Hello! About a week ago I got my first beardie. I'm getting very worried because a few days ago he started shedding and he's only eating 1 BSFL a day. Strangely he's eating collard greens. Like, a lot of collard greens. The shedding process is going really slowly, his tail started shedding on Friday and has finished now but no other parts of his body are in shed. One of his legs looks like it will soon shed but that's about it. He also came dehydrated, and has been this way for 5 days now. His eyes have been getting more sunken and his skin is quite wrinkly. I've been trying to get him to drink and he is. He just doesn't seem to be getting hydrated again. On top of all this he seems to be a tiny bit malnourished. His pads seem to be a bit sunk but it's kind of hard to tell. No bones are showing but when he stands up he looks quite thin. Can anyone tell me what to do or help me? Thanks!
FAQ:
Q: Where'd you get him from?
A: A highly rated breeder.
Q: What is the temp in his tank?
A: 80 degrees Fahrenheit
Q: What is the basking temp?
A: 102F
Q: What size tank is he in?
A: 40 gallon
Q: How old is he?
A: 1 1/2 months
Q: What uvb light do you use?
A: Reptisun 10.0, 22in
Haha(about the collard greens)! During shed, beardies may act grumpy, weird(like yours is), or lacking in appetite(also sorta yours). Since he's eating plenty of collard greens, take advantage and mist them(possibly drench them but not to the point he has diarrhea). Or, if you haven't, give him baths and let him drink from a faucet or use an dropper to drip water on his nose. Sometimes beardies may even drink if you mist their beard. If he returns to normal, increasing his protein meals or giving more fatty insects may help him(like waxies).
Can you post some pictures of your dragon & your tank setup so we can see his condition?
Has his beard been black at all or normal color?
Shedding will sometimes cause them grief especially if it's a particularly hard shed for them,
like the tail or head.
If he is looking that dehydrated, it would be a good idea to get a plastic dropper or syringe &
drop water onto his nose until he starts to lick some fluids off. That really does help a lot if
he will take some in, that is.
Please review your tank setup with us, so we can try to pinpoint any issues.
How is he doing today?
Hi, thanks for your replies. Sorry for the delay in posting. I was really sick yesterday and I didn't have the motivation to take pictures.
This is my setup:
And this is my beardie:
He has not had a black beard, just some stress lines on his beard. I have been getting him to drink from a syringe. I usually try to give him water from a syringe 2-3 times a day. He always drinks most of the water I give him until he's done. He also gets daily baths that are 15-20 min long. There is also a normal white part in his poop. I really don't understand why he seems to be showing outward signs of dehydration. Is there a chance he could just be a really wrinkly beardie with naturally sunken eyes? He has a lot of excess skin, when he blows up. He can look about 4 times his size.
Yesterday's update: Yesterday he ate 2 BSFL.
Today's update: He's eaten one BSFL with 4-5 pieces of mustard greens. He started glass surfing today, which is a bit concerning. Strangely, he only did it on the side of the tank with the desert background. I know it can be a sign of stress, but do you think it would be wise to take him out? Or could he just possibly like the color of the background? And he still hasn't started shedding on his legs.
He looks healthy and alert. I don't think he's dehyrated, especially if you've been giving him water. He has slightly wrinkly skin because his skin is a little loose to allow him to easily puff out or pancake to bask. If his poops look well hydrated that's the best indicator. If he is glass surfing and you have a safe area for him to explore, go ahead and bring him out.