lethargic, hiding all day, not eating greens

[lynchy217]

So, the past week or so my beardie has not been basking at all she either hides under her rock or on the cool side of her tank. She also has seemed to stop eating greens. if i throw a few crickets or roaches in there, she is all over them, but i cant get her to eat any fruits or vegetables for the life of me! she is about 8 months old and is a good weight, although she does seem to be thinning out since this behavior started. Any idea what this could be or how to handle it? I love this girl so much and shes never had a problem with eating before! so terrifying! although, she does seem a lot more active when i take her out of her cage.

Tank info:
20 gallon long (getting a 40 gal really soon)
Lights: 1 reptisun 10.0 (although this should be replaced soon) and a 100w inc for the basking spot
Substrate: Reptile carpet (the good kind)
Temps: Basking spot - ~100f... Cool side - 74f... warm side - 87f
Eats greens(usually) and gets many different kinds of insects to keep things interesting

 

[lynchy217]

also, while she is more active when i take her out, she does not run around as much as she used to...i dont know

 

[Luthien]

Has she been going to the washroom?
Check her belly, do you feel a lump or anything hard other then ribs?

If she hasn't been using the washroom try giving her a bath. Fill up a sink or bathtub with enough water that it reaches her armpits and let her soak for awhile, massage her belly while she's in the water and hopefully she will go.

Don't worry so much about her not eating the greens or veggies, some beardies go through stages like that. My beardie would only eat the protein for a few months when he was around that age as well. She could also be going into brumation.

Let me know if this helps!

 

[greathouseFarm]

Ahh sounds like she is brumating. Not to worry. She will probably eat very little and may sleep a lot. But since she is only 8 mos I don't recommend reducing her daylight hours as she could use whatever nourishment she will take in naturally. Just be sure to bath her to keep her hydrated and let her do her thing! Best part of brumation time is you can save some money and food and put towards getting new lights and stuff

 

[lynchy217]

I checked her belly, and there does seem to be a lump over on the left side towards the back, but its kind of long and skinny, so im not sure if its just an organ or muscle or something. Should i take her to the vet? she has been pooping, but rather irregularly, and I just gave her a bath... nothing. Ill try again tonight when i get home, I hope shes ok I cant really afford a vet bill right now (i mean i can squeeze it if neccessary, but im a college student and money is sort of tight) she seems much more energetic after bathing, so i think i may just keep bathing her, i dont know what do you guys think?

Also, as far as brumation goes, i thought 8 months was a little too young to brumate (not sure where i read that) and i just kind of want to be cautious rather than lose my dragon, you know? I was thikning the brumation thing too, but better to ask especially since shes kind of young. a friend of mine had a younger dragon go through a brumation-like thing when she was young too.

Any more feedback would be great. if you guys think a vet visit is necessary, I can do that, although i am not sure which ones in my area are any good with reptiles (those can be tricky to find sometimes)

Thanks guys!

 

[Luthien]

If she's still pooping now and then and still eating now and then I don't think it's impaction and I doubt she needs a vet.

All of the signs your tell me sounds like brumation. Any age dragon can go through brumation, it's how they survive in the cooler months in the wild. The babies will slow down and sleep with their parents so being young doesn't change that.

If I were you and she's still eating I would make sure to give her a bath every 3-4 days, if she's not eating that much and mainly just sleeping once a week would be fine since she won't have that much in her system anyway.

 

[Luthien]

Oh also how hot is her tank? Some beardies will hide if their lights are too hot.

Just make sure the cool side is 60-70F and the basking spot is 100-110F

 

[greathouseFarm]

Luthien...

When you said the "The babies will slow down and sleep with their parents so being young doesn't change that. "


Did you mean bearded dragons? Bearded dragons do not recognize their young and will have them for lunch.

Also the cool side should be 85 degrees - 60 is way too cold.

The idea here would be to try and convince her that it's not winter and she should stay awake. Keep her warm and keep her hydrated but don't worry too much about how much she eats. Brumation is not the same as hibernation in that they do not go to sleep completely.

 

[Luthien]

Luthien...

When you said the "The babies will slow down and sleep with their parents so being young doesn't change that. "


Did you mean bearded dragons? Bearded dragons do not recognize their young and will have them for lunch.

Also the cool side should be 85 degrees - 60 is way too cold.

The idea here would be to try and convince her that it's not winter and she should stay awake. Keep her warm and keep her hydrated but don't worry too much about how much she eats. Brumation is not the same as hibernation in that they do not go to sleep completely.

Yes I know that Bearded Dragons don't recognize their young so the young are on their own from day one but even young Bearded Dragons will go into brumation to protect themselves.

85 degrees is pretty hot to be the cool side for a beardie, normal temps for the cool side are usually as close to 70-75F as you can get them. 60F is good for at night though.

Brumation won't hurt them so you should never try and wake them up out of it, it's their own way of adapting to seasonal changes just like we change our clothing from shorts to winter jackets.

 

[lynchy217]

ok awesome guys! thanks for the tips, I will chill for now, and keep an eye on her habbits. I should be just letting her do her thing right? as in leave the tank the way its been (other than turn the lamp up a little to account for my room getting a little cooler), but no need to disrupt the natural order of things i figure...right?

 

[Luthien]

Could you get a pic of your vivarium so I can check if everything is good?

Other then that yes just keep an eye on her and let her do her thing. Just make sure she keeps eating and pooping even if it is only a little bit now and then and keep giving her baths weekly

 

[greathouseFarm]

OMG I'm silly I thought you meant they sleep "with" their parents. I guess you meant during the same time. Well in captivity we tend to get their schedules a bit out of whack. So yes you should try and keep her in Summer mode through this winter. Than next winter you can actually dial down her daylight hours and reduce her temps some so she can sleep.

As for standard Summer temps for bearded dragons your cool side should be around 80-85 degrees. You can check my facts against the rest of the forum members. If you were trying to force brumation in a healthy adult you would drop your overall temps down to 70. Anything below 70 is not advised.

I would also stick to easily digestible foods in the colder times like soft bodied worms (Reptiworms or Phoenix) and veggies.

Brumation is probably the most scary thing in October! When our beardies aren't eating it's hard not to worry.

 

[Luthien]

Agree brumation is a very scary time, no matter how many times you go through it with your dragon. You always worry about them :mrgreen:

All Beardies are different with food, temps, attitude. I would play with the temps a bit and see what she likes the best. I know my beardie likes it a bit cooler. His cool side is constantly at 73F and his basking spot is 100F, anything above those temps and he hides in the shade all day.

ooo nope didn't mean they brumate with their parents just at the same time

 

[GlueStick]

...

Also, as far as brumation goes, i thought 8 months was a little too young to brumate (not sure where i read that) and i just kind of want to be cautious rather than lose my dragon, you know? I was thikning the brumation thing too, but better to ask especially since shes kind of young. a friend of mine had a younger dragon go through a brumation-like thing when she was young too.

Any more feedback would be great. if you guys think a vet visit is necessary, I can do that, although i am not sure which ones in my area are any good with reptiles (those can be tricky to find sometimes)

Thanks guys!

Just wanted you to have the comfort in knowing that my male started brumating around 8-9 months of age also - he usually starts around late September into early February and its like clockwork every year since his 8 months in age (he will be 4 years old in December). In contrast, my female does NOT brumate and never has (she is 3 years old).

Your title "lethargic, hiding all day, not eating greens" sums it all! And it is certainly frustrating. I would suggest leaving the set up you have on because no matter what you do, some beardies just have an internal clock to tell them otherwise. Just make sure her bowels are empty - wouldn't want old food chillen in her digestive tract for the amount of time she may spend sleeping and moping around.