13 year old beardie not acting right

Hi everyone,

We have a 13 year old beardie who has been in top health all his life (we have been very fortunate). Over the last year his appetite has definitely changed. He no longer likes crickets. He doesn't even touch meal worms (we try to stay away from them because of impaction issues) or wax worms. He likes greens, tomatoes and the tiniest bit of fruit. Overall though, he really does not each much. He still likes wading in his water, doesn't really climb to bask anymore. Still has regular poops.

Lately, he has started to look really skinny. It seemed like it happened overnight. He also seems to get "stuck" in certain positions and needs help getting out. Also, just tonight we noticed that his right front foot was folding under as he was walking forward.

He has the correcting lighting, uvb lights, red lights, basking lamps, tank stays at good temperatures and we dust all his food with lots of vitamins and the D3.

So, how much of this is old age, or is it a calcium deficiency even though we are doing all that we should? We have a vet in the area but they are not extremely knowledgeable with bearded dragons. He went once about a year ago because he had sand in his intestines which he moved out quite well after a few days.

He is quite active tonight. We took lots of items out of his tank that he used to climb on to give him more walking space.

Do they make a liquid calcium? If so, how much would he get? We have heard that they have been known to starve themselves which really concerns us. Is there other forms of protein that we can give him since he does not want to each the normal stuff?

Thanks for any input.

They make liquid calcium. I have some for my young bearded dragon Squirrel. The stuff we got saysgive them three drops a day.

As for trying to get him to eat, if he isn't eating, you can always try turkey or squash baby food and offer it in a syringe. Or there's always repti-start which is supposed to give nutrients and calories to beardies who need it. I got my repti-start from the local PetSmart.

I haven't had a beardie older than a year, so I don't know what all is due to old age. Wish I could help you there. Some other members should be along to offer their thoughts and opinions to help you out. But these are mine.

Hello,

That is great you have a 13 year old bearded dragon.
You can get liquid calcium from: http://www.beautifuldragons.com
What type & brand of UVB light are you using, & how old is it? If you have a tube bulb, it needs to be changed every 4-6 months.
They do tend to become less active as they get older. Sometimes, a change of diet is all they need, too.
As far as greens, which ones are you using? Tomatoes are not a good staple because they are high in oxalates, which bind calcium absorption. The best greens to use are mustard, collard & dandelion greens, & escarole & endive are good too.
Have you tried superworms, butterworms, hornworms or silkworms perhaps? He might like a change.
Can you post a picture of him for us? Thanks!

Tracie