suddenly lethargic baby, and eating about half as much.

[mybabymojo]

at first i thought it was just getting ready for shed but its been a few days and he hasnt shed in a long time. i got really nervous when he sat in he water dish for about 40 minutes not really moving (and he hates water!). i fed him some phoenix worms the other day and he ate them the first day and then the next day he didnt eat anything but about 3 crickets. (ive been alterneting worms and crickets every other day). heres the details:

How old is your dragon? about 3 months
How long have you had your dragon? about 3 months
How long is your dragon? bout 7 in.
What is the sex of your dragon? male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 45 breeder
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? astro turf
Do you use UVB lights? 1 24'' reptiglo 10.0
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? exo terra and i think its 25 watt...?
How old is your UVB bulb? 2 weeks for this one
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? bout 6 in. at the highest point.
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? soft white incandescent 60 watt
What are the basking temps? the hottest i can get it is about 99-100 degrees
What is the cool side temp? 80's depending on the temp inside my house
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 w/ probe
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?on his hammoc(sp?)
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. small crickets (dusted) and recently phoenix worms
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? as close to midday as possible. so between 12 and 3 (his day is 8 to 8 thats when his lgiths are on.)
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?reptical, and on all his crickets
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? yes but theyre runny
Do you bath your dragon? How often? about 3 times a week.
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? yes a water bowl in tank buit he usually sits in it rather than drinks from it.
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no


Please help me figure out whats wrong with my baby. I hate to think of anything happening to him.

 

[mybabymojo]

actually while i was answering all these questions i decided to go get a new basking lamp, to see if i can bring that temp up. and i will see is that makes an improvement. might that be the reason for the loose stools though?

 

[Jiffy]

The reptiglo 10 bulbs can cause problems. Can you get a reptisun 10? It is much cheaper to order online than to buy in the store. If you are in the US, you can get one at http://www.petmountain.com

How is your baby doing now? Shedding will make their appetite decrease, but not so much being lethargic. It could be the uv bulb.

 

[diamc]

Sorry to hear that your baby is concerning you. He is quite small for a 3 month old. You mentioned that the tank size is a 45 gallon breeder, is it a 40 or 45 breeder? If you could give us the dimensions, it would help. Did you try using a 75 watt household bulb rather than a 60 to see what the temps are then? Be sure to wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising.

I do agree with Jiffy that at least some of the problems could very well be from the Repti-Glo. Here's some info you can read about that particular bulb. Due to those problems, we suggest that it be placed right alongside a bright white basking bulb and to make sure that he can't get any closer than 10" from that UVB light.

Since babies have their largest appetite in the morning, it would be a good idea to give him crickets about an hr or so after warming up to see if that will help give him what he needs. He should be offered live feeders 2 to 3 times a day making sure he has at least an hour under his lights to digest after eating them. Are you feeding him greens/veggies too? Are you using the calcium every time you feed him, how many days a wk? Are you also dusting with vitamins a couple days a wk?

Also, since he has a runny stool, it would be a good idea to take a sample to be checked for parasites. Please keep us updated on him.

 

[mybabymojo]

i changed out the basking light, and brought the temps up. that seems to help A LOT.
i fed him some mustard greens and phoenix worms. now i haven't fed him crickets for about 3 days. and his stools have gotten much better. when i get a chance i will switch out the repti glo. i think hes going to be okay.

except that he still hasn't shed in awhile. how often should he shed at his age?

 

[diamc]

Hi, that's good that you were able to get the basking temps up a bit and his stools are better. How is his appetite? At his age, he should be shedding every wk or every other wk. Is he still acting lethargic? When is the UVB due to be changed?