Ned Not Acting like himeself

[Cyber]

He is right around 6 months old and his beard just started to change from black to his normal color occasionally but with it he isnt eating much at all throught the day. Maybe 5-6 crickets if im lucky and a few bites of greens. (usually kale or something dark green). Its been goin on for about 2-3 days. His poop is normal and when i get him out to play he runs around like normal but i cant get him to eat for anything.....HELP!

 

[Sherri]

Hi,
I am sorry he is off his feed and not feeling his usual self

Has he had a variety of feeders? Worms or dubias etc? If no, he may just be bored with the crix. and the fecal test is a good thing to have done

Here is the standard questionaire that will be helpful:

How old is your dragon?

How long have you had your dragon?

How long is your dragon?

What is the sex of your dragon?

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?

What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?

Do you use UVB lights?

If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?

What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?

How old is your UVB bulb?

How close can your dragon get to the UVB?

Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?

What are the basking temps?

What is the cool side temp?

Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?

Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?

Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?

What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.

How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?

Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?

Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?

Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?

Do you bath your dragon? How often?

Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?

Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?

Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?

It may seem like a lot of questions, but they will all be asked at one time or another, best to get it done all at once LOLOL

Hope he feels better soon and that you can answer the questions soon as well...
Sherri

 

[Cyber]

How old is your dragon? 6 months

How long have you had your dragon? 4 months

How long is your dragon? 17 inches

What is the sex of your dragon? male

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 4 ft by 2 ft

What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? tile

Do you use UVB lights? yes

If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? fluorescent tube

What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? repti glo 10

How old is your UVB bulb? 2 weeks

How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 6-7 inches

Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? 150 watt

What are the basking temps? 110

What is the cool side temp? 80

Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? digital

Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? where he sits to bask

Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no

What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. crickets, dark greens, and superworms only as a snack maybe 1-2 at a time

How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?

Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? crickets get fed fruit apples usually

Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? calcium every meal

Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? yes

Do you bath your dragon? How often? usually 3 times a week

Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? yes

Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no

Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no

 

[Mt3]

As was mentioned, a fecal test would be a good idea just in case.

Your setup looks good, though many members will recommend you replace the Reptiglo UVB bulb with a Reptisun 10.0. I, personally, have never used a Reptiglo light so I have no firsthand experience with any effects it may have on your dragon, but people are quick to point out that it may cause problems.

Try taking him outside for 30-60 minutes and get him some direct sunlight. Natural air and sunlight can sometimes dramatically improve a beardie's behavior. Also, consider trying different feeders; you can buy a small, cheap container of silkworms, hornworms, or reptiworms and see if he'll go after them. Definitely look into getting that fecal done, though.

 

[alkemisten3]

Sounds like he is healthy in general and has a good setup indeed.
Reasons why beardies do not eat so much could be numerous...
I would always always recommend to do a fecal.
I have had my history with my poor dragon which took months to get better from pin worms... Thing is, they might be infected without you knowing or noticing until quite some time has passed. It is so totally worth the tiny "investment" just to know, and possible treatments after that are easy.


Change in diet changes the feces, it is a fact that goes even for humans...
Take a look at my thread long time ago about my beardie and see the changes!: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=140584&start=15

I would also recommend you to relax a bit, as 5-6 crickets a day was much more than mine was eating over a long period of time. It will not kill them, so no need for going to the ER Vet etc...
Sometimes they really just change their taste for a moment. You could try not to feed for a day or two to see if the appetite is improved. Also, only feeding crickets for a while might get your beardie back on the track since he is "forced" to eat them.
Others will suggest to try something else, and eventually, your beardie will return his taste of crickets instead...

You could try locust, roaches (best food source ever) and these awesome Phoenix worms (google it) which are excellent, easy to care for, healthy and wriggly!

 

[alkemisten3]

Sorry, I forgot to mention:
When their bacterial flora is messed up, it can help a lot to make sure they are properly hydrated and get some probiotics... a simple source of probiotics for beardies is Soy Yoghurt! Regarding the hydration, you can always mix with 1/5 part of apple juice (NATURAL juice, absolutely only juice, no preservative or added sugar).

How to administrate it? Rather easy.
Make him sleepy by making a tortilla and cover the eyes, you will notice beardies sleep/rest rather easy like this. While relaxed, hold the very front of the nose (upper part) and grab the beard gently from their chin and pull the mouth open. If this is not possible, you can simply put the front of the feeder in the side of the beardies mouth and try to pull the mouth open slighlty. Almost all beardies open their mouths automatically then... see below:

You should use something like http://www.anythingforbaby.com/Breastmilk%20Feeding%20&%20Storage%20Single-02.jpg

 

[MissT]

I have first hand experience with the reptiglo bulb. My phoebe had crusty eyes, ate very little and basically did not move around at all. A week later, under correct lighting and she was a
picture of health- I use the Arcadia 12% uv but have also used the reptisun 10 with great success. I know people who have used the reptiglo with no issues but having experienced what it can do, I'm not prepared to risk usig it again. It might be that simple change which makes your little one feel better.

 

[alkemisten3]

I have first hand experience with the reptiglo bulb. My phoebe had crusty eyes, ate very little and basically did not move around at all. A week later, under correct lighting and she was a
picture of health- I use the Arcadia 12% uv but have also used the reptisun 10 with great success. I know people who have used the reptiglo with no issues but having experienced what it can do, I'm not prepared to risk usig it again. It might be that simple change which makes your little one feel better.

Yeah I also used Reptisun, which some say are OK but most says that it is not sufficient, simply.
Better yet switch to the best of the best reptisun 10.0, and since you are living in US and not on an island somewhere in Europe like me, it doesnt cost you barely anything either

 

[Cyber]

Thanks for the advice everyone i did take him to the vet nad had a checkup and fecal done. They found some minor parasites in his fecal and they gave me SMZ to give him for 21 days but other than that the vet was happy with his weight, size, cage setup etc. Anyone else had to give their beardies this? Just wondering if they noticed any side effects like sleepyness or anything so i hope in a couple days he will be back to normal. I also noticed he does get irretated easily does this come with going through puberty since he is around that age. Im gonna try the other foods though to see if that helps. Thanks Everyone!!!!

 

[Cyber]

I also just thought of something....im using a 36 " reptiglo 10.0 uvb for his light and ive been reading on this site and others about ppl having trouble with these so im gonna go ahead and make the change to reptisun 10.0. Ive read this can make them lethargic which he has been in the last couple days. Hope it works!