concerned about my beardie

[junipiner]

In the last couple of weeks my beardie has seemed to be losing weight. In the last couple days i have noticed that all his fatty parts are not fatty at all, actually looking sunken in. He eats daily (veggies/greens and worms). He is still bright eyed and active. Today i was really concerned after i let him soak in the bath for probably almost 30 minutes and when put back in his tank, he drank from his water dish for almoat a full minute, just gulping water. Hes pooping regularly and they are normal healthy poops, urates a bright white. I dont understand why he is so thin. I also just replaced his heat bulb and it sits between 107 and 114. I take him into natural sunlight as much as possible. Any suggestions? I dont really have the money to take him to the vet.

 

[HKzForDayz]

What kind of worms are you feeding him, how many times a day, and how much per feeding? Also what kind of UVB is he under and how far is his basking spot from the uvb bulb?

 

[Rampagingraptor]

You should take a picture. Also, answer the stuff that HK said.
By the sounds of it, your beardie might have some parasites. Couldn't really tell you about how to take care of it, though.

 

[syoung27]

I would agree on the possibility of parasites. If lighting and feeding is good then it would likely be something infecting.
Generally a sign of parasites is loose stools though so I'm not positive.

 

[junipiner]

Hes eating superworms. Usually 5-6 a day, sometimes more. He has 2 UV bulbs over his tank. One is very close to his basking spot and the othe is over the other side of the tank

 

[Rampagingraptor]

How old is your beardie? And what kind of UVB bulbs (be as specific as you can)?

 

[junipiner]

My beardie is about 2 1/2 years old. The UV bulbs i have i bought at petsmart. If i remember correctly the are the all living things compact flourescent UV bulbs

 

[HKzForDayz]

Well, the rapid weight loss points to parasites, but poor UVB could be a factor as well, as those bulbs dont give off adequate UVB levels for our bearded dragons. At the very least , I would recommend you getting a t8 tube fixture and a t8 reptisun 10.0/t8 arcadia 12 bulb, but honestly you should get a t5 fixture. They make it much easier to not only provide adequate UVB , but also to provide an UVB gradient as is required. A t8 will suffice, but keep in mind with the t8 fixtures, the bulb needs to be within 6 to 8 inches of their basking spot for them to get adequate UVB, as with the t5 bulbs the optimal UVB distance is 12 to 14". Below you will find links to UVB fixtures and bulbs that have been tested and proved to provide our dragons adequate UVB. WIth these fixtures all you would need is the one fixture/bulb combo plus a basking bulb for heat.

This fixture
http://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459738555&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=t5+sunblaster+22

with this bulb
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/11442-580035/zoo-med-zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-10-0-uvb-high-output-bulbs.html?utm_source=googleproductads&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKEAjw_oK4BRDym-SDq-aczicSJAC7UVRtTmz7jKEir-Ggvf77bzwgoz3w7raLrMQsgxvRwfMhMxoCSk7w_wcB


or if you can spend a little bit extra..this combo
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/


Superworms are an OK feeder , but they should only be fed on occasion, not as a staple feeder, as they are very high in phosphorous.what kind of greens/vegetables are you feeding him? How are you recording the temperature on his basking side? What is the temp on his cool side?