Weird head movement on 2 week old?

[usafvet98]

Hey everyone,
I have 6 babies that hatched 2 weeks ago and allwas fine, even the runt is doing better but one of them is acting weird. He is able to move all limbs, tries to run but falls over as if his balance is thrown off. He also makes this movement with his head like an upward nod and moves it left right continuous then the upward. He did not eat tonight but he did try but fell over. Breathing just like the others and basking. He doesn't seem to be in pain as I'm able to handle him and he will drink water as well. Any ideas?

 

[kjinxx2]

Are you offering supplements? what kind of UVB bulb are you giving? Are they housed together? What are your temps/humidity?

 

[Esther19]

I'm sorry your little guy is acting strangely. Do you know if he had a fall? How do his eyes look? Can he track? Sorry, it's late...beardies can track, can't they? Maybe supplementation, like was mentioned. If he is housed with others, is he getting adequate time to bask and his share of food? ? At any rate, my response will bump this up to the attention of someone else who has more answers (and functioning brain cells.) Please let us know how he does. I hope he improves for you soon. I can imagine how worrisome that is.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sometimes one or two hatchlings can have some trouble.
Possibly he could have a calcium issue or a neurological problem. Did he have a hard time hatching out?
Do you have any pictures of him?

Tracie

 

[usafvet98]

I'll get some video of him tomorrow. His eyes look ok and I am unsure if he had a fall. If he did it couldn't have been moire than 4". All 6 are housed together and usually basking together as I have a stick right under both lights. I have the dual dome light with a basking bulbin one side and the 10.0 coil UVB on other side. I don't recall him having a hard time hatching as they all did pretty well. I just checked on him as I do every hour or so and he is sleeping and breathing just fine. I will post pictures and video tomorrow. I adopted the mother a few months back at only 9 months and she was Gracie when I got her so the ***** kid was trying to breed the poor little girl.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

The coil UVBs (of all kinds) are known to cause problems in beardies with vision, coordination, and movement. They put out a LOT of UVB at first, and then go down to next to nothing extremely fast. For hatchlings, UVB is especially important.

You will want a tube bulb, specifically the Reptisun 10.0 TUBE or the Arcadia 12%. These are the only bulbs on the market that are good for beardies. You can buy them cheapest at www.petmountain.com. Until you get one, turn off the coil bulb immedietly. If you are worried about their UVB needs until then, you can take them out in a high walled cardboard box to get some real sun. It only needs to be 30 min a day or so.

I hope your babies are okay.

 

[usafvet98]

He is doing much better. I think he may have gotten a cricket that was too big for him as I noticed there were a few mediums in the small cricket container. So we got really lucky he doesnt have any permanent damage as I hear that can leave them paralyzed. Thanks for all the advice and concern. Im going to order a new uvb in the morning and in the meantime, I will give them one of my adult beardies Reptisun 10.0 until theirs comes in..

Thanks again and again this board taught me a lot.

Valuable lessons learned
Thanks
Brian

 

[AHBD]

I'm glad the baby seems better, and you're correct, the cricket being a bit on the large side, especially in the case of a hatchling, will affect the motor skills.

 

[Esther19]

Thanks for checking back in with the good news! I'm so glad he's doing better.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

Glad your little ones are doing better! So glad it was just a bit of impaction and not something more serious! And we are here to help! :wink: