sanglunaria
Member
I'll preface this with: hello, new member to this forum, also a new bearded dragon owner here.
My beardie, Pitaya, is female and almost 5 months old (so a juvenile). I bought her from a breeder around the end of January. It's been a lot of trial and error in figuring out the ideal setup for her enclosure and what she will/won't eat, but we had a pretty good routine figured out by the end of the first week of February. She was consistently eating a few bites of collard greens and about 15 to 20 dubias per day. I also introduced her to superworms about two weeks ago. She doesn't seem to like them as much as dubias, so I've only been offering them occasionally. I've been bathing her almost daily (at least 5 times a week) and she has been pooping regularly too (at least once every 2 to 3 days).
However, in the past week, her appetite has decreased a lot (see log below). I can't figure out why and it's worrying me quite a bit. Given her age, I don't think she's trying to brumate, nor do I think she's gravid. I don't think it's shedding moodiness either because her scale colors are currently all normal and vivid. (Speaking of colors, I haven't really observed consistent stress marks on her belly either. They come up very occasionally, but fade very quickly.) The only other thing I can think of is maybe she's got a case of impaction, but despite her decreased appetite, she's still been pooping regularly and I don't think I'm feeling any lumps or bulges in her stomach. Other than not eating, her behavior seems pretty normal? She's awake and alert during the day and into the early evening, spends most of her time in the warm side of her enclosure and watching me work at my desk. She likes to walk around and explore the room when we take her out.
I've been keeping a log since I got her, and this is what she's eaten (and when she's pooped) the past week:
2/15: 7 dubias, no poop
2/16: 5 dubias, pooped during her bath
2/17: 16 dubias, pooped during her bath
2/18: 4 superworms, 1 dubia, No poop
2/19: Ate a little bit of collard greens, didn't eat anything else, pooped during her bath
2/20: 5 dubias, no poop
2/21: Did not eat anything, pooped when I took her outside (we're in winter, but the weather was freakishly warm that day)
2/22: Hasn't eaten anything or pooped yet so far
And as for enclosure set-up and other care notes:
-50 gallon exo terra glass vivarium (screen top removed to allow all light and heat in)
-34" Reptisun 10.0 UVB
-Zoomed 100 W basking spot lamp (tried a 150 W lamp to begin with, but it was making the whole enclosure WAY too hot)
-Paper towels for substrate
-Cool side between 80 and 83 degrees
-Warm side between 91 and 97 degrees
-Basking spot between 101 and 102 degrees
-Nighttime temperature is about 72 degrees
-Lights are on from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM (on a timer)
-Feeders are dusted with Calcium+D3 6 days of the week, and with multivitamins 1 day a week
-Tried feeding her phoenix worms when I first got her, but there was zero interest in them (I think they didn't move enough to attract her attention)
Anyway, what are your thoughts on her change in appetite? Should I be concerned and how long can I allow this to go on?
My beardie, Pitaya, is female and almost 5 months old (so a juvenile). I bought her from a breeder around the end of January. It's been a lot of trial and error in figuring out the ideal setup for her enclosure and what she will/won't eat, but we had a pretty good routine figured out by the end of the first week of February. She was consistently eating a few bites of collard greens and about 15 to 20 dubias per day. I also introduced her to superworms about two weeks ago. She doesn't seem to like them as much as dubias, so I've only been offering them occasionally. I've been bathing her almost daily (at least 5 times a week) and she has been pooping regularly too (at least once every 2 to 3 days).
However, in the past week, her appetite has decreased a lot (see log below). I can't figure out why and it's worrying me quite a bit. Given her age, I don't think she's trying to brumate, nor do I think she's gravid. I don't think it's shedding moodiness either because her scale colors are currently all normal and vivid. (Speaking of colors, I haven't really observed consistent stress marks on her belly either. They come up very occasionally, but fade very quickly.) The only other thing I can think of is maybe she's got a case of impaction, but despite her decreased appetite, she's still been pooping regularly and I don't think I'm feeling any lumps or bulges in her stomach. Other than not eating, her behavior seems pretty normal? She's awake and alert during the day and into the early evening, spends most of her time in the warm side of her enclosure and watching me work at my desk. She likes to walk around and explore the room when we take her out.
I've been keeping a log since I got her, and this is what she's eaten (and when she's pooped) the past week:
2/15: 7 dubias, no poop
2/16: 5 dubias, pooped during her bath
2/17: 16 dubias, pooped during her bath
2/18: 4 superworms, 1 dubia, No poop
2/19: Ate a little bit of collard greens, didn't eat anything else, pooped during her bath
2/20: 5 dubias, no poop
2/21: Did not eat anything, pooped when I took her outside (we're in winter, but the weather was freakishly warm that day)
2/22: Hasn't eaten anything or pooped yet so far
And as for enclosure set-up and other care notes:
-50 gallon exo terra glass vivarium (screen top removed to allow all light and heat in)
-34" Reptisun 10.0 UVB
-Zoomed 100 W basking spot lamp (tried a 150 W lamp to begin with, but it was making the whole enclosure WAY too hot)
-Paper towels for substrate
-Cool side between 80 and 83 degrees
-Warm side between 91 and 97 degrees
-Basking spot between 101 and 102 degrees
-Nighttime temperature is about 72 degrees
-Lights are on from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM (on a timer)
-Feeders are dusted with Calcium+D3 6 days of the week, and with multivitamins 1 day a week
-Tried feeding her phoenix worms when I first got her, but there was zero interest in them (I think they didn't move enough to attract her attention)
Anyway, what are your thoughts on her change in appetite? Should I be concerned and how long can I allow this to go on?