Getting a little worried about his color

[FishboneNC]

At first I wrote it off as mild brumation, lack of appetite, not sleeping a lot, just lounging on his rock all day, only got off the rock to poop.
He's 9 months old next month, VERY chubby, big chubby cheeks, about 15+"

One day he'd dive off his rock to get a roach, or dive into the salad bowl like he hadn't eaten in days!
The next day he would eat a couple roaches and just about touch his salad.
For the last few days he's barely eaten a couple big roaches and still just nibbles on the salad.
Second day and no poop!
Today he just closed one eye when I offered him a roach, his way saying he's not hungry!

I give a bath once a week (last night). The last time he pooped it had some solid and some water, smaller than usual, but considering he's not eating as much, it seemed normal.

He used to have some real nice orange highlights now he has a dull color to him and almost no orange.
His beard has some orange that he's never had before, sometimes really bright orange/yellow
He hasn't shed in 2 months and his coloration (Or lack of) doesn't look like he's going to shed.

The temps are still the same 100F on his basking rock (measured with a digi meter with a probe)
His ReptiSun 10.0 is 5 months old and due to be replaced next month.
I dust the roaches every few days with calcium/D3, or put it on the salad and sprinkle vitamins on his greens every other day.

Now my questions:
is this lack of color normal?
Is the orange/yellow coloration of his beard normal?
It never turned black or dark, but he never had these colors in his beard before.
Do you think the Reptisun has lost it's UVB power?

Thanks in advance!

 

[brittani299]

I would change the UVB it might have just used up. Also I would bath 2-3 times a week. It keeps them hydrated better.

 

[gryphonsmom]

Hi there! Glad to see you're so vigilant about his care! Yes, the yellow/orange is normal on his beard. He is going through what i refer to as "dragon puberty". His mood may change slightly during this time, and he may even be a little grumpy towards you. This is normal. The coloration you see coming in on his beard is a sign of maturity. When he is all grown up, his beard will be entirely orange/yellow. I'm surprised you haven't seen him black beard yet, but i'm sure you will. Rest assured he's not mad at you, he may just be test driving, lol. As long as he continues to eat something on some sort of regular basis (as they age, they may choose not to eat EVERY day, which makes dragon mommies and daddies worry), and his poos look ok (ie, you've ruled out any parasites), I wouldn't worry and just try to look at it as a sulky teen going through hormone changes :roll: . When he gets older and wakes up from brumation, he will do the same thing as his hormone levels will be pretty high, so be prepared for a lot of black bearding around this time next year. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to text me!