Beardy Very Active And Acting Normal But Not Eating Normal!

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KamiT

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Hi there, my bearded dragon Zeus, is acting completely normal over about the last week except the fact hes only eating about 2/3 dubias a day and almost completely ignoring his greens, which isnt like him. Normally he is a very good eater never had an issue before with him and eating.

I have tried putting carrot into his greens, which he normally gobbles up and loves. i have tried adding a few mealworms into his salad and everything to try get him to eat.
He doesnt seem unwell and has been acting perfectly normal just eating alot less.
i have also tried changing out his UV bulbs about 4 days ago see if that was the issue but no change.
I have been bathing him daily, he is still pooing in his bath like normal but hates his bath, he always gets in, chills for 5 mins or so, then poos and wants to leave.

He is 6/7 months old. 14 and a half inches long.
his Viv is 47.5 inches long, 19 inches wide, 17.5 high.
His uv light is an Arcadia FD3P30 12% 30 watt 36inch. (is what i was recomended) This sits over his basking spot and almost completely over the main places he goes in his viv.
His basking bulb is an Exo Terra PT2111 100Watt lamp, sitting about 7 inches from his basking spot.
His basking spot (on a heat gun) is 94/96F depending where. (his basking spot is half a hollewed log)
His Cool side is about 75F

He has always been fed on roaches from the same company, with no issues.
Normally will have salad (Kale and Carrot, maybe some other bits depending, and maybe a chopped strawberry every now and again). He normally eats roughtly half a bowl but isnt keen about it.

He is pooing well, everytime i bath him.

He had a breakout of mites about 3 months ago, was from a climbing log i bought from a pet store. He was then treated and all mites gone after about a week or so. since then he has been perfectly fine.

Anything i have missed let me know.

Thank you everyone for any help!
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Your husbandry looks good, though you may want to bump up his Basking Spot Surface Temp to at least around the 100 degree mark, the low 90's can cause digestion issues.

It may just be a normal winter "slow-down", as a lot of us are experiencing this year. My year and 2 month old female is eating, but about half of what she usually eats.

If there's no lethargy, no black beard, no abnormal bowel movements to indicate parasites, then it could be just a winter funk. I'd be weighing her to ensure she's not losing weight, if she does then it may very well be a parasite and a fecal test would be in order. I'd keep feeding her as normal each day, and make sure that there's no blood in her bowel movements, or that they aren't abnormally runny.

I didn't see a substrate listed, what do you have in the bottom of the tank?
 

KamiT

Member
Original Poster
the substrate he has right now is just tiles, had him on sand when I first got him as that’s what he had first, but decided to swap it out months ago.

He has been pooing fine and every day, they have been smaller but I guess that’s due to less food.

So you think that I should weigh him, and just keep a close eye on him for now? Will a 150 watt basking bulb get the basking temps I need?

Thanks for the reply, hopefully it is just winter that’s slowing his eating.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Yes, less food in equals less food out...I'd keep offering him water on his snout to lick off several times throughout each day that he isn't eating normally too, to keep him hydrated. Normally they keep licking the water off even when they are off their food. Let him drink as much as he wants, and stop dripping it on his snout only when he stops licking it off. i'd do this at least 3 times a day if possible until his appetite comes back to normal.

Is your tank a wooden enclosure or a glass tank with a mesh lid? I ask because the wooden enclosure hold heat very, very well, and often a larger wooden enclosure will take a lower wattage of basking bulb than a smaller glass tank with a mesh lid will...A good rule to follow is that a 100 watt basking bulb usually gets the Hot Side Ambient and the Basking Spot Surface Temperatures within the correct ranges in a 40 Gallon Breeder glass tank with a mesh lid...So it really is just going to depend on the type of tank, but I'd say for a 4' long tank, no matter what it's made of, you want either a 125 watt or a 150 watt over the Hot Side, right alongside the UVB tube, with his basking spot/platform positioned directly underneath both lights so that he gets both at the same time while basking. Get the lights set up with whatever basking bulb you're going to try, let it sit for about an hour to heat up to temp, then use either your Temp Gun or your Digital Probe Thermometer to first measure the Basking Spot Surface Temperature. If it's within 100-105 degrees or so, then move on to measure the Hot Side Ambient Temperature, and if it's between 88-93 degrees then whatever basking bulb you're using is the one you want to use...if either of these temperatures are too hot by only a few degrees (less than 15 degrees or so) then you can try raising up the basking spot or lowering the basking spot, keeping in mind that the basking spot/platform has to stay within the correct distance of the UVB tube...once you get both of those temperature ranges correct, then measure the Cool Side Ambient Temperature and see where it's at, hopefully it's within the correct range...if it's at least 70 degrees and no hotter than 82 degrees, it's fine. If it's lower than 70, sometimes you have to add a very low wattage, secondary basking bulb over the Cool Side, but typically not...

Yeah, once you get the lights/temps all set up correctly and check that everything is fine with them, and you're leaving them both on for at least 13-14 hours a day, then yes, I'd just keep watching him, offering hydration on the snout several times throughout the day, and as long as his behavior is normal and his bowel movements are normal, and he isn't losing any weight, then he's just going through the winter slow-down phase, and it will end soon. (Remember that they can easily lose up to 30 grams after a bowel movement, so don't freak out about that happening). If he becomes lethargic, starts sleeping a lot more than usual, or his bowel movements become very runny all of a sudden (and I don't mean there's excess fluid in the bowel movement, that' normal if you're giving him extra hydration, I mean the actual brown feces is a mushy, runny mess), or if you see any blood in his bowel movements, then I suggest a fecal test. But I'm guessing he's fine, he's just going through the same thing they all seem to be this year...
 
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