Concerns with my bearded dragon's eating and health

[Scoops29]

I have some concerns about my bearded dragon's health and eating habits. He has completely stopped desiring food on his own. I used to be able to put almost anything in front of him, and he would eat, but not anymore. Now I have to open his mouth and place the food inside, and only then will he chew and swallow. He doesn't seem completely lethargic, but It would be nice to see him back to his old self. He is 9 years old and weighs about 567g. I took him to a Vet, and they say he's fine, and even gave me pain meds and antibiotics because the doctor spotted some irritation in his mouth, which he says could provide the lack of desire to eat. But it has been a week now since he began taking the meds daily, and he has not eaten alone.

I will admit that I have not been a perfect dad. I just recently corrected some mistakes in bad husbandry. I upgraded his UVB to a 10.0 T5 HO UVB by zoo med, and added many climbing spots to his enclosure, which puts him closer to his basking lamp. His previous UVB was a 5.0 T8 UVB hood bulb. I also just renovated the inside of his enclosure (4ftx2ftx2ft) and added many interactive climbing spots, as well as a small dehumidifier that keeps his cage at about 30% humidity and the cool side stays around 75-80F. I also added a substrate mix of organic topsoil and play sand that I baked to sanitize, just because I was keeping him on newspaper before, and I feel it was a little depressing.

I'm hoping that the UVB upgrade and the nicer tank set up will boost his mood a little and motivate him to move and eat more, but I don't know if I am being impulsive and impatient. I just want my baby to get better.

 

[xp29]

I have some concerns about my bearded dragon's health and eating habits. He has completely stopped desiring food on his own. I used to be able to put almost anything in front of him, and he would eat, but not anymore. Now I have to open his mouth and place the food inside, and only then will he chew and swallow. He doesn't seem completely lethargic, but It would be nice to see him back to his old self. He is 9 years old and weighs about 567g. I took him to a Vet, and they say he's fine, and even gave me pain meds and antibiotics because the doctor spotted some irritation in his mouth, which he says could provide the lack of desire to eat. But it has been a week now since he began taking the meds daily, and he has not eaten alone.

I will admit that I have not been a perfect dad. I just recently corrected some mistakes in bad husbandry. I upgraded his UVB to a 10.0 T5 HO UVB by zoo med, and added many climbing spots to his enclosure, which puts him closer to his basking lamp. His previous UVB was a 5.0 T8 UVB hood bulb. I also just renovated the inside of his enclosure (4ftx2ftx2ft) and added many interactive climbing spots, as well as a small dehumidifier that keeps his cage at about 30% humidity and the cool side stays around 75-80F. I also added a substrate mix of organic topsoil and play sand that I baked to sanitize, just because I was keeping him on newspaper before, and I feel it was a little depressing.

I'm hoping that the UVB upgrade and the nicer tank set up will boost his mood a little and motivate him to move and eat more, but I don't know if I am being impulsive and impatient. I just want my baby to get better.

Antibiotics usually wreck their appetites. It's kindda counterproductive to put them on them when not eating is a key concern. You can try giving some none-dairy probiotics to get his gut started back in the right direction.

 

[Scoops29]

Antibiotics usually wreck their appetites. It's kindda counterproductive to put them on them when not eating is a key concern. You can try giving some none-dairy probiotics to get his gut started back in the right direction.

Should I take him off the antibiotics? The vet's directions say to give him the antibiotic daily for 2–3 weeks. It has only been a week and I don't know if it is okay to do that yet.

 

[xp29]

Should I take him off the antibiotics? The vet's directions say to give him the antibiotic daily for 2–3 weeks. It has only been a week and I don't know if it is okay to do that yet.

He's already on them, I'd just finish the course then concentrate on getting his appetite back.

 

[Scoops29]

He's already on them, I'd just finish the course then concentrate on getting his appetite back.

Sounds good. Would you suggest that I continue assisting him in feeding? Or should I provide him with the food and just allow him to eat when he decides to. I'm just worried he'll go too long with no food.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

At 9 years old, he looks very good. Did the vet actually say he had an infection of some type?
Which antibiotic is he on? Not sure he needs it for 3 weeks though! As suggested, a non dairy
probiotic such as acidophiluz or non dairy organic soy yogurt would be helpful.
Which pain medication did they give him?
If his mouth appeared to be inflamed or something, you can try some raw unpasteurized honey
to help clear that up.
So he doesn't go too long without any food, you can definitely give some slurries a few times per
week so he gets some nutrition.

Tracie

 

[xp29]

@Drache613 is a vet tech, I'd follow her advice
You can purchase Oxbow critical care on amazon. I'd recommend omnivore variety for an adult, it's packed with vitamins and minerals. It's a powder you mix with water. I mix it thin enough to use an eyedropper to feed it. It works wonders. I keep it on hand for just such scenarios as yours.

 

[Scoops29]

Hello,

At 9 years old, he looks very good. Did the vet actually say he had an infection of some type?
Which antibiotic is he on? Not sure he needs it for 3 weeks though! As suggested, a non dairy
probiotic such as acidophiluz or non dairy organic soy yogurt would be helpful.
Which pain medication did they give him?
If his mouth appeared to be inflamed or something, you can try some raw unpasteurized honey
to help clear that up.
So he doesn't go too long without any food, you can definitely give some slurries a few times per
week so he gets some nutrition.

Tracie

Hello Tracie!

So the vet didn’t say he had an infection, but he says it’s possible for the irritation in his mouth to become one. He said sometimes plaque can build up and rough up their mouths when they eat, so he gave me the pain meds and antibiotics so it wouldn’t become infected and because he assumed the irritation was making it uncomfortable to eat. He is currently on Baytril (0.24mL) and Metacam (0.22mL) once a day each for 2-3 weeks. I bought him some probiotics online that seemed to have positive reviews, it’s called NutriBACdf. As of right now it hasn’t seemed to do anything, but I’ve only dusted some crickets with it and assist fed a few times. The critical care is something I’ll definitely check out, when feeding with a dropper should I just feed drop by drop? Slurries worry me sometimes because of the risk of aspiration, but if it’s drop by drop so he can just lick it off his nose I assume is safer.

Thank you for the help and advice!

 

[Scoops29]

@Drache613 is a vet tech, I'd follow her advice
You can purchase Oxbow critical care on amazon. I'd recommend omnivore variety for an adult, it's packed with vitamins and minerals. It's a powder you mix with water. I mix it thin enough to use an eyedropper to feed it. It works wonders. I keep it on hand for just such scenarios as yours.

Sounds good! I will definitely check it out. Thank you so much for your fast response and helpful advice. You’re all awesome.

 

[xp29]

Sounds good! I will definitely check it out. Thank you so much for your fast response and helpful advice. You’re all awesome.

Your welcome