Bearded dragon hasn't eaten for a week.

[Fin]

Both are experiencing spotty appetites. I live in England and weather is getting colder but pretty consistent, night temperatures are all fine as well.

 

[Fin]

Again, 3 days with light eating now not eating at all.

 

[Reptilelady]

Have you tried feeding hornworms? Different type of feeders? When I first gave my beardie waxworms I gave him so many he did not eat for a couple days. I had to learn my lesson the hard way :lol:

 

[Fin]

Sadly we don't have hornworms in the UK . This has been going on for two months so isn't due to the wax worms, they've eaten the past 3 days without wax worms as well. This is really annoying as it's completely unknown whats going on. Another feces test results should come back Monday, hopefully that will resolve some stuff.

 

[Fin]

Just got the feces test results back, this is what I got.

PARASITES DETECTED NUMBERS (Subjective)
Coccidia (Isospora amphiboluri) Low
Pinworms (Oxyuridae) Low
Ciliated protozoal cysts (Nyctotherus sp.) Occasional
* Cryptosporidium oocysts have not been detected from this sample on direct wet mount nor through specific staining
** Modified McMaster Pinworm Count: <300 EPG (Eggs per gram)

From my understanding the ones that are low aren't any risk and the ciliated protozoal (I think it's a spelling error, should be protozoan) is apparently "very low in this sample and apathogenic" commented by the practitioner. Is this alright then?

 

[CooperDragon]

Low counts like that are not always treated and can often be managed by the dragon without a problem given a healthy diet, good lighting, and sanitary environment.

 

[EllenD]

That's basically a normal fecal sample. Most dragons have low counts of coccidia and pinworms in their stools at any given time, and he definitely does not need to be treated with any type of Antibiotic, Antiparasitic, or Antiprotozoan meds at all based on these test results, that would do no good and only cause him a lower appetite. So parasites are not the reason he's not eating, or that neither of them are not eating.

 

[Fin]

Well it’s good that they don’t have anything in terms of parasites wrong but now it’s a complete mystery. They haven’t eaten anything for around 4 days, going to force feed if they don’t eat tomorrow. I’ve also been giving them probiotics to encourage them but it still won’t work.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Sadly we don't have hornworms in the UK . This has been going on for two months so isn't due to the wax worms, they've eaten the past 3 days without wax worms as well. This is really annoying as it's completely unknown whats going on. Another feces test results should come back Monday, hopefully that will resolve some stuff.

Haven't waded through the entire thread.

If both dragons ( I take it who are housed separately and can't see each other all the time) are effected , it's got to be environmental or a something do to the shared husbandry or weather related.

>>> check the age of the UVB tube , if not an Arcadia and over 6 months old it needs replacement
If an Arcadia , and over 12 months old or older it needs replacement
==> old UVB tubes produce much lower UVA & UVB , diminished UVA output will result in lethargy & lack of diet , and diminished UVB output will also have impacts on activity.

>>> check the daytime temperatures

>>> check the nighttime temperatures

>>> what is the current artificial photoperiod ? If too short ( < 14 hr ) the dragon will think it's time to bromate.

 

[Fin]

UVB is a Arcadia 14% 2 months old.

Daytime and nighttime are perfect.

The articificial photoperiod is 12 hours on 12 hours off which has been fine all their life.

 

[EllenD]

Is a lack of appetite the only symptom that either of them are currently having?

 

[Fin]

Yes and slightly lethargic. Still running around occasionally though.

 

[EllenD]

If they are both not wanting to eat and are not housed together, and that's the only symptom/issue going on, could it be something wrong with your food stick? I'm assuming they are eating from the same batch of live insects and/or greens, veggies, etc.

I only mention this because a while ago I bought a batch of 1,000 superworms, as I always had from the same breeder, and I also buy a large batch of BSFL as their main staple feeder...Both my female and my younger male stopped eating their bugs all together, and neither of them are a lot of greens anyway because they were both too young. I honestly didn't realize what was going on because it happened slowly and started first with my male and then my female. Once I realized this was a problem that was not just a quick fluke and both had stopped eating all together, I checked everything, their lights, temps, etc. They are in totally separate rooms, so the only thing they have in common is food. Well I had forgotten to change the oat bran/oatmeal in the superworm bin one week, and when I went to do it the following week the smell of ammonia hit me in the face as soon as I opened the bin up. It was nasty, and then I remembered that I hadn't changed it the prior week because I wasn't off the day I usually do it. So I went and bought a new bin and put in fresh oat bran/bedding and then moved all the superworms over to the new bin, and only fed them the BSFL for the next few days, which they still refused to eat for about 2-3 days after that. I ended up using the blender to mix up a slurry of greens, Calcium, multivitamin, Pedialyte, etc. and I had to force feed them only one day, then the next day they both at a few BSFL, and gradually they went back to normal, but it took a while before they would touch any superworms. So either the superworms actually made them both sick, or just the smell upset them enough that it caused a problem. I've never forgotten to change the bins again, but it only took that to stop them both from eating.

Since their food is probably the only thing your 2 dragons have in common, that might be it.

 

[Fin]

Right okay, did force feed them today a slurry and extra immune boosters. But I have tried 5 different types of feeder insects and after a week of loving them they have no interest what so ever. I buy a different type of food, they get really excited and love it then in the next 4 days they have no interest in it at all.

 

[AHBD]

It could be that to a degree they are just being picky. My dragons all had different levels of appetite + interest in food, some were never real big eaters at certain times and would also react more excitedly to new foods.