R.I.P. Athena my baby beardie who almost turned 3 months old.

[UNDEAD ELMO]

She passed yesterday and now I'm beating myself up, trying figure out what went wrong. She was happy and healthy yesterday morning but out of nowhere she just died. I'll take pictures of her whole setup in a little bit. She layed there in her basking spot yesterday for a couple hours with her mouth open. She had her front legs tucked back towards her back legs as she was sitting there. I tried picking her up and she didn't want to move her legs at all. Even when I picked her up she wouldn't close her mouth and turn her beard back to its normal color. She has never fired her beard up like that with me before. I knew something was wrong so I hopped in the shower to take her to the vet. But when I got out it was to late. I picked her up and she had her last little breath in my hands. Her basking spot is sitting at 105F like it should be. Her UVB bulb is only a month old so I don't think it was that. She is on sand which I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on sand. I just would like some help figuring out what I did wrong. I miss her so much already. She was always a happy little ball of sunshine that loved cuddling with me as I watched TV or play games. I just need closure as to what happened. Some advice in what to fix would be great too. Here's a picture of her from a couple weeks ago when she was smiling at me to get me to pick her up. Everytime I would walk in the room she would run up to the glass and start scratching it and smiling until I would take her out. She will be missed for sure. R.I.P. Athena 11/14/16---2/3/17

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[Cori]

Some babies just don't make it. A lot of them have underlying issues that a new owner or even experienced owner can't see.

It could've been the sand caused an impaction but I know lots of beardies that have been on loose substrate for years and have been fine. Could've been a few issues that alone wouldn't have hurt her but together was too much. Maybe parasites.

Don't beat yourself up about it though. She was loved and that's what matters most

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[UNDEAD ELMO]

Here's a pic of the setup minus the basking lamp. I took the basking lamp off for my Nile Monitor since his burnt out this morning. She loved the bunker I built on the right for basking, climbing, and hiding. All the plants are real except for the one on the right. They are all soft harmless plants that she has been hanging out in for a month or so. I know the tank is plenty big enough since it's a 75 gallon tank that was just for her. The heat pad is on the basking side too so that side stays warm all night with the flagstone over there. The big black bowl is her water dish and the little blue one had veggies in it. I have been feeding her crickets, small superworms since they are easier to digest than mealworms, and baby horn worms once in awhile. She has never pooped out a half digested worm so I don't think it was because of them since everyone says to keep an eye out for that.

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[PatsyB]

Some babies just have failure to thrive. The sand could have been an issue. Maybe ate some and became impacted or inhaled some. Sometimes even our best efforts aren't good enough.

 

[Vic]

She passed yesterday and now I'm beating myself up, trying figure out what went wrong. She was happy and healthy yesterday morning but out of nowhere she just died. I'll take pictures of her whole setup in a little bit. She layed there in her basking spot yesterday for a couple hours with her mouth open. She had her front legs tucked back towards her back legs as she was sitting there. I tried picking her up and she didn't want to move her legs at all. Even when I picked her up she wouldn't close her mouth and turn her beard back to its normal color. She has never fired her beard up like that with me before. I knew something was wrong so I hopped in the shower to take her to the vet. But when I got out it was to late. I picked her up and she had her last little breath in my hands. Her basking spot is sitting at 105F like it should be. Her UVB bulb is only a month old so I don't think it was that. She is on sand which I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on sand. I just would like some help figuring out what I did wrong. I miss her so much already. She was always a happy little ball of sunshine that loved cuddling with me as I watched TV or play games. I just need closure as to what happened. Some advice in what to fix would be great too. Here's a picture of her from a couple weeks ago when she was smiling at me to get me to pick her up. Everytime I would walk in the room she would run up to the glass and start scratching it and smiling until I would take her out. She will be missed for sure. R.I.P. Athena 11/14/16---2/3/17

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You did what you could. Sometimes there are defects anatomically we can't see. Sometimes, things happen and there is no explanation. What's important is that you did everything you could to take care of her and make her feel loved and cared for. The greatest gifts are the memories you have and the time you shared with her.

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[Canicke]

ditto what vic, cori and patsyb said. sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. give your tank a thorough cleaning and find another kid who's looking for a good home. I am so sorry for your loss - it's amazing how they dig themselves into our hearts !