Winter shut down

[kcheeks4]

I have a male bearded dragon who is 7-8 mo. old. His is in a 40 gallon tank right now.
Lately, he hasn't been eating anything but crickets (8 per day) I always put in supplemental pellets with worms and lettuce with carrotts. He used to shed almost every month, and he hasn't shed in about 6 weeks. He seems to be fairly alert, but he hasn't pooped for 2-3 weeks! Is he sick? Any help would be greatly appreciated, this is my first beardy

 

[emio8]

best bet is to take him to the vets, especially if he isnt doing any 'business'
dragons dont tend to show when they're ill, so the vet will be best to help

 

[spurlee01]

Is 8 crickets a day all he wants? At 8-9 months my little one was eating 70-100 per day of the 3/4". Also, are you feeding lettuce or some type of greens? Lettuce isn't very nutritious. Here is a food guide to check out. http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Also, if you think it may be brumation (reptile form of hibernation) here is an article to check out. My girl did do a semi-brumation last winter starting at 9-10 months. http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/

 

[kcheeks4]

Yes, I offer him Romaine lettuce every day along with carrotts, supplemental pellets and worms.
Thanks for the website!
Today I gave him a bath,to see if he would "GO" but he didn't want to stay in very long. Might have to actually put him in the tub where he can't get out, instead of the sink!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Are you using a UVB light, & if so, what type & brand do you use? Is it a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light? How close is the light to him? Are you using a bright white basking light or a colored light?
Do you supplement calcium on a regular basis for him, at least 4-5 times per week?

Tracie

 

[kcheeks4]

Yes, I am using a UVB light, by Repti Glo. It is a 15 w.
I also have 2 coil lights, 1 is red and the other is a basking light, I also switch out the red light at night time and put in like a black light. It's supposed to emulate the moonlight.
His cage doesn't get any higher than 82, I'm wondering if it's too cold in there for him?
Also, he has a tree that he can climb, and get close to the uvb light, I'd say about 6" if he wants to get that close.
I gave him a bath today for about 15-20 mins, unfortunately, he didn't poo. He's pretty much been under his log all day. :-(. Tried to take him to the vet but since it's a holiday, I didn't have much luck either they were closed, or the Dr . that deals with reptiles wasn't in. What a bummer. I guess your pets should never be sick on a holiday.

 

[kcheeks4]

corretion, I trade out the basking light for the black light, because I'm afraid it's too cold in there for him.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The Reptiglo UVB is a compact/coil light, correct? If so, they are not very good & do not put out enough UVB emissions for bearded dragons. You should try to purchase the Reptisun 10 tube bulb for much better UVB emissions. That could be one thing that is contributing to your dragon's lethargic behavior.
Do you have a bright white light in there for basking, or just the red light for during the day? If you are just using a colored light during the day, it is not bright enough for him. So you will need to switch out that colored bulb for a nice bright white regular household light bulb or a halogen flood light.
Once you get the Reptisun 10 tube bulb, it will need to placed alongside of the basking light on one end of the tank to obtain the optimal basking area. This will enable him to get his UVB right along with his heating.
You can get the Reptisun 10 at www.petmountain.com
It is cheaper online than at the pet stores.
The temperatures are off but what type of thermometer are you using to monitor the temperatures? A stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun? The basking temperatures directly underneath the basking light needs to be in a range of 95-110 with a cooler end on the opposite side of the tank being around 78-82.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[kcheeks4]

Hello,

The Reptiglo UVB is a compact/coil light, correct? If so, they are not very good & do not put out enough UVB emissions for bearded dragons. You should try to purchase the Reptisun 10 tube bulb for much better UVB emissions. That could be one thing that is contributing to your dragon's lethargic behavior.
Do you have a bright white light in there for basking, or just the red light for during the day? If you are just using a colored light during the day, it is not bright enough for him. So you will need to switch out that colored bulb for a nice bright white regular household light bulb or a halogen flood light.
Once you get the Reptisun 10 tube bulb, it will need to placed alongside of the basking light on one end of the tank to obtain the optimal basking area. This will enable him to get his UVB right along with his heating.
You can get the Reptisun 10 at http://www.petmountain.com
It is cheaper online than at the pet stores.
The temperatures are off but what type of thermometer are you using to monitor the temperatures? A stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun? The basking temperatures directly underneath the basking light needs to be in a range of 95-110 with a cooler end on the opposite side of the tank being around 78-82.


Thanks for your quick response . The Reptiglo is a tube light, however I've been reading that you should replace them every six months or so, as they stop emitting the rays that he needs, even though the light will still work? I've had the light for 8 mo.
Also, I do have the bright light for basking. I only change that out at night to the blacklight, it's supposed to emulate moonlight. I'm using a digital thermometer that measures temp. along with humidity. The temp usually runs around 82. It is a 40 gallon tank, with the digital reader on the cool side of the tank, so do I need to gage the basking light somehow?
Also, do you think I should take him to the vet? OR just change the bulb and see how he does?

 

[kcheeks4]

Here is the update on Ozzie-
Took him to the vet, (she specializes in exotic animals) She wants me to feed him Metamucil, she thinks he may be impacted. #1- Has anyone done this, and if so... how in the world do you get them to open their mouths??!!??.
She also wants me to give him medicine for parasites.
I gave him a bath last night for almost 30 mins. No poop, but he was really clean! Today, after the visit, I fed him, he went right after his crickets and wanted more, he probably ate 8 in all. Now he is doing alot of digging.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[kcheeks4]

Also, I did change his bulb.

 

[kcheeks4]

Hmm had quite a bit of activity in the beginning of this post, but no response to my last few posts. ?
Update I gave Ozzie another bath today and massaged his stomach, and he finally pooped! I never thought I'd be so excited about poop in my life! I immediately took the sample to the vet, who told me he has hookworms. Been giving him meds for that, we were able to get him to open his mouth by setting him outside, where he will start "gaping", and just squirted the stuff in!
Now for the substrate.... I bought what was advertised as "safe" sand, which I think impacted him a bit, even though it took 8 mo. to happen. The vet tech suggested I put reptile carpet down in half the cage and sand in the other half.
So happy that we know what was causing this behavior.

 

[munchkins9802]

please remove the sand --it is a cause of impaction in MOST beardies, but especially those under 2 years.
Also, they dont need colored light
But too DIGEST the food properly, their BASKING temp should be a minimum of 95 degrees and the younger ones up to 110.
Also feeders should NEVER be bigger than the space between their eyes.
SHould also give probiotics (SOY (not dairy) yogurt, or acidipholus-sp?) while on his treatment for hookworms

 

[kcheeks4]

Thanks so much for the advice, I think he was getting the sand in his water, and drinking it. That is all on carpet now. He seems to be much more alert.
Also, how do I measure the temp for the basking light? How often should I change the bulb?

 

[munchkins9802]

he at thtat age really shouldnt have any sand--I am sure one of the mods can tell you why.
How are you taking the cage temp normally? A digital thermometer with probe, temp gun or the accurite thermometer (with probe) are thermometers to get to see basking spot temps=for the digital you put the probe on his basking spot wait 30-45 mins and that is the temp. The accurite is the best one out there tho and can get at walmart for @$15