not eating for weeks at a time

[Sadie]

My 1 almost 2 year old bearded dragon hasn't eaten since thursday and is always sleeping and laying down in the cold side of her tank. Ever since i started feeding her less bugs and more greens she hasn't eaten everyday. And if she eats she only has like 3 pieces of greens. I've tried multiple different kinds of greens like collard, kale, spinach and even lettuce(which i know isn't good for them but i just wanted to try to get something in her stomach. Sometimes i feel like she goes weeks without eating. I'm not sure what to do. Does anyone have any ideas of what may be going on or what to do?

 

[xp29]

Lets start off with your setup. Can you post picks of your setup including the uvb and basking areas/bulbs. Also please list the specs if you can, age, distance above your beardie, temps and how your taking them, type of uvb bulb your using compact/coil or long tube. Also please post a pics of your screen, it effects the bulbs tremendously. If any of that is off it will cause health and behavioral issues with your beardie. Lets rule out the simple stuff straight away.

 

[Sadie]

ok, sorry for the glare in some of the pictures. but anyway, i use the 10.0 UVB reptisun bulb. this bulb is probably around 5 months old so i should probably change it soon. from the highest point of her basking rock/hide it’s about 9 in. then, for heat i have a thrive 100 watt basking bulb.

 

[xp29]

Ok that is going to be a coil/compact bulb, those bulbs are no good and can cause all manner of issue, from not eating to problems with their eyes, and ultimately lead to metabolic bone disease. Please change over to a long tube type bulb. The 5t"s are stronger than the t8"s. The t5 can be 12 to 15 inches above the dragon, t8 needs 8 to 10 inches unobstructed. That looks like the wide hole screen the t5 could set on top but i would try to mount it inside as well. Uvb is the most important Component of their care, followed by basking temp. At 2 years old basking needs to be 95 to 100ish degrees. If the the temp if off they have trouble with digestion. Temps need to be taken with a digital probe. The ir guns are not as accurate. Also if you can give a temp gradient in the basking your dragon will got to the temp it needs.
Also if your trying to transition over to greens she could be protesting they ARE incredibly stubborn lol.
If you have any questions about her health collect a fecal sample in a sealed container and take it to the vet to have checked for parasites ect. They want a sample no more than 24 hours old. Also NO ENEMAS they often end in tragedy. But please taje care of that uvb asap, it really is critical to their health, even if it isn't causing this it will cause problems.

 

[Sadie]

Ok that is going to be a coil/compact bulb, those bulbs are no good and can cause all manner of issue, from not eating to problems with their eyes, and ultimately lead to metabolic bone disease. Please change over to a long tube type bulb. The 5t"s are stronger than the t8"s. The t5 can be 12 to 15 inches above the dragon, t8 needs 8 to 10 inches unobstructed. That looks like the wide hole screen the t5 could set on top but i would try to mount it inside as well. Uvb is the most important Component of their care, followed by basking temp. At 2 years old basking needs to be 95 to 100ish degrees. If the the temp if off they have trouble with digestion. Temps need to be taken with a digital probe. The ir guns are not as accurate. Also if you can give a temp gradient in the basking your dragon will got to the temp it needs.
Also if your trying to transition over to greens she could be protesting they ARE incredibly stubborn lol.
If you have any questions about her health collect a fecal sample in a sealed container and take it to the vet to have checked for parasites ect. They want a sample no more than 24 hours old. Also NO ENEMAS they often end in tragedy. But please taje care of that uvb asap, it really is critical to their health, even if it isn't causing this it will cause problems.

ohh no! i had no idea that those bulb weren’t good. and yes, she is very stubborn with eating her greens. lol
is this the bulb you were saying i should get?

 

[xp29]

Yes that type, it needs to be about 2/3rd as long as your habitat and if you can, overlap it with the basking bulb. Arcadia 12% is also a good bulb. But ant long tube will be better than the coil/compact

 

[xp29]

I see in the pic that your using the stick on guages. Those are pretty inaccurate also. The ones like in the pic are way better and only like 10 bucks. Just stick the probe in the basking area, and if ya get 2 the other in the cool end, then you can get a good idea of temp gradient.

 

[Sadie]

I see in the pic that your using the stick on guages. Those are pretty inaccurate also. The ones like in the pic are way better and only like 10 bucks. Just stick the probe in the basking area, and if ya get 2 the other in the cool end, then you can get a good idea of temp gradient.

ok, thanks for the help!

 

[Jjurovaty]

I also recommend mixing options for food. They're attracted to red, if you want them to eat their greens, mix in some color. Add protein too. Like you would feed a child a well balanced plate, mix veggies, protein, color. Helps get them interested. Mine always enjoyed grapes, blueberries, which you can roll across the floor for the chase. Red pepper bits, squash, once you figure out what they like, you can mix that with what you want them to eat.

 

[Sadie]

I also recommend mixing options for food. They're attracted to red, if you want them to eat their greens, mix in some color. Add protein too. Like you would feed a child a well balanced plate, mix veggies, protein, color. Helps get them interested. Mine always enjoyed grapes, blueberries, which you can roll across the floor for the chase. Red pepper bits, squash, once you figure out what they like, you can mix that with what you want them to eat.

ok, i know she loves blueberries but i only feed her that occasionally. sometimes she will eat strawberries. but i’ve tried to make a salad with carrots, bell peppers, and grapes and she never ate it. so i think she is just a really picky bearded dragon. lol
but i’ll definitely keep changing it up to find out what she likes. thanks for the help!

 

[AHBD]

Another question, what size is the tank ? It looks sort of small for an adult, that could affect the behavior as well.

 

[Sadie]

Another question, what size is the tank ? It looks sort of small for an adult, that could affect the behavior as well.

it’s a 50 gallon