New Beardie molting, not eating...

[bliorg]

Hi, all -

My son's new beardie of about a week or so has started molting. Since that's begun, he's all but given up eating, opting for just a few mealworms a couple times a day, where before he was voracious. Is this a normal response to molting, or should we be more concerned? He's become a little more jittery as well.

Thanks for any guidance!
Scott

 

[Memeya]

Yeah this is normal. Often when they shed their mood and appetite changes. Don't worry, once the shedding is done, they come back to normal.

 

[bliorg]

Thanks, that makes us feel a better!

 

[ClydesGirl]

Out of curiosity, how old is the beardie? If he is young, he probably shouldn't be eating mealworms. They really aren't ideal for beardies of any age because their hard shells can cause impaction. If he is impacted, that could also cause him to not eat, so it might be unrelated to the shedding.

 

[ATLBeardedDragons]

Even when they shed... They shouldnt "Give Up" eating all together. It would be "normal" to see them eat extremely less or 1-5 crickets instaed of 10 in a normal feeding.... I would observe his eating habits closely! I would continue soaking him 1-2 times a day in luke warm/warm water and try to Crack-That-Shed. If this behavior continues within the next 7 days or so... I would consult a VET and seek their advise.


[email protected]

www.AtlantaBeardedDragons.com

sincerely,
ABD

 

[bliorg]

Ok, now you all have me worried. First, we're now done with mealworms. Problem is, he eats no crickets at all. For a few days. Only eats scant salad. Now, he passed several (3-4) feces today, but that was up to mid-afternoon. I gave him a load of small crickets about an hour ago, and he didn't eat any. As far as that goes, he didn't eat any mealworms today, either. He's on newspaper right now, and the crickets are adept at finding their way under it pretty quickly. I checked the temp tonight - about 35C a few inches away (into the cool end) from the basking spot. We're using a 160 watt UVB merc vapor bulb.

So, after doing some more reading, even though he's passing feces, we're going to give him some baths tomorrow to help ease things, in case he's developed an impaction. I read something about a drop or two of mineral oil on his nose to induce licking - how bad an idea is that? Something we should consider?

Any help at this point would be greatly appreciated.

Scott

 

[ClydesGirl]

If he is impacted, a drop of mineral oil or olive oil is a good remedy, as are applesauce, squash baby food, or pure pumpkin puree (the kind you make pies with). You can even mix the drop of oil in with those foods if it helps encourage him to eat it.

As for crickets under the newspaper, one thing I learned about on this site and LOVE is using a separate container for feeding. I have a separate Rubbermaid bin that I put Clyde in at feeding time and then I put the crickets in there with him. I let him eat as many as he can over a 5 minute period, then just dump the remaining crickets back into my cricket bin. It works out really well. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend trying it right now when he's already on a hunger strike, because the added stress of being in a new environment might make him less likely to eat. So for now, keep trying to feed him in his viv and once he starts eating regularly again, you could try the separate bin down the road.

 

[bliorg]

Thanks for the tips. I like the idea of a separate feeding bin, but, yes, we'll wait to try that one.

For the record: We gave Thorn a bath last night. Not too warm, up to his shoulder. He didn't eliminate, but the lizard is extremely active, and extremely alert. Both, I believe, are good signs. We're going to bathe him again later today, just to help him pass anything, and will try a drop or two of EVO on his snout. Going to reduce the amount of paper in the cage today as well, in hopes of removing a lot of the cricket hiding places. Going out to buy some good, healthy leafy greens and mix him up some gourmet salads, instead of the kind PetSmart recommended. :roll:

Fingers are crossed!

Scott

 

[ClydesGirl]

Going out to buy some good, healthy leafy greens and mix him up some gourmet salads, instead of the kind PetSmart recommended. :roll:

Not sure if you've already stumbled across this site, but it has a great chart about which greens are best to feed your beardie and how often:

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

 

[bliorg]

Well, we made him a salad of dandelion greens, escarole, parsley, and strawberry tops, with a light dusting of Repti-Cal. Not touching it yet. Cleaned his cage, and of the dozen or so crickets that went in last night there were five left, so he's eating them, just not attacking them like he was. And he eliminated once already today.

So, I'm guessing he's just going through some post-molt, new environment, juvenile attitude thing. I hope. :roll:

 

[bliorg]

Ooh - the salad's mostly gone! And I'm sure some of the crickets we gave Thorn this afternoon are missing.

I think it's just him adapting to his new home. Will be posting more pics, when he's a little more acclimated.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[bliorg]

An update: Gave him a bowl full of strawberry tops last night, and he ate about half. Just fed him a half dozen crickets, and within a minute, they were gone! Think he's getting used to things. Finally. :headbang:

 

[Freeie]

Glad to hear hes doing better

 

[bliorg]

Thanks, Christy! Poured him some of the escarole/dandelion/parsley/strawberry mix a little while ago, and he attacked it!