1 yr old beardie refuses to eat, losing weight :(

[pogonavitticeps]

Hello! Calcifer is nearing 1 year old, and we're getting concerned with his weight. He began losing weight when he got coccidia, and after being treated with ponazuril he was moved to a new tank (which he showed very little stress about). He received his first dose of medicine a month ago, and had his final dose a week ago. He has started to refuse crickets and vegetables. We have a shipment of repti worms coming in a couple of days. He seems to be otherwise healthy, very active and poops look normal.

We are at our wits end, and honestly don't know what else to try. Is he still recovering from coccidia? Or is this a one year old thing?

Thanks for reading!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....it's probably both. He's at the age when they are approaching full size, plus it's near brumation season. Then the meds. on top of it all....he should be O.K, just keep him hydrated and try a probiotic [ if you haven't already ] such as Acidophiliz+ or Benebac that may help him gain back his appetite.

How much weight has he lost, and what are his current weight + length ?

 

[CooperDragon]

If he's active with healthy looking poops, that's a good sign. Especially after coccidia treatment. Have you offered some probiotics? Maybe some bene-bac gel will help. Changing up the offerings may help as well. The worms are a good idea. Keep monitoring his weight though. Want that to level off and start to increase again now. If he continues to refuse food maybe you could try mixing up some veges in a blender with water to make a smoothie that you can drop on his nose. I'd save that as a last resort but it will get some hydration and nutrients into him if he continues to drop weight.

 

[pogonavitticeps]

Hi again, sorry but we can't weigh him right now, he's sleeping. But the last time we checked, about a week ago, he was 519 grams and 20 inches. But we looked at the probiotic you suggested. I'm sorry if I sound cheap here, but the shipping is 5x more than the actual product (we live in Canada). Is it possible to use soy yogurt? Would it be just as good? We are willing to spend if it's the best option. Thank you!

 

[CooperDragon]

519 is a vey good weight so I wouldn't worry too much about that for now. Just keep rough track of it going forward to get a feel for trends. There's no need to spend a lot on probiotics. If you can get some soy yogurt, that should do the trick too.

 

[pogonavitticeps]

Thanks for your help! We'll pick up some yogurt tomorrow.

 

[pogonavitticeps]

Hey, we could not find soy yogurt in our small town. Would plain lactose-free yogurt work?

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm not positive but I think as long as it's non-diary it should be OK.

 

[AHBD]

He'll probably be fine whether he gets the probiotic or not, just recuping from the meds. and getting to the age where they can go off food for a bit without any real trouble. His weight is fine for a 20" dragon. Hopefully he'll perk up when he sees the repti worms, you might try some hornworms as well. They grow really quickly and adult beardies can eat even the huge ones.