Walking strange

Question
QUESTION: Hi Tracie,
We have a 9 month old beardie. He has started walking in circles and shaking his head. It worries us because he was running all over when he was little now he seems to sit there longer and walk weird. He has been in great health & then this. He will walk all over the place, not only in circles but he does it alot also he falls over sometimes. He has always had his UVB, basking & purple light at night. We have always dusted all of his crickets with calcium. He is growing now about a half an inch every two days. I noticed in one of your replies that you said the crickets should only be the size of the span between his eyes. What is that you were talking about? (He quit eating the mealworms when he was little.) He eats bigger ones than that. The little ones he was eating in the beginning of May about 20 a day between his morning and night feeding to 40 by the end of June. Pet smart told us to start giving him the bigger crickets, so we started mixing them up. Since the beginning of July he has been eating only the bigger ones. He eats about 20 - 28 daily, he only eats once a day now. We have tried carrots, collard greens & strawberries. He has only showed interest in the strawberries. But has only eaten one bite twice & that is it. When we first got him if we took him outside he would freaked out by running around the cage bopping off the sides and then would hide in his log until we took him out. He has now just started enjoying the outside. Is he fine, are we doing something we shouldn't. He has only had two baths to help with his shedding. His stool is a little stinky. It's not any harder or softer than it has been since we got him. No change in color. He is such a snuggle bug & we love him so much, just wondering if you have any thoughts on it.

ANSWER: Hello Denice,

I am sorry you are having trouble with your dragon!
Which UVB light are you using & how old is it?  Is it a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  Is there any plastic or glass or screen in between him & the UVB?
The UVB lights need to be replaced every 5-6 months for good quality exposure.  It will degrade over time.
The purple light at night should be changed out for a ceramic heat emitter as the color of the light can disturb him at night.  
Is the basking light a bright white light?
I am primarily referring to crickets & roaches that they should not be any larger than the space between the eyes to avoid impaction when they are younger.  How long is he?
How often are you giving calcium for him?  Since he is younger than 1 year, he will need calcium 4-5 times per week.
Do you have any pictures of him?
Does he have any trouble with climbing right now?
What type of thermometer do you use to measure the temperatures in the tank?

What is the substrate you are using?
They tend to get a little picky with their greens.  Keep trying different greens with him, maybe dandelion or mustard greens might be a good change for him.  You can try putting a few phoenix worms or superworms in the salad to see if it entices him, or small bits of strawberry as well.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


With the purple light  

The little cutie   QUESTION: Hi Tracie,
The UVB is 4 months old. It's a compact coil. Only his screened top is between him & the light. We have a Zoo Med Repti hammock at the top so he is usually on it so he is pretty close to it aprox 6 inches. Yes his basking light is a 100 watt All Living things brand. We have tried the almost all the brands they don't seem to last but 2-3 weeks! He is 12 inches. He gets calcium at every feeding, once a day. Oh we have probably about 100 pictures, lol! He is such a cutie! No he is climbing just fine. He has a glass terrarium which is 20x10x12. We are trying to get him the larger terrarium very soon. Hopefully before the month is over. His Humidity thermometer is a Hydrometer, which we have at the back of the cage in the middle on the top. We have a All Living things thermometer at the bottom on his cool side & a Flunker thermometer just a half inch above the basking side. He has a All Living things Reptile Bonsai for his basking spot. He also has a All Living things Reptile Bogwood on the other side. A rock in the middle on the bottom & his water dish, which he loves to lay in. We spray him every other day or every two days, unless he is shedding we will spray daily him until he is done. He only gets sprayed once the day he is sprayed. The bottom is lined with the Zilla Terrarium liner. Is it normal for them to become more lazy when they get older? We have never fed him in his cage, we have a plastic storage container lined with the liner also. We have recorded from day one of everything we or he does, eating habits, spraying, shedding, weight, length & pooping habits. We have also tried bananas. He wont eat anything except crickets. I will try the dandelion & mustard greens. What kind of other fruits can we offer him? When does their diet usually change to fruits & veg's without crickets? Strawberries are all he has eaten, but he only took one slice.
Thank you
Denice

Answer
Hello Denice,

The compact/coil light will need to be changed out as it does not emit very good UVB wavelength.  You will need to get either the Reptisun 10 tube bulb or the Arcadia D3 12% tube bulb.
He is not able to absorb his calcium properly without the adequate wavelength of UVB.  
He is very cute isn't he!  
What color is the basking light for the day use?  Is it a bright white light or a colored light?
The thermometer, is it a digital probe or a temp gun?  What are the temps in the tank?
At his age, it may take a little time for him to learn to eat his greens & veggies.  They love insects at their age.  
He should be eating quite a bit right now.  He will probably slow down some when he reaches 8-10 months or so.  Keep trying to get him to eat his greens.  You can give other berry varieties or try some apples, they tend to like them also.  
They usually start switching over to more vegetation at around 10 months or so, on their own.

Let me know how he is doing!

Tracie