My beardie isn't eating at all

[maddylemon]

Hi everyone,
My beardie, Harry, never had an amazing appetite. He is picky and usually eats small amounts a couple times a day. But for the last 5 days, he hasn't eaten at all. He won't touch any of his favorite foods. He went in for a vet check and he has no parasites. I am not sure what to do. I am getting a bit concerned.
Thank you!!

 

[Mellowmalt]

what did the vet say?

I'll just go through the usual checklist which might be all you can do.

1. when was last time he went for poo
2. is there subrate in his enclosure.
3. Have you checked temps are ok in his viv
4. Is he getting uvb light from a new bulb
5. are you dusting food with calcium powder

Otherwise 5 days is too soon to worry imo. He will survive another couple of weeks without food no problem but obviously if he hasn't eaten by then there might be a problem. I mention the substrate because that seems to be a big beginners mistake leading to beardies eating the stuff and getting a blocked stomach.

Have you tried locusts? Mine can't resist them.

He might just be going through a shed. But I would expect the vet would have better answers than me. Hope he eats again soon.

 

[maddylemon]

The vet said he was being picky. But honestly, he was really busy and didn't really seem too involved in the checkup.

1. He pooed this past Tuesday, November 21. It was really small but looked pretty normal.
2. He is on reptile carpet and has been since I got him over three months ago.
3. His temps are all in the normal ranges.
4. He has a brand new ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube
5. I dust his food with calcium, except his hornworms, 6 days a week

I am starting to think it might be relocation stress, my boyfriend and I had been traveling for the holidays. But in past travels he has always been fine.

 

[Mellowmalt]

yeah they get stressed easily.

Like said mine really cannot resist locusts, if it weren't for them my guy would be far pickier than yours but mine has just taken his long anticipated poo which is good news here.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, if he's a sub adult or adult it is perfectly normal. At least half, if not more of them go in to a slow down phase or brumation. Nothing to worry about, I've had 20+ years of sleepy or brumating dragons this time of year.

 

[maddylemon]

Hi there, if he's a sub adult or adult it is perfectly normal. At least half, if not more of them go in to a slow down phase or brumation. Nothing to worry about, I've had 20+ years of sleepy or brumating dragons this time of year.

he has been slowing down for the winter, but he would still eat, even if it was only a little. However, now he isn't eating anything or even showing any interest in it, and it just stopped suddenly

 

[EllenD]

Can you please post a photo of him, and then also of his entire setup including his lighting? This can help us to see if maybe something else is going on, and we're not prematurely just writing it off as being "brumation" or "slowing down", as it's only been 5 days, so it's too early to really tell anything just based on the time period.

Also, do you know how old he is? How long have you had him? And what are his Basking Spot Surface Temperature, Hot Side Ambient (air) Temperature, and Cool Side Ambient (air) Temperature? What type of thermometer do you use to take his enclosure temps?

 

[maddylemon]

Well i know he is slowing down cause he has, it was just the abruptness of him not eating that put me off.
I cant post a picture of his whole enclosure right now cause I'm not at my house. ill post one of him though. it's about half the tank anyways

He has a ReptiSun 10.0 on top of his cage along with a 90w halogen for his heat and a 100w CHE for night time.
His basking spot temperature is anywhere from 100-108F. He moves around on it during the day. The ambient temp on that side is around 90 and the ambient on the cool side can range from 85-80. He never really goes over there anyway. Usually, when he is hot he wants to be taken out of the tank. I use a probe thermometer to check everything and also have the stick on thermometers just to gauge ambient temps, but I do not rely on them.

He is 10 months old, he will be 1 in January. I have had him since late July of this year.

Oh also if it is any help to mention this, Harry does have MBD. the only deformities he still has is that he sometimes walks on his front wrists, but this is only occasionally now.
Here are some pictures of him

 

[AHBD]

Is the Reptsun a t5 or a t8 ? [ The t5 is preferable, it's much stronger. It will say on the side of the bulb what it is. The t5 is also identifiable because it's a very thin tube ] The t5 is O.K. on the screen as long as it's within 9-10-" of where the dragon basks, but the t8 should be mounted inside. Here's how you can fasten it, I used long twisties through the screen. You need the uvb to be close enough for him to benefit, esp. since he has MBD. Did he have it before you got him ?

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30028/full

For now you can still get calcium powder in him by mixing it in with a bit of raw honey + warm water . Most beardies love the raw honey + will lick it right up.

 

[maddylemon]

Yes, he had MBD before I got him, he didn't have a UVB light at all at the store. He has gotten a lot better since I got him. I have a T5 bulb, I want to mount it on the inside but I am a bit tight on money right now, and none of the stores around here have the right fixture for the bulbs I can use. The fixture I have uses two bulbs so he has two T5s in there currently.

My boyfriend has been feeding him organic baby food and giving him his liquid calcium.

 

[maddylemon]

I probably should also mention that he doesn't bask as much as he used too. He will go there in the morning to warm up and then will spend the day next to his basking light but underneath his hammock. He doesn't appear to be sleeping fully, just kinda laying there and chilling out. He will bask after I take him out but then once he is warmed up he will go right back to that spot and stay there.
That is why I was thinking brumation, but not a full one. He is still active when he is out with me and when we go on trips to the pet store and such. He is alert and has not lost any weight.

 

[AHBD]

So you have 2 Reptisun 10.0 t5's on top of the tank ? Can you post pics of it and the screen it's sitting on, just to show the type of screen and how far he is from the bulbs ?

His weight looks good and the fact that he gets baby food mixed with calcium powder is good as well.

 

[maddylemon]

So you have 2 Reptisun 10.0 t5's on top of the tank ? Can you post pics of it and the screen it's sitting on, just to show the type of screen and how far he is from the bulbs ?

His weight looks good and the fact that he gets baby food mixed with calcium powder is good as well.

I cant get pictures right now, cause I am at school this week, but he is about 8-10inches away from the light. He has a Zilla Critter Cage 40 gallon breeder and it sits on the screen that came with it.

If this is brumation should I keep the lights on or see if he will sleep and turn them off. He always looks angry and annoyed with the lights on but he isn't actually sleeping or fully hiding from the light. He does have a hide, but he just sits in the "shade" from the hammock. I am probably just freaking out and getting all nervous cause he is my first and I have yet to deal with winter and a beardie.

 

[maddylemon]

OKAY!! harry is eating now, but i probably have the pickiest lizard on the entire planet.
He is currently only accepting super worms. But here is where it gets funny, he is only eating ones of a specific size, they have to be COMPLETELY coated with his calcium powder, and they have to be crawling in his direction. As my boyfriend says it is almost as if he is only utilizing enough energy to get the most amount of food in a short time. if they do not meet his expectations he will literally give us the WORST stink eye I have ever seen him give, and he is an expert at those haha

 

[AHBD]

That's good, superworms aren't the best staple but since he's started eating again and they are calcium coated that will make them more nutritious. Just don't feed more than 4-5 at a time. By the way, is your uvb lighting fixture also a Zilla ? If it is, check to be sure that there is no plastic shield covering the uvb bulb. Most people realize it + take it off, but just in case.