My bearded dragon might be super sick

This started a few weeks ago... My dragon won't eat anything, I'm not sure how much he is drinking. He is also a really dark grey color and he never moves, every once in awhile he will hobble around. One of his eyes looks swollen, and his legs look kind of weird, they are really skinny. He is always limp when I pick him up. He just sleeps all day. I am not sure how old he is. He has a heat lamp and a heat pad in his cage. I have two bearded dragons and the other one is perfectly fine. If you know anything, please reply. Thanks

Oh my goodness! If he got this severely emaciated in only a few weeks, there is most definitely something wrong!! You shouldn't be able to see their bones poking out like that. Please, please, please get him to a vet ASAP!

You said heat lamp and heat pad, but do you also have UVB? What are his temps like, what did he used to eat and was he getting calcium or any supplements? How large is his enclosure?

How is your other guy, what's his set-up like? Lights, temps, food, etc.? Are they housed separately or together? If it could be something making him sick, like a virus or parasites, you most definitely want to keep them away from each other and sterilize everything so the other one doesn't get sick, too.

There are a lot of extremely knowledgeable people around here and they can be very helpful if you could give us/them some more information.

Good luck!!

I am not sure if the light is UVB, but it is a reptile light and keeps the cage warm... They are housed together. He would eat mostly romaine lettuce and crickets, i would give them apples and spinach every once in awhile.
Thanks for your help!

Hi. You need a uvb light ASAP!!!! Separate them as this one is very sick and hopefully has not gotten the other one sick. Do not feed lettuce or spinach. Mustard greens, turnip greens are way better. Also get her/him to and experienced herp vet ASAP!!!!

Thank you so much for the help, I will try to find a vet tomorrow, do you by any chance know how much it might be to get a checkup for him?

Could you by any chance post a photo of before he got sick? How big is their tank?

poor baby!

I agree, they do not look so well. A vet would be appropriate. And you'll definitely want to look into UVB lighting if you don't have any.

Here's a good thread on it: https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/newbies-guide-lighting-help/

Oh my goodness, he's severely emaciated!! When is the last time he ate or drank? And how much does he eat? He is so skinny, he is dying. I'm sorry but I must be honest with you. It also looks as though the lack of a UVB lamp has caused MBD, which is Metabolic Bone Disease. Bearded dragons MUST HAVE A PROPER UVB LAMP TO PROCESS CALCIUM!! So your dragon is malnourished, dehydrated, emaciated, and has the start of MBD from being under fed and not having a UVB lamp to process his nutrients!!!

He is very, very, very sick, I can't believe your other dragon isn't the same way or close if they're in the same tank!!! Separate them and get this poor guy to a reptile vet ASAP, it doesn't matter what it costs!!!

If you want to have reptiles as pets then you must have the proper setup to keep them alive. You must immediately go and buy a tube UVB lamp and a fixture, a Reptisun 10.0 is best. The fixture is like $10 at Walmart, the bulb will be $30-40 at the pet store. This is not optional, they will both die horribly slow deaths without a tube UVB lamp mounted inside their tank! They need more than warmth! And they also need more than lettuce!!! He needs squash, carrots, collard greens, Dandelion greens, mustard greens, etc. And a bit of fruit maybe once or twice a week. All of this coated in calcium powder and a vitamin powder every day! He needs bathed in warm but not hot water for 15-20 minutes every other day! And he most importantly needs a source of protein...You said he eats crickets, but I'm sorry, that poor emaciated beardie hasn't eaten a cricket in a long time....

He is probably too sick and weak to eat on his own and he needs to go to a reptile specialist asap, like right now, and at this point will probably need to be put in intensive care for tube feedings, otherwise he may need to be euthanized, I'm sorry, but he looks so sick and in so much agony...

I am horribly concerned for your other beardie as well...AND NEVER HOUSE THEM TOGETHER!!!

PLEASE GET THIS POOR LITTLE SOUL HELP IMMEDIATELY!

A lack of uvb for a long amount of time and spinach is a bad bad mix.
you need to take it to the vet immediately. Don't leave it for a couple days, borrow money off of family and friends if needed. A vet visit can be pricey.

Get uvb right away, look up some good baby foods to try to feed it, drop water on its nose to get it to drink. Keep it warm, separate it from the other beardie and keep its viv clean.

I don't want to sound mean in anyway and never want this for anyone, but if you cannot afford a vet, surrender it to a rescue organization in your area so they can get it to one. Stated above, vet needs to happen now! Really should have happened sooner sad to say..... I hope you can find some help for that poor poor beardie.....


I think I need to go hug mine now...

We were all beginners at one point, but you should do some good reading up on bearded dragons tonight, not to sound mean. This site is very very useful, and a lot of the people here can provide you with excellent care info, if not they can point you in the right direction. I don't know what your situation is, how you got the beardies or how long you've had them for, but as an animal lover of all, I really want the best for yours and everyone else's beardies. Either sold by breeder, pet stores or adopted elsewhere, every animal deserves the best life we can offer them :wink:

Hello,

Everyone has given great advice. Have you been able to find a vet to take him to yet?
He is extremely dehydrated & emaciated. I would highly recommend starting him on a liquid greens diet. Simply mix water, a pinch of calcium powder & a nice blend of mustard or collard greens, in the blender. Then carefully syringe it into him slowly. Try 3-4 feedings per day. For now, avoid too much protein until he is excreting a good amount of urates. Too much protein will cause his body to shut down right now, with the shape he is in.
When was the last time he went to the bathroom?
We recommend either the Reptisun 10 tube or the Arcadia D3 12% tube for UVB. This is critical for their health.
You can get them at:
www.lightyourreptiles.com

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

Their cage is pretty big, the dimensions are 48inx30inx28in. He seems to be doing a little better now. I fed him kind of like a slush with a syringe and he seemed to like that. He has been eating his greens for the past couple of days and he is a bit more active. I also gave him a bath, but he wouldn't drink. I will try to get him to a vet, but we are kind of broke at the moment... Does anyone know much much it might be?

Also, for the UVB lamp, does it need to be a tube? Or can it just be in a normal lamp fixture?

The slushy syringe food will help him greatly now, that's what he needs is some nutrition + hydration ....you can put a pinch of calcium and vitamin powder in with it. What did you make it with ? You can use greens like turnip, mustard, collard, endive, a little strawberry [ but not much fruit ] green beans and even insects [ If you have a blender that you can dedicate to making bug slurries ] Give him some a couple times a day if he'll take it and add a bit of extra water.

For now, I used romaine lettuce and carrots, and some calcium, but I will go to the store when I can to get some better greens.