Beardie has not been Eating Much - I am Very Very Concerned.

[thatLizardGuy]

My Beardie is about 3 Years Old.

For the last few weeks I have only seen him eat one piece of Mustard Greens once.

I am very concerned.

I have tried to dangle food in front of his face but he will not take it.

What should I do?

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Is he losing any weight that you can see?
Could he be brumating possibly?
Please review his tank setup with us, such as his UVB lighting, basking light & temperatures?
Some pictures of him would be helpful so we can see his physical condition. Has his beard been black at all?
Is he basking or wants to hang out on the cooler end of his tank instead?
Let us know your tank set up.

Tracie

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Hello,

Is he losing any weight that you can see?
Could he be brumating possibly?
Please review his tank setup with us, such as his UVB lighting, basking light & temperatures?
Some pictures of him would be helpful so we can see his physical condition. Has his beard been black at all?
Is he basking or wants to hang out on the cooler end of his tank instead?
Let us know your tank set up.

Tracie

Yes, he has lost weight.

I replaced the UVB Light a few Months early as I was concerned that maybe it was defective.

I replace them every 6 months even though the bulb says every 12 months.

He seems to have gotten some more energy since doing so and runs around the habitat a bit now.

He does sleep a lot but it does not appear to be the "full brumation" that everyone talks about with them sleeping all day every day.

He is alert much of the day but does sleep alot more than in the past.

He sits on the bottom of the habitat while my others dragons (especially one of them) likes to perch.

I have been placing him on his log to get him closer to the UVB and Heat.

He does seem to be more active since doing this but is still not eating.

I am hoping that he starts eating soon.

His beard is occasionally black when he get upset but I see no change in this behavior.

It is the same as it always has been.

 

[thatLizardGuy]

My other two Adult Dragons sleep more than usual too but not the typical brumation that I hear about.

But they do eat.

I would say that they eat a couple Superworms twice a week or every 3 days. Sometimes they eat some Greens or Pellets too.

Normally all 3 would eat every day.

My two Juvenille Beardies (About 6 Months Old) eat a ton every day and are very active.

They show no signs of change.

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Should I Force Feed Him?

I would rather not do that since it is mean but what if I have no choice?

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....can you post pics of him [ full body shots ] as well as the tank ? Is he with other dragons ? Beardies rarely need to be force fed, it is totally natural for them to stop eating this time of year unless they are ill or extremely underweight. They usually look like they lose a bit of weight because their stomach is so large that after a few weeks of not eating they may look " skinny", but just really be because they aren't stuffed as they are during the non brumation months. Have you been weighing him ? Sometimes they look like they lose weight but haven't lost too much at all. But if he's housed with other dragons that may also be a reason....he may be intimidated. But I think it's just the brumation instinct.

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Hi there....can you post pics of him [ full body shots ] as well as the tank ? Is he with other dragons ? Beardies rarely need to be force fed, it is totally natural for them to stop eating this time of year unless they are ill or extremely underweight. They usually look like they lose a bit of weight because their stomach is so large that after a few weeks of not eating they may look " skinny", but just really be because they aren't stuffed as they are during the non brumation months. Have you been weighing him ? Sometimes they look like they lose weight but haven't lost too much at all. But if he's housed with other dragons that may also be a reason....he may be intimidated. But I think it's just the brumation instinct.

I will weigh him and get pics.

He has always lived with the other Dragons (About 3 Years) with no problems.

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Here is what I weighed them at.

Adult Female #1 - 482 Grams
Adult Female #2 - 555 Grams
Adult Male (Not Eating) - 415 Grams

What do you guys think?

What should Healthy Adult Bearded Dragons Weigh?

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Ok, so apparently I need to list the Length as well to determine if they are a Healthy Weight.

Adult Female #1 - 18 Inches
Adult Female #2 - 18 Inches
Adult Male (Not Eating) - 19.5 Inches

So Here is the Length and Weight.

Adult Female #1 - 482 Grams - 18 Inches
Adult Female #2 - 555 Grams - 18 Inches
Adult Male (Not Eating) - 415 Grams 19.5 Inches

What do you guys think?

Are these Three Beardies a Healthy Weight or Not?

If not what Should they Weigh?

 

[thatLizardGuy]

He ate the Horn Worms for the First Couple Days I had them but now he will not even eat Hornworms.

I now have to Force Feed Him which I feel very very bad about.

But He seems fine with it and is eating but only because I Force Feed Him Every Day.

What are your thoughts on Force Feeding?

 

[AHBD]

Well, it's O'K. if he tolerates it. What may be happening now is that he's getting full from you force feeding, or you can call it " assist feeding ". What and how much is he eating that way ? It may be a problem with parasites, so you might take a fecal sample in to a reptile vet. If he has pinworms, they may prescribe Panacur....it's pretty safe + well tolerated in general. If he has coccidia, many vets will use Albon, but there is a much better and less harsh med. called Ponazuril [ or Toltrazuril ] that is less harsh and usually works in a few days. But this may be a passing phase, and even if he does have parasites they can usually be dealt with easily + safely.

 

[thatLizardGuy]

Well, it's O'K. if he tolerates it. What may be happening now is that he's getting full from you force feeding, or you can call it " assist feeding ". What and how much is he eating that way ? It may be a problem with parasites, so you might take a fecal sample in to a reptile vet. If he has pinworms, they may prescribe Panacur....it's pretty safe + well tolerated in general. If he has coccidia, many vets will use Albon, but there is a much better and less harsh med. called Ponazuril [ or Toltrazuril ] that is less harsh and usually works in a few days. But this may be a passing phase, and even if he does have parasites they can usually be dealt with easily + safely.

Do you know about how much these Medications cost?

Everyone I talk to that says that they took a Dragon to a Vet has paid 400.00