very concerning behaviour :/

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Dwarfbeardeddragon
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very concerning behaviour :/

Postby Dwarfbeardeddragon » Wed Sep 20, 2017 5:09 am

Hey guys haven't posted for a while here, been a bit busy... i have had my two shinglebacks Zig and Zag for just over a month now and im staring to get a bit worried, the smaller of the two hides a lot and hasn't eaten much, when i take him out i can hear a light whistling sound from him every few breaths, at first i thought it might just be a little bit of hissing but now i highly doubt it. He has eaten one egg one strawberry and one cherry tomato over a month and a bit, he shows alot of interest in food but he never actually bites into it, he just licks it. he only comes out of hiding once a week roughly, but he likes to hide near his brother/sister and seems to at least hide close under the hay next to the heat lamp. they are both living outside under the alfresco with additional heat in a large outdoor enclosure, i will be taking out the additional heat out soon and moving them out into the sun for the spring and summer. the larger of the two is more active and i see him daily. im pretty sure its not a dominance thing as I've seen them eat together once and the smaller one seems to seek out and stay close to the larger one at times. im very confused at the moment and am slightly worried the smaller of the two (Zig) may possibly have a mild respiratory infection. the plan is to move them under the natrual sun, if he still isn't coping i will move him inside to a terrarium until hes better. in terms of treatment for respiratory infections what would you guys suggest? thanks any replies will be highly appreciated.
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EricaLikeBurrito
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby EricaLikeBurrito » Wed Sep 20, 2017 7:33 am

If you need to treat a respiratory infection, take it to the vet. Never treat an illness without professional experience.
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splashy07
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby splashy07 » Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:01 am

Ditto that.
kingofnobbys
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby kingofnobbys » Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:32 am

Take them both to the vet, RI are infectious, so if sharing the same enclosure and hanging out together, one will catch it from the other.

Not having much luck with your shingles .... good thing is you've caught this early.

I'd bring them both inside and try to keep them warm 24/7 too.
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splashy07
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby splashy07 » Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:43 pm

Ditto that too.
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Janella
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby Janella » Wed Sep 20, 2017 5:58 pm

Definitely recommend a vet visit. Eating that little is NOT a good thing. If you suspect a URI, then I would definitely get them inside and keep them warm. The URI is contagious, so both will need to go.
Dwarfbeardeddragon
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby Dwarfbeardeddragon » Wed Sep 20, 2017 11:21 pm

hmmm may need to travel a bit to the vet but will definetly do it if necessary, i have one spare tank which measures 90cm long 45cm wide and 45 cm high, is that enough room for them both? or would i have to keep them seperate inside?
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EricaLikeBurrito
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby EricaLikeBurrito » Wed Sep 20, 2017 11:35 pm

I would keep them separate.
kingofnobbys
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby kingofnobbys » Wed Sep 20, 2017 11:56 pm

Dwarfbeardeddragon wrote:hmmm may need to travel a bit to the vet but will definetly do it if necessary, i have one spare tank which measures 90cm long 45cm wide and 45 cm high, is that enough room for them both? or would i have to keep them seperate inside?


Not if adults, your two are juveniles I recall.

How heavy are they each ?

How long ?

Really good idea to keep them separate while ones sick, maybe arrange things so they can see each other though as I know they like company.
Dwarfbeardeddragon
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby Dwarfbeardeddragon » Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:18 am

yep okay will be sure to keep them separate them they are 5 and 7 months old but the 7 month old one would be reasonably close to full grown. so what I've done is cleaned out a smaller spare tank and put my beardie carlos in that one, then the enclosure Carlos was in i cleaned out and am changing into a shingleback suited environment. i have shredded paper in there and was thinking about putting a heat matt in. its a 20 watt heat matt so would i have to worry about it lighting up the paper? i was thinking about putting it under a reasnobaly large rock ontop of it? would it crush the heat matt? the rocks about 25cm long and a couple of inches high, as far as uvb in the tank, i have a t8 10.0 exo terror uvb tube mounted on the iinside about 15cm away is that too intense for a shingleback? Thanks for all the replys :mrgreen:
Dwarfbeardeddragon
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Re: very concerning behaviour :/

Postby Dwarfbeardeddragon » Thu Sep 21, 2017 4:16 am

thinking about having a tile over the top of the heat matt, is it okay if the bottom of the heat matt is lying on the shredded paper, i just cant get it hot enough with the bulb i currently have

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