JaxonTheSaxon":o5d4h7ni said:
Hey internet people,
I have a beardie named Jaxon, he's just over a year old. I have noticed Jaxon becoming more lethargic, with somewhat of a loss of appetite. I don't see any issues with the husbandry tbh. Temperatures, lighting, furniture and overall environment is in great shape. I have a digital temp probe.
<<< if you are in the southern hemisphere and you have reducing the photoperiod and heating and he's over 12 months old , he might be going into brumation, I try to keep my beardies going over winter .
I do this by
1) maintaining a long photoperiod similar to the daylight hours they experience in the wild in their natural range ( I run my heat and lights so they are on 6am and off 10pm , ie 16 hrs/day year round)
2) keeping the food coming.
3) ensuring adequate UVA and UVB
4) ensuring proper basking and warm zone temperatures
If you are north of the equator, it's more likely he's just maturing (they become more laid back and lazy as they become subadults) , though it may be that he's no longer getting sufficient UVA and UVB , and your photoperiod may be too short (I believe it's common practice in the USA and Europe to think 12 hrs / day of lights and heat is summer conditions = wrong, if this the photo period you are running I recommend bumping it up by up to 4 hours per day.
At 12 months old , he is still a juvenile and still growing strongly and will not taper off his growth until he's about 2 yrs old and becomes a mature adult.
At 12 months old he will need mostly live insect protein still and will be transitioning to some greens and veg each day as well as his one or two live insect meals (let him eat as many insects as he wants at this age).
I transition my juvenile beardies from 2 live insect meals per day to 1 live insect meal per day at about 1 year old.
Please check your temperatures , and make sure your UV source is still good ( compacts, T8s and T5s UVA and UVB decays over time , it is good policy to replace these every 6 months (unless the quality dictates you can use them for longer (ie Arcadia are such good quality , they are good for 12 months).
He hasn't been poopin on a regular basis since I've noticed this possible brumation period. He really doesn't eat unless I wave food in front of him also. I've tested for dehydration and I'm not 100% sure if he's getting enough water. I try and
bathe him a couple of times a week so he has the chance to soak/absorb some H2O.
<<<< Unless he enjoys a nice splash in the bath, you are over doing the bathing , bearded dragons DO NOT NEED bathing UNLESS
>> they have soiled themselves
>> they are too hot
>> they are impacted (a soak in a warm bath with tummy rubs will often help in mild cases of impaction)
>> they have an open injury that needs soaking in dilute betadiene
The only way for a bearded dragon to take on board water is via it's mouth in the live insects , greens and veg it eats or if it takes a drink - it's common myth that they absorb water via their skin or via their bumhole - THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN.
Hes not big on veggies yet.. im throwing out more collard greens than he's eating.
<<< normal for a juvenile / subadult - keep offering daily , he'll come to them in his own time.
There's no signs of sickness or injuries.. just the lack of energy, appetite, irregular bowl movements; almost none existent unless in warm
bath water.. annnd overall laziness.
If anyone has any suggestions or advice it would be greatly appreciated!
A common mistake is cohabitation (if sharing tank or can see another beardie) , even if he can see another beardie , or a snake or very large lizard ?
Are there other pets (cats, dogs ) in the household ?
And details of your feeding schedule and other husbandry aspects .
Might be a very easy fix .
Photos of the tank and showing substrate and lighting and of the beardies will help too. Use XIMG button to upload photos from your computer.
How heavy is he ?
...... recommend weighing them regularly (weekly say)?
Can you give us a good rundown on the setup and schedules (light and feeding) :
Basking light
........ is it a coloured globe ? (BAD)
........ what is it's wattage ?
........ how far from the basking spot ?
TEMPERATURES ?
>>> daytime
.......warm zone
.......basking spot
...... how are you measuring your temperatures ?
TOO COLD = SLEEPY DRAGON
>>> overnight minimum viv temperatures ?
UVA AND UVB ADEQUATE ?
>>> is the uv rated AT LEAST 10%UVB ?
>>> is it a COMPACT (curly globe & WATTAGE ?
>>> or a T8 tube ?
>>> or a T5 tube ?
>>> or an MVB ?
VERY IMPORTANT : what is the brand ?
(not all UVB compacts and tubes are created equal or as well , many shops sell their own brand (Zilla, All Living Things, Reptile-One, Nat Geo , Natural Selections (in green boxes) which are cheap Chinese clones made very cheaply using very poor quality quartz glass and cheap phosphors ==> very poor UV spectrum produced incl UVC band and bad parts of the UVB band)
>>> also is it covered (in a domestic fluorescent light fitting )? == BAD
>>> also is it sitting ontop a mesh top ? == BAD
>>> how far from basking spot ?
too far and the UVA and UVB WILL BE TOO DILUTE.
UVA FLUX TOO LOW where dragon is ==> a very lethargic dragon w/ a very poor apetite just in the short term , and neurological problems if this persists , not to mention MVB if UVB flux too low long enough with inadequate metabolisation of dietary calcium or inadequate intake out calcium
http://www.arcadia-reptile.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/guide-bearded-dragon.jpg
TANK
>>> size (L x W x H) and construction , photos of the setup are often helpful .
SUBSTRATE ?
>>> is it sand ? == BAD AND IF CALCISAND this is EXTREMELY BAD/LETHAL when ingested
>>> is it particulate ? == BAD
SHARING TANK ? == BAD
TOO SHORT A PHOTOPERIOD (lights are not kept on long enough each day , will make beardie think it is winter , recommend at least 14 HRS PER DAY)
FEEDING SCHEDULE (I recommend at least 2 hrs lights/heat on before first live feed and after last feed of the day)
>>> when are you offering live feeder insects ? what are they ? how big are they ?
>>> when are you offering greens and other veg ? what are you offering ?
good guide is here :
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html