# beardie has black beard buts its not puffed



## bhayward (Feb 25, 2012)

as title suggests my beardie hasnt moved from his hide for about 18hours so i lifted the hide just to check on him and noticed his beard is black even tho its not puffed out.well its ever so slightly puffed up..

also crickets have been running past him and hes just been looking at them not even bothered by them and he hasnt eaten at all today??

any advice??

thanks in advance


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## robzab (Dec 10, 2011)

Check and double check his temps. Have you digital or dial thermometers?


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## bhayward (Feb 25, 2012)

ive got a digital one it says around 107 now ive taken the reflective bulb surround off.. but im thinking of dropping bulb wattage..

could it be impaction as he hasnt moved in hours..

hasnt been toilet since i got him on friday..

hes not eating


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## robzab (Dec 10, 2011)

Could just be settling in stress. What's his history?

Temp is 107 where? what's cool end, warm end, basking temp?

Has he got veg available? UV strip? Are the criks the right size for him?

So info people will need before they can help is:

Age:
Cool temp:
Warm temp:
Basking temp:
UV:
Are you dusting:
Substrate:

and anything else you can think of.


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## bhayward (Feb 25, 2012)

Some info people will need before they can help is:

Age:18months or so( as told by previous owner) hes 31cm long about 12"

Cool temp:79.9

Basking temp:97 with digital thermo attached to side wall bout 3" from basking spot.had to remove reflective surround as was 120 odd with that fitted

UV:has uv bulb but is a coil one(came with tank)

Are you dusting:i feed the cricket with the german equlivent of gutload so the cricket food has the calcium in it..

Substrate:sand quite fine sand.

crickets:there varied in size as normal pet shop that sell by size was closed but there still smaller then inbetween his eyes.

greens: has greens in tank but doesnt seem to have touched them.

shed 2 weeks ago

just given him bath for 15mins but still has been toilet and hasnt since i got him on friday..


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## Diamondback (Aug 29, 2009)

bhayward said:


> Some info people will need before they can help is:
> 
> Age:18months or so( as told by previous owner) hes 31cm long about 12"
> 
> ...


What size viv is he in, the UVB bulb may not be big enough, nor close enough for the beardie to get enough from it.

The basking spot should be between 110-120 Fahrenheit, I keep my temps around 80 f at the cool end rising to 120 f at the basking end. I use a 12% UVB that runs the length of the viv and is no more than 8 inches from the basking points. 

In my experience hides pose more problems than there are worth with beardies, they tend to hide in them and never bask or get enough UVB especially if they have not settled in or are spooked by noise or human traffic past the viv.

Mine defecate once a week but sometimes longer if they don't eat so much. 

Bear in mind if you have only just got him that it can take a couple of weeks for the beardie to settle in.


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## bhayward (Feb 25, 2012)

Diamondback said:


> What size viv is he in, the UVB bulb may not be big enough, nor close enough for the beardie to get enough from it.
> 
> The basking spot should be between 110-120 Fahrenheit, I keep my temps around 80 f at the cool end rising to 120 f at the basking end. I use a 12% UVB that runs the length of the viv and is no more than 8 inches from the basking points.
> 
> ...


his viv is 100x50x50 hes on his own in it

i gave him a bath earlier and a belly rub and he seems to have livened up alot hes been moving around basking and even eaten some of his greens..

im changing the uvb bulb for the strip ones anyway when i find somewhere that will ship to germany or bfpo as germans want like €100 for somthing that £45 in uk..


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## Diamondback (Aug 29, 2009)

bhayward said:


> his viv is 100x50x50 hes on his own in it
> 
> i gave him a bath earlier and a belly rub and he seems to have livened up alot hes been moving around basking and even eaten some of his greens..
> 
> im changing the uvb bulb for the strip ones anyway when i find somewhere that will ship to germany or bfpo as germans want like €100 for somthing that £45 in uk..


This is a good sign, he probably just needs to settle in.


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