Worried about Judah

[Judah'sHuman]

Judah has been acting a little odd the past few weeks and im not sure what is going on if anything. He is going to shead his back legs soon and his mouth is now also looking like it is going to shead here in the next few weeks. Judah always getts really cranky when he is going to shead and it can last from the time his skin starts to change colors till after he actually sheads the skin. He gets really picky with his food sometimes not eatting it at all or just a few pieces. In the past I have been able to coax him to eat by putting his vits on it. He seems to want more vits when he is wanting to shead, so I oblige so he'll eat. This time however he is being very stuborn and not eatting more than a few bits of salad no matter what. He is also usually a liil pistol and runs around and doesnt wat to be touched a whoel lot when is is sheading. Right now he is pretty lethargic than normal, he is usually pretty chill anyways, but this is abnoral for sheading time. The last few weeks I have been offering him more crickets because he is more apt to eat those than salads. I have also been feeding him baby foods with Probiotics every other day 1-2cc since he is not eatting as much salas. He ate the most yesterday than I have seen in the last few weeks, about 8-10 crickets and about 1/3 cup of his salad. I thought good hes snapping out of it, today he is back to not wanting to eat, but it is still early he usually eats the most at noonish. My other concern is that he has been crawling in his cave to hang out rather than basking the last few weeks.

So here is my more discript issues:
We changed his set up to a rock back drop about 3 weeks ago, about the time this all started
He black bearded a bit for a few days then he seemed cool about it.
Wants to hang out more in his hide than on his new basking area. (he's not trying to sleep though just hanging out) he use to hang out on his branch under the lamp all the time. The new set up is the same distance, but Ihave to put him on the rock in order for him to bask, he dosent seem to want to go up there by himself.
He hangs out mostly in the center of the tank (MVB is on the far left) in the 90 deg range so im concerned that he is not getting enough heat to digest properly. If find him in the hid durring the day i take him out snuggle him and put him in the baskign spot or in the center of the tank.
Perhaps he is wanting to go in to Brumation, maybe I should leave him alone? But I dotn want him to be in the area with food in his stomach! baaaahhhh Im torn on that one!
Not eatting as much
pooping every 4-5 days (it was every 2-3 days now that he is older)

The last time he pooped it was pretty loose. His poo has always been smelly to me, but he has always seemed normal and healthy and has pretty mcuh always had normal poos. I am still concerned that he has coccidia now with the not eatting, hanging out in his hide, black bearding.

I am planning on taking a fecal to the vet this week (as soon as Judah poos really). It coudl be hormons, it could be the sheading, it coudl be the new set up. He may just be really ticked off because all three are happening at once! I really hope that is what it is!

Yes the temps are good taken with a ditgital, MVB lighting, 105 deg basking, 82-85 cool end, he's not impacted. He is fed a huge variety to good veggies and a lil fruit from Beautiful dragons page. Judah is about 16 months old. 20" long

 

[Judah'sHuman]

Well he still has not touched his food. I was able to get him to eat on lil piece of apple, but i dont want to force him to eat. He has had a black beard for the last 2 hrs and the last few weeks when I pcik him up and give him a snuggles, it goes away, but not today! I have him sitting on my desk in the sun so he can look out the window, but the beard is not going away. Other than the beard he seems pretty happy he looking around and is very alert. sigh........ poor lil man I wish he'd poo so I can get the sample to the vet. I am sure that I dont have the money to take him in so they can get one. :? rawwwwww! they drive us mad i tell ya! He's prolly laughing at me and is loving it that im fussing over him.

 

[Judah'sHuman]

Well scratch that he just pooped! It is yuck to, really loose and smelled of rotting eggs so I am assuming coccidia. Oh botha

 

[jp11us]

hey, im in the same situation, its kind of scarry. Maybe brumation for yours if he is older than a yr. Mines only 10 months so yea I dont know, it stressful

 

[Judah'sHuman]

It is really difficult! It is already difficult with a dog or a cat, I mean you can tell when they are not feeling good it is pretty obvious, but what is wrong is the mystery since they can tell you how they feel. It is even more difficult with a beardie, sometimes they are just funny for no reason.

I went and had a fecal done a few hours ago, it came back negitive for ALL parasties and coccidia, so that makes me very happy. So yeah it is possabley he is trying to Brumate. I live in Seattle and it is very dark and dreery this time of year, I dont blame him for wanting to sleep in and then go to bed at 4:30. I think that maybe he has loose stool because out of what has ate the last several days were a little apple and some babyfood squash. I am hopeing the probiotics help with the loose stool. I am jsut SO glade that he does not have coccidia or something.

It only cost me $20 for the fecal and it was money well spent for peace of mind. I didn't have to take him in, I just collected a smaple and took it to them. So call around and find a place that can help ya out too it is better than worrying fo shu

 

[protiemama]

Glad to hear Judah is ok. I think Bogie is trying to go down again. And I just gave him a new Mega ray. :lol:
Don't you wish you could brumate?

Sandy H

 

[Judah'sHuman]

yes! Especially living in Seattle durring the winter months. The sun comes up at 8 and sets at 4 it can be so despressing. I installed Full spectrum lighting in my home office that simulates daylight durring the winter months, it has helped alot. I also usually go tanning a few times per week, but this year I didnt have the income to be able to afford that.

I am sure that he will go into full brumation next year. Since he is only about 16-17 months he has not quite got it this year. However, even in the summer he will "sleep in" and I have to drag him out of his hide to bask. hes such a lil lazy lounge lizzard Sat and sun (my days to sleep in) he will stay in there untill I get up, usually around 11, then I drag himout and put him on his basking spot to warm up. I think he has me well trained :whip: Then a few times durring the day i find that he has crawled back into his hide to hang out, but hes not sleeping in there either, just loungin. I have been torn as to just leave the poor guy alone, but I dont want food rotting in his stomach which seems to be the reason for not pooin as much and the icky runny poos hes been having. Since he has not eattin a whole lot the last several days and he did poo yesterday, I am going to let him do what he wants untill he eats soemthing and were back to it. I have found what works the best is wrapping him in a heatting pad in my window so he can look out side, if hes not basking and hasnet pooed because of it. If it has been more than 4 days the heatting pad does the trick. Thats what happend yesterday, not long after I out him on the heating pad he pooed all over it. :x See I think he is not hanging out enough in the hot areas of his tank to get the proper disgestion. Growl! Im not sure what to do with him. I don't want to dictate where he sits in the tank and make him feel liek "gee I cant even lay where I want to with out mom buggin me", but if i just let him do his thing hed be in his hide all the time and have a rottin gut. I have all the temps set at a good ratio and the MVB is more than 12" away from his basking spot. I have all the light set on a timer right now they coem on at 8:30am and go off at 5:30. I will lengthin the time when the days start getting longer. Right now he's usually in his hide by 4:30 to hunker down to go to sleep. sigh

 

[protiemama]

Instead of a heating pad (which could malfunction :shock: ) In stall a hot light over his favorite window spot. I clamp one over Bogie at the back door and he is sooo happy. I check it now and then with my probe. I also have a lamp over his spot on the porch. If it is sunny and the temps are over 50 the light lets him sit outside and stay warm. I also use a rice sock at the back door when the light isn't practical. Just some random thoughts that might help. :mrgreen:

Sandy H

 

[Judah'sHuman]

Thanks Sandy! Believe me I know the heating pad is not a good idea, and I always advise against it when people want to use it in and under the tanks and such. when I use it for him Im always right here with him since he is on my desk while im working, so Im always checking it to make sure its not too hot and petting him. If I get up to walk away for a few minuts I take him off of it or take him with me, I never leave him unattended. Unfortunately I only have the lights on his tank and I have no place or way to set them up on my desk. I am consitering that when I make his new tank, that I bring his old tank up to my office and put it near the window so that durring the day he is up here with me and he can look out the window. He loves being in my office that faces east and having real sun shinning on him (when it is available).