Juvenile Bearded Dragon Eating Less

[Maleficent27]

Hey guys. I feel like lately my beardie has been a little more difficult to care for than she ever was before and it's been stressful.

A few weeks ago my girl got an injury on the tip of her tail. I managed to get it healed up very nicely thanks to the advice of some people on here. Now you wouldn't even be able to tell she was ever hurt. She just finished shedding 2 days ago and has grown another half inch in the last 2 weeks. She is 8.5 months old now and 15.5 inches long.
I think the lack of appetite started this past Tuesday or Wednesday. It was like overnight she went from being a pretty good eater to not eating much at all. In an entire day, I can only get her to eat maybe 2-4 medium crickets, 1 medium hornworm, and a few pieces of salad. For scale, this is about a third of what she normally eats. I have offered her superworms (which she normally likes) but she doesn't want those either. What little she does eat has to be handfed to her or she won't touch it. I try feeding her probably about 6-8 times a day but she just gets up and turns away so her butt is facing me.
She is still just as active as she's always been. She poops every other day on schedule. She doesn't have any stress marks and isn't behaving like she's upset. Her temperatures and lighting are all good. She just won't really eat much and I'm at a loss. She is kind of reminding me of a picky toddler or a dramatic teenager at the moment.
I realize that the recent injury or even the shedding could be what is throwing off her appetite but it's just so unlike her it has me a little concerned. Any advice?

 

[KarrieRee]

Hey guys. I feel like lately my beardie has been a little more difficult to care for than she ever was before and it's been stressful.

A few weeks ago my girl got an injury on the tip of her tail. I managed to get it healed up very nicely thanks to the advice of some people on here. Now you wouldn't even be able to tell she was ever hurt. She just finished shedding 2 days ago and has grown another half inch in the last 2 weeks. She is 8.5 months old now and 15.5 inches long.
I think the lack of appetite started this past Tuesday or Wednesday. It was like overnight she went from being a pretty good eater to not eating much at all. In an entire day, I can only get her to eat maybe 2-4 medium crickets, 1 medium hornworm, and a few pieces of salad. For scale, this is about a third of what she normally eats. I have offered her superworms (which she normally likes) but she doesn't want those either. What little she does eat has to be handfed to her or she won't touch it. I try feeding her probably about 6-8 times a day but she just gets up and turns away so her butt is facing me.
She is still just as active as she's always been. She poops every other day on schedule. She doesn't have any stress marks and isn't behaving like she's upset. Her temperatures and lighting are all good. She just won't really eat much and I'm at a loss. She is kind of reminding me of a picky toddler or a dramatic teenager at the moment.
I realize that the recent injury or even the shedding could be what is throwing off her appetite but it's just so unlike her it has me a little concerned. Any advice?

Did we go over the lighting w/ you for your tank? Its possible its the weather -- it has been so hot sometimes they wont eat -- shes eating so that is good - its when they stop eating all together we get concerned -- and shes pooping and basking? Let her do her thing keep offering her food -- shedding will cause / can appetite loss --

 

[Maleficent27]

Did we go over the lighting w/ you for your tank? Its possible its the weather -- it has been so hot sometimes they wont eat -- shes eating so that is good - its when they stop eating all together we get concerned -- and shes pooping and basking? Let her do her thing keep offering her food -- shedding will cause / can appetite loss --

update she woke up this morning and ate absolutely everything so I guess I worried for nothing. She's totally fine now. I had no idea having a lizard would cause me to stress over every little thing. I dont think I could handle having an actual child, my beardie is more than enough lol. Thank you for your response though.

 

[Rocky2022]

update she woke up this morning and ate absolutely everything so I guess I worried for nothing. She's totally fine now. I had no idea having a lizard would cause me to stress over every little thing. I dont think I could handle having an actual child, my beardie is more than enough lol. Thank you for your response though.

You sound like me- trust me, this wont be your last post of a similar nature. As you see, support is readily available. When you don't know, you don't know and having reassurance/support is so helpful during these times. As a first time beardie parent, I never had a pet that didn't bark, chirp, etc so you have no choice but to pay attention and have patience so "overreacting" is normal until you learn about lizards THEN you have to learn the behavior of YOUR LIZARD. As you take this journey, you'll quickly see that it is soooooooooooo worth it!
My beardie is 5 months, I've had her for over 1 month and my life has turned upside down. It's a true commitment if you care -
I wouldn't change it for the world!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great to hear she finally ended up eating something. They can definitely become picky, or
just not hungry from time to time. Shedding as you had suggested can cause marked decrease of
appetite, too. Has she finished shedding or still in the process right now?
They will absolutely cause stress beyond belief at times. I do think they love to be the center of
attention though, but, we love them anyway!
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie