Worried... Not eating, etc.

[CaraT]

Update 11/7/13...

So ever since we figured out the red bulb was no good for her, we now have a ceramic bulb... And the uv was too far away, now it's 10in away... She's still not eating a lot. She is eating, but only maybe 10-20 repti-worms a day. Before this whole fiasco she was eating at least 4 times that a day. Will it just take her a while to feel normal again?
Also what's normal for a general amount of time they'll spend basking, at the cool end, hiding, etc.


Original post...
So I've had my beardie almost two months, she's a little over 3 months old. Never had issues with her eating or basking. Maybe 4-5 days ago her appetite slowed way way down which I attributed to her shedding. I then got her a new tank (she was in a small temp tank and quickly outgrowing it!). So today is the beginning of day 4 in her 55 gallon tank. First two days she seemed to love the space, but still not eating much, if anything, and not basking much at all, staying at the cool end of the tank.

I found out the cool side of the tank was too cold, and learned that the red heat lamp (which I had for her basking spot) was not good for her eyes. Yesterday I went out and got her a ceramic bulb and now her hot side of the tank is 105-110 & her cool side is 80-85.

She had a uv bulb which was on about 14-16 hrs a day, but it broke yesterday when I was rearranging her cage I'll be buying her a new one today.

As for food she's been getting repti-worms about 3 times a day and typically eating all of them. She also gets mixed greens daily and has sort of picked at them here and there, on top of her greens she gets a vitamin/appetite stimulant... Can't remember the brand right now, it's wet and has to b kept in the fridge. She sort of picks at that here and there also.

She was still pooping well as of yesterday, so I'm not worried about impaction. But I'm pretty sure she hasn't eaten a thing for at least 2 days.

Am I a worry wort? Will this sort out now with the better heat and when I replace her uv? Or could this be something else?

She still has a tiny bit of shedding to do and its taking a while for those pieces to fall off... I try and give her a warm bath daily, but it ends up being more like every other day.

Thanks in advance! Sorry for the novel!

 

[CaraT]

Also... Just more info. She hadn't been basking much, and was getting cold. Since yesterday with the new bulb and better temps she seems to b warmer and is basking a bit... But she still sort of just stays at one end of her tank lying down right up against the glass. When I checked on her this morning before work I was worried she was dead, but she lifted her head up to check me out, but still didn't move much. I fed her a bit, but I doubt she'll eat it...

 

[CaraT]

Just got home. She hasn't moved much. She's hanging in the coolest part of we tank. Hasn't eaten. Hopefully with the uv bulb she'll perk up? I still can't get a new one until tonight...

I also just found out that when I moved her to her new cage, the uv was not close enough to her, her cage is 18in tall, and it was sitting on top, not inside, and I read it's supposed to be within 12in. So I'll definitely fix that tonight!

How long can they go without the uv? I'm worried now... Id put her outside but it's really cold and windy

 

[Teleste]

The baby needs proper UVB to create vitamin D3 in the body, this D3 is what they use to absorb calcium. Without UVB, no D3. Without D3, no calcium. Without calcium, no growth or appetite. Heat is for digesting the food, so with proper UVB, proper D3 and proper calcium the baby should be interested in eating and basking to digest.

The recommended setup is a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB tube mounted inside the tank 6-8 inches from the dragon. The light fixture is $9 and the 3M sticky strips are $3 at Wal-Mart.

Be sure you are dusting your crickets with Rep-Cal Calcium with D3 and a multivitamin called Herptivite.

Best of luck to you and your baby!

 

[CaraT]

Thanks so much! I was slowly starting to figure out it was the uv... I really appreciate your response. She was fine in her other cage cause it was smaller and the light was about 8 in from her.

So I can get the tube lighting and a fixture and use sticky strips to mount it? I'd been trying to figure out how to mount it low in her tank for her... just concerned about things holding. Don't wAnt anything falling!

I really appreciate your response, I've been in worry mode for days, and finally feel like we're starting to figure it all out so she'll be happy and healthy again!!

It's definitely been a learning curve, I've never had a reptile before... but she is so cool! I love my little girl

 

[Teleste]

I'm very happy to help! She will be back to her hungry happy dragon self in no time

Yes the light fixture I use is 24 inches, cost $9 from the hardware lighting section.

There are three good hanging choices:
1. 3M sticky strips
2. 3M sticky hanging hooks
3. Industrial velcro

I'm using 3M sticky strips and they work very well. It's holding strong and I have to pull very hard to take it down.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Command-Large-Refill-Strips-White-6-Pack/25634494

Holds up to 5 lbs, very cheap.

I cut 4 large sticky strips to make 8 small sticky strips. I put 1 on each corner and the rest spread evenly on the edges of the fixture.

Best part about these strips is they leave no residue.

 

[CaraT]

So I went to get her whole new uv tube/fixture set up... and nowhere near me sells the fixtures I need

I was at the hardware store that has a great pet department, they had the lights I wanted... but not the fixtures, I called all the places we could think of (me and the lady at the hardware store lol), and nobody had anything. She said to try the specialty lighting store in the next big town over... which is fine, but I won't be able to get there for weeks unfortunately.

So I got a bulb instead of a tube, and I mounted it in a dome fixture in her cage low and at an angle to get as much as the cage as possible. Hopefully this will work for a while? It was $35, so I'm hoping it'll be good until it'd be time to replace it anyways... and by then I'll have everything sorted out and prepared for what I ultimately want her set up to be like.

Does this sound like an ok plan?

She's basking in the uv light right now, so I'm hoping this will work for a while and she'll perk up and go back to her happy and very hungry self!!!

 

[CaraT]

OMG literally as I was writing my last post she started eating. I'm so happy!! UV light to the rescue! In most my initial readings nothing said the light needed to be so close, and I hadn't run into the issue because my old tank was so small! Thanks Teleste for your help!

 

[Teleste]

Yes this will be a good solution for now, just be cautious with how close she can get to this new bulb. The dome UVB bulbs put out tremendous amounts of UVB. The bulb I have tried in the past says minimum distance is 12 inches. This is important because too much UVB is bad. You want just enough. Keep in mind if the light is traveling through a screen you are losing roughly 30% total UVB. Glad your baby is eating! Happy trails ~

 

[CaraT]

Update in 1st post...

 

[CaraT]

She was kind of active yesterday, and like i said ate maybe 10-20 worms. Hasn't eaten a thing today, bf said she was a little active this morning, but she's been in the corner where she likes to sleep since i've been home from work.

I'm not sure what to do. I'm worried about her!

She looks skinny... I don't think it's impaction because she really hasn't been eating, and she kept defecating even after she stopped eating a while back. She hasn't defecated for I think 2 days now...

I'm going to go put her in a bath now see if that helps with perking her up? idk

eta: just found a big normal looking feces in her cage. it's either from last night or today.

She's hanging out constantly in a location that is about 85degrees, just checked it, however she buries herself under the paper towels (what we're using as substrate for now), so she's against the glass on the bottom so her belly is cold...

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. 10 inches is still far away. It sjould be 6 to 8 inches. Do you use a bright white basking light or jusr the che?

 

[Claudiusx]

This new uvb bulb you have, it's a Compact coil? If so turn it off and return it if possible.

I've read through the whole thread, and am still not clear on a few key points that are critical to a dragons health.

1. You said you bought a CHE and now the temps are hotter. Is the CHE the only form of heat for the dragon? Or do you have a basking bulb? That produces a bright white light?

2. You do not have proper uvb, you need to get that fixed asap.

3. What are you using to measure your temps?

Once again, if you are using a compact coil bulb for the uvb, you are better off turning it off completely. The recommendation we are giving about 6-8 inches from the basking spot is STRICTLY ONLY in regards to the reptisun 10.0 tube.

As long as you have proper temperatures, and proper lighting, your dragon will have an appetite. As long as your dragon has an appetite and you are offering proper foods, your dragon is going to be healthy.

So as you see, you can't reach the healthy part without first getting the proper husbandry.

-Brandon

 

[CaraT]

Thanks guys!

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=50&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=20&SearchContext=YTo1OntzOjQ6IlBhZ2UiO3M6MToiMSI7czo4OiJTZWFyY2hJRCI7czoyOiIyMCI7czoxMDoiRGF0YWJhc2VJRCI7czoxOiIyIjtzOjc6IkhlYWRpbmciO3M6OToiVGVycmFyaXVtIjtzOjE1OiJQcm9kdWN0Q2F0ZWdvcnkiO3M6ODoiTGlnaHRpbmciO30= This is what I got the other day as I don't have a way to put up a tube right now. It's what I had before I think, or similar... same brand... and she was fine before I put it too far away from her when I moved her to the new tank and then it broke while trying to mount it closer... fail.

Yes the ceramic bulb is the only form of heat... I didn't thinks she needed more since it keeps the tank the right temperatures?

We have temp strips in many different parts of the cage, and another idk what to call it... it's round with the dials, that I have moved to different spots to get readings.

Today after her bath she's actually been acting pretty normal... but I've been giving her baths pretty much every other day so idk what really changed. I changed nothing about her cage or anything. But after I put her back she basked for a while and then stared me down until I fed her, and she gobbled up everything I put in front of her. She's also been basking pretty regularly tonight as far as I know... I was in class. But she was basking when I got home, and she'd been pretty active before I left...

So why is she acting normal now? I'm worried she'll go back to not eating, but maybe I'm overreacting? Idk.

 

[CaraT]

And if you guys want to help me with diet...

she gets these http://www.reptiworms.com/ offered regularly, about 3 times a day.

She gets crickets here and there. She gets mixed greens daily which she sometimes picks at (haven't found anything she's super excited about), mixed in with that is a multivitamin that says it's for young bearded dragons (again, I fail and don't know the brand off the top of my head, but it's tiny pieces that are moist and kept in the fridge).

edit: i just realized the vitamins I feed are on the same web page as the reptiworms, lol... it's called Bites for bearded dragons by Nature Zone, and I get the ones for babies.