help! Dragon looking Ill

[Pat B]

You are doing all the right things to get your beardie healthy. Very good advice on this forum. I struggled when I first got my beardie but now doing so much better. Substrate of paper towels for now is good. You can use sand when he gets older if you choose. Temps are extremely important to digestion and your tank looks good.
Definitely shy away from Pet store advice. Do a search for PetSmart and read all the stuff people have to say about pet stores.
You will find that beardies are hearty little critters and pretty much know what they need to do as far as eating, basking, cooling and especially pooping....can't force'm to poop or eat. However....it is up to the owner to provide the proper elements for the beardie to grow and thrive.
My beardie didn't poop yesterday so this morning I gave him a warm bath and voila!! in a little while he pooped!! LOL!! Warm baths are good.
Stay in touch and ask away with your questions....there is so much to learn about beardies!!

 

[Pat B]

The lighting might be a problem because I think his lights are on for much longer than that, so I will buy a timer tonight to get his lighting schedule on point. Also, I'll buy a digital thermometer and a higher watt light bulb to get the temperature up.

Thank you to everyone for all of your wonderful advice! and I'll eventually post all of the picture of my other animals in the other threads

Definitely buy a timer.....12 hours on and 12 hours off!! And a digital thermometer with a probe is a god send for proper temps....make sure you put it in the right place for the right temp.

 

[Germ]

I'm not really sure you will need a hotter bulb, once you get a proper thermometer to take accurate temps. If he does not climb up that heavy branch, then it is likely too hot up there already. You should set things up so the temp at the top (Closest point to the center of the heat bulb) of that heavy branch is at 110F, not the bottom. He will then climb up further to bask & bring him closer to the UVB.

By the way, his poop looked reasonably normal.

Good Luck

 

[shunter]

Hallogen flood light? Would that be used in place of the UVB or heat or just an addition?

 

[slices mommy]

Heat. It's just cheaper and more efficient than those at the pet store. It does the same job. Like Germ said though wait until you get the right thermometer to check the temps then if it's not getting hot enough change the bulbs.

 

[shunter]

No problem

Does anyone know why he hasn't shed/been shedding?

 

[slices mommy]

Yep not a question for me lol. Sorry.

 

[Germ]

Halogen Floods are a good heat bulb, Brighter, Whiter light, put out much more heat per Watt so less power consumption with as good or better light\heat. Superb heat penetration into the enclosure for distance. A 50W halogen will radiate more heat\light than most 100 Watt incandescent bulbs, a 75 Watt halogen generally more than a 150W incandescent all with brighter white light. Cheaper to buy & run than petstore heat bulbs & they are available at most hardware stores.

A BD generally sheds when it outgrows it's skin. If it has not been growing, it is not likely to shed much.

 

[slices mommy]

A much more informative answer than my "It's just better" lol

 

[Aleena]

Glad your baby has gotten some of that stuff outta it's system! Now give another warm bath in a couple days, you may notice a considerable difference. UVB is essential for growth, which is why we're trying to get your BD closer to the UVB light, as well as heat and water for proper digestion. They're not going to be hungry to eat to have the fuel to grow more if their bellies are all full of yucky stopped up stuff. Good luck! Let us know how things go.

 

[shunter]

I will for sure! I just bought a new heat light bulb so I'm going to let it run it's course and then switch over to the hallogen bulb.

Thank you guys soooo much and I'll be giving updates on Ozzy when I notice changes and stuff

 

[shunter]

Hey guys! I thought I'd give an update on Ozzy's condition..

Since I've rearranged everything he seems to be more active and more aware of everything going on around him. He chased after some crickets and even pooped - but I've been writing it down and his last poo was 11 days ago. Is this normal or should I be worried? :/

PS - here's a pic from today. I think he's looking a little thicker. http://i49.tinypic.com/2e55e2t.jpg

 

[Germ]

Yes he is looking a little better, a touch more meat on the arms & legs. But, 11 days between Bowel Movements is not good\right for a young BD. Are you sure your temps are right, as recommended? Did you acquire a digital thermometer & measure the temps where indicated. Does he have enough strength to climb up the branch to the area indicated?

 

[shunter]

Yup! I got the thermometer and have been using it, they are all where they should be. He does have the strength to get on the branch now, without my help at all.

How often should he poo? Is there anything I can do to help him poo more often? Lastly, would impaction cause the great time between his poos?

 

[Germ]

That is really good to hear that he has more strength & can climb around on his own now. Impaction would block it from 'Pooing'. Will in go in a warm bath? A BD 3-4 months old should really be going every day or 2. Has he been eating reasonably well? What is his daily intake & of what?

 

[shunter]

In a previous thread where I posted his length I was given an estimate of 10 months. I've had him about 3 months and he's been the same size since. A few days ago (not sure how many), my dad fed him 3 crickets. He always has romaine lettuce with some chopped carrot in his viv.. He doesn't really eat anything else that I try out with him. Today, he ran after and ate all 5 crickets that I put in.. He does eat a lot of his greens but not as much as he used to when I first got him. I try to give him baths frequently and he does love it, but he only pooed in his bath the one time.

All of his eating habits are SO much better than they were when I first posted. At that time the greens would go completley untouched and the crickets would end up drowning/dieing in general and he wouldn't even try to get them when I put them in

 

[Germ]

Right, I had forgotten about that & was going by how long you had him posted on this thread, my bad . The appetite for prey sounds really low, but as you say, there has been some vast improvements. Hopefully they will continue .

Good Luck

 

[shunter]

I hope so also! At his age, how many times a week should he be bathing? And, to clarify, his water temperature should be the same as the temperature under his basking light?

 

[Germ]

Yes, I bath mine at around 105-110 F & that generally promotes a bowel movement, let him soak for a good 15 minutes, add a little hot water as it cools. Seeing that he is ill & looking possibly somewhat dehydrated, I would suggest 3 times a week until he starts to fill out a bit more & it may well help in inducing the bowel movements, which may increase his appetite. Once he gets healthier, once a week is sufficient.

 

[shunter]

Thanks for everything Germ, I'll update again in a week!