1.5yrs old beardie not eating still very active

[Nelzix]

Hello,
I have a major concern which I would like to consult you guys about.
My beardie Jeff is not eating and is extremely active and NOT LETHARGIC he always scratches at the window knocks over ornaments in his 4ft vivarium and is seeking attention.When he is seeking attention I let him run around my room or sit on my shoulder.

Jeff normal food is some Superworms that are dusted with calcium and sometimes some crickets on a random rota. At the minute he is not eating any superworms and I just replaced his uvb light.

Any ideas? PLEASE HELP ME!

 

[kingofnobbys]

This will help you identify the most likely reason for this , it is very methodical and focuses on usual problems with temperatures, lighting, and husbandry : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=236150&p=1815390#p1815390

A very thorough run down on the lighting and temperatures and husbandry will help us help you.

ie when did you last replace the UVB source and what is it and how is it installed and what is your lighting schedule ?

 

[kingofnobbys]

Hello,
I have a major concern which I would like to consult you guys about.
My beardie Jeff is not eating and is extremely active and NOT LETHARGIC he always scratches at the window knocks over ornaments in his 4ft vivarium and is seeking attention.When he is seeking attention I let him run around my room or sit on my shoulder.

<<< shoulder sitting unless you are seating is a very bad habit.

Jeff normal food is some Superworms that are dusted with calcium and sometimes some crickets on a random rota. At the minute he is not eating any superworms and I just replaced his uvb light. ---> with what exactly and how old was the old one ?

Any ideas? PLEASE HELP ME!

 

[Nelzix]

Ok can you explain how my bearded dragon sitting on my shoulder is a bad habit.
And I replaced the bulb 2 days ago to a Arcadia Euro Range Desert 10%. The previous bulb was around 6 months old. And recently he 2 worms but did not eat any more

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

When walking around if not held closely to your chest they can fall, break their spine, leg, neck, anything really and die from that so its a bad habit if you are walking around like that.

 

[kingofnobbys]

In response to the OP's PM to me :

for him and others to take on board - Simply put , unless you are sitting on the ground or a bed or a lounge chair , a bearded dragon will sustain very serious injuries (perhaps even a broken back) when it either misjudges the drop and leaps off , or accidently slips / falls off expecially if lands on a very hard and unforgiving surface such as a tiled floor or a timber floor or lino floor or concrete path or patio.

Best to discourage your dragon , even if it's hatchling or juvenile from shoulder and head surfing while you are standing and walking - it's simply too risky and extremely likely to end badly and painfully for the pet dragon.

Every year lots of people post on these forums and others asking for help when their pet dragon (or other lizard) had a long heavy fall onto a very hard surface and resulted in obvious issues immediately or a short time afterwards ( a fall can also result in a punctured lung , and ruptured organs ( liver , kidney, stomach, bowel) .

 

[jpmac08]

I have a very healthy bearded dragon that won't eat on its own. I've changed the UV light and taking him to the vet. After $150 dollar vet bill all I got was to feed it with a syringe. The dragon is thriving but will not eat on its own. No other symptoms. I'm tired a feeding it babyfood everyday.
By the way the beardy looks forward. Such a pain. I put 5 crickets in his cage and left him fresh veggies. I do this almost daily. The crickets die, the roaches die, and the veggies dry up. The bearded is almost 2 years old, healthy according to my vet and does well ini his home. MY QUESTION IS: If I just keep food available for him we he start to eat on its own if he gets hungry enough, or will I me slowly starving my beardy? Happy New year.

 

[kingofnobbys]

In response to another PM from the OP

Ok I always hold him very close and prevent him from jump him and place him where he wanted to jump, aside from that what can I do / should be doing to sort the problem of him not eating???

First you need to interrogate your temperatures , UV setup to check if the lack of interest in food is heat or UVA deficit related , see this viewtopic.php?f=6&t=236150&p=1815390#p1815390 and report back with your findings in your thread , then if it's not heat, lack of UVA , husbandry (cohabitation or seeing another pet , or due to impaction) , or not preshed moodiness , weather blues , or hormonal (they do get hormonal as juveniles and subadults) , then the issue is most likely due being ill and it's necessary to involve a REPTILE VET to do tests and work out what is behind this.

 

[jpmac08]

The chart was helpful and thank you! I have gone through most of the steps listed and have taken IZZy to the vet. The vet did a series of test and could not see anything wrong. Izzy is alert and active. Unfortunately she does not like to hunt or eat on its own. It looks forward to our feeding with the syringe and that process takes about 30 seconds. Very easy. By all accounts Izzy seems healthy. But something is off. Izzy should be eating by herself. I think sometimes she is a "special" beardy and has had a stroke or something. My original question was if I keep the cage full of fresh veggies and live crickets or roaches will she eventually eat or will she starve herself and die. I'm afraid to try that. I've done it for a day but feel bad at night and give her her babyhood.

 

[kingofnobbys]

The chart was helpful and thank you! I have gone through most of the steps listed and have taken IZZy to the vet. The vet did a series of test and could not see anything wrong. Izzy is alert and active. Unfortunately she does not like to hunt or eat on its own. It looks forward to our feeding with the syringe and that process takes about 30 seconds.

<<< I see, most of mine quite like me to hand feed them , is really easy to do and a great way to create a really strong bond with a lizard , see here this , similar to what I do : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=235583 , warning, expect some accident finger tip nips at first , but it doesn't take long for them to get the hang of it.
Peppa sees her cricket inbetween my finger tips and often opens her mouth to take delivery and she puts on a vivid display of happy colours when she's being handfed. She will hunt and take insects off the floor if it's a type she loves to eat .

Very easy. By all accounts Izzy seems healthy. But something is off. Izzy should be eating by herself. I think sometimes she is a "special" beardy and has had a stroke or something.
<<< nah ... she is just lazy and wants you do the hunting and catching for her ....

My original question was if I keep the cage full of fresh veggies and live crickets or roaches will she eventually eat or will she starve herself and die.
<<< she wont starve herself .
<<< some are caggy about being watched when eating , so it's OK to leave some feeder insects in her feeding dish for her browse on while you are not around , silkworms , BSF lavae are very good options , crickets, roaches and locasts are Ok to leave for her in small numbers during the day.

I'm afraid to try that. I've done it for a day but feel bad at night and give her her babyhood.

 

[AHBD]

jpmac08, it would be best to start a thread of your own. This thread looks like it's all from the same poster so it's difficult to address the 2 different situations. Nelzix,this is your thread,maybe you could get a moderator here like Drache613 to separate the threads.