Tucking head down

[Chezuk1]

Please help, my bearded dragon has suddenly started tucking his head down when I pick him up to handle him. I have seen her lift her head up in the tank but she seems off balance when she is being held. Walking in circles with her head down. She is only a few months old and it just started this morning any suggestions?

 

[diamc]

I'm sorry to hear this. Would you be able to tell us a little bit about your setup? Most important the brand & type of UVB you have and what the distance is to your beardie while in the basking spot? Also, what are the tank temps and what type of thermometer are you using? Any detailed info you could give will help.

Have you given a bath lately? If so, when was the last one? Did your beardie put his head under the water maybe getting some in his ears?

How often are you dusting with calcium & vitamins?

 

[Chezuk1]

I have given baths but never has she put her head below water level. My sons friend misted him yesterday, could that have gotten water in the ear (although symptoms didn't start until today)
She is in a 30 gal tank. Maybe 3/4 months old? UVB strip light and a 75 watt basking light. She has been eating mostly small crickets but quite a lot of them

 

[diamc]

No, just misting him wouldn't get water into the ears. Make sure he doesn't get misted while in the tank though because too high humidity can cause an upper respiratory infection.

Do you know the brand of the strip light, it should be printed right on the side of the bulb. I'm asking about that because there are some that can cause neurological symptoms. What is the distance of the UVB bulb?

Have you been dusting the crickets with calcium & vitamins? If so, how often?

Sorry for all the questions but just trying to rule some things out.

 

[diamc]

I forgot to ask what the tank temps are and what type of thermometer you're using?

 

[Chezuk1]

Sorry for the slow reply. Happy to say that she seems to be back to normal this morning. When I turned on the lights she quickly perked up and started lookin for her food. A good friend told me that I may have been over feeding so I only gave her 4/5 crickets (previously i was letting her eat as many as she fancied and she was gobbling down 8/10 small ones in just a few minutes each morning)
Thanks so much for your reponses. I am going to post on the UVB bulb later because I have a funny feeling that I have the wrong one. It was a petsmart brand long UVB for desert reptiles.
Thanks again!!

 

[nursejones813]

They are supposed to eat as much as they want in 10-15 min. And really 8-10 crickets isn't much for a 3-4 mo old Beardie. My 4 mo old eats over 100 a day.

 

[Chezuk1]

Wow really! I just went in and he has shed all his skin on his body! I wonder if that was bothering him?!

 

[Esther19]

It very well could have been. Are the crickets smaller than the space between his eyes? If not, they should be.

 

[Chezuk1]

Yes they are! When we first got her the lady in the pet shop gave me the large ones and we soon learned the hard way. Her back legs started twitching and he stopped eating. I have her a bath and finally she poo'd a huge gob and was fine ever since. Small ones since then!!

 

[diamc]

I'm glad to hear that your beardie is doing better today. Please let us know about the brand of UVB you're using and what the distance is as that is very important.

If you're using the round gauge (dial) thermometers, those can be off as much as 20 degrees at least so that's why I was trying to find out what you're using to make sure the temps aren't too hot or too cold. The only 2 ways to get accurate readings are with either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with long wire & probe end. Inaccurate temps can cause all sorts of health issues including improper digestion, impaction, etc. So, please fill us in on that too.

Since your beardie is so young, you should be dusting the feeders 5 days a wk with calcium BUT only 1 feeding a day. The calcium and UVB light work together to synthesize the right amount of calcium in their bodies so it's important to use both together. The other 2 days a wk that you're not using calcium, you should dust the feeders with vitamins but again, only 1 feeding a day. Too much calcium or vitamins is not good.

Babies need LOTS of protein so that's why it's important to offer all the crickets (or other feeders) they can eat in 10 to 15 min, 2 to 3 times a day. It isn't unusual for a young beardie to eat 30 to 100 a day. They know how much they need and will stop when they are full.

 

[BEARDIESandCOFFEE]

So did the shedding seem to help the situation?