Malnourished Beardie

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OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Hello, so I have a 7-9 year old male leatherback bearded dragon. He has been extremely healthy up until now. Back in August, we were getting ready to go for a camping trip, the day before we left he had been sleeping in his hide and didn't want to eat. I figured it was an early Brumation, and didn't think twice. And now, I'm regretting that a lot. Felix hasn't eaten in a few months. He ate an occasional mealworm up until a few weeks ago. Now he will not eat at all, and is very skinny. He has urinated every other day, and an occasional, very small poo. He still sleeps in his blankie on the floor, and gets up to bask in the morning, but other than that he sits with his head sagged and eyes closed all the time. I have started force feeding him with a syringe, as he will not eat a slurry even on the tip of his nose. So I started the first few days with about 6ml of water, spread out throughout the day. Then I added a bit of calcium and fruit juice to the water, and he started to perk up a bit. After one day of being super active and looking alert and great, he went back downhill. He now can barely move, and if he does its only for short periods of time. I just made a slurry to feed him today, I put in a strawberry, collards, a bit of honey, calcium, and water. I put the slurry in a strainer, and for now I am only feeding him the juice instead of the solids. Up until now, he had a ZooMed compact 10.00 coil UVB bulb and a 150watt heat bulb. His temps are perfect, and I realized I should probably change the UVB bulb, so I did swap to a T8 12'' ZooMed fixture with a fresh bulb. I am unable to take him to a vet as of now. But I wanted to ask if theres anything more I can do? He has a fight to live, which is one of the things I love about him. And he won't give up, he just keeps trying. And I'm just sick trying to get him back together. Am I taking the right steps? Should I not be force feeding?

Abby
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Your gonna haft to go slow w/ the foods but keep it up --- add greens and some crickets or dubia roaches to that food your feeding ---I would feed small amounts 3 times per day --- you dont want to overwhelm him w/ food since he hasnt eaten so long --- the coil bulb was the root of the problem --- the T 8 is where ? Top of screen or inside the tank ? It needs to be inside the tank w/ NO clear plastic cover over the bulb approx 6-8 inches directly over his basking decor ---
Karrie
 

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":n76i3gf0 said:
Your gonna haft to go slow w/ the foods but keep it up --- add greens and some crickets or dubia roaches to that food your feeding ---I would feed small amounts 3 times per day --- you dont want to overwhelm him w/ food since he hasnt eaten so long --- the coil bulb was the root of the problem --- the T 8 is where ? Top of screen or inside the tank ? It needs to be inside the tank w/ NO clear plastic cover over the bulb approx 6-8 inches directly over his basking decor ---
Karrie
Thank you for your reply! I'm trying to take it slow, and he does not seem stressed by the feeding I'm doing. The T8 is towards the front of his tank (in front of his basking light) and he has access to 8" away from it. It is on top of his mesh screen with no plastic cover. I'm not sure how I would be able to hang the light under the screen, as the top of the tank was previously melted before we got him, so the top isn't that strong. As far as the insects in the food, are Superworms okay? and do they blend right in with everything else? I have quite a few medium sized superworms that have freshly shed (still white) so there wont be any exoskeleton. And when I am feeding him, do I want to give it all in one push of the syringe or in little bits so he can take it slower? I've been giving him maybe 1/3 ml at a time and giving him the chance to swallow. Just because I'm kind of scared of hurting him :cry:
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes feed slow you dont want him to aspirate feed a little at a time let him swallow what you put in-- make sure you have water in there as well so its kinda of runny/ soupy so hes getting hydration --- the T 8 MUST go inside the tank -- it is not strong enough to go thru the screen -- if you haft to move it to the middle of tank or other side but it must go inside or he will continue to NOT eat --- you can use these to hang w/ 3 M command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire –long plastic zip ties-- fishing line --- potted plant wire hangers-- TAK TY cable and hook ties they look like Velcro straps -- try and find them at Walmart -- they do work good --
Karrie
 

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Okay, thank you! I am going to try and go hang the UVB light and then I can send pictures of him and his set up if needed? And are the superworms okay? Thank you <3
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Super worms are more for treat than staple diet -- your better off w/ dubia roaches as a staple or even silk worms --- his behavior will change after you get the UVB placed properly-- and he should start eating on his own as well unless there is something else going on that we are not seeing
Karrie
 
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