Bearded dragon not eating (3 weeks now)

Hi,

My bearded dragon hasn't eaten in almost 3 weeks since we moved house. We have moved a lot of times before and he hasn't ever stopped eating. Offered him both crickets and veg but he's showing no interest and I think he's lost a bit of weight by looking at the indentation near his tail - I've attached a few photos.

Nothing in his setup is different and he's always been a good eater. UVB was changed 2 months ago. For the past week or so I have been syringe feeding him some chicken and squash baby food with added calcium (powder form as unfortunately I don't have any in liquid form). I was considering ordered critical care. Would this be a good idea?

If anyone has any suggestions on things I can do to help him that would be great as I'm getting more worried now. Next step is to call our vet

Thank you!

Ok so the first thing we ask is the lighting ---- moving will play a role in relocation stress but he should not quit completely eating -- so what are your basking temps and how are you taking them? the UVB is it a coil or tube and where in the tank is it ? on top of screen or inside the tank ? We will start there
Karrie

Why did you start hand feeding? And how long did he go without feeding before hand feeding?

He is most likely fine. He looks healthy and alert if those are recent pictures.

Old stubborn dragons get a taste for hand feeding, and they will stop eating on their own once they get used to it.

What is his weight? Has he lost any?

-Brandon

Update and apologies for not replying previously!

Temps are around 95F on basking side and 80F on cool side, UVB is a strip along the inside of the enclosure, about 6-8" away from him at the basking spot - Arcadia/D3 12%

I started hand feeding because I was worried that he had not had any calcium, this was probably after around 2.5 weeks of him not eating. His weight is 562g compared to 510g at his last health check last May 2019!

I gave our vet a faecal sample and parasite test came back clear today. They said he looks otherwise healthy when they did a physical examination but that his fat pads were a bit hard. What could this suggest?

I am taking him back tomorrow so they can do a blood test as they said this will give a better idea of what is going on with his liver, kidneys, etc. I have no idea what to expect from these results

For a D3 12% UVB 6-8 inches is too close -- it should be 12-15 if its inside the tank
Basking temps are being taken by a stick on? heat gun? or digital probe?
Karrie

Oh no, I have always used this bulb in this same setup and he's usually totally fine and a great little eater. Is there a type of bulb which is best for 6-8 inches away?

For the temps I have two digital probes at either end of the enclosure. He is very active and otherwise seems fine, but is still refusing to eat

You can downgrade bulb strength but I would not I would adjust distance of basking decor--
you are over uvbing him w/ it being that close-
Karrie

Thank you for your advice, I will definitely do this. Can this have any effect other than potentially harming their eyes? He had a full check at the vet on Thursday and they said his eyes, mouth, etc. looked healthy

He's so handsome!

We just installed a T5 Arcadia 6.0 for that same distance range. I had a thread going on it asking lots of questions - it should come up if you click my username. Waiting on final "approval" on my placement, but just something to read in case it is helpful for you.

Make sure to get a copy of the blood results, as there is a vet mod on here who can give them a look.

I think they are good at regulating the UVB but it's better to be on the safe side and have the appropriate distance- that way we don't haft to worry
Karrie

Thank you I will definitely check that out!

Still waiting on results from bloods and x-ray, I called the vets today and was told by the receptionist that they were waiting on a second opinion but they never called me back so now I'm totally worried and thinking the worst :roll: