bluey problem.big help guys

[Drew]

hi guys.. im panicking actually.. boris seems to be really sleep lately.. doesnt wana eat even his favorites of chicken and mangoes.. tried live food but just closed its eyes...

im really worried.. he shed last week, the days before that he hasnt been eating that much...

i tried yesterday "slurring" his food but no avail..

he has a basking spot platform just like russman ( thanks man!), the enclosure is about 3ft in length 2ft in depth and 1ft high. the wattage of the basking lamp is 60w. the basking tile is a slate which gets pretty warm but manageable to touch...

he has a hiding spot of PVC pipe shredded paper on one end and under the basking platfom on the other. the food is on the other side of the enclosure and right beside it is the water bowl.
the enclosure is inside my room and it gets pretty warm in there especially in the afternoon, considering the weather here in PI.

it seems that has lost appetite ever since the big move from his tub to his new condo..
and ithought after his shed he wold chomp like a CHAMP...

what should i do guys? he never basks... i always have to nudge him to hids food to nibble a little.im so envoius with the bts here that chomps and chopms and freely eats..

im kinda losing help...HELP!!
i hope my new tanny wouldnt be the same...

[Arkangel]

You'll have to do better than "manageable to touch". Accurate temps are very important. Get a digital thermometer and check.

Sounds to me like a vet visit with a herp vet is in order ASAP. Try a warm soak. He may be dehydrated. Good luck!!

[mom22wins]

Do you have a temp gun? Maybe it's too hot in there and he is hiding trying to cool off???

[Hijinks]

Do you have a temp gun? Maybe it's too hot in there and he is hiding trying to cool off???

I agree...if your enclosure is 12" high, AND your basking spot is raised, AND your bulb is 60w, AND it's naturally hot in your room...his basking spot is probably scorching! I say this with certainty because my setup is nearly identical. I also have a raised basking spot (about 4.5" up), a 12" high tank, and a 50w bulb. If I place the light fixture directly on top of the screen top when the ambient room temperature is near 80, I have to use a dimmer. In order to keep the basking spot at 100, the dimmer's slider has to come about 1/3 of the way down, significantly decreasing the brightness of the bulb. The bulb at full power will easily bring the basking tile up to 120+, which still feels OKAY to the touch. Maybe this issue is separate from what you are experiencing with Boris, but it's something to consider!

[mewzic-7123]

my skinks kinda the same, but he ends up eating any way, just keep an eye on him, to see if its getting serious

[Drew]

maybe i should change the bulb back to 40w?

but even if its at 40w its still the same he still wont bask, never seen him bask. at nytime of the day..

there are no temp guns available in pet shops here can i use a digital thermometer instead? ( like the ones used for humans? )
i checked on him this morning and its around 5am, still sleeping but really looks liked he lost weight considering that he hasnt eaten that much since 3 days ago.. im really getting worried..

i will try soaking him and get him to the vet..
im still offering food this morning and will change the bulb. thanks guys
need all the help/advice i can get..

[Jenn]

I got my temp gun from www.tempguns.com You might want to check if they ship to you.

[kvega92]

You might want to get a something to keep the temerature at a constant level of what you want. I have one and it works great.

[JWSR]

I've got a question Drew........Are you trying to control 4 different temperature zones in an enclosure with just one light bulb?? If you are, you'll never get it right. You need a cool end, a warm end, an ambient temperature, and a basking surface temperature. You may get lucky and get all of these close, but then as soon as your room temperature varies at all, so do all these temps. If my herp room drops to 65 at night, or if it reaches 82 during the day, none of my temp zones vary by more than 3/10th of a degree. I can't stress enough about investing in good thermostats, ceramic heating elements in combination with a good spot basking bulb, and a digital 24 hour timer. Then set it and forget it. (taking readings, of course) I'm sure your animals are worth it. I know mine are, and if I couldn't provide the proper temperature management, I wouldn't have the animal.

I hope this didn't sound stern, but I just keep reading so much about difficulties keeping temps right while at the same time trying to do it as cheaply as possible by skimping on proper equiptment. With the products we've got available for reptiles today, there's no excuse to be having temperature problems. It's just too easy to control.

[Drew]

I've got a question Drew........Are you trying to control 4 different temperature zones in an enclosure with just one light bulb?? If you are, you'll never get it right. You need a cool end, a warm end, an ambient temperature, and a basking surface temperature. You may get lucky and get all of these close, but then as soon as your room temperature varies at all, so do all these temps. If my herp room drops to 65 at night, or if it reaches 82 during the day, none of my temp zones vary by more than 3/10th of a degree. I can't stress enough about investing in good thermostats, ceramic heating elements in combination with a good spot basking bulb, and a digital 24 hour timer. Then set it and forget it. (taking readings, of course) I'm sure your animals are worth it. I know mine are, and if I couldn't provide the proper temperature management, I wouldn't have the animal.

I hope this didn't sound stern, but I just keep reading so much about difficulties keeping temps right while at the same time trying to do it as cheaply as possible by skimping on proper equiptment. With the products we've got available for reptiles today, there's no excuse to be having temperature problems. It's just too easy to control.

hi. thaNKS FOR the reply. well, im just trying to provide boris with the hot and cool end, i mean, even to consider a basking spot for him.

i know what you mean providing the best for our herps.. here in the PI though there isnt so much people keeping herps compared to the Us, AUstralia or in UK.. the availability of herp equipment, herp stuff here is very limited.. like for example rats, i have been having a problem ordering them for my snakes because not alot of people breeds these guys here.. and if there are supplies it is not enough to supplt the demand. the herp equipment you have that is available there is almost impossible to find it here.. even the rock like feeder dish that you guys have is not available here, even the well known pet shops here. and if import those from the states it would be really expensive with all the txes, etc

if i can, i would love to provide them with the ambient temps, cool side, hot side and the basking temps. I also am worried bec the other guys here that are keeping BTs doesnt have any problems with them at all. i dont know if am just over worried about Boris and all. but ive seen Gigas here chomping down food and asking for more. sadly Boris isnt like that..
Boris has to be put beside the feeder dish to feed, he has to be lodged into the food bowl actually, and lately when i put him in a place he just stays there, not moving for the next 30mins or so...
im also worried because when he was still in his temporary enclosure which is a large rubbermaid he eats right, and now that he has moved to a bigger, better enclosure with a basking spot and all it seems that is more picky than ever..
last week when he was shedding i did not feed him for 3 days, expecting that when he is offered food he will definitely take it but to no avail.. a few chomps, licks and stops.. considering he should be consuming alot because he is now 13" long.
he has been dewormed and given vits shots a month ago by a herp vet here.
thanks for the reply guys, i appreciate everything, i just want Boris to be ok..

[JWSR]

Hey Drew,

I forgot about your supply situation there in the Plillippines. At least if you can get your warm and cool ends as close to right as possible, your ambient will pretty much take care of itself. Once they're stable, then work on your basking surface, because any bulb you're using for basking is going to heat the surface in proportion to the heat already in your warm side.

I've PM'd you about a reptile supply source I use, that ships to the Phillippines. I've also posted 3 pics in my personal album (Heat and Light) of the set-up equiptment that just arrived for Bindi's enclosure. It's identical to Irwin's set-up.

Boris will be fine! You're working at it. It can be a lot of trial and error, and it comes a lot easier when you've been doing it for almost 50 years.

[Drew]

Hey Drew,

I forgot about your supply situation there in the Plillippines. At least if you can get your warm and cool ends as close to right as possible, your ambient will pretty much take care of itself. Once they're stable, then work on your basking surface, because any bulb you're using for basking is going to heat the surface in proportion to the heat already in your warm side.

I've PM'd you about a reptile supply source I use, that ships to the Phillippines. I've also posted 3 pics in my personal album (Heat and Light) of the set-up equiptment that just arrived for Bindi's enclosure. It's identical to Irwin's set-up.

Boris will be fine! You're working at it. It can be a lot of trial and error, and it comes a lot easier when you've been doing it for almost 50 years.

thanks man.. i changed the bulb back into 40w, its not heating much, the weather now here is colder, its been raining lately.
i dont use airconditioningin my room which i guess pretty good temps for my blueys but STILL NO EATING, I HAD TO LODGE HIM TO HIS FOOD BOWL, FEW LICKS THEN HE STOPS.. he trashed his whole enclosure last night, moving hide boxes, digging and digging.. i dont know whats happening really. he looks ok to me.. except that he isnt eating, he lost some weight too.
im thinking to change the bulb back to 60w, my enclosure is all wood, glass fronted, screen on top and on the side, the pics i posted already in the photo album..
when he was in his rubbermaid enclosure he was eating.. when he moved to his new enclosure he was eating the first weeks..
what could be wrong guys?

Should i use another heat lamp on the cool end? or if it get that 100F in the hot end its gonna be ok?

thanks guys

[Drew]

i used my watch to get the temps in Boris' cage, its a CAsio Pro trek and it has digital thermometer feature. The basking spot measure at 104F, i didnt get to measure the exact tile height since the watch has a thickness and height.
i am getting the temps in the cool end, later will change the wattage of the bulb into 40w get the temps too and later will change the whole setup..
i will lose the ramp bring back the 60w and measure again, it might me too high for him that he just wont stay there, i really dont know. When i had the platform made it seems that everything changed..
oh well.. wish me luck
i will do anything for boris to eat

*update - the cooler end is at 95F i know its high but i really dont know how accurate it is.

[Drew]

did a little re arranging with his cage. i moved his platform to the front of the cage and just placed 2 slates on top of the otehr for his basking rock, this measures 98-100

the platform just serves just a platform and a hide area underneath.
i also moved the dish and water at the far ebnd of the enclosure ( it used to be infront )
so the pvc hiding spot is also infront, i figured that he might want to eat in a secluded area...
i really hope he eats..
cool side is at 86-88
what do you think guys? too hot? too cold?

[NomadOfTheHills]

Too hot cool side. I bet thats why he is not eating. Try to make sure the basking light is as far to one side of the tank as possible to bring down those cool end temps.

[Drew]

Too hot cool side. I bet thats why he is not eating. Try to make sure the basking light is as far to one side of the tank as possible to bring down those cool end temps.

my tank is only three feet and the basing lamp us already at the other end of te enclosure.
what if i loose the basking lamp?
or change it to a 25w?

[Drew]

i took out the basking lamp, i really dont know how accurate my temps are. im really bothered becuase some people i know here that are keeping bts doesnt have any basking lamp at all and they are all chompers...

im just letting him be.. as you say he will eat in time.. he doesnt look sick. will post pics soon.

[Richard.C]

hi drew,the 3 foot size wont be a prob,id suggest u get a probe thermometer,dont trust your watch,u want to be acurate,how close is the light to your basking platform,also u said something about it being cold in your area at the moment,sometimes blueys pick up on the coldness and will stop eating and basking and think about brumating,thats hibernating,my concerns are your temps though,u really need an accurate thermometer to check the temps at various areas of your cage,generally a healthy bluey will go where it wants to in regard to temps and food,nudging him there wont fix things mate,u should be able to get thermometers of various kinds over there,my suggestion would be go and get an accurate one pronto,as we will be able to answer u easier if we know the details hey,and you would be supprised at the temps when u dont have a thermometer to see what they are,can easily be to low,or even to high,and i wouldnt have any trust in gizmos on a watch for checking the temp

[Drew]

thanks will do that right away

[Drew]

here is the pic of the setup guys. will post temps right away.







here is boris, pls tell me if its evident that he is thin.. sick?
but he grew 3in from the last 2months






will post more pics in another thread...
i will change the beddings to wood shaving this week. he has been burrowing ALOT, i dont know why its been like this for the past 2days, he even gaped and tried to bite when i peeked under the newpaper where he was, is this normal?
i hope he eats soon.. he is loosing weight..