Im at wits end

[Fortunate]

Hi guys sorry i was MIA - so much has been happening, things were going so well with my Dylan then he went for boarding while i was away for 3 weeks and when i came back (1month ago) he has not eaten properly since, he was quite dehydrated when he returned, i sorted that out, but he just hides all the time and very really eats, he is not brumating (summer time) he ate well at boarding, he has pooped since returning.
I have checked and double checked all the temps and humidity, replaced uvb bulbs and followed all advice given but now im just at wits end with Dylan, he does this all the time and i really shouldnt be surprised but i still get frustrated and worried!

any advice or similar stories much appriciated!

I have just decided that I am going to take him to the vet - Whenever I go i get the results as "clear healthy bearded dragon" but there must be something wrong! lonely? bored? i have been working alot..... i know my family will tell me im wasting money by going to the vet but i need to be sure he is not sick.....

He is in my room at the moment, do you think i should move him to the lounge? my mom wont appriciate it but if he needs it i will do it!

 

[AHBD]

How old is Dylan, and what are his length + weight ? Can you post a pic of him currently ? They can go into an inactive mode that resembles brumation when they are just not happy for some reason. Since he was away, he may have had daily stresses that you don't know about, and he still may be having stress from it. Every dragon is different, and they do go through strange phases. As long as he's hydrated again, he should be fine.

 

[Fortunate]

ok he is just over 4yrs old, weighs 402grams and is 37cm excluding the chunk taken out of his tail.
I have made an appointment to see the vet tomorrow, just to be on the safe side and am in going to move him to a more active part of the house, do you think that will help?
photo to come

 

[Fortunate]

here he is

the wrinkled skin concerns me, but i am still getting his hydration up although it is much better than before, i assume its also coz of weight loss?

is he too skinny?

 

[AHBD]

How's he doing ? While he's a tad thin, he looks healthy over all. If he became dehydrated while being boarded, I would give more water, keep up the baths and a little extra bu syringe or spray bottle on the nose if he'll lick it off. I wouldn't use that place to board again, either.

 

[Fortunate]

Dont worry i wont, i was so upset when i saw how dehydrated he was! I think their BDs rink out of bowls, & they prob just assumed Dyl does too, and never checked!

He went to the vet yesterday, fecal came back clear, vet did say he was consipated (not impacted - i asked) so he has been given 4 days of laxative. he seemed to perk up when we were driving back from the vet and then went back to his old lumpy self when i put him in his viv, i took him out after work and he was all active trying to get back into his viv.

Im giving him 3ml of water in the morning and 3 at night - i dont want the laxative to further dehydrate him - he seems to ejoy the water as soon as he knows its water he laps it up - is there a danger of over hydrating him?

as for weight, he has never been a chunky monkey (i wish he were, but i can see why you saying he is thin) He is getting baby food with live feeders to fatten him up - out here we only get crickets and mealworms, on the rare occation we get dubias and silkworms. :roll:

I have this idea stuck in my head that he is lonely, so i will be trying to persuade my mom to let me put him in the lounge so he can see all the comings and goings - even if just for a week to see how he reacts.
All my friends tell me to get him a friend - they dont understand that it would end in disaster, even after i explain a hundred times,

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I would personally move him to a more active part of the house. They normally don't like to be off in another room with no activity or noise at all, it is a little too quiet I believe. They do need some interaction!
Why would your mom be objecting to moving him there?
He could stand to gain a little bit of weight, sure. How many feeders does he eat, per week?

The hydration status would be the most important issue right now.

Tracie

 

[Fortunate]

She loves to entertain and she says "I can't entertain while reptiles are running around" but after your post its decided that dylan is going to the lounge or TV room today. I don't care what she says. Its my babys health in jepodry here.

Right now he is eating 2 a week - that's why I'm so concerned, he usually eats around 30 to 40 before he turns away.
I am trying really hard to get him hydrated and its working but slowly.
Sometimes I feel like a bad mommy even though I know I am trying all I can for him.

Should I suppliment his diet with some baby food to try and boost his weight gain?

 

[Fortunate]

Hi guys!

Ok moved Dylan to the dining room/ lounge (its an open plan and he can see the front door, lounge and dining room as well as the stairs) the 2nd day he was there he came out of hiding, and has been more visable - still not eating tho and i have offered every yummy i can think of!
He had a huge poop yesterday and the urate was still very hard - i know he is not getting much calcium or vit coz he is hardly eating, could this be it? i am still giving him water twice a day so he cant still be dehydrated can he?

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

It could be relocation stress with the dehydration. Sorry if I missed something, but how are you rehydrating him?

 

[Fortunate]

i was just syniging 6ml of water into his mouth (3 in the morning and 3 at night) but now i am giving him baths - i stopped baths for a while coz when i tried (when he got back) he ducked his whole head under the water - it scared me to death!
I am now supporting him on a facecloth in the bath and that works to some extent - Dylan has never been a fan of water but he has no choice until he is fully hydrated again!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is he liking his new area though, overall? Is he basking more?
Have his urates softened up anymore yet? Poor guy some dragons just don't like baths for some reason.
He probably has a little bit of relocation stress also from moving him. He should start to pick back up on his eating, soon.

Tracie

 

[Fortunate]

he is not basking but he doesnt spend his time under his hide all the time either, he moves around and lays under his hammock most the time, so that in itself is a new improvement, he looks up when there is a noise or if someone walks past, so im really glad about that!

He has not had a poo since the last time i posted about the hard urate so i am not sure.
I managed to bath him without trauma last night, i held him in the water until he relaxed then slowly slip my hand out from under him and he was fine for about 5 mins, huge relief on my part! he drank alot of water from the bath so i didnt syringe the water in last night or this morning as i am going to try bath him again today (hoping not to push my luck with him)

He looks up when i place salad in his viv and goes to look but then walks away, so the intrest is returning i guess, he still closes his eyes when i try give him live feeders.

 

[draco1985]

My beardie is behaving in a similar way. She has been for while now. She wont touch her veg, lies under or in one of her logs. She has been to vet and has coccidia and is now on meds for it. She only eats two to three roachs every second day. Sometimes she doesnt eat them at all. I have just moved her to the other side of the livingroom as she was next to the budgies. I thought this may help a little. So fingers crossed she perks up a bit soon. I would like to know how ur little one does so please keep me updated ans i shall do the same.
Oh and i moved to germany in november 2012. She hasnt been herself since. It is driving me round the bend as i have tried everything too.

 

[draco1985]

I have just had a thought. The water in germany is alot harder than the water in scotland. Do you think this could affect my Beardie? x