Is my dragon saying goodbye?

[neverwhere10]

So I have/had two dragons, this is our story:

The first dragon I got was a baby male captive-bred and I had it for around 1 year or so before someone asked me to take on their adult female beardy because they were moving. She was a lone captive-bred beardy around 6-7 years old.

I kept them apart at first and let them interact on the floor once in a while until they became friendly.
I then moved them in to a large cage together. They seemed to love it. The younger male was very cuddly and the older female was accepting but let him know when he was too much.
They never mated, or looked liked they tried. When that time came around she was very assertive with a NO to his advances and he submitted without a fight.
They got along for 3 years before my younger male beardy died from unknown causes. I just found him straight and stiff one morning during feeding.

Since that day, the older female beardy, about 10-11 years old now, has refused to eat anything. Usually she loved her greens and the occasional worms but now closes her eyes to anything I offer her. She won't eat things I leave in her cage either. She won't drink and has a large in-set water dish she used to bathe and drink in.
She chooses her cold side of the cage and just sits under her hide constantly. Unless I pick her up and give her some loves. I set her back down on the hot side and she moves back to the cold side again.
The hot side basking spot is 90-95f, the cold side 70-75f... nothing out of their usual.

I have tried picking her up and holding her a few times a week to try and get her to interact but she still refuses to interact or eat. She does not respond to our normal interactions. She closes her eyes to food and keeps her head raised like she's just wants to ignore me and sleep to death. I know depression, and this kills me.
This is all far from her normal brumation behavior, plus it's the middle of a hot summer. I feel like the younger male beardy's death triggered her in to her end-of-life process.

Since the younger male beardy has passed she seems to have given up on life and only wants to sit until she expires. She doesn't even seem to like typical petting/stroking. She has lost enough weight that the surrounding spiky area around her torso is flappy and a few mm's thick of loose skin.
She has finally had a bowel movement two days ago that I witnessed, it was wet and healthy looking so I'm not worried about her hydration or food.

........

Is my beardy saying GoodBye?


Thank You.

 

[RangoRocky]

I would continue to leave food in her enclosures. Have you tried hand feeding her or with a syringe? Will she lick? Try baby food, unsweetened apple sauce or critical care. Have you tried taking/leaving her out? Mines love laying in my blanket. Does she like laying on you?

 

[KarrieRee]

So I have/had two dragons, this is our story:

The first dragon I got was a baby male captive-bred and I had it for around 1 year or so before someone asked me to take on their adult female beardy because they were moving. She was a lone captive-bred beardy around 6-7 years old.

I kept them apart at first and let them interact on the floor once in a while until they became friendly.
I then moved them in to a large cage together. They seemed to love it. The younger male was very cuddly and the older female was accepting but let him know when he was too much.
They never mated, or looked liked they tried. When that time came around she was very assertive with a NO to his advances and he submitted without a fight.
They got along for 3 years before my younger male beardy died from unknown causes. I just found him straight and stiff one morning during feeding.

Since that day, the older female beardy, about 10-11 years old now, has refused to eat anything. Usually she loved her greens and the occasional worms but now closes her eyes to anything I offer her. She won't eat things I leave in her cage either. She won't drink and has a large in-set water dish she used to bathe and drink in.
She chooses her cold side of the cage and just sits under her hide constantly. Unless I pick her up and give her some loves. I set her back down on the hot side and she moves back to the cold side again.
The hot side basking spot is 90-95f, the cold side 70-75f... nothing out of their usual.

I have tried picking her up and holding her a few times a week to try and get her to interact but she still refuses to interact or eat. She does not respond to our normal interactions. She closes her eyes to food and keeps her head raised like she's just wants to ignore me and sleep to death. I know depression, and this kills me.
This is all far from her normal brumation behavior, plus it's the middle of a hot summer. I feel like the younger male beardy's death triggered her in to her end-of-life process.

Since the younger male beardy has passed she seems to have given up on life and only wants to sit until she expires. She doesn't even seem to like typical petting/stroking. She has lost enough weight that the surrounding spiky area around her torso is flappy and a few mm's thick of loose skin.
She has finally had a bowel movement two days ago that I witnessed, it was wet and healthy looking so I'm not worried about her hydration or food.

........

Is my beardy saying GoodBye?


Thank You.

Please go over the tank husbandry--- all your temps and how your taking them and your UVB -- coil or a long tube fixture and the screen fine mesh or wide hole and where is the UVB?

 

[xp29]

I would definitely get the critical care and syringe feed her. I lost my female in april, kindda the same, she was fine before i went to work and dying when i got home. My male (they where the same age, we got them the same day, never housed together) very nearly grieved himself to death. His personality hasn't been the same since.
My advice is handle her as much as you have time, snuggle her before bed time and for a bit after she goes to sleep. We had another female, i moved her into chomps setup, that seemed to upset him. He got extremely aggressive towards her so i took her back out. I just refused to give up and kept him out as much as i could. He now seems like he has gotten passed her passing, but he is absolutely needy. He actually will climb out of his habitat and right up to my neck he NEVER did that before.
Don't give up on her and don't let her give up. Thats my advise.

 

[RangoRocky]

I would definitely get the critical care and syringe feed her. I lost my female in april, kindda the same, she was fine before i went to work and dying when i got home. My male (they where the same age, we got them the same day, never housed together) very nearly grieved himself to death. His personality hasn't been the same since.
My advice is handle her as much as you have time, snuggle her before bed time and for a bit after she goes to sleep. We had another female, i moved her into chomps setup, that seemed to upset him. He got extremely aggressive towards her so i took her back out. I just refused to give up and kept him out as much as i could. He now seems like he has gotten passed her passing, but he is absolutely needy. He actually will climb out of his habitat and right up to my neck he NEVER did that before.
Don't give up on her and don't let her give up. Thats my advise.

You were thinking like me thas y I was asking the things I did.

 

[AHBD]

Can you post a few pics of her ? They can get moody when something that was constant changes but she should get over this. She is old so that can also be a factor and the timing is a coincidence.

 

[neverwhere10]

Thank you for the responses, I'll try to answer all those questions in one post.

Feeding: I leave greens in her enclosure and try to hand feed her a leaf each time and worms once a week. She has never had a problem hand feeding or from a dish. I have not tried syringe feeding, I feel force feeding just seems wrong / against nature unless they were actually sick and couldn't eat. She will once every other week eat one leaf when I bump her nose with it, but nothing after that. She used to go nuts for worms but just closes her eyes at them now. And she does not lick at her food or show any interest, just closes her eyes and ignores it.

Tank: She has a coil combo hotspot and UVB light. I feel like I need to get a dedicated UVB tube light for the cold side of the tank since she spends all of her time over there now. I don't know how to size the mesh, but I would guess the holes are about 1x1mm squares. The lid is only meshed on the hot side, the cold side is solid. I have a temp probe a few inches from the bottom and I check surface temps with an infrared thermometer.

Interaction: She loves to lay on me for long periods with her eyes closed. If I let her down she will walk to somewhere she can hide under and lay there forever until I pick her up. I feel cuddles is the best I can do for her lately.

I don't know if I mentioned it or made it clear, but the male beardy died 3-4 months ago.

 

[xp29]

The coil type uvb are not good. A 24 inch ho t5 10.0 mounted inside would be much better. 10 to 15 inches above her. But that being said, if the coil is what you have always used that is likely not whats going on. I still think you should handle her as much as possible, thats what pulled my dragon through.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you for the responses, I'll try to answer all those questions in one post.

Feeding: I leave greens in her enclosure and try to hand feed her a leaf each time and worms once a week. She has never had a problem hand feeding or from a dish. I have not tried syringe feeding, I feel force feeding just seems wrong / against nature unless they were actually sick and couldn't eat. She will once every other week eat one leaf when I bump her nose with it, but nothing after that. She used to go nuts for worms but just closes her eyes at them now. And she does not lick at her food or show any interest, just closes her eyes and ignores it.

Tank: She has a coil combo hotspot and UVB light. I feel like I need to get a dedicated UVB tube light for the cold side of the tank since she spends all of her time over there now. I don't know how to size the mesh, but I would guess the holes are about 1x1mm squares. The lid is only meshed on the hot side, the cold side is solid. I have a temp probe a few inches from the bottom and I check surface temps with an infrared thermometer.

Interaction: She loves to lay on me for long periods with her eyes closed. If I let her down she will walk to somewhere she can hide under and lay there forever until I pick her up. I feel cuddles is the best I can do for her lately.

I don't know if I mentioned it or made it clear, but the male beardy died 3-4 months ago.

Please get rid of the coil uvb if that is what your using and get what was posted above they are one of the best a long w/ the Arcadia pro T 5 w/ a 12% bulb-- please do this as soon as possible -- why did the other dragon die?

 

[xp29]

I wouldn't force feed either, just put it on her snout and hopefully she will lap it off. If not you can pull her lip down and put a little outside her gums, once she taste it maybe she will start to lap it off her nose.

 

[RangoRocky]

Have you thought of/tried adding bee pollen to the greens?

 

[neverwhere10]

@KarrieRee As I mentioned before, the male died of unknown reasons. Seemed fine one day, dead the next. I will look in to lighting.
@xp29 I understand, might find something mushy and tasty to put in her lip/gums and see how she responds. And yes, I try and give her cuddles and attention as I feel it is the best thing I could do for a grieving animal.
@RangoRocky I have not, are dragons mad for bee pollen? Not even sure where'd I'd find that.

Thank you again for the responses.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, that is a rough change for her. This happens pretty frequently because they really don't like
change. As everyone has suggested, don't give up & try to spend a little more time with her, letting
her out of her tank more often.
Can you take her outside a few times per week, to help perk up her mood some?

Bless her, let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[RangoRocky]

@KarrieRee As I mentioned before, the male died of unknown reasons. Seemed fine one day, dead the next. I will look in to lighting.
@xp29 I understand, might find something mushy and tasty to put in her lip/gums and see how she responds. And yes, I try and give her cuddles and attention as I feel it is the best thing I could do for a grieving animal.
@RangoRocky I have not, are dragons mad for bee pollen? Not even sure where'd I'd find that.

Thank you again for the responses.

That was the only way I could get mines to eat greens and most beardies love it. But here is the bee pollen I use https://www.amazon.com/Alovitox-Superfood-Antioxidant-Vitamins-Friendly/dp/B084RTQ8HJ