food in front of her . . .
If I have to feed her like this for the rest of her life, I will. But I am nervous about her size - if I feed her more, she just packs on width not length - as though she were an adult (but she can't be an adult). I need to get her bigger for a good blood test to see if there is something really funky going on. I have tried crix again two different times, but she won't have any of that and holding them to get them in her mouth is impossible. Does anyone know a good place to buy silkworms - maybe she will eat those on her own? Any other suggestions?
