1.5 year old dragon hasn’t eaten in weeks

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WumboProdigy

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My girlfriend has a bearded dragon that we are becoming concerned about, but I’m not sure what to do.

He hasn’t eaten in a couple weeks, but outside of that is completely normal. He hasn’t had any health issues as far as we can tell since we got him in August of 2016. He was fed crickets growing up, but now is fed super worms. A couple weeks ago he stopped eating super worms and in general stopped eating. He has eaten some squash and kale occasionally in these weeks, but he seems disinterested in the super worms he once loved. Since he eats the occasional vegetables, obviously his appetite is not completely gone.

He has not pooped since he stopped eating, but he hasn’t eaten much so I don’t think there would be anything for him to excrete. His last poop before the fast was normal. He is an extremely lively and active lizard who is not acting different or sick in any way. He loves running and climbing around my girlfriend’s room, and being held. It doesn’t seem like he’s losing weight.

His environment has a purple UVB and basking bulb, as well as a white day lamp. His basking rock is about 100 degrees. There was no environmental change when he stopped eating, he just did. It really doesn’t seem like he’s sick, maybe he’s trying to brumate or something? His lights are on from 7-7 every day. He has carpet, no sand.

We really love our baby and we’d do anything for him. There’s a single vet here that deals with exotic pets but it seems they have a decent wait list for new patients. Maybe I need to look for more foods for him to try, but it’s been a long time and we are worried.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
WumboProdigy":13tkr1dv said:
My girlfriend has a bearded dragon that we are becoming concerned about, but I’m not sure what to do.

He hasn’t eaten in a couple weeks, but outside of that is completely normal. He hasn’t had any health issues as far as we can tell since we got him in August of 2016. He was fed crickets growing up, but now is fed super worms. A couple weeks ago he stopped eating super worms and in general stopped eating. He has eaten some squash and kale occasionally in these weeks, but he seems disinterested in the super worms he once loved. Since he eats the occasional vegetables, obviously his appetite is not completely gone.

<<< I don't recommend using superworms as staple feeder insect, they are fine an occasion treat for adult bearded dragons.
See viewtopic.php?f=18&t=236074
and viewtopic.php?f=76&t=234999&p=1807834#p1807834

I recommend silkworms , or gutloaded/dusted crickets or roaches or locusts as staple feeder insects for my dragons.


He has not pooped since he stopped eating, but he hasn’t eaten much so I don’t think there would be anything for him to excrete. His last poop before the fast was normal. He is an extremely lively and active lizard who is not acting different or sick in any way. He loves running and climbing around my girlfriend’s room, and being held. It doesn’t seem like he’s losing weight.
<<< are you regularly weighing him , I recommend religiously weekly weighins.
<<< well no food in ==> nothing much to poo , it's a very simple equation .... but an impacted dragon can also loose interest in eating , very important to have a vet examine him to determine if this is the cause or part of the problem.
Being active is a good sign , if he is still active (and not black bearding) now.


His environment has a purple UVB and basking bulb, as well as a white day lamp. His basking rock is about 100 degrees. There was no environmental change when he stopped eating, he just did. It really doesn’t seem like he’s sick, maybe he’s trying to brumate or something? His lights are on from 7-7 every day. He has carpet, no sand.
<<<< Sorry but this a common mistake , black UV tubes are TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE for any reptile.

They produce a very poor UVA & UVB spectrum and totally in adequate levels of both UVA ( need very high levels of UVA to stimulate a dragon's appetite and activity) and UVB ( not negotiable for a healthy dragon who is able to produce vitD3 , necessary for good bone development, density and strength.
The black light UV tube MUST be replaced immediately IMO . I believe the black light UV tube is directly attributable to the dragon loss of interest in feeding , I also believe it is highly likely he is suffering neurological problems and MBD as a result of the totally inappropriate UV light he's been kept under for an extended period.
see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=236150&p=1815390#p1815390
Is it a T8 tube or a T10 tube or a T5HO tube ?

If it's a T8 or a T5HO tube I VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND investing in an Arcadia 12%UVB tube (a T5HO version is going to be your best option).

I also highly recommend investing in a proper reptile specific reflector hood, and that you mount a new Arcadia T5HO 12%UVB tube in it , and mount this UNDER the mesh lid if you have a mesh lid and you arrange it so tube is no more than 12 inches from the basking spot (to expose the dragon to 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm flux , and institute a photoperiod not less than 14 hours per day.

See this for more information :
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=234800
and
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234801&p=1806497#p1806497
and
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611




We really love our baby and we’d do anything for him. There’s a single vet here that deals with exotic pets but it seems they have a decent wait list for new patients. Maybe I need to look for more foods for him to try, but it’s been a long time and we are worried.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, can you post pics of your dragon as well as his entire set up ? Here's how :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload

When you say that you have a purple uvb, do you mean a regular screw in type that is shaped lke our old incandescent household + lamp bulbs ? If so, those don't produce any usable uvb for a beardie. If you don't have a good long tube uvb [ Reptisun 10.0 t5 or Arcadia D3 12 % ] then that's the uvb light he needs. Other than that some dragons do go off food for a while when they become sexualy mature and they have more instinct to look for a mate than to eat. Still, there may be other things going on. Pics can be helpful. Hope your boy will be fine with or without a few adjustments. :)
 

WumboProdigy

New member
Original Poster
kingofnobbys":1iwfp0fq said:
WumboProdigy":1iwfp0fq said:
My girlfriend has a bearded dragon that we are becoming concerned about, but I’m not sure what to do.

He hasn’t eaten in a couple weeks, but outside of that is completely normal. He hasn’t had any health issues as far as we can tell since we got him in August of 2016. He was fed crickets growing up, but now is fed super worms. A couple weeks ago he stopped eating super worms and in general stopped eating. He has eaten some squash and kale occasionally in these weeks, but he seems disinterested in the super worms he once loved. Since he eats the occasional vegetables, obviously his appetite is not completely gone.

<<< I don't recommend using superworms as staple feeder insect, they are fine an occasion treat for adult bearded dragons.
See viewtopic.php?f=18&t=236074
and viewtopic.php?f=76&t=234999&p=1807834#p1807834

I recommend silkworms , or gutloaded/dusted crickets or roaches or locusts as staple feeder insects for my dragons.


He has not pooped since he stopped eating, but he hasn’t eaten much so I don’t think there would be anything for him to excrete. His last poop before the fast was normal. He is an extremely lively and active lizard who is not acting different or sick in any way. He loves running and climbing around my girlfriend’s room, and being held. It doesn’t seem like he’s losing weight.
<<< are you regularly weighing him , I recommend religiously weekly weighins.
<<< well no food in ==> nothing much to poo , it's a very simple equation .... but an impacted dragon can also loose interest in eating , very important to have a vet examine him to determine if this is the cause or part of the problem.
Being active is a good sign , if he is still active (and not black bearding) now.


His environment has a purple UVB and basking bulb, as well as a white day lamp. His basking rock is about 100 degrees. There was no environmental change when he stopped eating, he just did. It really doesn’t seem like he’s sick, maybe he’s trying to brumate or something? His lights are on from 7-7 every day. He has carpet, no sand.
<<<< Sorry but this a common mistake , black UV tubes are TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE for any reptile.

They produce a very poor UVA & UVB spectrum and totally in adequate levels of both UVA ( need very high levels of UVA to stimulate a dragon's appetite and activity) and UVB ( not negotiable for a healthy dragon who is able to produce vitD3 , necessary for good bone development, density and strength.
The black light UV tube MUST be replaced immediately IMO . I believe the black light UV tube is directly attributable to the dragon loss of interest in feeding , I also believe it is highly likely he is suffering neurological problems and MBD as a result of the totally inappropriate UV light he's been kept under for an extended period.
see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=236150&p=1815390#p1815390
Is it a T8 tube or a T10 tube or a T5HO tube ?

If it's a T8 or a T5HO tube I VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND investing in an Arcadia 12%UVB tube (a T5HO version is going to be your best option).

I also highly recommend investing in a proper reptile specific reflector hood, and that you mount a new Arcadia T5HO 12%UVB tube in it , and mount this UNDER the mesh lid if you have a mesh lid and you arrange it so tube is no more than 12 inches from the basking spot (to expose the dragon to 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm flux , and institute a photoperiod not less than 14 hours per day.

See this for more information :
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=234800
and
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234801&p=1806497#p1806497
and
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611




We really love our baby and we’d do anything for him. There’s a single vet here that deals with exotic pets but it seems they have a decent wait list for new patients. Maybe I need to look for more foods for him to try, but it’s been a long time and we are worried.

Sorry for poor formatting, I’m bad at this website and I’m on mobile. When I said we had a black UVB that was wrong. We have the lighting that comes with this kit:
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/habitats-and-decor/terrariums/zoo-medandtrade-reptihabitat-bearded-dragon-20-gallon-terrarium-kit-5175697.html

We’ve ditched basically every part of this kit but the lights. Our boy lives in a fairly large wooden enclosure with a mesh top, where the lights sit. If I should immediately change any lighting please let me know, and maybe if possible tell me the wattage I’d need for any of your recommended lights.
 

TJinPgh

Member
If that Reptisun 5.0 coil bulb is what they included for UVB it's not very good. Dragons need 10.0, not 5.0. And, the coil bulbs are said to cause eye problems.
 

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
Sorry, but you WILL need a new UV. Chances are this will fix your problem, and he will be back to eating in no time :D
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
TJinPgh":1ypbk6am said:
If that Reptisun 5.0 coil bulb is what they included for UVB it's not very good. Dragons need 10.0, not 5.0. And, the coil bulbs are said to cause eye problems.

In the short term , I'd put the 5% (13W ?) back in the box and return to the store and ask for an exchange , ask for an Exo Terra 25W UVB200 , these are VERY GOOD but you will need to
>> move the compact UVB reflector dome inside the viv - UNDER the mesh lid
>> ensure the basking spot is as close as possible to directly under the new 10%UVB compact (25W UVB200) and NO MORE THAN 8 inches from the globe see : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611
the aim is 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot and no less than 100 microW UVB / sq.cm elsewhere.

In the medium term - highly recommend investing in :
>> an Arcadia 24W T5HO 12%UVB tube
>> and a reptile specific 24W T5HO reflector hood.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Yeah, he's not gotten any UVB or UVA due to an inadequate UVB bulb (never use any coil UVB bulbs for a Dragon, and only the compact that is 26 watts that Knobby's recommended is even close to adequate for a Dragon), plus you've got the extremely weak coil UVB bulb on top of a mesh lid, which is also blocking 40% of the already far too weak UVB and UVA light.

I don't recommend the compact 26 watt Exo Terra UVB bulb that Knobby's uses, only because you have to buy a nano hook for it to be reflected adequately. It's much easier and more cost effective over time if you buy a long, fluorescent UVb tube, the T5 strength (avoid the much more common T8 strength tubes, they also cannot sit on top of the mesh and must be strapped to the underside of the mesh lid, and be within at least 6" of your dragon, and be replaced every 6 months on the dot).

Since you have to purchase a long, fluorescent tube fixture and the UVB tube both anyway, you're much better off to buy a much stronger T5 strength UVb tube, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU SAID YOU HAVE A LARGE ENCLOSURE, THE WEAKER T8 TUBES DON'T REFLECT UVB OR UVA LIGHT THROUGHOUT LARGE TANKS VERY WELL. Also, since your dragon is already showing signs of suffering from a Calcium Deficiency, the much stronger T5 UVb tube with be very beneficial to him.

The T5 UVB tubes can sit on top of the mesh lid just as long as the tube is within at least 10-11" of your dragon's basking spot/platform, and as long as the T5-rated tube fixture you buy for the UVb tube to sit in has a reflector that comes with it that sits behind the UVb tube, as this is required to reflect the UVb light throughout the large tank. Either the 22" or longer Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube or the 24" or longer Arcadia 12% T5 UVB tube are the ones you want. DO NOT BUY A REPTISUN 5.0 T5HO TUBE, IT MUST BE A 10.0 T5HO FOR A LARGE TUBE, AS THE 5.0 TUBES, LIKE THE COIL YOU HAVE, ARE ONLY 5% UVB TUBES AND MUST BE MUCH CLOSER TO YOUR DRAGON TO GET HIM ADEQUATE UVB LIGHT. So please make sure if you choose the Reptisun T5HO tube, it's the 10.0.

The Arcadia is a bit more expensive, but if you go onto Amazon.xom you can buy a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube for around $24 shipped, and they also have one 24" T5-rated tube fixture that has a reflector included for around $28. So for around $50 or so shipped you can have both the tube and fixture in 2 days. ***They do have cheaper T5-rated, 24" tube fixtures, but they don't have a reflector included, the cheapest one I've found is around $28, and it says "reflector included" on the description. There is also a more expensive, SunBlaster brand T5-rated fixture that has a fold-out reflector for around $40, it's awesome, I have 2 of them.

Also, please ditch all of the colored bulbs (anything purple or any other color), as Dragons see in full color, and you're also confusing night and day for him, among other issues colored bulbs cause. You are trying to replicate natural sunlight over the Hot Side of his tank, and you do this by putting the T5 UVB tube right alongside a bright-white colored Basking Bulb or Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb that is the correct wattage to keep both the Basking Spot Surface Temp between 100-105 degrees and the Hot Side Ambient (air) Temp between 88-93 degrees. Once you get both the long UVB tube and the bright white colored Basking Bulb positioned right alongside each other over the Hot Side of the tank, with both lights "sharing" the top of the Hot Side of the tank, then position his basking spot/platform directly underneath both lights, so that he'll get both lights at the same time while basking. Throw away all purple or other colored bulbs (no red, blue, purple, green, black, "moonlight", etc.).

***If your tank is large enough then you may need to put a secondary, much-lower-wattage, bright-white colored Basking Bulb or Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb over the Cool Side of the tank to keep the temperature between 75-80 degrees if the main bright-white colored Basking Bulb that is over the Hot Side of the tank isn't doing it. ONCE YOU GET THE BASKING SPOT SURFACE TEMP AND THE HOT SIDE AMBIENT (air) TEMP CORRECT WITH THE MAIN BRIGHT-WHITE BASKING BULB, THEN MEASURE THE TEMP OF THE COOL SIDE OF THE TANK, AND IF IT'S LOWER THAN 75 DEGREES DON'T TRY TO GET IT UP BY MOVING THE MAIN BASKING BULB OVER THE HOT SIDE OF THE TANK, YOU'LL ONLY MESS UP THE OTHER 2 TEMPERATURE ZONES THAT YOU'VE ALREADY GOTTEN CORRECT. It's much easier to simply put a much lower wattage, second bright-white colored Basking Bulb over the Cool Side of the tank in either a Dome Lamp Fixture that sits on top of the mesh, or in a Clamp Lamp Fixture that is clipped over the Cool Side of the tank. For example, if you get everything correct on the Hot Side of the tank and then you use either your Temperature Gun or your Digital Probe Thermometer (please get one of these 2 types of thermometer if you are currently only using a stick-on thermometer, as you cannot measure the Basking Spot Surface Temp with a stick-on thermometer at all, plus the stick-on thermometers are very inaccurate, off by 10-20 degrees typically) to measure the Cool Side Ambient (air) Temperature, and it's 70 degrees, then it's fine, it's close enough that you don't need to add a second basking light over the Cool Side of the tank. However, if you measure the Cool Side Ambient (air) Temp and it's 60 degrees, then you need to bump it up by 10-15 degrees, so I'd add a 25 watt bright-white Basking Bulb or to save money just a 25 watt Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb, then remeasure the Cool Side Ambient (air) Temp. That should put it somewhere around the 75-80 degree range.
 

WumboProdigy

New member
Original Poster
Thanks for all the advice guys. Lizard pooped on Monday and it seemed fairly normal and solid, although a bit hard to tell as it was in the bath.He still doesn't seem to want any food, but we were able to kinda force-feed him some apple slices. I have a vet's appointment scheduled for Friday, but hopefully he'll want to eat before then. I should mention that he also has some mustard-color discoloration on his head that's been there as long as I can remember. I'll get a picture posted soon.

As far as the UVB bulb situation goes, it's a very new 26W UVB 10.0 bulb (self ballasted compact Reptisun.) I know this is not what you guys recommend, but it's what my girlfriend (the owner) has always used. Maybe if the vet tells her there is an issue she will make the switch. I hope we have good luck moving forward. Thanks for the help guys.
 

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
IMO, instead of spending a whole bunch of money on a vet, why wouldn't she at least try out the new bulb? Chances are it will fix the problem. Also, how old is the bulb? These should be changed every 6 months.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
They make no 26 watt Reptisun 10.0 compact bulb, they are all 13 watts, both the compact and the coil, and I and everyone else here can guarantee 100% that this is your dragon's problem...

I suggest you use the search function in the forum above and search for "Reptisun Compact UVB" and read the literally thousands of posts. Not only is your UVB bulb totally inadequate for a Bearded Dragon, but it's also got the mesh lid blocking almost half of the already inadequate UVB AND UVA light.

I actually agree in this case with the member above, instead of wasting money on a vet (if it's not a Certified Reptile Vet, but rather an "exotics" vet, then they most likely won't even ask you any husbandry questions because they won't know a thing about UVB lighting for Bearded Dragons, instead they'll give you liquid calcium and probably an injection of either calcium, vitamins, or both, that your dragon won't be able to absorb because he's getting no UVB or UVA light), you need to simply buy an adequate UVB tube and fixture...

For between $50-$60 on Amazon.com you can buy one of the best available, strongest T5 UVB tubes for Bearded Dragons and a reflected fixture for it, and within a couple of days or less of putting it over your dragon he will start eating again like a garbage disposal and become very active. It's simple common sense, knowledge of desert reptiles and their very strong UVB/UVA needs, and Bearded Dragon husbandry 101. An "exotic" vet is going to cost you probably $100 and not know anymore about Bearded Dragon husbandry than you do, literally and seriously. They usually don't even ask about lighting, temps, diet, etc. You don't need to give your dragon more calcium because he can't absorb any of it anyway, and that's going to be the end result of your vet visit, more calcium and a vitamin shot.

And again, there is not compact, "self-ballasted" Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb that is 26 watts, unless they just started making them recently. The highest wattage Reptisun 10.0 compact/coil UVB bulb that they have ever made is 13 watts, which is almost half the wattage that your Dragon needs. So I highly suggest you look right on your UVB bulb, as I said if they started making a 26 watt compact bulb then I'll apologize, but I really don't think so, especially considering that their 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube is only a 24 watt tube.
 

WumboProdigy

New member
Original Poster
EllenD":1bw42udk said:
They make no 26 watt Reptisun 10.0 compact bulb, they are all 13 watts, both the compact and the coil, and I and everyone else here can guarantee 100% that this is your dragon's problem...

I suggest you use the search function in the forum above and search for "Reptisun Compact UVB" and read the literally thousands of posts. Not only is your UVB bulb totally inadequate for a Bearded Dragon, but it's also got the mesh lid blocking almost half of the already inadequate UVB AND UVA light.

I actually agree in this case with the member above, instead of wasting money on a vet (if it's not a Certified Reptile Vet, but rather an "exotics" vet, then they most likely won't even ask you any husbandry questions because they won't know a thing about UVB lighting for Bearded Dragons, instead they'll give you liquid calcium and probably an injection of either calcium, vitamins, or both, that your dragon won't be able to absorb because he's getting no UVB or UVA light), you need to simply buy an adequate UVB tube and fixture...

For between $50-$60 on Amazon.com you can buy one of the best available, strongest T5 UVB tubes for Bearded Dragons and a reflected fixture for it, and within a couple of days or less of putting it over your dragon he will start eating again like a garbage disposal and become very active. It's simple common sense, knowledge of desert reptiles and their very strong UVB/UVA needs, and Bearded Dragon husbandry 101. An "exotic" vet is going to cost you probably $100 and not know anymore about Bearded Dragon husbandry than you do, literally and seriously. They usually don't even ask about lighting, temps, diet, etc. You don't need to give your dragon more calcium because he can't absorb any of it anyway, and that's going to be the end result of your vet visit, more calcium and a vitamin shot.

And again, there is not compact, "self-ballasted" Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb that is 26 watts, unless they just started making them recently. The highest wattage Reptisun 10.0 compact/coil UVB bulb that they have ever made is 13 watts, which is almost half the wattage that your Dragon needs. So I highly suggest you look right on your UVB bulb, as I said if they started making a 26 watt compact bulb then I'll apologize, but I really don't think so, especially considering that their 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube is only a 24 watt tube.

I understand that the UVB we have may not be adequate. Unfortunately it is not directly my choice on what the setup for Lizard is. I will keep working to make sure my girlfriend understands that he likely needs more UVB. His UVB bulb really is 26W though, I'll attach a photo. I'll put a photo of him as well, so you guys can take a look at the spots on his head.
https://imgur.com/a/IKw79
 
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