MissCharles
New member
Hi everyone!! I'm a bit new to posting on this site but I've been following the discussions and posts since I brought home my little man 
Petri is a Ponoga Vitticeps (central/inland) bearded, 6 years old and measuring at 17 inches long and 4 inches wide. I offered to adopt him from a previous family 2 years ago when I witness the children mistreating him - sadly he is missing 9 toes and his tail has a permanent bent in it. He loves climbing, cuddling and running around in the grass outside. He's always very energetic and active; sometimes he'll even puff all up and growl/squeak at me playfully until I kiss him on the nose.
He loves peeled carrot, dried blueberries & raspberries, mushed up bananas, bok choy, green beans, dandelions and celery leaves; once a week I feed him roughly 50 crickets and two superworms a day - he won't eat the crickets if I dust them with his calcium or vitamins, so I have to trick him by using the superworms. Also, once a year on his birthday, I buy his 5 horn-tail worms for a special treat. He doesn't like drinking out of his water dish very often, so to make sure that he gets properly hydrated, he gets a warm bath once every 2-3 days. He'll drink a little, play and sometimes poop. He sheds like clockwork; twice a year, usually in early Feb and late Aug. In all the time that I've had him, Petri has never brumated.
His tank is a 75 gallon reptile specific, with dual sliding doors on the front, currently I am using black sand but I'm thinking about switching to the bark, as he always burieds his water dish. His UV lamp is a two tube, and 17 inches above the base of the tank; I made it a little higher because he's always hanging out in his hammock. I use Exo Terra at the moment, but will be switching to RepiSUN in the new year.I keep daily records of the temperature, the warm side measuring between 75-85 and the cool side close to around 60-65, with a half log for him to hide under. I'll admit tho, other than feeding, sleeping and while I'm at work, Petri is hardly ever in his tank. I let him roam around the house freely, and even knows where his second basking rock is in my bedroom. Both lamps are Terra 150 and he loves them.
I went on vacation 2 months ago for a couple of weeks, and my sister looked after him for me. I trusted her over my roommates because she has 4 beardies herself and knows how to take care of them. I made out a list of everything for her; eating patterns, bathing, vitiamin/calcium measurements. When I came home, I noticed a slight change in his appetite and activity, but I figured that it must have been the stress of being moved around so much - plus, my sister isn't as cuddly and affectionate with her beardies like I am. However, his activeness has continued to go down, the only time he's really mobile is when he's outside in the grass or when he gets his crickets and superworms; he still eats them but ignores his greens. It's been a little over a week since he's eaten anymore but the crickets and worms. He sleeps constantly and is hardly ever awake. His head and limbs have started to shake slightly, mostly only when I touch him tho. He also has problems moving sometimes - like his front limbs will waves around as if he's trying to move but he can't seems to get them underneath him and he hardly moves his back legs. And lately, he won't even drink during his baths and just lays there. He hasn't had a bowel movement in a week, the last one a brownish tar colour with a white end.
I'm scared. I don't know if he's brumating for the first time or if it's something more serious. I live in a small town, 5 hrs away from the city and our little Vet clinic isn't equipped for reptiles, although they do try. I have an appointment to take him into the city to get checked out, but the earliest I could get in is late Sept.
I really don't know what to do. I'm so scared to lose my Petri and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Petri is a Ponoga Vitticeps (central/inland) bearded, 6 years old and measuring at 17 inches long and 4 inches wide. I offered to adopt him from a previous family 2 years ago when I witness the children mistreating him - sadly he is missing 9 toes and his tail has a permanent bent in it. He loves climbing, cuddling and running around in the grass outside. He's always very energetic and active; sometimes he'll even puff all up and growl/squeak at me playfully until I kiss him on the nose.
He loves peeled carrot, dried blueberries & raspberries, mushed up bananas, bok choy, green beans, dandelions and celery leaves; once a week I feed him roughly 50 crickets and two superworms a day - he won't eat the crickets if I dust them with his calcium or vitamins, so I have to trick him by using the superworms. Also, once a year on his birthday, I buy his 5 horn-tail worms for a special treat. He doesn't like drinking out of his water dish very often, so to make sure that he gets properly hydrated, he gets a warm bath once every 2-3 days. He'll drink a little, play and sometimes poop. He sheds like clockwork; twice a year, usually in early Feb and late Aug. In all the time that I've had him, Petri has never brumated.
His tank is a 75 gallon reptile specific, with dual sliding doors on the front, currently I am using black sand but I'm thinking about switching to the bark, as he always burieds his water dish. His UV lamp is a two tube, and 17 inches above the base of the tank; I made it a little higher because he's always hanging out in his hammock. I use Exo Terra at the moment, but will be switching to RepiSUN in the new year.I keep daily records of the temperature, the warm side measuring between 75-85 and the cool side close to around 60-65, with a half log for him to hide under. I'll admit tho, other than feeding, sleeping and while I'm at work, Petri is hardly ever in his tank. I let him roam around the house freely, and even knows where his second basking rock is in my bedroom. Both lamps are Terra 150 and he loves them.
I went on vacation 2 months ago for a couple of weeks, and my sister looked after him for me. I trusted her over my roommates because she has 4 beardies herself and knows how to take care of them. I made out a list of everything for her; eating patterns, bathing, vitiamin/calcium measurements. When I came home, I noticed a slight change in his appetite and activity, but I figured that it must have been the stress of being moved around so much - plus, my sister isn't as cuddly and affectionate with her beardies like I am. However, his activeness has continued to go down, the only time he's really mobile is when he's outside in the grass or when he gets his crickets and superworms; he still eats them but ignores his greens. It's been a little over a week since he's eaten anymore but the crickets and worms. He sleeps constantly and is hardly ever awake. His head and limbs have started to shake slightly, mostly only when I touch him tho. He also has problems moving sometimes - like his front limbs will waves around as if he's trying to move but he can't seems to get them underneath him and he hardly moves his back legs. And lately, he won't even drink during his baths and just lays there. He hasn't had a bowel movement in a week, the last one a brownish tar colour with a white end.
I'm scared. I don't know if he's brumating for the first time or if it's something more serious. I live in a small town, 5 hrs away from the city and our little Vet clinic isn't equipped for reptiles, although they do try. I have an appointment to take him into the city to get checked out, but the earliest I could get in is late Sept.
I really don't know what to do. I'm so scared to lose my Petri and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
