Bearded dragon biscuit very lazy.

[Peanutlolz]

I have had biscuit for almost 2 months now. He has always been a very energetic little guy but recently he is been acting very lazy. It almost seems like he has a loss of appetite and all he does is lay around in his aquarium all day. His lighting is a reptile basking spot light lamp that's 100 W and a regular lightbulb which I am planning to switch out with a reptisun 10.0. His aquarium is a 55 gallon and he's currently basking on the log because his hamock broke. He has a large water bowl on the right side of his aquarium and the left sid has all the lights. A while back you had a kind of black stain on the left side of his face which eventually had gone away. He was acting normal so I brushed it off. But now when he does wat I hear a very loud crunching from his mouth. I feel freeze dried crickets and mealworms I feed him kale freeze dried crickets and mealworms occasionally I will give him live crickets. I will post pictures below.

the stain on his mouth awhile ago

the light he basks on [XIMG]925905646731793[/XIMG]his aquarium

him now

 

[EllenD]

The reason he is getting lethargic and not eating is because he's had absolutely no UVB lighting for the 2 months you've had him. Without proper UVB lighting (or any UVB lighting) he is not able to properly process any nutrition, specifically calcium and vitamin D3, and this is causing his body to basically shut down. Bone density issues are setting in, and if you don't get him a proper UVB light and get it set up at an appropriate distance from his basking spot (mounted inside, not on top of a glass or mesh lid), he will develop MBD and will become emaciated because he will not want to eat. The basking light you're using is a great basking light for heat, but neither it nor the "regular lightbulb" you're using put out any UVB at all. Also, I don't know what his cool side, hot side, and basking spot temperatures are, but please measure those with either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a probe on a wire (allow the probe to sit in each spit for 29-30 minutes before reading the temperature) only, and list those, because if his temps are off that will keep him from properly digesting his food as well.

Right now any food he does eat and any calcium powder or Multivitamin powder you're using is pointless, he needs the Reptisun 10.0 T8 or T5 long florescent tube mounted inside his tank immediately, like today! And he needs to be under this UVB and his basking light (put them alongside each other) for at least 12-14 hours per day, every single day! In the meantime get him outside under the real sun for as long as you can. Not inside a container with any lid, that will cook him and block the UVB from the sun. Just put him in a large plastic tote with the lid off, and make sure it's partially shaded so he can get out of the sun if he needs to. Or just hold him out under the sun. But you're much better to go get him the UVB light now because I'm sure you can't hold him outside for 12 hours a day...Get this corrected before it's gets worse!

 

[neilkd21]

Agree with EllenD you need to get the UV sorted out as they need that to survive, not tryimg to scare you but without it he will eventually die.

I can't imagine the freeze dried bugs are particularly good and fresh is definitely better so personally if I were you I would only feed live bugs. The black stain could be liquid from the bugs, mine often has it if he has bitten into a fat juicy locust.

Kale should also only be fed occasionally as it interferes with calcium absorption. Mealworms are also not the best feeders.

Main priority is get the UV sorted.

This site has a good list for food that should be fed
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[EllenD]

I didn't take notice of the freeze-dried bugs or mealworms, this is a big no-no as well, as stated above by our other member. Freeze-dried bugs are basically like feeding them cardboard. They contain no moisture at all, and Beardies get their hydration from the food they eat, most Beardies do not drink water out of a bowl or the bath, but they rather just eat live insects and veggies for hydration. So feeding them freeze-dried bugs and mealworms is not only dehydrating them and malnourishing them, but you will no doubt have impaction issues. Mealworms contain little protein and high fat, but the worst part is their outer shells (unless they just shed and look white or almost transparent) are very difficult for Beardies to digest, even if they are living in proper conditions. So your beardie has had no UVB light for two months, probably has temperatures that are off, so he cannot digest his food or process any nutrition to begin with, and then he is being fed freeze-dried bugs and mealworms which are making it worse.

First thing is still getting him the Reptisun 10.0 tube UVB mounted inside his tank at a proper distance from his basking spot (depends on whether you get the T5 or the T8 tube, I'd recommend the T5 High-Output mounted inside his tank about 11 inches away from his basking spot alongside the basking bulb, he needs the High-Output UVB immediately).

Keep feeding him fresh greens every single day, no kale at all right no because that is leeching out any Calcium he might be absorbing by chance. Feed collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, endive, etc. (Use the list linked above), but please completely stop the freeze-dried bugs and the mealworms! You need to pick a live feeder insect like crickets, dubias roaches, Phoenix/Reptiworms/Calciworms/BSFL (all the same thing), Silkworms if you can get them, and dust them in Calcium w/D3 every day to start. Again, he will not absorb any of this until he is under the UVB light!!! And I would be dripping water on his snout and letting him lick it off, as much as he will take, multiple times every day.

I guarantee he will perk up and start eating again within a day of getting him proper UVB lighting, please get this immediately for him, we are not trying to scare you or make you feel bad, but he's already very sick from not having any UVB for months and he will eventually get to the point where symptoms will not be reversible, like paralysis, spine curvature, etc....

 

[Peanutlolz]

I didn't take notice of the freeze-dried bugs or mealworms, this is a big no-no as well, as stated above by our other member. Freeze-dried bugs are basically like feeding them cardboard. They contain no moisture at all, and Beardies get their hydration from the food they eat, most Beardies do not drink water out of a bowl or the bath, but they rather just eat live insects and veggies for hydration. So feeding them freeze-dried bugs and mealworms is not only dehydrating them and malnourishing them, but you will no doubt have impaction issues. Mealworms contain little protein and high fat, but the worst part is their outer shells (unless they just shed and look white or almost transparent) are very difficult for Beardies to digest, even if they are living in proper conditions. So your beardie has had no UVB light for two months, probably has temperatures that are off, so he cannot digest his food or process any nutrition to begin with, and then he is being fed freeze-dried bugs and mealworms which are making it worse.

First thing is still getting him the Reptisun 10.0 tube UVB mounted inside his tank at a proper distance from his basking spot (depends on whether you get the T5 or the T8 tube, I'd recommend the T5 High-Output mounted inside his tank about 11 inches away from his basking spot alongside the basking bulb, he needs the High-Output UVB immediately).

Keep feeding him fresh greens every single day, no kale at all right no because that is leeching out any Calcium he might be absorbing by chance. Feed collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, endive, etc. (Use the list linked above), but please completely stop the freeze-dried bugs and the mealworms! You need to pick a live feeder insect like crickets, dubias roaches, Phoenix/Reptiworms/Calciworms/BSFL (all the same thing), Silkworms if you can get them, and dust them in Calcium w/D3 every day to start. Again, he will not absorb any of this until he is under the UVB light!!! And I would be dripping water on his snout and letting him lick it off, as much as he will take, multiple times every day.

I guarantee he will perk up and start eating again within a day of getting him proper UVB lighting, please get this immediately for him, we are not trying to scare you or make you feel bad, but he's already very sick from not having any UVB for months and he will eventually get to the point where symptoms will not be reversible, like paralysis, spine curvature, etc....

Thank you so much! I feel so bad, poor little guy I will start feeding him live crickets with calcium and get a light today and put it in the aquarium. I will bring him into the sun that we have now and measure the temps in his aquarium.

 

[neilkd21]

Yeah the UV will make a big difference as they need UV to function, it will also give more light as your tank looks very dark on the right side. Also dusting the bugs will help, nutrobal is good as is a calcium and vitamin combination.

 

[Peanutlolz]

UPDATE: I got biscuit a UVB light yesterday night and he's using it today. I fed him superworms and I also have live crickets with calcium waiting for him later. Thanks again!

 

[Peanutlolz]

Yeah the UV will make a big difference as they need UV to function, it will also give more light as your tank looks very dark on the right side. Also dusting the bugs will help, nutrobal is good as is a calcium and vitamin combination.

I have posted an update, yet again thanks so much for the help I got a light and I gotten crickets and superworms. He seems he is more energetic now. Funny story so today would be the first day of him eating superworms and he LOVED them. I gave the super worms to him for lunch and he ate them up. Now tonight I tried to feed him and he would not eat the crickets. So I leave a couple to roam around but I take the majority out. I lift the repti carpet up to see if any got under and I see more superworms that snuck there way in. (Which I'm cutting a new carpet again, needs to be changed) anyway while I was lifting the carpet I took biscuit out and put him on my bed to chill. I put the superworms on the carpet and put biscuit back in and he moves faster than I have ever seen him move to eat these super worms and he chomps two right up and I'm like okay maybe he's in the "hunting mood" now so I take another cricket out and put it right in his face and he does NOT eat it. lol he does not even move, he acknowledges it's there but does not care. He's figured out there's something better and does not want to eat crickets anymore. My favorite little stinker.

 

[kingofnobbys]

UPDATE: I got biscuit a UVB light yesterday night and he's using it today. I fed him superworms and I also have live crickets with calcium waiting for him later. Thanks again!

I hope you bought a good quality one :
If you did fine, give him a week or two as things don't change fast with lizards.

Just in case you have a bad brand, or inadequate UV light source or have it set up wrong, here is a guide I've cobbled together in point form because this is an incredibly common problem even with some experienced keepers and breeders getting it wrong.
UVA AND UVB ADEQUATE ?
>>> is the uv rated AT LEAST 10%UVB ?
>>> is it a COMPACT (curly globe & WATTAGE ?
>>> or a T8 tube ?
>>> or a T5 tube ?
>>> or an MVB ?
VERY IMPORTANT : what is the brand ?
Not all UVB compacts and tubes are created equal or as well , many shops sell their own brand (Zilla, All Living Things, Reptile-One, Nat Geo , Natural Selections (in green boxes) which are cheap Chinese clones made very cheaply using very poor quality quartz glass and cheap phosphors ==> very poor UV spectrum produced incl UVC band and bad parts of the UVB band).

>>> also is it covered (in a domestic fluorescent light fitting )? == BAD
>>> also is it sitting ontop a mesh top ? == BAD
>>> how far from basking spot ?

too far and the UVA and UVB WILL BE TOO DILUTE.
UVA FLUX TOO LOW where dragon is ==> a very lethargic dragon w/ a very poor apetite just in the short term , and neurological problems if this persists , not to mention MVB if UVB flux too low long enough with inadequate metabolisation of dietary calcium or inadequate intake out calcium