MY BEARDIE WON’T EAT

[Joshua11891]

Hi, i have a bearded dragon that i had rescued from a neighbor. I currently had him for a year and a half and have tried everything from vitamins appetite booster and calcium drops (directed by vet) and nothing has worked i check temps everyday and they are in the range they should be hes hydrated and i have uvb exposure and offer food everyday but he won’t eat and he is starting to lose weight and very malnourished. I went to the vet but they said to try all of that and try changing uvb lightbulb and i did but nothing seems to work and his health is decreasing... does anyone have any suggestions???? P.S. i have two other beardies that are perfectly healthy in great condition with big appetites but i can’t seem to find anything to help this one and i do the same thing i do with my other beardies.

 

[KarrieRee]

Tell us what your using for a UVB? Tube or coil? On top of screen or inside the tank? Basking temps how are you taking them? Lighting and basking temps are the most important thing in that tank
Karrie

 

[Joshua11891]

Using 10.0 uvb tube light hung inside the tank 6 inches away from him and basking temps are around 100 to 110 and ambient over all is low 90 high 80s and I’m using a thermometer gun with laser instructed by my vet.

 

[KarrieRee]

The UVB is a T 5 or a T 8? Distance is key here-- cool side of tank should be 80 --- nite time temps no lower than 65 --
Karrie

 

[Joshua11891]

It’s a t8 bulb and normally the cool side is lower 80s and ambient in between middle and hot side is around high 80s low 90s and the room they are in ambient temp doesn’t get lower than 65 like i said my other two beardies are healthy. Thats what worries me about what might be wrong with him

 

[KarrieRee]

The T 8 needs to be in the tank and approx 8-10 inches from his basking spot -- if this does not cure the not eating thing cuz everything else sounds good then something else is going on -- have you checked him for parasites? Are you feeding crickets? They are known to give parasites -- if his poops smell is enough to drive you from the room and is runny etc its possible he has parasites and that is enough reason for him not to eat
Karrie

 

[Joshua11891]

T8 is inside the cage and has been in right range and i feed him superworms and crickets and sometimes wax worms along with his veggies when he eats them but the vet also checked for parasites while there and they were negative. Idk whats wrong i was just hoping maybe someone knew had to help or had the same problem

 

[KarrieRee]

I am at a loss w/ him losing weight and the not eating tells me hes sick -- I will flag this post to the vet moderator and see what she thinks could be a possibility
Karrie

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, do you know how old the dragon is ? You mentioned that you've had him for over a year but is it possible that he's elderly ? Has he ever had a good appetite for you , and how much weight has he lost ? Post pics of him [ full body ] as well as his set up. Here's how to post pics :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

 

[Joshua11891]

 

[Joshua11891]

One is with cage one with just him. He might be a healthy weight right now but his colors have become more pale and he will not eat and just keeps on losing weight...

 

[Joshua11891]

This dragon is also no older than 5 my neighbor had gotten him about 1 and a half years before i took it and tried to safe it and he used to eat and was starting to gain weight but he just stopped and started losing weight

 

[AHBD]

Aw, he's a sweet looking boy. Has anything at all changed in the room ? He's seeing the other dragons ? As for his size it's not bad right now but you do want him to eat of course. How long has he not eaten ? Have you tried hornworms ? Sorry if I missed that. One over all temps. throughout the tank should be lowered by about 7 degrees. Basking temp. no higher than 102 and cool end at 75 to 80 at the most.

 

[Joshua11891]

It’s been about 2 weeks if consistent no eating hes eaten maybe a worm or two but thats about it and i have to syringe water into his mouth for him to drink and I’ll try lowering temps a little more to see if that helps but ive already tried everything i feel like.

 

[Joshua11891]

And also i have all of the dragons sectioned off so they can’t see each other and get stressed and hes been in the same environment since i have gotten him But hes also gets impacted and the only way he poops is if i put him in the tub with warm water and massage it out so idk if maybe he has an intestinal problem or not he poops it out if i give him a bath but otherwise he will get impacted