I hope its not time

My bearded dragon, Quagmire was my fiance's pet. Quagmire and I lost him 3 years ago. It was not easy but we helped each other through it.
The thing is Quagmire was already big when he came to us, that was at least 4 1/2 years ago. I dont know exactly how old he is. I read earlier that it takes 2 years for them to grow to full size,he so he could be 6-7 but he could also be older.
The last few days he mostly just kinda lays out flat doesnt want to open his eyes much. Also doesnt look like hes eating much, today he didnt touch his food at all. I gave him fruit instead this evening in case he just couldnt poop or something like that. He did lift his head up then, but it doesnt look like he touched it either. I took him out to see if he would perk up and his body seemed quite stiff he was not cold at all. I got him to open his eyes some (theyre not cloudy) but it almost looks like he's saying "why bother?"
Do these things sound like signs that maybe he is older and might not be around much longer? Say it isnt so?

--lilith13 (i dont see how to add a picture so you can see his size and sweet face)

Hello, I am sorry to hear Quagmire isn't doing well Does he have a dark black beard? How much does he usually eat, an what do you feed him? What UV light and heat do you have?
To post a pic, go to https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to attach pics to your post.

JessPets: I feed him squash most of the time and maybe some apple as a treat if we have some, recently hed been having green beans. He gets crickets maybe every 4-7 days or so. I didnt see his beard as being too darkened maybe some.
I did figure the picture thing after a minute. This is obviously not from the last few days. I will take one after his lights have been on for a bit:

He looks quite good in that photo. I'm sorry to hear he isn't acting well. The lethargic behavior usually means something is up. What do you have in place for his lighting? Do you have warm weather where you are? Perhaps taking him outside for some natural sunlight will help perk him up a bit.

well he did perk up for crickets a few moments ago. maybe he's feeling depressed being separated from me and his dog- We moved his house for the pet sitter, cause my room is a disaster! But he didnt eat all of them this time.

Have you had a reptile vet examine him ?


If he's bunged up (impacted) , no solids , only wet purees so you don't just add to the blockage. I think maybe some BugPie might be worthwhile as a new inclusion in his diet (made more as a paste , this will help with his dietary calcium needs and hydration needs too).

Also a little olive oil given orally by syringe can help lubricate things.

Keep him warm 24/7 while he's sick, it'll help increase his metabolic rate and boost his immune system.
You could also try some Critical Care Carnivore mix and or HerpaBoost or equivalent to help him.

lilith13":1pk8yg7z said:

well he did perk up for crickets a few moments ago. maybe he's feeling depressed being separated from me and his dog- We moved his house for the pet sitter, cause my room is a disaster! But he didnt eat all of them this time.

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No bbing going on so at least he's not in pain .

My girl Rex is about 5 yrs old In early October and she's not as active as my 17 month old Peppa and Toothless are , she's more inclined to want to sit and nap on the lounge next to me (gets too hot on me after a while and climbs off me) or if on the floor she does her usual patrol and then curls up either in the sun at the front (west facing) window, at the entrance to the hallway, or in one of her fav spots in the kitchen or under the old display cabinet.

While the two bluetongue skinks George and Mildred who are 7 years old seem to be active as they were 3 years ago when out and about , though they do spend more time napping when in their tanks.

Might just be she's getting on and would rather have a siesta.

I think geriactric beardies have different dietary requirements , so might be necessary to tweek his diet to suit.... sorry can't help on that , other than saying my little old lady water skink ( who was about 8 yrs old , and very old for a water skink) went off her food in her last few months. Doesn't appear to be lot published about the care of geriactric bearded dragons, maybe these links might help a bit

http://www.beardeddragoncare101.com/bearded-dragon-care-sheet/10/
http://www.reptileforums.net/forums/showthread.php?78477-elderly-bearded-dragons
http://www.repticzone.com/forums/BeardedDragons-General/messages/1781147.html

Hello,

Can you review your tank setup with us, so we can be sure everything is all setup properly.
Such as your UVB lighting (type & brand), how old is your UVB light, supplementation frequency & type, feeding schedule, temperatures, etc.
Does he eat any greens or veggies? As far as protein, he still needs at least 30-40 insects weekly to maintain weight & health.
Try also giving a bath in case he might be a little dehydrated, too. Maybe he will drink a little bit while in the bath.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

How do I get him to open his mouth for a medicene dropper?

Sometimes you can gently push on his lower jaw with the tip of the syringe to get him to open it. Just be careful around his teeth. If that doesn't work, you can try holding him up and with your thumb, slide down on his beard pulling the skin toward his belly using friction from your thumb. If he gets squirmy try wrapping him up in a towel burrito style and trying again.

Thank you CooperDragon

p.s. his head has been raised more today

Hello,

How is Quagmire doing today, were you able to get some fluids into him? Did he eat anything for you?
Let us know how he is doing!

Tracie

lilith13":1t10osbz said:

How do I get himm to open his mouth for a medicene dropper?

Click to expand...

I find it's easier to use a 10Gauge crop feeding needle (has a no sharp parts and round end bit on the business end) and I use either a regular 5ml syringe to give stuff like olive oil , or my special feeding syringe for thicker liquids / slurries (has a larger bore than the regular syringe).
I simply gently insert between teeth on the side (in the corner of the mouth is easier than at the front or on the sides) until the end of the crop needle in inside the mouth (only needs be in the mouth and past the lips by a about 5mm) , and I then press the plunger to get the liquid into the mouth.

This is what the crop needles look like , they screw onto the end of the syringe.
http://vetafarm.com.au/product/medication-tube-crop-needle/

I hope Quagmire perks up , a bit of liquid food into him will certainly help I expect.

I only had moderate success with giving him pureed food from the dropper.
Okay here is a pic of the cage obviously i use the reptile sand it says calcium carbonate on the bag. I usually get one big bag of Exo-terra desert sand and a small colorful bag. Here is a pic of his house and one of the lights.


and he lifted his head after a bit though when i gave him olive oil, He even started walking around on the bed, hopefully cause he needs to poop now!