Is your dragon sleeping too much, not eating enough? READ ME

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Little Miss Po has had a smaller appetite over the past month or so - about 10 crix a day plus veggies. One thing has changed since I last posted on this thread - she is not eating ANYTHING. She is 18 inches long and we estimate her to be around 8 months old.

I'm not sure if weather is a factor. We also gave her a new vivarium a a little over a week ago. We expected her to not eat much while she got used to the new place, but now she has no interest in eating crickets or veggies. She will take the occasional mealworm. She hasn't pooped since her loss of appetite either.

Another interesting thing, she has not lost much weight. She is still fairly active once out of her tank (she loves exploring) but while in her tank its either basking or napping in her log.

Signs of brumation? Any cause for concern or time to call the vet?
 

fluffpuffgerbil

Juvie Member
IS it possible for my beardie to be brumating at 5 months? She could be older.... she is 13" long and was 8" and supposedly two months when I got her in August. I was just wondering because she's been scratching and tearing up her papers under her hide and making a little nest with them, so I put a cloth and some moss I got from the petstore under there and she seems to like it. She's stopped scratching for the moment.
But I want to know what age they start brumating because she also hasn't been eating as much.
 

Mark1998

Member
Yes, it is very possible. While the mainstream theory is that this doesn't usually happen until after they are a year old, there are lots of them, mine included, who are definitely bruminating, even though they aren't that old.

I had no idea why mine suddenly stopped eating and instead of spending a good portion of her day under the lamp, she was constantly curled up on the other side of the cage. This has been going on for over 6 weeks now and she seems perfectly happy and healthy. So every few days I put her in a bath, sit her on her sunning spot, and she eats a little (not all the time). Then it is back in the corner for a few more days.

I was very concerned at first, less so now.

Mark
 

fluffpuffgerbil

Juvie Member
Then that's probably why she's not as hungry and likes to sleep under her hide! :D And the weather here HAS gotten a lot colder, so that's probably it.
I'm just glad she isn't sick! Thanks for your answer!
 

Mark1998

Member
One thing, since your BD is pretty young (ours is about 8 months), I would make sure to take him/her out every few days, get them warmed up, and see if they will take some food. In the wild they get moisture from the ground while they are sleeping (mine doesn't actually sleep constantly, just sits there). That doesn't happen in most cages so a hydrating bath is a good idea.

Like I said, when it first happened I was very worried, now I have gotten used to it. I think that this behavior will somewhat stunt her growth because she is not eating a lot while still in her growing phase, but what can you do? She doesn't seem to be getting thinner, though I did buy her favorite food (hornworms) to see if I can get her to eat for awhile.
 

fluffpuffgerbil

Juvie Member
Well, she was basking this morning and ate some squash and apples but that's it. She doesn't seem to like crickets anymore. And she hasnt' pooed since saturday so I'm goign to buy her some baby food to get her to eat that and give her a bath later today to see if that helps. I also forcefed her some water and calcium mix because she isn't eating the crix which are dusted with it. :(Once she's 16 inches long I hope to feed her supers.
 

Mark1998

Member
I actually had gotten 500 crickets in the mail about 2 days before Felix decided to start being lazy. Talk about money wasted. Good luck!

BTW, mine's "output" has been greatly reduced because her "input" is so small. At first I was concerned she wasn't dropping a poo every day like clockwork (as she has always done), but now I am pretty sure it is just because she isn't eating as much.
 

fluffpuffgerbil

Juvie Member
Yay! I finally got Scout to eat some of her crix! She ate 28 out of the thirty I gave her! Makes me feel better knowing she's eating. :blob5: :blob8:
 

Screamin99

Juvie Member
Is it wrong to let lazlo sleep for a few days at a time (typically about a week or so) then grab him up and put him in a bath?

When I get him up I typically give him some food while he is in there. He won't eat on his own, I give him some applesauce and other food mixed together. Ill smash up some super worms and give him some calcium powder and multi vitamin. I have to mix it all together and then give it to him through a syringe. I have his light coming on from about 9:30 till about 8:30.. using this for heat mostly. He is still sleeping either under his bask (its a weird shaped log) or on top of it. I usually cover the front of his tank with a towel to keep light out and use a smaller hand towel to cover him with.

When I remove the towel from off the top of him he instantly opens his eyes. Im not totally sure he is burmating still? I know that all dragons are different, this is just the first time that he SHOULD be doing it.

Does anyone have any advice? I tried to make him a hide and he was not having any of it.. what should I be doing with him? Should I do anything differently? He seems to be retaining weight pretty well through out all of this (I have not weighed him) but by looking at him he seems to be in pretty good shape. I also will uncover him so that he can bask if he wants too for a few days after I force feed him so that way he can digest his food at his own pace, and once he goes I just cover him back up with the towel.


Feel free to PM me or w/e if anyone has advice for me.
 

brodie67

Member
My beardie has been sleeping for 2 weeks, I pick him up every now and then to make sure hes okay but he still does not eat. The last time he ate was a week and a half ago. Is this a bad thing?
 

Mark1998

Member
No, it sounds pretty normal for this time of year. The best advice I can give is to get him/her up every few days (at least weekly) and give them a bath so they don't get dehydrated. Keep an eye on their weight, but as you can see from the others in this discussion, your BD is acting like hundreds of others are.

Mark
 
Hey. Tad bit o help plz. Just got a juvenile beardie 2 days ago and she has only eaten one cricket. She is about 6" maybe shorter. She is sleeping quite a bit. I am hoping she is just .getting used to her home. A 40 gallon vs the 5 gallon she shared with 2 others at the pet store.

She can move walk and climb fine but she for the most part sits still accept to move to a new place to sleep. Tank sits at about 80 all the time even with just the night light.

Even trying to hand feed her she just closes her eyes and turns her head. And a few times even running from the crickets.

I have started spraying her because her tail is very light almost white, so likely to peel soon. When sprayed she perks up and drinks off her face or my hand. And this morning she drank a little water off her veggies and pellets. But will not drink from her dish.

Edit: She is 8" nose to tip of tail. Just got home from work she hasn't touched her greens and was more or less in the same spot I left her 9 hours ago. Got her to drink some water by misting and put her back sleeping on her basking spot. Night lights are on day are off. Will move her to other side so she doesn't get cold.
 
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