Rescued a beardie and I need help

[Drache613]

Hello,

Those temperatures are fine, usually between 75-80F are fine. You don't want her too warm but just
enough to keep her metabolism up a little bit but not so warm that she can't sleep well.
That is promising, she does continue to improve. Impactions can take months to clear out & their system
due to their slower metabolisms.
Keep up with the small feedings & just be patient with her. I am sure she is a bit tired, bless her. At least
she didn't have any vomiting episodes then today.

Keep us posted on her.

Tracie

 

[JulesD]

Hello,

Those temperatures are fine, usually between 75-80F are fine. You don't want her too warm but just
enough to keep her metabolism up a little bit but not so warm that she can't sleep well.
That is promising, she does continue to improve. Impactions can take months to clear out & their system
due to their slower metabolisms.
Keep up with the small feedings & just be patient with her. I am sure she is a bit tired, bless her. At least
she didn't have any vomiting episodes then today.

Keep us posted on her.

Tracie

Thank you!

 

[KarrieRee]

Thanks Tracie!

What temp range would you recommend for overnight? I’ve been keeping her around 82-77 but can go higher if that’s better for her right now.

I didn’t give her anything to eat today. I thought I’d give her a little break but will start again tomorrow with just 1/2 ml and maybe feed her that about 3 times for a total of 1.5 ml to see how she does. She pooped again today (hooray). Not huge amounts but something. More urate. But that’s two days in a row. I gave her a longer then usual bath to see if more would come out and a little bit did. I gave her a couple drops of water in the morning and a couple more in the afternoon but nothing more. At one point when I propped her head up slightly under a dish towel she made a swallowing movement so I’m wondering if something had come up in her mouth. I didn’t see anything else that would indicate throwing up. She just looked tired.

Thanks always for your help!!

82 is good

 

[JulesD]

82 is good

Thanks KarrieRee!

 

[JulesD]

Today was better for our girl! I gave her 1/2 ml of pumpkins. Let her bask in the heat for three hours, fed her another 1/2 ml and had her bask again. Two hours later she pooped. That’s three days in a row. And no throwing up.

I have a question about light placement. I have my 34” t5 bulb running lengthwise towards the back of the terrarium. Her tank is 60 gallons and while it’s 4 feet long it’s only 19” wide so it’s a little tight with light placement. The t5 is hanging from a stand 12” from the bottom of the tank. Remember that since she has MBD I don’t have anything more than a couple folded and rolled up dish towels to bask on. The t5 is hanging from chains so I was able to turn it very slightly towards the front so that it’s hitting more of her. Still facing down but slightly angled forward. The basking bulb is on a separate stand and I have to keep it up pretty high or it gets too hot. (I just ordered a thermostat for it so life should get easier.) I am placing her since she’s still not moving too much. I vary her positions throughout the day and at least some part of her is under the uvb bulb but not all of her. Is that okay?

Right under the basking bulb it’s really hot so she’s usually a little to the side of it. Sometimes the heat around her head is 99-100 but her belly is closer to 95-96. I’m trying to be very diligent about keeping her warm after eating for optimal digestion. Is it okay the way I described or should I try to get more of her mid-section where all the digestion is happening closer to 100?

Once the thermostat is set up, would it be better for her if the basking light was closer to her and more centrally over her? I imagine the uvb bulb is more important but also want to make sure she’s in the optimal temperature range.

Sorry I have OCD and I obsess on the details.

Thanks always for all your help!!

 

[KarrieRee]

Today was better for our girl! I gave her 1/2 ml of pumpkins. Let her bask in the heat for three hours, fed her another 1/2 ml and had her bask again. Two hours later she pooped. That’s three days in a row. And no throwing up.

I have a question about light placement. I have my 34” t5 bulb running lengthwise towards the back of the terrarium. Her tank is 60 gallons and while it’s 4 feet long it’s only 19” wide so it’s a little tight with light placement. The t5 is hanging from a stand 12” from the bottom of the tank. Remember that since she has MBD I don’t have anything more than a couple folded and rolled up dish towels to bask on. The t5 is hanging from chains so I was able to turn it very slightly towards the front so that it’s hitting more of her. Still facing down but slightly angled forward. The basking bulb is on a separate stand and I have to keep it up pretty high or it gets too hot. (I just ordered a thermostat for it so life should get easier.) I am placing her since she’s still not moving too much. I vary her positions throughout the day and at least some part of her is under the uvb bulb but not all of her. Is that okay?

Right under the basking bulb it’s really hot so she’s usually a little to the side of it. Sometimes the heat around her head is 99-100 but her belly is closer to 95-96. I’m trying to be very diligent about keeping her warm after eating for optimal digestion. Is it okay the way I described or should I try to get more of her mid-section where all the digestion is happening closer to 100?

Once the thermostat is set up, would it be better for her if the basking light was closer to her and more centrally over her? I imagine the uvb bulb is more important but also want to make sure she’s in the optimal temperature range.

Sorry I have OCD and I obsess on the details.

Thanks always for all your help!!

She needs 4 hrs of basking and UVB per day - the fixture has a reflector so its providing the correct UVB as long as shes directly under it - temps of 95-100 is going to start digestion -

 

[JulesD]

Today when I turned on the light she had pooped again, that’s four days in a row. I got a thermostat for the basking light and set that up. It seems to skew high though and so she was basking closer to 100-102. An hour and a half after I fed her .6 ml of pumpkins she was doing something odd with her mouth and looked pale. Just in case I held her over her bath and opened her mouth and a bunch of throw up came out. I gave her a bath and she started to get better color. I put her back in and she crawled for the first time in weeks and got herself cozy on the dish towels but up against the glass. The temp there is around 93 and she looks comfortable and her color is good. When she threw up the other day the temp had gotten above 100 for a short time. I’m wondering if I just need to be really careful about making sure she’s between 95 and 98 after eating. But hopefully all the pooping and now crawling will allow her to move when she needs to. I feel like I’ve lost her and gained her back all in one day.

Another question…one of the ailments on the long list of many ailments she had when I got her was burns on her belly from the heat rock she had with her previous owner. They are healing pretty well and a huge piece of skin/scales has peeled and is hanging on by a thread. I don’t have manuka but I do have plain antibiotic ointment. Should I dab that on the new skin underneath with a q tip? I will NOT try to remove don’t worry just wondering if I should put something on the raw skin. Thanks!

 

[KarrieRee]

Today when I turned on the light she had pooped again, that’s four days in a row. I got a thermostat for the basking light and set that up. It seems to skew high though and so she was basking closer to 100-102. An hour and a half after I fed her .6 ml of pumpkins she was doing something odd with her mouth and looked pale. Just in case I held her over her bath and opened her mouth and a bunch of throw up came out. I gave her a bath and she started to get better color. I put her back in and she crawled for the first time in weeks and got herself cozy on the dish towels but up against the glass. The temp there is around 93 and she looks comfortable and her color is good. When she threw up the other day the temp had gotten above 100 for a short time. I’m wondering if I just need to be really careful about making sure she’s between 95 and 98 after eating. But hopefully all the pooping and now crawling will allow her to move when she needs to. I feel like I’ve lost her and gained her back all in one day.

Another question…one of the ailments on the long list of many ailments she had when I got her was burns on her belly from the heat rock she had with her previous owner. They are healing pretty well and a huge piece of skin/scales has peeled and is hanging on by a thread. I don’t have manuka but I do have plain antibiotic ointment. Should I dab that on the new skin underneath with a q tip? I will NOT try to remove don’t worry just wondering if I should put something on the raw skin. Thanks!

I would use honey -- it does not haft to be Manuka just one that is raw and unfiltered -- thats going to promote healing

 

[JulesD]

I would use honey -- it does not haft to be Manuka just one that is raw and unfiltered -- thats going to promote healing

Okay thanks!

 

[JulesD]

I ordered some Manuka honey for her belly burns. Can I also put a little in her pumpkin baby food? With the frequent vomiting, is there anything I can give her to help her stomach? Should I try a little pedialyte?

 

[Drache613]

Hello!

The tube bulb can overlap the basking light, so that she can get UVB exposure along with heating
& overall brightness for her.
Is she still vomiting some? Do you think she doesn't like the pumpkin possibly?
Maybe you can try changing the pumpkin to a butternut squash to see if she might like that better.
The manuka honey can be taken internally. It is very safe & is helpful for internal issues, tummy
problems, too.
You can add a little pedialyte if you would like as well.
How is her color, it sounds like she is feeling quite a bit better.
Keep us posted on her!

Tracie

 

[JulesD]

She looks so skinny and shriveled today. I will try a pedialyte bath and syringe. I read the ratio is 3 parts water one part pedialyte. Is that correct? I also have everything I need to do subcutaneous fluid but she hates it. I guess I could try 2.5 ml instead of 5 maybe to see if she tolerates that better. I have butternut squash and will try that today. Poor girl.

How much manuka would you mix in to 1 ml of baby food? Should I try adding back the critical care?

@KarrieRee any idea how much diluted pedialyte I should aim to give her orally today?

Thanks to you both!

 

[KarrieRee]

She looks so skinny and shriveled today. I will try a pedialyte bath and syringe. I read the ratio is 3 parts water one part pedialyte. Is that correct? I also have everything I need to do subcutaneous fluid but she hates it. I guess I could try 2.5 ml instead of 5 maybe to see if she tolerates that better. I have butternut squash and will try that today. Poor girl.

How much manuka would you mix in to 1 ml of baby food? Should I try adding back the critical care?

@KarrieRee any idea how much diluted pedialyte I should aim to give her orally today?

Thanks to you both!

A drop or two of the honey -- I would go slow w/ the pedialyte and is she drinking this on her own if you drip it on her nose?

 

[JulesD]

A drop or two of the honey -- I would go slow w/ the pedialyte and is she drinking this on her own if you drip it on her nose?

I did the pedialyte bath for ten minutes and then dropped four drops in her mouth. It was diluted 3:1. I tried dripping it on her nose first but she didn’t go for it. She never licks anything off. She’s more alert recently but she’s extremely lethargic. I don’t know if she has the energy to lick anything off yet. I’m hoping to get her to a place where she will. Thanks!