My beardie won't eat, sleeps all day and he's losing weight!

[abicastellanos]

My 3 year-old beardie has been acting very strange for the last 3 months. He's been sleeping all day long, he won't take any food and he won't poop! I thought he was going through brumation after reading some posts so I let him be for a while. But today while giving him a bath I realized he has lost a lot of weight, and I can actually feel his rib cage!! I don't know what else to do, I've tried to give him lettuce, apples, worms, etc and he won't eat any! I've checked the temp in his tank and it's at a constant 90F and higher in his basking spot. I'm just so afraid he'll die on me! What else can I do? Any suggestions?? Thank you!

 

[spikerocks]

Well, it sounds like your beardie could be going into brumation. There is a very informative article on here you could read. Go to the home page and click on articles.

Also, 90 degrees is a little warm for his cool side. The temps there should trend between 78-82.

What type of uvb light do you use?

 

[abicastellanos]

"Well, it sounds like your beardie could be going into brumation. There is a very informative article on here you could read. Go to the home page and click on articles."

I've read the articles, but I'm worried on how much weight he is losing. Thanks for the temp info, I'll make sure to adjust it ASAP. When should I be really worried? Any signs that I should look for?

 

[spikerocks]

Here's the thing, beardies will frequently loose some weight when brumating. I usually try to fatten my beardies up before they go down. However, it can be difficult to tell the difference betw brumation and other health issues.
Personally, I would buy some stage 1 baby food. I usually get squash n chicken (for protein). Mix them together and add a pinch of calcium and vitamins. Syringe or spoon feed this to your dragon. They usually love it. Just put a drop where his lips meet. He will eventually lick it off and while he's licking, squirt a little more on there. You can go to the pharmacy and ask for a medicine syringe. They will give it to you. A 1 or 3 ml syringe works best. I find the 5ml syringe usually squirts too much out.

Let me know how you make out!

 

[abicastellanos]

Thank you so much!!

 

[Peterdavision]

well, it think you should change the menu. that may help your beardie to eat again. And what type of diet menu do you follow?400 calorie meals?

 

[abicastellanos]

well, it think you should change the menu. that may help your beardie to eat again. And what type of diet menu do you follow?400 calorie meals?

I usually give put dry food in his plate every morning with some water in it. Most days I give him romaine lettuce, as much as he wants to eat. Every so often I dice some apple, he really likes that. I feed him worms twice a week, I try to keep it under 15 at a time because he will eat more if i let him.

That said, he won't eat even his favorites, he won't even eat worms, no matter what i do. I tried the baby food the previous post suggested and so far he doesn't want it.
I really don't know what else to do but to keep trying until he wants to eat.

 

[spikerocks]

I think that stupid post is spam. I would ignore it. I'm sorry your Beardie still isn't eating. Be patient and keep trying. The hatchling I am syringe feeding can take up to ten minutes to lick the food off his mouth. When he does I jump at the chance to get him to continue eating by squirting small amounts continuously until he stops or turns away.

Also, just FYI romaine isn't a goos staple for beardies. The water content is higher than the nutritional content. Please check out www.beautifuldragons.com for great nutrition info. Also, u should let your Beardie to eat as many feeders as he wants within 15 minutes. It's not a good idea to limit their protein. I have 6 dragons, 5 are adults and I feed them worms 2-3x's wk. They will eat anywhere from 10-40 worms a piece. I let them decide how much to eat.

I can't remember if we discussed lighting. Are you using the reptisun 10.0 UVB? If not, this could also be part of the problem. Can you post a pic of your dragon? That would be great so I can get an idea of how he's feeling. Thx!