savoryavery
New member
- Beardie name(s)
- Icarus (icky for short)
hi everyone!
i made an account just to post about this because i haven't been able to find anything anywhere about what's going on with my lil buddy icarus!
her cage is in my bedroom. two days ago i woke up to her completely black. beard and chest the color of ink. this is the first time it had ever happened in the year i've had her (though she is probably a year and a half old). i took the picture below because i was literally so shocked and thought she had somehow managed to burn herself on something even though there is nothing in her cage to even do that.
she had gone to the bathroom up in her hammock. this was especially strange because she is very much a creature of habit and goes to the same spot/area to poop whenever she goes. the stool was soft but not runny. and it smelled less foul that it normally does. kind of weirdly sugary smelling.
the past two days i have seen her defecate twice and it has been very soft still, even watery. not exactly diarrhea but not a regular bowel movement either.
she hasn't had the black beard anymore that i've seen. she's continued to eat and show interest in food. but she is using her hide more than she ever has before, sleeping in it even. which would be insignificant if she didn't do that on the regular.
i'm sort of worried there's something wrong but i don't exactly know what to look up. i gave her some hornworms this past week that were probably a smidge too big and i'm wondering if maybe that is having something to do with the irregular defecation.
other info:
- she gets greens offered daily. mostly store bought turnip/mustard/dandelion greens that I rinse very thoroughly before feeding. additionally supplemented with TONS of things from our garden. always washed or soaked very thoroughly and always things she is allowed to eat (nasturtiums, hibiscus, small bits of carrot, the occasional berry or actual dandelion). we don't spray the garden with any chemicals specifically so icarus can eat the veggies too!
- dubia roaches are usually the staple insect she's fed
- basking and temperature gradient are normal, timed the same as they have been. storms have knocked power out at my house twice this month though which has led to some adjustments on that front but not enough to cause any drastic changes in timing or hear or anything.
tl;dr — Icarus is black-bearding, hiding out in her hide more frequently, and passing runny stools. she's still active and reactive to food, but i am worried something might be wrong.
thanks in advance for any input!
i made an account just to post about this because i haven't been able to find anything anywhere about what's going on with my lil buddy icarus!
her cage is in my bedroom. two days ago i woke up to her completely black. beard and chest the color of ink. this is the first time it had ever happened in the year i've had her (though she is probably a year and a half old). i took the picture below because i was literally so shocked and thought she had somehow managed to burn herself on something even though there is nothing in her cage to even do that.
she had gone to the bathroom up in her hammock. this was especially strange because she is very much a creature of habit and goes to the same spot/area to poop whenever she goes. the stool was soft but not runny. and it smelled less foul that it normally does. kind of weirdly sugary smelling.
the past two days i have seen her defecate twice and it has been very soft still, even watery. not exactly diarrhea but not a regular bowel movement either.
she hasn't had the black beard anymore that i've seen. she's continued to eat and show interest in food. but she is using her hide more than she ever has before, sleeping in it even. which would be insignificant if she didn't do that on the regular.
i'm sort of worried there's something wrong but i don't exactly know what to look up. i gave her some hornworms this past week that were probably a smidge too big and i'm wondering if maybe that is having something to do with the irregular defecation.
other info:
- she gets greens offered daily. mostly store bought turnip/mustard/dandelion greens that I rinse very thoroughly before feeding. additionally supplemented with TONS of things from our garden. always washed or soaked very thoroughly and always things she is allowed to eat (nasturtiums, hibiscus, small bits of carrot, the occasional berry or actual dandelion). we don't spray the garden with any chemicals specifically so icarus can eat the veggies too!
- dubia roaches are usually the staple insect she's fed
- basking and temperature gradient are normal, timed the same as they have been. storms have knocked power out at my house twice this month though which has led to some adjustments on that front but not enough to cause any drastic changes in timing or hear or anything.
tl;dr — Icarus is black-bearding, hiding out in her hide more frequently, and passing runny stools. she's still active and reactive to food, but i am worried something might be wrong.
thanks in advance for any input!
