5 day hunger strike???!!!!

[Fury1212]

Fury is 8 mos old. She has always eaten a full bowl of salad and 20ish crickets a day. Saturday she decided she isn't going to eat. She ate her salad Sat eve, 2 crickets on Sun, one Monday and one Tues. No salad since Sat. She did poop Monday in the bath. She gets baths at least 3x a week. Yesterday she sat on her bridge all day and when I put her on the floor of her tank, she ate that one cricket, refused the salad and climbed back up on her bridge. I'm worried about her. I thought she was refusing the crickets bc the last time I bought some I asked for 100. The lady there was new and had to have tossed in the crickets without counting bc there was at least 200! Tons stomped on each other and died. I bought a larger container and swapped them out. They smelled horrible. I thought she was refusing them bc they stunk! Edited to add: I threw out the smelly crickets, cleaned out the whole container and bought new crickets. She still wont eat those or salad.

If she is sick what do I look for? Should I call the vet after the small amount she has eaten from Sat? Please help!

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. I noticed you use a che at night, but unless it gets to be 65 or lower at night you dont need it. Beardies like to cool down at night. Also how are you taking temps? Also what kind of subtrate is she on? Have you tried any other feeders? She may be tired of crickets. Hope this helps.

 

[Fury1212]

Thank you very much for your reply. Actually, we haven't been using the CHE since spring anymore. We set up the tank using all the specifics recommended here. We just replaced the 10.0 last week since she wasn't pooping well and wasn't very active. The bulb was 6 mos old. Substrate is tile and the temps are measured with the digital thermometer with a probe on the hot side. I tried superworms at 15.5 inches and she quit pooping so I haven't tried them since. I need to order phoenix worms I just am not sure what size to get. Do they really get tired of crickets? There is good news this am! After posting this she ate 9 crickets so I feel better now!

 

[adammarshall1992]

Hi, since your beardie is young he will be shedding a lot and when beardies shed they will often not eat. Mine does it all the time, he will go days without eating and then once he's done shedding I can't get him to stop eating. It's just a frustrating and annoying experience for them so they don't really want to eat or do much of anything. They get kind of cranky. So if you notice he starts to shed then that is your culprit for the hunger strike. Don't worry he will eat when he's good and ready.

As for the worms, get very small sizes. They shouldn't eat anything that is bigger than the space between their eyes. Anything bigger will impact them and cause issues. 15.5 inch worms are wayy too big for a baby and probably for an adult too. I have a 9 month old beardie and I give him the small meal worms from the pet store. They're really tiny, maybe an inch long or shorter. He loves them! You can try those and as he grows older you can move up to the adults. But for now the smaller the better is a good rule of thumb. Dealing with an impacted beardie isn't anything fun!

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. I think 1992 ment small superworms. Mealworms have no nutritional vaule and can cause impaction.

 

[Esther19]

Yes, they can get tired of crickets. My beardies were about Fury's age when they started to refuse them. The large phoenix worms would probably be fine, as they are a soft worm. Dubia roaches are a highly recommended feeder, as well. You could try the small super worms. The key to dragon eating happiness is variety.

I would stay away from meal worms, They have little nutritional value, and their exoskeletons can cause impaction.

Did Fury come from a breeder so that her age is verified? I am wondering if she may have eggs. Is she digging at all?

 

[Fury1212]

Thank you again from your replies. 1992: Fury does tend to slow down while shedding but that doesn't seem to be the case this time. I need to clarify, I fed Fury superworms when he was 15.5 inches long, the worms weren't that long, they were maybe 1.5 inches. I have stopped feeding those.

Esther: Fury came from PetSmart. We got her on Christmas eve and she was 4.5 inches long. I guessed she was about a month old? I think I will order the phoenix worms, how do you store them?

Thank you for the help!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....try not to worry too much, as beardies approach their adult size, some of them refuse food every now + then, and they at times do grow tired of the same bugs. Superworms are fine for her, she would eventually have regular poos with them, especially if she's well hydrated + temps. are good. For the Phoenix worms, you definitely can go with the large, they are no where near the size of a superworm so if you get small or medium you'll be wasting money. Some people buy wine coolers to store them in, but you can also buy a regular small cooler and keep a few reusable ice packs , rotating them as they thaw out. You want it to be around 50 degrees, so keep it in the coolest part of the house.

 

[Fury1212]

How do you feed Phoenix worms? Will that be the only thing she eats then? Or do I continue to feed her crickets as well? I know superworms were treated like a treat and only fed a few at a time. Also how many worms will she eat at a time?