Unusual behavior for the past week

Ray--Opo

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Yeah I would take him to the vet. At least to find out if everything is ok and give you some peace of mind. Tell Vladimir that Opo hopes everything comes out ok.:)
 

vladimir

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We had our appointment this morning. About 30 minutes into the ride Vlad peed, then started moving his butt around and squinting his eyes in that funny face they make.:D:p

Sure enough, by the time we got there had had made a nice little sample. They did an analysis which came up negative for parasites.

The plan is to see how does moving forward now that he finally went, and check in next week. The vet mentioned giving him an appetite stimulant, but I wasn't sure that was necessary at this point. He will eat, he just isn't as motivated to go out and look for food as he usually is. The vet also mentioned an x-ray as an option, but I figured I'd see how this week went before going that path.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback and support. :<3::tort::)
 

Maro2Bear

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Glad the ride trick worked! Ive read this does work - i guess the vehicular motion scares the crap out of them! :)

Soooo, what did the vet charge for a trip/visit like this?

Glad all ended well
 

vladimir

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I tried a test drive, but maybe it wasn't long enough because it didn't do the trick.

Today was about $110. About $80 for the reptile exam and $30 for the fecal analysis. Well worth it if just for the peace of mind.

If his bathroom habits and appetite don't continue to improve I may consider an X-ray. We'll see.

Thanks again for your support @Maro2Bear! It's good to know I'm not alone raising a dinosaur in the cold east coast winters.

Glad the ride trick worked! Ive read this does work - i guess the vehicular motion scares the crap out of them! :)

Soooo, what did the vet charge for a trip/visit like this?

Glad all ended well
 

Len B

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When I ask if there was enough floor space inside the box for vladimir to get completely off the heat mat if it was in the box. You never gave an answer. The reason I ask is because the set up you have is only allowing him to heat either his bottom when outside the box while setting on the heat mat or his upper shell when in the box.. He should be able to heat both at the same time but be able to move off the mat. Now when he is in the box he is blocking the belly heat from the heater you use in the box with his with his own body. Heat rises and can not penetrate his shell enough to warm his belly. And the same thing is happening to the upper shell when is is on the mat outside the box, it is cooling while his belly is warming up. With the temps in the upper 70s to low 80s as you stated, he may be a little stressed on where to warm up completely.
 

vladimir

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When I ask if there was enough floor space inside the box for vladimir to get completely off the heat mat if it was in the box. You never gave an answer. The reason I ask is because the set up you have is only allowing him to heat either his bottom when outside the box while setting on the heat mat or his upper shell when in the box.. He should be able to heat both at the same time but be able to move off the mat. Now when he is in the box he is blocking the belly heat from the heater you use in the box with his with his own body. Heat rises and can not penetrate his shell enough to warm his belly. And the same thing is happening to the upper shell when is is on the mat outside the box, it is cooling while his belly is warming up. With the temps in the upper 70s to low 80s as you stated, he may be a little stressed on where to warm up completely.

Hi Len,

I see what you're saying. I don't think I described things very well. Inside his box is an oil filled radiator that is caged off and maintains 82-86F consitently. There are car wash flaps that he can go through as needed to enter and exit.

The box is elevated 2 feet off the ground. In the space below, there is a RHP mounted for heat from above, and a Kane mat beneath. This area is providing heat from both above and below, and he has plenty of room to get himself comfortable:

upload_2019-11-13_7-43-50.png

Good news today! He came out of his box on his own once I lifted the flaps to peek in. He had a few Mazuris on his porch area, then came down the ramp and headed over to start in on breakfast. Now he's resting on his Kane mat. This is much more typical behavior :)
 

Ray--Opo

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Glad to see some movement :). Maybe another car ride is in order. I can see it now you will be getting up every morning and loading Vladimir in the car and driving around for a hr.
 

Blackdog1714

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Maybe you need to take a drive and engage in some pedal therapy! Launch from the start and come to a quick stop preferably with some curves.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I really think it's possible Vlad is just sensing the season changing and the cooler weather, even though he's not a species that brumates. My Redfoot (which is supposedly not a brumating species either) acts the same way right at this time of year for the past several years. He seems to slow down almost like he's lethargic, doesn't wanna eat much, and mostly stays in his hide. Generally just doesn't act like himself. It usually lasts about a month or so before he snaps out of it.
 

vladimir

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I really think it's possible Vlad is just sensing the season changing and the cooler weather, even though he's not a species that brumates. My Redfoot (which is supposedly not a brumating species either) acts the same way right at this time of year for the past several years. He seems to slow down almost like he's lethargic, doesn't wanna eat much, and mostly stays in his hide. Generally just doesn't act like himself. It usually lasts about a month or so before he snaps out of it.

I think this is definitely plausible. There was the big traumatic event (new roof on the house, tons of workers banging around), followed by a pretty sharp drop in temperatures, no longer getting to go outside due to the cold temps, and the daylight savings time change all within a few weeks. It was a rough few weeks!
 

Maro2Bear

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Hi Len,

I see what you're saying. I don't think I described things very well. Inside his box is an oil filled radiator that is caged off and maintains 82-86F consitently. There are car wash flaps that he can go through as needed to enter and exit.

The box is elevated 2 feet off the ground. In the space below, there is a RHP mounted for heat from above, and a Kane mat beneath. This area is providing heat from both above and below, and he has plenty of room to get himself comfortable:

View attachment 282878

Good news today! He came out of his box on his own once I lifted the flaps to peek in. He had a few Mazuris on his porch area, then came down the ramp and headed over to start in on breakfast. Now he's resting on his Kane mat. This is much more typical behavior :)


Too funny. I have the exact same red tile beneath a lamp so similar. The tiles really act as a heat sink and warm up nicely throughout the day. Glad all is better.
 

vladimir

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Too funny. I have the exact same red tile beneath a lamp so similar. The tiles really act as a heat sink and warm up nicely throughout the day. Glad all is better.

Yep - he used to bask on it under the heat lamp a lot more when he was smaller. He prefers to stretch out on the Kane mat (under the RHP) now, or go up in box to be close to the radiator :D
 

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