My beardie is deathly sick

[Mavthebeast]

My beardie is sick and I don't know what to do. I've had him for 2 years. We had him on sand until 6months ago. Now we have him on these little green pellets. Money has been hard for me so I can't always get him food. Now he won't move and he just sits all day with his eyes closed. Please help me. The temps are 90ish degrees fairenheit and I have a 10.00 bulb uvb. Help me

 

[Chanza]

Feeding him pellets is not the best idea. He needs to be provided with an insect feeder that comes from a good company to make sure the feeder is bacteria free. If it is costing you a little much, shopping around to look for deals or bargains may be a good idea. You can also buy them in bulk for cheap so you won't have to worry about stocking up regularly. Is he given calcium supplements? He is could be suffering from lack of nutrition or compaction from the sand you gave him earlier.

Considering he is sick, you should probably raise the tempature to about 100 degrees.

 

[Reptilelady]

Awe, I'm sorry your beardie is feeling sick. How long has he been acting this way? You have a 10.0 linear bulb?

 

[Permutation]

He could be in brumation (hibernation). I certainly can't say that for sure without more information on his set up and seeing him. Could you post a picture of him and your tank. I would think you would have seen any harm from the sand before now being that its been 6 months. I don't know what these pellets are and am curious . Do you know exactly what bulb you are using?

You can raise his temps up, some like it hotter. Have you seen him brumate yet? It can be scary at first.

 

[Reptilelady]

Like Chanza said, feeding pellets are not exactly the best for beardies. Its a huge markup scam to get people buy but it really does not benefit and ends up costing you with more problems down the road. Since he is older beardie he should be consuming more veggies/salads. Offer a variety like collard greens, dandelion greens, etc. Check out this link:
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

You can easily go to a cheap grocery stores to find these items.

 

[Gormagon]

I think she means that his substrate are green pellets.

 

[Permutation]

I think she means that his substrate are green pellets.

Ya I was confused by that

 

[Chanza]

Oh ok, but do make sure he is eating everyday. As Reptilelady said, provide him with more greens than bugs and make sure they contain plenty of vitamins (but don't overdose him) and dust his feeders. Also, as said by permutation he could be brumating.

 

[Mavthebeast]

Not feeding him pellets that's his ground later or whatever you call it. I feed him superworms and occasionally crickets and greens with calcium poweer

 

[Mavthebeast]

He won't eat but I put him in a bath and he drank.

 

[Chanza]

He is probably brumating. Sorry for the confusion earlier about the pellets! I must of sounded so rude. Is this behaviour only just recent?

 

[Gormagon]

Not feeding him pellets that's his ground later or whatever you call it. I feed him superworms and occasionally crickets and greens with calcium poweer

Has he eaten any of the pellets? They are not a good substrate for dragons contrary to some who say it is. If ingested can cause problems.

 

[Reptilelady]

Whoops. Sorry about that pellet confusion. I would remove the substrate and stick to these:

Reptile Carpet (cautious though: nails can get snagged with the tiny fabric)
Newspaper / Paper towels
Ceramic tiles

Also, like everyone else mentioned it might be brumation since he is older. Does your beardie have a cave hide or anything?

Bearded Dragon Brumation
Brumation is a naturally occurring hibernation cycle that bearded dragons go through. Bearded dragons will go through a brumation stage in the winter or fall in response to the change in lighting or temperatures. Some bearded dragon owners will try to force or prevent brumation by manually adjusting the temperatures and lighting of their dragons cage, however it is recommended to let your bearded dragon do what comes naturally.

Each bearded dragon is different during the brumation period. Some dragons will take very long naps off and on for the entire cycle, while other dragons will sleep without waking for the entire cycle. The brumation period also varies based on the dragon. Some bearded dragons don't go through brumation at all, others will only have a brumation period for a week, and some will be in brumation for several months.

During the brumation cycle your bearded dragon will become less active and will sleep for much longer periods of time. Your bearded dragon may also have a decreased appetite or stop eating all together. This is natural and your bearded dragon should not lose any weight even without eating for the duration of the brumation period if he/she is healthy. Normally bearded dragons will only lose weight during brumation if they have parasites , so it's generally a good idea to have your dragon tested for parasites when you suspect they are about to enter a brumation cycle. Some owners will weigh their dragon before and during the brumation period to make sure they do not lose weight, but this is unnecessary unless you suspect your beardie has parasites.

Some owners will turn the lights off during brumation and will stop feeding their bearded dragon until the brumation cycle ends. However, since every bearded dragon is different it's recommended to keep the cage lights on for the same cycle throughout the brumation period and to continue feeding the bearded dragon. Many bearded dragons will wake up occasionally during the brumation period and will eat and/or bask in their basking light . To do this, simply keep a bit of fresh food in their cage and monitor if it's been eaten or not.

Most owners will wake their bearded dragon for bathing and to make sure they eat. However, doing this can cause the brumation cycle to increase. For example, waking your bearded dragon every week can extend a 2 month brumation cycle to 3+ months as opposed to leaving your beardie undisturbed.


Source: http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded-dragon-health.php

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Just to be sure, let's review your tank setup for him, so we can double check his setup.
What type & brand of UVB lighting are you using & how old is it?
Do you use any type of supplementation for him?
Do you have any pictures of him you could post for us along with your setup too?


Tracie

 

[Gormagon]

Yes, could be burmation but, it could be something else. Burmation is dangerous for an ill dragon. I think it would be wise to err on the side of caution and, make sure there is not some other issue here before jumping on the burmation band wagon. They are tough little creatures but, delicate at the same time.