I have had my bearded Dragon for 3 years now, I was going through a lot of stuff and i didn't care for him as much as i should have, he is underweight and his UV light was not changed for 2 years! I have recently changed it and started feeding him wax worms to put some weight on him but he suddenly started acting sluggish and very tired he still eats and poo's but that's the only times he starts to perk up! He was pale for a couple of days with a black beard but he has returned to his brown colour but is still acting very sluggish, he responds when i pick him up (opening his eyes looking around) and when i place him down he will weakly stick his arms out to move into a good position, i have also started feeding him calcium again (powdered) i did do it before but only occasionally his poo does look healthy and he does drink water. He has perked up a little this morning.
He will eat other bugs (crickets) I have been feeding him wax worms for just under a week Usually 5 a day (somebody recommended that) I give him greens often but not the last couple of days (gem lettuce, mustard cress) Yes he will eat them I bathe him at least 2 times a week (these last few days while he has been sick i give him a bath everyday) Usually in the bath for 10-20 mins
i have also started feeding him "Zoo Med Adult bearded dragon Food"
Please understand i feel incredibly guilty and I really want to help him out, A VET IS NOT AN OPTION
Hi there, first off it's good that he's drinking + pooing, very important. You can give him greens every day, but cut everything small since he may not have much jaw strength. Can you get other soft insects for him ? Are you in the U.K or U.S ? Small crickets, locusts and dubia roaches [ not too many at a time ] would be more nutritious, but a few waxworms along with. Don't feed him too many insects at first, it can overload his organs. You can also feed some organic baby food squash and greenbeans. Hopefully he'll regain his health.
You seem to be doing well at the moment with him. If you want to ensure that he is getting what he needs, you can also start feeding him Organic baby food, like chicken and squash. I added the powdered calcium or multivitamin to the baby food and fed it through a syringe. Just go slow so he doesn't aspirate. You can do this until he gains some strength back and starts to hunt vigorously on his own. I would still offer fresh greens and bugs regularly. You don't want him to become reliant on you to feed him. A healthy dragon can go a couple of days without food, but I would feed your guy daily until he is more himself.
Also, make sure you get a good UVB on him and monitor your temps and setup to be sure he has everything he needs.
He slept for about 3 days during those days i force fed him water mixed with crushed bearded dragon food via a syringe, he is fully awake now and is acting more active and interested in what is going on around him I have started feeding him calci worms which have been fed the adult bearded dragon pellets