worried, not eating

[sunfaye]

REXY UPDATE:
First I want to thank all who wrote, sent links (Pet Mountain and Mullberry Farms are awesome) and all of you who offered such great advice for my sweet Rexy girl. I followed your directions, did exactly as you said and I'm so happy to announce that Rexy is finally healthy again. The correct lighting changed everything! Silk worms are her favorite and she's now eating everything is sight! It took a few weeks for her to come around, but she's a completely different girl now. I'm so relieved she's okay. Without this site and all your help, I don't think Rexy would have made it. So thank you so very much! Sincerely, Denise (and Rexy)

 

[diamc]

Oh, that's great news. You made my day. I knew you'd be happy with Mulberry Farms and Petmountain, both offer great customer service. It's amazing how a few changes can make such a big difference. You need to give yourself a pat on the back :notworthy: because if you hadn't asked the questions, we wouldn't have been able to get your girl healthy again. Thank you for following our advice and getting everything perfect for Roxy. Also, thank you so much for deciding to keep her, aren't you glad you did?

We do have a request though, would love to see some updated pictures of her in her tank. :wink:

 

[herpfreak]

Great news!! I'm so glad to hear she's better. They are a buttload of work, especially the lighting (groan), but they're sooooo worth it!

 

[sunfaye]

I finally took photos of Rexy's new home. You'll see I purchased the Lamp Stand and installed a Exo Terra Heat Emitter and the temp. range from 74 to 85 degrees. She loves the heat and she basks on the rock during the day. Also, I bought the ReptiSun 10.0 UVB bulb. I'm not using the metal mesh screen so she's getting the full effect of the light. And boy, oh boy is she eating! I can hardly keep up with the worm orders from Mulberry Farms. How much should I feed her? I've been feeding her about 4 to 5 medium silk worms, 4 medium phoenix worms and maybe one big fat butter worm a day. Is that too much? She acts like she's starving to death. She's so much fun now - very alert and active. We're so grateful for all of you who have helped make her life better. Thanks again!

 

[herpfreak]

I'm so glad this has all worked out!! It's amazing how much of a difference some heat and UV radiation can make.

The setup looks good. I see you have a thermometer. The only thing I might suggest is to put the thermometer probe on the basking rock instead of on the glass.

Sorry, I can't really help with feeding; she is probably somewhere between 6-18 months, judging by her size, which is considered a juvenile. I got my beardie as an adult, so I'm not sure about feeding amounts for juvies. But from what very little I know, it sounds like you've got a good feeding schedule. Silk and phoenix worms are both low in fat and high in calcium, making them very healthy for beardies. However, be careful with butterworms. They are high in calcium, but also in fats. Right now she's young and growing, but when she's older and not growing so rapidly, she may become obese.

Are you feeding her salads? Younger beardies don't eat as many greens as adults, but fruits and veggies (mostly veggies) are still important.

Here is a great website with a food chart showing which foods are good/bad and why: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

 

[diamc]

It's wonderful to hear that she has improved so much, is eating well and has increased her activity level. That's good that you don't need to use the screen on top of the tank so that she's able to get the full benefit of the UVB.
I do have some other suggestions for you if you don't mind. She should be able to get within 6 to 8" of the UVB light, so if you got a log for her to climb, that would raise her closer to it and they do LOVE to climb. I see that you're using a digital thermometer with probe which is great, but it would be a good idea to raise the basking & cool side temps a little. In order to be able to digest properly, the basking temp needs to be at least 95 degrees, a temp of 100 would be even better for her and the cool side needs to be about 80 degrees, but no higher than about 82. The probe end should be placed so that it is resting on the basking rock or log if you decide to get one for her. Since they thrive with bright white lights, the brighter the tank, the better, you could save the heat emitter for night but during the day use a white household light bulb in place of the emitter. I'm not sure what size tank you have, but if the emitter is about 100 watts, then you could try a 100 watt household lightbulb and see what the basking temp is then. On the cool side, you could try a 25 watt household lightbulb and that should help raise that side up a little. Those slight changes will make an even BIGGER boost in her overall health.

Just curious, is that playsand on the bottom of the tank or is it calci or vita sand?

Since she is only 12" long and still has time to grow and she is trying to catch up, I suggest you feed her about double of what she is eating now. She is probably under 1 1/2 yrs old and their bodies continue to need quite a bit of protein to help them to continue to grow. How often are you using the calcium and vitamin supplements? Does she eat greens well? What are her favorites?

Thanks for keeping us updated on how well she is doing, you're doing a great job with her. 8)

Diane

 

[sunfaye]

I did buy a 150 watt emitter bulb but I thought it was too hot for her. The temp. got up to 98 degrees and she didn't seem to like it that hot so I changed the bulb to a 60 watt. I will try the 150 watt again tonight. She loves fresh kale and butter lettuce which she eats almost everyday (depending if I'm good at getting to the store). I tried strawberries and blueberries, but she didn't eat it. I tried fresh shaved carrots too but she didn't like those either. But I'll try some other options on the list and see how I can increase her veggie intake. I just tried some squash and she's just looking at it. Oh and the sand is the calcium sand I bought at PetCo (I don't remember the exact name). I sprinkle crickets and the worms in Rep-Cal calcium w/ vitamin D and Herptivite. I'm not a fan of crickets because they stink and most of them die early. And they jump out of her cage sometimes. They freak me out a bit, so I'm not a huge fan. I still can't watch her "crunch" the worms either. I just drop them in the tank and turn away because it's so gross. My six year old thinks it's the coolest thing ever.
I'll get back to you after I make these changes. Thanks one again.

 

[sunfaye]

One more thing. I did have a climbing log in her tank but removed it because I was afraid she would get burned by the hot lamp if she got too close. But I just put it back in for her. She did like sleeping on it.
The suction cup for the probe won't stick to the rock. I didn't want the cord to get wrapped around her, so I stuck it to the glass. I'll move the rock closer to the glass and and place the probe near the rock. We'll chat soon....