Insufficient Care

[AragonsDad]

So i have had my bearded dragon for about two months now and ive been so happy with him. He ate properly (greens daily, crickets every other day unless he found the cricket box and was trying to eat them from outside the box). I pout him to bask after every time he ate, made sure he was getting 10-12 hrs of sleep, bathing once a week. Recently, his appetite has dropped drastically. It has been three days without food other than today. He hasnt been eating any greens for a week, almost two. I am becoming very concerned with him because he head pods have been shrinking and i woke up one day with them flat. I have bathed him daily for 4 days attempting to raise them but it is barely working. He is pooping a little amount and he starts a poop in his age but will only finish the poop if he is water (assuming bc he becomes more relaxed). It seems like he has had trouble pooping within the past two weeks. He really seems to force or push it out. 5 days ago he pooped a very large amount. he pushed for 30-45 seconds and produced a 2x2 space of poop. Today was the most he has eaten with about 13-15 crickets. He used to be very active with his hunting of crickets but when i take him out to actually hunt them, he either looks at them and does nothing or just runs and tries to sleep. Im becoming very worried because he is my first lizard and i made sure to do extensive research before buying one. I will answer any questions regarding my setup or him in general, thank you.

 

[CooperDragon]

What kind of UVB light do you have? How far is it over the basking area? What are the surface temperatures across the tank? When there is a decrease in appetite or lethargic behavior like this is can often be caused by an issue with the lighting as that has a direct effect on their digestion as well as overall health. If you can post details about the setup and perhaps post some photos it would be helpful to determine if this is possibly causing a problem.

 

[Gormagon]

Can you tell us how old your little buddy is? This will help as well.
But, it does sound like a lighting issue.

 

[AragonsDad]

reptisun 10.0 uvb 13w
6 or 7 inches
i only have one temperature gauge to the right of his basking spot
Aragon is supposedly a year old. I bought him from a local pet shop (2 months ago) they said he was around one so i assumed he was probably 10 or 11 months so im just gonna say he turns one this month.
i have him in a 40 gallon tank with little inside it. I do not have a lot of money to spend on lights and bulbs but i will basically scrape up whatever i can get to help him.

 

[CooperDragon]

I think lighting is the issue for sure. The 13w isn't adequate for a bearded dragon, especially not in a 40g tank. The most important thing to budget for is an upgraded UVB light. Go for a 22'' T5 tube which will fit that tank nicely. You can set it right on top. They aren't cheap but they last for quite a long time so they are a good long term investment (along with providing excellent UVB levels). I use this one and it has been going strong for several years now http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

Checking the surface temps is also pretty important so you have a safe and healthy gradient set up across the tank. I'd consider the UVB light replacement priority but getting an accurate temp reading is not too expensive. I would double check surface temps using an IR temp gun like this one https://www.amazon.com/Nubee-Temperature-Non-contact-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00CVHIJDK or a digital thermometer with a probe like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017N8W90/ (I'd get two so you can set one on the basking site and one on the cool side to get a gradient reading. The probes should stay put.)

I think once you have the lighting sorted out then you will see a big difference. Also, at only 6-7 inches nose to tail he is probably much younger than a year. Likely only a couple few months old. Still pretty little.

 

[AragonsDad]

I think lighting is the issue for sure. The 13w isn't adequate for a bearded dragon, especially not in a 40g tank. The most important thing to budget for is an upgraded UVB light. Go for a 22'' T5 tube which will fit that tank nicely. You can set it right on top. They aren't cheap but they last for quite a long time so they are a good long term investment (along with providing excellent UVB levels). I use this one and it has been going strong for several years now http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

Checking the surface temps is also pretty important so you have a safe and healthy gradient set up across the tank. I'd consider the UVB light replacement priority but getting an accurate temp reading is not too expensive. I would double check surface temps using an IR temp gun like this one https://www.amazon.com/Nubee-Temperature-Non-contact-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B00CVHIJDK or a digital thermometer with a probe like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017N8W90/ (I'd get two so you can set one on the basking site and one on the cool side to get a gradient reading. The probes should stay put.)

I think once you have the lighting sorted out then you will see a big difference. Also, at only 6-7 inches nose to tail he is probably much younger than a year. Likely only a couple few months old. Still pretty little.

I will start saving for those. thank you for the resources! but no i mean the distance between the light and him is 6-7 inches. he is 13 and a half inches long but he does have a snipped tail. idk from what but he looks like a little ankylosaurus