Help. Captain Jack is sick.

[Mkulu]

I got my first Beardie 2 weeks ago, Princess Lizzy. We went back in and got Captain Jack 1 week ago. Lizzy is fine. Captain Jack vomited up 3 super worms yesterday afternoon . In the last week he has eaten also crickets but unlike Lizzy he doesnt seem to go for the veggies. Right now I have a canned Beardie food in there and in the last day have tried to feed him 5 times and he is not going for it. Ideas :?:

 

[ObsessionDragons]

Okay...first, I'm going to ask a few questions. How big are they, from the tip of their noses to the tips of their tails? Any ideas on their age? What are their cage temps? What are you measuring their temps with? Do they have UVB lighting? Have you bathed them at all? Are they housed together or apart? And what veggies are you attempting to feed them?

I know it's a pain in the rump, but if you can answer all that, it will help me figure out what might be going on with Captain Jack.

 

[ihatehumans]

I heard beardies often carry parasites. get a fecal check done by a vet specializing in reptiles. Contact your local herpetological society.

 

[ashesc212]

Hi there,

First of all, I recommend using BeardedDragons.org...it's a wonderful site designed mainly for beardie discussions. Like ObsessionDragons said, we need a lot more information before we can help.

Generally, Superworms shouldn't be fed to a beardie under 17" long. They cause impaction.

Like ihatehumans said, beardies are prone to parasites, especially if you got them from a pet store. I didn't know my beardie had pinworms and I've had her for 7 months. I recommend that you get a fecal on both beardies.

In addition to the light questions that ObsessionDragons asked, I would like to know what brand lights/UVB bulbs you are using (i.e. Reptisun 10.0, Reptiglo 10.0, T-Rex Mercury Vapor). Do you have temp gradients?

 

[Mkulu]

No pain at all thanks.
About 8 inches, I dont know how old I am guessing 4 to 6 months. cage temps right under the heat bulb right now is 110. Measuring with a zoo med thermometer mounted beneath the heat bulb. they have a coral life flouresant for UVB. I bathed them both sunday, and Captain Jack again last night. They are from the same breeder and were housed together before a bought her, apart for a week, now back together since I've had him for almost a week. Up until now he has been not bashful AT ALL to jump after the crickets and superworms. I have tried green beens (I didnt see him eat any of those), and today some Beaded dragon blended food in a can that is a mixture of a bunch of fruits and veggies. I threw away the can to store it in a plastic sealable container. Also I have them in a 10g tank for now, which I know is not going to be big enough long term but I plan on getting a bigger one in a couple weeks.
Thanks again.

 

[ObsessionDragons]

Okay. Thanks for being so tolerant! :-D

As Ashes says, beardies shouldn't be fed superworms until they're about 17". That's probably why Captain Jack puked them up. With live prey, it needs to be smaller than the space between their eyes, so judging from the size you're saying, about 1/8" crickets.

Beardies that small usually aren't real keen on veggies yet, either...but you need to continue offering them daily. It's best to offer greens early in the a.m. and not offer any live food until late morning, early afternoon. That way, they will eventually start eating the greens and veggies. Good greens for dragons are turnip, mustard (my dragons' personal favorite), escarole, endive, but please, nothing called lettuce. They typically love squash (especially if you run it through a food processor, cut up like hashbrowns), zucchini, and fruits that aren't citrus. There's a real good list of nutritional beardie foods at <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.beautifuldragons.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.beautifuldragons.com</a><!-- w -->

You'll also want to make sure that you're coating every all their live food with calcium. Babies need lots of calcium while they're growing.

I would suggest at least a ReptiSUN 10.0 bulb, if not a good quality mercury vapor bulb. I know Tux is familiar with the mercury vapor bulbs, which ones are good and what not. I've always used ReptiSUN 10.0 and have always had real good experiences with them.

If the thermometer you're measuring their temps with is a stick on kind, please ditch it, and get a digital one with a probe. The stick on types are frequently inaccurate. You can find the digital ones at most pet stores and Walmart for around $10.00. If you're already using a digital, your hot end temps sound good at 110, just keep an eye on the cool end (which should be around 80-85), as it can be difficult to get a good temperature gradient in a 10 gallon.

I would also suggest separating them. Because they're so small, it's easy for one to grow a tiny bit bigger and stress out the smaller one, similarly if one isn't feeling up to par. Also, at this age, it's hard to tell what sex they are, and if they both turn out to be males, that could be a disaster.

I would definitely keep bathing Captain Jack at least once a day, since puking can dehydrate him a bit, plus it will help him to pass he rest of the supers. Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get impacted, which you can tell by a bump that would develop at the base of his spine, or inability to move his back legs.

Okay...I think the novel has ended. Please let me know if I didn't answer any questions...it's been a long day here! :doh

 

[ashesc212]

There's a real good list of nutritional beardie foods at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.beautifuldragons.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.beautifuldragons.com</a><!-- m -->

I was going to say the same thing...that's my favorite beardie food list!!!! =)

So you do not have a UVB bulb at all? I use Reptisun 10.0 too. The only thing is with Reptisun 10.0 is generally accepted that you should supplement with Calcium with D3 and if you go the mercury vapor bulb route you should use calcium w/o d3 (I recently learned that lol).

One other thing you might want to do to hydrate Captain Jack is to syringe feed him a mixture of cherry or orange Pedialyte and water.

Keep us posted!!!!

 

[Mkulu]

Thanks so much, that helps alot. I will post back updates and any other questions.

 

[ihatehumans]

It is quite possible that "captin jack" just vomited up food too big for him, which would mean that you don't have much to worry about. Don't be too stressed out about the fact that he isn't eating veggies. most bearded dragons don't until they get older.

 

[lizardboy101]

I would also get a bigger tank than a 10 gallon. I know obsessionsdragon said it's hard to keep a good temp gradient ina 10g tank, but I've found it to be near impossible to keep one side at around 100 wile not ten inches away its supposed to be 80

 

[Mkulu]

Thanks alot everyone. Captain is now eating again as voraciously as before and seems happy again. All the suggestions were very helpful. Thanks again.

 

[ObsessionDragons]

Yay! That's wonderful! Way to go, Captain Jack!!! :app

 

[ashesc212]

Great, that's fantastic! :woot