Cant figure out whats wrong with my beardie

[Khaleesii]

My beardie has not been himself for 2-3 months now. He gradually stopped eating his greens sometime in May (he still eats bugs though). For a while he would only pick the fruit out of his food but now he isnt interested in any of it. He is also lethargic (but not asleep so hes not brumating). He will climb out of his hide and onto the basking spot but just sits in the same spot all day unless I throw bugs in there for him to catch. He doesnt seem to be walking right either..it seems to take more effort and he seems to drag his front limbs a bit.

I brought him to the vet a few weeks ago and got a fecal and that was clear. He told me to syringe feed him, which I did for a week and a half but then I stopped as it was stressing him out. SO I brought him back in and they did blood work, which they told me was normal. The vet seems to be out of ideas. I wanted to see if someone here might have had a similar experience.

I have tried putting bee pollen on his food, giving prefered food items and taking him outside for natural sunlight but none seem to be working. His weight has only dropped about 10 grams in the past few months though (he was about 560 grams before). He is 6-7 years old. The vet did give him a vitamin shot but didnt seem to bring the appetite back.

Heres the husbandry info:

75 gallon tank, T5 HO 12% uvb light, temps are around 80-83 on cool side and 91-98 on his basking spot (depending on which side you measure..one side is around 90 and the other is closer to 98). Newspaper and tile substrate and Im using a temp gun. I think thats it. So worried about my little buddy

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Do you dust his feeders with calcium? Also how close can he get to the lights?

 

[Khaleesii]

Yes I dust his feeders and I believe he is about 12 inches from the light source but depends on which hide he is sitting on. I hop he is getting enough uvb as he just sits under the basking bulb these days

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Can you post some pictures of your setup along with him, too?
Is your basking light mounted alongside of the T5 tube bulb?
It is possible that his calcium was a little low perhaps, but do you have a copy of the blood test
I could see? Could he have hurt himself perhaps?
I am glad to hear he hasn't lost much of any weight though. Does he brumate yearly as well?
How often do you give him calcium? Even at 6-7 years of age, he still needs calcium several times per week for bone maintenance.

Tracie

 

[kingofnobbys]

doubled post

 

[kingofnobbys]

My beardie has not been himself for 2-3 months now. He gradually stopped eating his greens sometime in May (he still eats bugs though). feeding fad ? For a while he would only pick the fruit out of his food but now he isnt interested in any of it. He is also lethargic (but not asleep so hes not brumating). He will climb out of his hide and onto the basking spot but just sits in the same spot all day unless I throw bugs in there for him to catch. He doesnt seem to be walking right either..it seems to take more effort and he seems to drag his front limbs a bit.

I brought him to the vet a few weeks ago and got a fecal and that was clear. He told me to syringe feed him, which I did for a week and a half but then I stopped as it was stressing him out. SO I brought him back in and they did blood work, which they told me was normal. The vet seems to be out of ideas. I wanted to see if someone here might have had a similar experience.

I have tried putting bee pollen on his food, giving prefered food items and taking him outside for natural sunlight but none seem to be working. His weight has only dropped about 10 grams in the past few months though (he was about 560 grams before). He is 6-7 years old. The vet did give him a vitamin shot but didnt seem to bring the appetite back.

<<< he can poo away more than 10g in one poo, so a 10g loss over months is for all practical purposes insignificant.

Heres the husbandry info:

75 gallon tank, T5 HO 12% uvb light, temps are around 80-83 on cool side and 91-98 on his basking spot (depending on which side you measure..one side is around 90 and the other is closer to 98). Newspaper and tile substrate and Im using a temp gun. I think thats it. So worried about my little buddy

Exactly how and where is the T5HO 12% tube mounted and is it in a reflector hood and under or ontop a mesh lid ?

I suspect calcium / vitD3 deficiency and maybe UVA is not enough.

They are like children and sometimes go off foods that used to be a favorate and highly desireable for a while , and when the phase is over they are back into them again.

The viv is a tad small for an adult, please consider upgrading him to a 1.2m L x 0.6m sqr viv.

 

[kingofnobbys]

double post

 

[PDotson]

Yeah actually, it's a double post. I am getting confused.

 

[Skipper7]

Perhaps you could try rearranging the whole cage setup for some enrichment. Add more things to climb, a dig box, maybe a big water bowl? Has she ever been outside?

Introduce a new food. Skipper's favorite is persimmons. I peel the skin and dice them. (They are a rare treat!) Once or twice a year she also gets corn and goes crazy for it.

While these may help a bored dragon perk up, i agree with nobby that it could be something else. Perhaps you could try adding another uvb tube for more uvb and a brighter tank.

 

[Khaleesii]

Im aware that 10 grams is likely not significant but thought I would add that to the info. He has had the same set up for years and has thrived so wondering why that would change now. Only thing I have changed is the uvb bulb as I upgraded to the T5 (I did this after he was already behaving differently though). I know about feeding fads as he has changed his preferred food items several times...but he just doesnt want any of it, which is not like him. I try so many different greens, veggies, and small amounts of fruit and hes was still not into it. It is mounted on top of the screen as I was told this is ok with the T5. Its in a high output reptisun terrarium hood. But again this behavior changed over one month prior to changing his bulb. I keep asking the vet to email me the blood test but they still havent so will have to call them again I have always dusted his bugs and food several times a week. Of course when he stopped eating he didnt get as much. I had thought that maybe he picked something up at the reptile expo I took him to (I am a vendor) in April, but I dont know what he could get that wouldnt show up in a fecal exam. Im waiting for a home test kit to try another fecal. I also bought fresh calcium as I was thinking maybe the other one was a bit old..not sure if that would be enough to cause this but just in case.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Im aware that 10 grams is likely not significant but thought I would add that to the info. He has had the same set up for years and has thrived so wondering why that would change now. Only thing I have changed is the uvb bulb as I upgraded to the T5 (I did this after he was already behaving differently though). I know about feeding fads as he has changed his preferred food items several times...but he just doesnt want any of it, which is not like him. I try so many different greens, veggies, and small amounts of fruit and hes was still not into it. It is mounted on top of the screen as I was told this is ok with the T5. Its in a high output reptisun terrarium hood. But again this behavior changed over one month prior to changing his bulb. I keep asking the vet to email me the blood test but they still havent so will have to call them again I have always dusted his bugs and food several times a week. Of course when he stopped eating he didnt get as much. I had thought that maybe he picked something up at the reptile expo I took him to (I am a vendor) in April, but I dont know what he could get that wouldnt show up in a fecal exam. Im waiting for a home test kit to try another fecal.
<<< that's pretty risky, you just do not know the health status of the other reptiles on display and being allowed to be touched and handed by everyone there , some bacteria and viruses are highly communicable and it only takes someone to handle the infected reptile (which may well be asymptomatic) and then shortly after touch or handle your boy , passing the bacteria / virus to him.
So this may be indications that he's sick from some infectious reptile bacteria or virus. May be a good idea for a vet to take bloods and at least check his white cell count (high white cell count ==> an infection that his immune system is trying to fight off , pathology tests will be needed to ID the germ and determine the most effective medication to treat it.
I also bought fresh calcium as I was thinking maybe the other one was a bit old..not sure if that would be enough to cause this but just in case.

I recommend you obtain some vet grade liquid calcium and give this orally (volume determined by the dragon's bodymass).

May also be worth checking your beardie's food triangle and making appropriate changes to correct for deficiencies in his diet. See viewtopic.php?f=18&t=236074

 

[Khaleesii]

Yes Im not taking him to shows anymore. Though he wasn't handled by people, he was just on display and handled by me. There is a vet at the table next to mine that has his beardies on display in a similar fashion so I thought it was ok. Im assuming the vet gave him calcium with the vitamin injection. I believe he said that was part of it. I will double check though.

Im a little confused by this food pyramid as I always read that adult beardies should have 20% insects and 80% veggies (with occasional fruits). So feeding them insects 6 days a week seems like to much. I normally do 3-4 days a week (I feed dubias, crickets and supers as treats). The rest of the pyramid seems in line with what I have read and is what I have been doing since I got him over 3 years ago. When I did attempt to feed him more insects when I first got him he would get constipated so now I usually only give him bugs him after he has pooped, which ends up being 3-4 times a week.