limp young beardie

Question
hi tracie
my beardie is about 8 - 10 months , hes always eatin really well and been fairly active ,now he wont eat or drink and hasnt pooped in about 4 weeks , he had been in sand which i have now changed is there anything else i can do? i have a vet appointment tomorrow but im worried he wont make it ,this site is brill ive learnt more about beardies in the last hour than all the wasted trips back to the pet shop where he was bought . thank u

Answer
Hello Catherine,

We need to go over your tank setup.  
I need to know what type & brand of UVB you are currently using. Is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?  How old is the bulb?
What type of basking light are you using, is it a bright white light or a colored one?  
He is most likely impacted from the sand.  Was it calcisand or reptisand?  What type of substrate do you have him in?
Are you supplementing any calcium, & if so, what type & brand & how often?
What are your temps, & how do you measure them?
Begin right now by rehydrating him, by using pedialyte, & mix some babyfood sweet potatoes or squash, & you can mix his calcium in with that as well as some chicken or turkey babyfood as well.  No solid food until he has some stools.  He is most likely impacted due to the sand & wont pass it easily.
You will need to bathe him in warm water, & massage his belly on the right side, from the armpit all of the way down to the vent, gently.  Repeat this daily.  
If he is not getting adequate UVB exposure then he wont be able to process calcium very well which will leave him with low calcium stores.  That will also cause the inability to have regular stools, too.

Tracie