Bearded dragon not eating?

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The uvb is a reptisun 10.0 t5 it’s about 14” from the top of that wood. And I can tell from the light triangle on the wall that the lighting just overlaps the basking spot.

The basking bulb is a 50watt but has to be dimmed about 30% otherwise it gets too hot.

Basking spot is 105-110

That side of the tank is around 90 and the cool side around 80

Substrate is shelf liner

The bowls near the wood one has small dubia the other has large bsfl and veggies.

The gray in cool side that she moved I have been putting shallow water to try and get her to drink doesn’t work so taking it out.

While not eating I have been bathing every other day to keeep hydrated and while bathing she will drink so water dripped on her face.

There is another one directly above her set up the exact same way that is thriving. The only differences is the other doesn’t have bowls since she eats anything I put in there right away. And 2nd wood piece in hers because if
I put one in this one’s tank she will get to the closest spot to the uvb and just stay there. Even if it’s only a few inches and the temp is only 85ish, so I took it out 2 weeks ago to see if that was the issue.
WowWhat is the brand of the basking bulb? It looks like it has a yellowish hue to it- you need a clear bright white basking bulb - no off white or yellowish or daytime bulbs - they have a coating on them that is harmful to the eyes-- finger smudges get some
I had the Phillips one in there and recently switched to the zoo med one that is in there now. Both had to be dimmed. And both made the same orangish not super clear light.

But would color of bulb affect appetite? The others have the same bulbs in and are fine.
Those are good bulbs --- what does the dragons poop look like when he/ she does poop? I am wondering if the dragon has parasites- too high of a count would effect the appetite -- is the poop real runny / stink so bad you can smell it from another room?
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
WowWhat is the brand of the basking bulb? It looks like it has a yellowish hue to it- you need a clear bright white basking bulb - no off white or yellowish or daytime bulbs - they have a coating on them that is harmful to the eyes-- finger smudges get some

Those are good bulbs --- what does the dragons poop look like when he/ she does poop? I am wondering if the dragon has parasites- too high of a count would effect the appetite -- is the poop real runny / stink so bad you can smell it from another room?
Already was treated for parasites she is clear now. So is her blood work. Vet has found nothing wrong with her. No smell to the poop. Poops are solid and brown with a little mucus between the poop and urate, and the urate is a cream color (not white like my others)

They said she is a hair dehydrated so that’s why the more frequent baths and adding a little more water when syringe feeding which she will only let me give her about 1/4 ml before she freaks out.

If it still sounds like a parasite or something I can try another vet.
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
At this point I’m getting pretty desperate to figure this out and will try almost anything lol.

Person I got her from is offering to replace her, but I am so attached I’d like to figure out the issue.
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
Almost got her to eat today. Put some bsfl in her face and messed with her. She bit them and then instead of chewing and swallowing she shook her head and flung them.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Almost got her to eat today. Put some bsfl in her face and messed with her. She bit them and then instead of chewing and swallowing she shook her head and flung them.
Try lowering the uvb to around 12" please - let's see if that sparks the appetite
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
Try lowering the uvb to around 12" please - let's see if that sparks the appetite
Idk how I would lower uvb in this tank, it’s mounted to the top of the melamine tank, but I could put something under one side of her wood so that she can get a couple inches closer if she wants? Would that work?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Idk how I would lower uvb in this tank, it’s mounted to the top of the melamine tank, but I could put something under one of her wood so that she can get a couple inches closer if she wants? Would that work?
Yes see if getting her closer to the UVB will spark the appetite- this is a trial and error to see if it makes a difference
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
Yes see if getting her closer to the UVB will spark the appetite- this is a trial and error to see if it makes a difference
While moving things I noticed both her uvb and heat lamp had a very slight in and out look like it was getting and losing a little bit of power (think flickering but less dramatic). So I unplugged the lights and plugged them into another outlet and no more pulsing of lights. And now she is staring at the uvb light like she is confused. I wonder if she wasn’t getting enough uvb because it wasn’t getting enough power out of a bad outlet and she is more sensitive then the other is?? I raised that side of the wood about an inch as well.

I had to be basically under the lights to see it, but idk if that little bit could be enough to throw her off?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
While moving things I noticed both her uvb and heat lamp had a very slight in and out look like it was getting and losing a little bit of power (think flickering but less dramatic). So I unplugged the lights and plugged them into another outlet and no more pulsing of lights. And now she is staring at the uvb light like she is confused. I wonder if she wasn’t getting enough uvb because it wasn’t getting enough power out of a bad outlet and she is more sensitive then the other is?? I raised that side of the wood about an inch as well.

I had to be basically under the lights to see it, but idk if that little bit could be enough to throw her off?
Possibly let's see what she does now
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
Possibly let's see what she does now
She is running around like a maniac lol. And keeps getting on top of the hide (which if moved forward a few inches would only be like 8” under uvb” and staring up. Lol
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
She is running around like a maniac lol. And keeps getting on top of the hide (which if moved forward a few inches would only be like 8” under uvb” and staring up. Lol
What is under the uvb now - you want a piece of decor directly under it 12-15 inches for a T 5
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
Only thing under the uvb is that big L shaped piece of wood. It sits under the heat light and the it runs under to have part of it under the uvb only. The uvb is 17” from ground and that piece of wood is about 3” thick. So always 14” under. I just raised the end that’s under the uvb light to where it is now 12.3” under it . it’s the only piece of decor on that side of the tank.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
What brand is you uvb fixture? I have bought four ZooMed since December and all four failed. The failure was not visible to the naked eye, i caught it by accident trying to get a video. I'm going to post the link to my thread scroll down and watch the video. Two of my dragons behavior was WAY off and within a couple days of replacing the fixtures were back to normal.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Consequently I've switched all my fixtures to Arcadia.
 

Andi_Braun

Member
Original Poster
What brand is you uvb fixture? I have bought four ZooMed since December and all four failed. The failure was not visible to the naked eye, i caught it by accident trying to get a video. I'm going to post the link to my thread scroll down and watch the video. Two of my dragons behavior was WAY off and within a couple days of replacing the fixtures were back to normal.
I bought zoomed fixtures because everyone said they were the best.

The Arcadia appears different and thicker would there be a place for me to still drill holes through fixture to mount inside melamine? I will put camera on the bulbs when I get home and see if I see anything
 

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