Help Old (i think) Bearded Dragon not eating

[Firefur1]

Hi all, I acquired an ill treated Bearded Dragon back in 2008 maybe 2009 he was full grown (20 inches) and underweight. In the years that have elapsed he has gone from being very active to very very sluggish. In the last few years he's stopped eating first crickets, then a few years later I noticed a decrease in the amount of veggies he was willing to eat. Recently he's stopped eating at all, I can occasionally get him to eat a pinkie mouse but for the most part he usually just lays there directly under his heat lamp. I am starting to get truly worried. He used to have a living vivarium with all the growing plants he could eat and I would see him chasing bugs through it every day and see him eating everything from clover to broccoli sprouts. In the last year I moved him to a smaller tank since he was not moving around as much and recently I've noticed that his back legs are not as robust as usual, and he seems to be having trouble walking. His temps are good, but he's ignoring his food I've even tried hand feeding he just turns black. He's still plump but I'm getting very worried. To make matters worse I live out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest specialty vet is about a day's drive. HELP PLEASE sorry if this is a bit disjointed

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am sorry that he is not doing well right now! It sounds like he is probably at least 8 to 10 years estimated? They can live up to 12 or longer in years.
Can you review your tank set up for us, such as your type & brand of UVB light, as well as how old it is & how far is it placed from him. How often do you supplement him with calcium? Even as an older adult, he will still need calcium 3 times per week to maintain his bones.
Since he isn't eating much on his own, I would recommend getting some baby food such as chicken or turkey along with squash varieties or sweet potato baby foods to feed to him while putting calcium in with the food also. You can use a plastic dropper or syringe to feed him. There is also a product called Critical care that is high in protein & nutrients to help in times of illness to get some weight on them when needed. You can purchase that online or sometimes a petstore or local feed store may have something similar that would be suitable for reptiles. Most petstores carry Jumpstart from Zilla which is a high caloric food/supplement that you could mix with baby food to help with weight gain & appetite stimulation, too.
Do you have any pictures of him also?

Tracie

 

[Firefur1]

I have 3 compact florescent UVB bulbs across one side of the enclosure, the oldest is now 7 months.
A ReptiSun® 10.0 Mini (10% UVB Output, 30% UVA Output, FULL SPECTRUM ) in the center flanked on either side by an Exo Terra Compact Fluorescent UVB 150 (a 13 watt and a 26watt in the larger space) he's got a ledge at 6, 9 & 12 inches from any of these three bulbs. For heat he has two 50watt mini halogen bulbs temps on the three ledges range from 105 - 77 at the bottom of the cage. He used to get calcium and vitamins powder every time I fed him but he refused to eat anything that had been dusted about 5 months ago, including a pinkie. I'm offering but he's being stubborn. I tried jumpstart, he was unimpressed. I will try the baby food. A friend makes a slurry that I was considering trying its (Repashy Veggie, pacman frog food, vitamins and the lizards favorite fruit)

 

[Firefur1]

I am sorry to report that Lord Gwendal Von Grumpypants has gone to the great dessert in the sky. He died peacefully in his sleep in the wee hours of the morning on the 2nd. We planted a plum tree in his honor. He will be missed.

 

[Esther19]

I am very sorry for your loss. He is fortunate to have had so many good years with you.

 

[onceblue]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh I am so sorry that he passed away, he had a long life with you. At least he wasn't alone, either.

Tracie

 

[diamc]

I am very sorry to hear that your beardie passed away.

If you decide to get another one some day, would be a good idea to invest in either a Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent tube or an Arcadia UVB as those are the ones that give off the best UVB rays according to the testing results. Some mercury vapor bulbs that supply both heat and UVB are good too.