Beardie sleeping a lot and not eating much??

[victoriamcguire]

Lately, my bearded dragon has been sleeping a lot throughout the day, going to be early, and waking up late. He's eating a little bit but not as much as he normally would. He is about 1 year and 3 months old, and I was wondering if he's going into burmation? But I'm not sure about that because it doesn't seem to be the right time of year. Someone please help?

 

[diamc]

Hi, sorry to hear that your beardie is worrying you. Is this the same beardie that had the black spots a couple of months ago? If so, did you find out what it was & is it all cleared up?

In order to rule things out, we would need to know about your setup. If you could fill us in on the size of tank, wattage of basking temp, brand & type of UVB, how old that particular bulb is and the distance of it along with any other info, it would help.

Also, what type of thermometer are you using, what the tank temps are and where exactly you're checking the temps.

How long has he been eating less and what did he last eat? Has he been pooping normally? Have you had a fecal checked for parasites?

You're right, it's not the time of year for brumation so perhaps there is something that needs a little tweaking to help get him back on track.

 

[victoriamcguire]

Yes, it is the same beardie and i did get things all cleared up, the pattern on his scales were just darker than normal for some reason. Anyway, I have a 20 gallon tank, a ZooMed ReptiSun 10.0 Fluorescent Bulb (15 watts I believe), The bulb is about 4 or 5 months old, so I need to get a new one soon, and it is sitting on top of the screen of the tank (about 5 or 6 inches above the basking area). I use a heat gun thermometer, I'm not sure what brand though. The temps of his tank are:
Cool side: 78-79 (f)
Basking area: 100 (f)
under his basking area (basking area is a hammock): 90 (f)

He has been eating less for just the bast couple days, and he eats when he normally does, just in smaller portions. He is is pooping normally, but I have not had a fecal check.

Today he seemed to be back to his old self which is good. He was awake and alert and he ate as much as he normally does. There was about a week or so in the region where I live that it was colder than normal, so I'm starting to think that maybe that had something to do with it (I hope).

Is there anything else that I might have left out that would be helpful to figure out whats happening?

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. It might help if the bulb is mounted in the tank as the screen blocks most of the uvb rays. If its nice where you are then you can take him outside for some real sun.

 

[victoriamcguire]

Hi. It might help if the bulb is mounted in the tank as the screen blocks most of the uvb rays. If its nice where you are then you can take him outside for some real sun.

Oh wow really? I never would have thought that the screen affected anything. And it should be getting nice soon where I am so I will definitely take him outside as soon as I can