Hello! My approximately 7-month-old beardie has been changing up his eating schedule (and consequently, his bowel movement schedule as well) and I'm not sure what's going on.
I've had him for about a month now, and up until a week ago, he was steadily eating 20 large dubias twice a day at 12 PM and 6 PM, chowing down on his salad, and always going potty on time at 2 PM. I ran out of dubias for about a day or so (the new shipment of dubias was late), so he had to go a day with just salad. On that same day, I went on vacation out of the country and my baby was under my mom's care for the time being, with whom he's familiar with (she's fed and held him before and he knows her). For the first day, after we got the roaches in, he was eating and pooping normally.
However, over the week during which I was gone for vacation and my mom was taking care of him, he began to eat less per feeding (dropping down to ~10 at 12 PM and ~15 at 6 PM) each day and also started pooping earlier and earlier before his usual 2 PM mark. I've been back for a couple of days now, and yesterday, he ate ~9 dubias for lunch and ~14 for dinner, although he refused to eat at 6 PM and instead ate at 7 PM, and pooped at 8 in the morning right when he woke up. Today, he peed sometime in the morning before I woke up (but no poop) and has flat out refused to eat lunch. He's been plenty alert and his urates/poop all look just fine (soft white urates and firm, normal-colored stool). I will note that he is currently shedding on his tail, which I'm not sure affects his appetite/bowel movements or not. He's shed other areas before and had no changes to his appetite. Here's a photo of him (after refusing his lunch even when I put the dubia right up to his mouth):
I've kept an eye on his weight, and he doesn't appear to be losing weight but he isn't gaining much either. He was 249 grams a week ago and this morning he's 252 grams. Any ideas as to what's going on? I feel like he's too young to want to drop down to one insect feeding a day, but is that a possibility? Also, should I keep trying to offer him even after he refuses, or should I just offer him at the scheduled time (i.e., 12 PM), and if he doesn't take it, then offer again at the next scheduled feeding time (i.e., 6 PM)? Much thanks in advance from a worried beardie parent!
I've had him for about a month now, and up until a week ago, he was steadily eating 20 large dubias twice a day at 12 PM and 6 PM, chowing down on his salad, and always going potty on time at 2 PM. I ran out of dubias for about a day or so (the new shipment of dubias was late), so he had to go a day with just salad. On that same day, I went on vacation out of the country and my baby was under my mom's care for the time being, with whom he's familiar with (she's fed and held him before and he knows her). For the first day, after we got the roaches in, he was eating and pooping normally.
However, over the week during which I was gone for vacation and my mom was taking care of him, he began to eat less per feeding (dropping down to ~10 at 12 PM and ~15 at 6 PM) each day and also started pooping earlier and earlier before his usual 2 PM mark. I've been back for a couple of days now, and yesterday, he ate ~9 dubias for lunch and ~14 for dinner, although he refused to eat at 6 PM and instead ate at 7 PM, and pooped at 8 in the morning right when he woke up. Today, he peed sometime in the morning before I woke up (but no poop) and has flat out refused to eat lunch. He's been plenty alert and his urates/poop all look just fine (soft white urates and firm, normal-colored stool). I will note that he is currently shedding on his tail, which I'm not sure affects his appetite/bowel movements or not. He's shed other areas before and had no changes to his appetite. Here's a photo of him (after refusing his lunch even when I put the dubia right up to his mouth):
I've kept an eye on his weight, and he doesn't appear to be losing weight but he isn't gaining much either. He was 249 grams a week ago and this morning he's 252 grams. Any ideas as to what's going on? I feel like he's too young to want to drop down to one insect feeding a day, but is that a possibility? Also, should I keep trying to offer him even after he refuses, or should I just offer him at the scheduled time (i.e., 12 PM), and if he doesn't take it, then offer again at the next scheduled feeding time (i.e., 6 PM)? Much thanks in advance from a worried beardie parent!
