Bearded Dragon Seems Ill

Hello! I have recently got my bearded dragon a T5 UV Light and a heat lamp because he wasn’t doing very well. He’s losing a lot of weight and does not move unless needed. He turns black and brown and his stomach has circles in them. I believe he is stressed and most likely has parasites. Would anyone help me with what medications I should give without having a vet consultation because it’s very expensive? We can try a home fecal test, but any meds? The problem is that he doesn’t poop. We can’t do a fecal test without that, so that’s a problem. I tried a bath, massaging his stomach, and just waiting. Nothing works. What else? Also, what should be his feeding schedule? He doesn’t like to eat veggies or drink water. He does eat worms that move close to him though. He gets very stressed out when I try to syringe feed him water or repta-boost.

The color changes on their own may just indicate that he is trying to bask and absorb some of the good UVB you are now providing with the new bulb. The weight loss isn't usually a good sign though. I advise against providing medication without first running some tests. The wrong meds can be ineffective at best and possibly quite harmful. I would save up some money for a vet visit. You can call around to see what the rates are for different vets ahead of time, and try to find one who has experience treating bearded dragons. The costs vary quite a bit depending on where you are, but my vet charges about $38 for an exam and about $24 for a fecal test.

I would focus on hydration first. Try dripping water on his nose using a plastic syringe or dropper or even your finger tip, depending on what you have available. They tend to lick water that drips down their nose as a natural reaction if they are thirsty.

Can you post some photos of him? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button when you reply.


Moved by moderator from Off Topic to Health.