my beardie wont shed

[chellechipper]

Hey all if anyone can give me advice I would appreciate it. I have a beardie who is a little over a year old now and he is not eating and hasn't shed in 2-3 months. He has never been a big eater, only crickets and super worms. Never have got him to touch any greens except a few pieces of lettuce here and there. Nothing in his cage has changed, he has a basking bulb and a uvb/uva light. I use calci-sand for substrate. He is in a 39 gallon tank, which he acts like is too big sometimes! Anyways, even when he is not shedding I soak him every 2-3 days for 20 minutes or longer for the moisture, he also has not learned to drink out of a water dish, I've honestly tried everything! So today I went to the store and got him some chicken baby food and low and behold he ate that lol. When we first got him last August from Petco, he became very ill a month later, he had Giardia. Very close call, we almost lost him. He looks really healthy now except he hasnt shed or isnt eating. I would appreciate any thought.....could it be possible he is going to brumate? Thanks all for any suggestions, or thoughts

 

[zimbabwepegasus]

All right. A couple Qs & ideas.

Beardies don't shed nearly as often once they reach adulthood. My two easily go 2 or 3 months without shedding.

My concern is actually that the other behaviors aren't so great.
What kind of UVB do you have (flourescent tube, coil/compact or Mercury Vapor bulb)? please include brand
How long have you had the UVB light?
What is the basking spot temp?
What are you using to take the temp (temp gun, digital thermometer with probe or stick on therm.)?
What temp is the cool side of his tank?
How are his bowel movements?

I would try varying up the greens. http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html has a very extensive list of potential foods for beardies.

I find that mine are big fans of mustard greens, belgian endive & sweet potato. Pele LOVES her squash, Sinclair is not so down.

My concern with the size of the tank is whether or not your beardie is getting a proper temp gradient. It's hard to pull off in smaller tanks.

Anyways, if you could answer the above questions, I'm sure we can get to a solution!
What's your beardie's name by the way?!
- Kerry