My bearded dragon won't eat?

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Hi guys, I have a female bearded dragon, around 10 months old and for the first time ever she won't eat anything. She's never skipped a day of food and for some reason she watches the crickets but doesn't eat, I've tried everything, tried feeding 4 times and she won't even eat her veggies. She's alert and went to the bathroom this morning... Which was awful smelling..Her temperatures are fine at 100 degrees and I just gave her a 15 minute bath. She has been shedding so I'm not sure if this is a cause but it's not like her. Do bearded dragons skip meals sometimes or is this something I should be worried about, I'm freaking out a little. Also, no substrate is used, just reptile carpet. Thank you!
 

CooperDragon

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Sometimes they just don't have an appetite. Shedding can definitely cause some moodiness and odd behavior for a little while. The unusually smelly poop concerns me a bit. If that continues, I'd have a sample tested by the vet to see if there are any parasites.
 

cleopatra10

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Thank you so much. I'll be keeping a close eye on her, hopefully she will be back to her normal routine in no time! :blob5:
 
It's normal for them not to eat every day at that age.
Keep an eye on her weight with a digital scale and the size of her back thighs. Slight, consistent weight loss, especially in the fat reserves such as her back thighs, are a sign of parasites.
 

randtm

Member
Well, it can be normal this time of year for them to greatly slow down or stop eating as they start to brumate. BUT, in your case, I think there's a good chance there is more to it. We had the exact same pattern with our bearded years ago when we got it. About the same age, and the same TERRIBLE smell to their stool. I'd say there's a VERY good chance its coccidia. They just about all get it, as they came to you with it already in their system. It's like puppies having worms since they get them from their mother and have to be wormed.

Unfortunately, coccidia can be tough to get rid of. You'll need to not only have your bearded tested to confirm this is the problem, and to get a prescription, but you'll also have to clean everything they come in contact with and their viv thoroughly. There are only two ways to clean things to eliminate coccidia. First is heat, boiling or steam. Boil everything that can be boiled in water for a good while, like 30 minutes or more. Then, everything else needs to be cleaned exhaustively in ammonia. Bleach is useless against coccidia. You have to use ammonia.

As far as treating your dragon, there are two classes of drugs. Your vet may try to give you something like Albon or other sulfa based drug. Refuse it. Not only is it very hard on your dragon, but it is not completely effective against coccidia. The drug you want is Ponazuril. You may have a hard time finding it. If your vet doesn't carry it, get a prescription and contact Diamondback Drugs in Phoenix AZ who can compound it and send it to you.

The good news is that at least with ours, correctly following the above, we've never had another problem with coccidia after that first year. Best of luck!
 

cleopatra10

Member
Original Poster
thank you so much! she's eaten since then, but making a clicking/popping noise every so often. needless to say we've finally made a vet appt. for tomorrow to hopefully put my mind at ease or fix anything that could potentially be wrong. i'll keep the prescription in mind when i go, thanks again!!! :D
 
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