Will he grow again?

[MikeN]

Hello Everybody,

I am sure this might be asking too much considering Leo is now approximately 10 months old, about 18 inches and weighing 550g, but still I was hoping he'd grow a bit larger. Anyway, he used to eat 15-20 live crickets a day and a healthy amount of greens and mealworms as well, and shed his skin just about every two weeks up until past August, and then come September, it suddenly stopped. He abruptly lost interest in chasing crickets or even veggies and now spends his days sort of hiding under his tree, instead of climbing on top of it to bask. He is alert and even takes a stroll back and forth every once in a while, and still fights just as vigorously when given a bath, but he just doesn't display much interest in food or anything for that matter. We had to switch to those canned crickets since this started, and he'll grudgingly eat four or five, while before this stage, they were his favorite treat and he would devour the whole can if allowed to do so I also think he has lost just a little bit of weight, as he looked a little fatter before this started, but we didn't have a scale to check back then, so I can't tell for sure.

Since he doesn't really display any signs of sickess or anything, I believe he's simply brummating, and with him being in his first year (we got him in April at the size of about 8 inches, approximately 3 months old), he is not really sleeping, but my question is - how long can this last and should I pay attention to something to see if this might be something else? Also - once this is over, will he shed his skin and grow again? In what age do BD's stop growing altogether?

Thank you in advance!

 

[vickson420]

moved topic to health for better exposure

 

[MikeN]

Thank you, I hope I do get some educated and/or experienced answers here... I forgot to mention that he also poops once in three days now, and does so normally as well.

 

[MikeN]

Bump...

 

[vickson420]

Hi
Can I ask you what type of uvb you are using and how old it is?Also what are his temps exactly?Brumation is possible but I would like to rule out any other problems first.

Vicky

 

[MikeN]

Hi Vicky,

I am currently using an Exo-Terra Repti Glo 10.0 (coil type, appr. 4 months old) plus a Desert Sun (I think it was the name) 48" 3.0 (About 4 months old as well) and two plain 40-watt bulbs. Up until about two weeks ago, one of these was also another Repti Glo 10.0, but it is now more than 6 months old, so I put a regular bulb in place of it for additional heat, as I felt it may have been lacking. There is also a small Zoo-Med stick-on heating pad on one side of the tank that is always on. I am including a photo of the setup, which hasn't really changed much since Leo was active. The temps are 97 on top of the log, which is Leo's favorite spot, 106.3 on top of the tree, where he never goes anymore, 88.8 at the base of the tree (where it sort of makes a flat rock) where he likes to hide these days, and 82.2 on the cool end, with the ambients around the tank being mostly in the 85-90 range.

Thanks!

 

[vickson420]

Hi Vicky,

I am currently using an Exo-Terra Repti Glo 10.0 (coil type, appr. 4 months old) plus a Desert Sun (I think it was the name) 48" 3.0 (About 4 months old as well) and two plain 40-watt bulbs. Up until about two weeks ago, one of these was also another Repti Glo 10.0, but it is now more than 6 months old, so I put a regular bulb in place of it for additional heat, as I felt it may have been lacking. There is also a small Zoo-Med stick-on heating pad on one side of the tank that is always on. I am including a photo of the setup, which hasn't really changed much since Leo was active. The temps are 97 on top of the log, which is Leo's favorite spot, 106.3 on top of the tree, where he never goes anymore, 88.8 at the base of the tree (where it sort of makes a flat rock) where he likes to hide these days, and 82.2 on the cool end, with the ambients around the tank being mostly in the 85-90 range.

Thanks!

Hi
Ok so I thing the growth/lack of eating problem here is not going to be corrected until you change some things.Most importantly the UVB.The coil/compacts uvb are poor at best and dangerous at worst.The reptiglo coils emit almost no uvb after 3 months and poor uvb when new.If you want him to grow the first thing to do is get either a linear flourescent reptiSUN 10.0 or you can get an MVB like the megaray which is the best shot for future growth.Also what type of calcium/vitamins are you using?Temps look good although now that he is older he really doesnt need a temp as high as 106 which is why he is shying away from it most of the time but it is within acceptable limits except where he is spending most of his time he isnt getting any uvb because of the poor quality of the bulb and the distance from it.In a way it may be a lessing that he was staying away from the higher spot or the coils could have done some serious damage to his eyes as they have been known to do.

 

[MikeN]

Vicky,

Well, he's had a 3.0 UVB linear bulb all along, but I was planning to go get something new today regardless. Where can I get the megaray? There is a Petco and a Petsmart nearby, but I do not think I've seen something like that at either. As for his vitamins, I dust his crickets with Jurassi-Cal calcium (about every other meal now, used to be more when he was younger), Repti-Cal Herptivite multivitamin (a couple times a week) and Exo-Terra electrolyte & vitamin D3 (a couple of drops in his water, which he drinks through a straw, so I know he's getting it). Too bad he's not really eating much, so I imagine he's not getting as much calcium or herptivite as he used to.

Mike

 

[lilStewie]

You can get the megaray at reptileuv.com it is around 40 bucks. Worth every last penny! I know they are not getting more in until Tue. but if you contacted them they could be more specific. I just ordered 3 and can't wait to recieve them. I have been using one on Stew and the results are amazing. Plus you don't have to worry about it fading for 6mos to a year.

 

[vickson420]

Vicky,

Well, he's had a 3.0 UVB linear bulb all along, but I was planning to go get something new today regardless. Where can I get the megaray? There is a Petco and a Petsmart nearby, but I do not think I've seen something like that at either. As for his vitamins, I dust his crickets with Jurassi-Cal calcium (about every other meal now, used to be more when he was younger), Repti-Cal Herptivite multivitamin (a couple times a week) and Exo-Terra electrolyte & vitamin D3 (a couple of drops in his water, which he drinks through a straw, so I know he's getting it). Too bad he's not really eating much, so I imagine he's not getting as much calcium or herptivite as he used to.

Mike

Ok well the only MVB you can get from places like petsmart/petco would be the T-Rex Active Heat(very good bulb) or the Powersun(not to bad but not as good) or you can get the Megaray online form reptileuv.com.Now I will say the Megaray is the best hands down but the T-rex is very good also and still better then any flourescent.I am not sure how familiar you are with MVB bulbs but they are not tubes.They look like a flood bulb and emit both heat and UVB at the same time.There is a minimum distance requirement of 12 inches between beardie and bulb however so you need to be sure you are capable of arranging his tank to accomodate this and that is for the 100 watt(the one I suggest you get),the 160 watt has a minimum of 18 inches.When using MVB you do not use D3 however because the light is strong enough that it creates D3 on its own.I am a little concerned that your beardie isnt getting enough calcium however because w/o calcium his bone growh is going to beak weak and imbalanced so you do need to find a way to get him to intake calcium.I have a feeling though that once you get the uvb issue corrected he will start to eat better and in the meantime it may not be a bad idea to start giving him a babyfood slurry with calcium mixed in to supplement his diet.I also recommend switching to repcal calcium instead of the jurassical.The jurassical is kind of uneven and doesnt guarentee stable and consistent calcium dosages.

 

[MikeN]

Thank you very much lilStewie and Vicky!
I feel I need to get Leo something right now, so I may as well get the Active Heat or at least the Repti-Sun linear tonight. The distance will not be a problem as the tank is rather tall and I was always concerned that Leo was too far from the lights unless sitting on top of the tree. As I understand, I am going to have to buy a dome for it as well. I have a question though - I've seen MVB's at stores like Home Depot and Lowe's before. Are those in any way different and not recommended for BD's? Also - what kind of babyfood should I buy and how do I force-feed him it?

Mike

 

[vickson420]

Thank you very much lilStewie and Vicky!
I feel I need to get Leo something right now, so I may as well get the Active Heat or at least the Repti-Sun linear tonight. The distance will not be a problem as the tank is rather tall and I was always concerned that Leo was too far from the lights unless sitting on top of the tree. As I understand, I am going to have to buy a dome for it as well. I have a question though - I've seen MVB's at stores like Home Depot and Lowe's before. Are those in any way different and not recommended for BD's? Also - what kind of babyfood should I buy and how do I force-feed him it?

Mike

Your welcome.I understand you feeling the need to get something for him and the Trex or the reptisun would be good choices.Just stay away from esu,reptiglo 10.0(any kind) and of course compact/coils.Yes you will have to get a deep dome for the MVB.Also stick with the 100 watt and if need be add an additional regular household white bulb next to it to bumo temps.The MVB at the hardware stores are not safe for beardies.They are meant for plants and can do harm as the uvb isnt correct.As for babyfood I would get 1 chicken and 1 veggie or fruit and mix them together,add a pich of calcium and thin it out a little with some water.Start by seeing if he will lick it off the spoon,if that doesnt work put a little ontop of his snout and see if he licks it off.If all else fails you can use a plastic needless syringe,you will need to slide it into his mouth(some force will be needed)and feed this way.You can sometimes get them to open up by rubbing a qtip on the side of their mouths and its always easiest to insert the syringe from the side anyway.One other thing I forgot to as,where is your heatpad located?They can be dangerpus for beardies especially if they are under the tank because beardies measure theor temps form their parietal eye which is located on top of their head so they can overheat,dehydrate or burn without even knowing it.

 

[MikeN]

Ok, after visiting both Petco and Petsmart, I was only able to find a single Powersun MLB for a whopping $79.99.. Not something I really liked, particularly as there is a blemish in it in the form of a pinhole in the white frosting, which makes me wonder if it might be dangerous for Leo, like if it emits extra radiation through that tiny hole or something?

I also bought a small jar of chicken & veggies baby food, mixed it with some calcium and water and fed Leo from a teaspoon. He seemed to like it, as he licked out pretty much the whole spoon, but then got too excited, started running around and wiped the yellow goo from his face all over the tank glass He wouldn't eat anything else afterward, which is disheartening. After the initial agitation, he spent the rest of the night basking under the new bulb, so I now wonder how long I should wait for the effects of it to show.

Oh, and you can see the heating pad on the right side of the tank, it is on the vertical wall, and Leo never goes quite near it. It is also only 8 watts, is on the outside of the tank and never really gets that hot.

 

[MikeN]

Update:

I am a bit concerned, as even though Leo has been under the PowerSun for two days now, he just seems.. sleepy. He just lies there and even shuts his eyes every once in a while. He ate his usual 5 canned crickets last night and a bit of babyfood with calcium, but he hasn't pooped in 4 days now (it's been once in three days lately). He doesn't appear sick or anything, but he squints his eyes too often and is just SLOW. He recently walked up to his dish, and is now sitting next to it with his eyes closed, and hasn't made any attempts to actually eat. Is this something any of you encountered?

On the other hand, his color has definitely improved, with dark pigmentation showing a lot more prominently now.

 

[vickson420]

Update:

I am a bit concerned, as even though Leo has been under the PowerSun for two days now, he just seems.. sleepy. He just lies there and even shuts his eyes every once in a while. He ate his usual 5 canned crickets last night and a bit of babyfood with calcium, but he hasn't pooped in 4 days now (it's been once in three days lately). He doesn't appear sick or anything, but he squints his eyes too often and is just SLOW. He recently walked up to his dish, and is now sitting next to it with his eyes closed, and hasn't made any attempts to actually eat. Is this something any of you encountered?

On the other hand, his color has definitely improved, with dark pigmentation showing a lot more prominently now.

Mike
How close is he to the Powersun?When was his last bath and have you double checked the temps with the new bulb?I am a little concerned about possible impaction,I would start by giving him a nice long bath,and it may be necessary to get him on a babyfood diet until he poops.I would get some chicken babyfood and some fruit or veggie babyfood thin it out with water,add a pinch of calcium and 2 drops of olive oil,warm it up in the microwave and ether spoon feed it to him or use a plastic needless syringe.Some of this can be attributed to possible brumation but you want to make sure he poops first and also you want to rule out any other issues he may have.Once you get him pooping a fecal might be a good idea to rule out parasites.