Not eating... getting desperate!

[eddhartwellmusic]

Hi, I'm new here, and have a 4 month(ish) bearded dragon who isn't eating! He just doesn't seem interested anymore.
When i first got him about 2 weeks ago he was eating a bit, and i could hand feed him crickets, but if I left him to get his own, he would maybe get 1 or 2 if they were near by, then lose interest. Recently I haven't really seen him be interested in any food.
I have crickets and locusts, and have tried him on a few sizes to see if some were either too big or too small for him.

My set up is:
4x2x2 vivarium, dark wood.
Basking spot, between 37 - 40 degrees
Middle of tank about 33 degrees
End of tank 25 degrees
1x10.0 UVB with 1x2.0 UVB with a reflector
The bearded dragon is on paper towels

There are no signs of compaction; he can be quite lively, no sign of paralysis, no bumps on his back, pooping every day or two....

My local reptile pet store owner said that it may be that it's too dull in the tank, hence why i recently put a reflector on the 2.0 UVB to make it brighter

Any help would be appreciated, I am getting worried, I think he's actually losing weight slightly

Thanks!
Edd

 

[AtlasStrike]

It sounds like you are doing right by your dragon. My only suggestions would be to bump the temperatures up a few degrees. Also, not all UVBs are created equal, so if you are not using the ReptiSUN 10.0, I would strongly recommend switching for it or the Arcadia D3 12% UVB. If you havent yet, you should take your little guy to the vet for a fecal examination ASAP. Parasites are the #1 cause of suppressed appetite, lethargy and weight loss.

Best of luck. Please keep us updated.

 

[eddhartwellmusic]

Thanks for your reply, will try and get him to a vet on Wednesday, (my first chance).

Also, I've just put him on reptile carpet as I figured there are less cracks for the crickets to sneak into and hide! He seems to enjoy it more, it seems lighter in there somehow.

I am using ReptiSUN bulbs... he seems healthy enough in his behaviour, but will get him to a vet.

Thanks!

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

Get your parasite levels checked first off, as Atlas says.

To help with his appetite, you might want to try syringing some baby food onto his top lip scale.
You can get a nice chunky 5ml syringe from your local pharmacy (without needle, obviously).
Then you need to grab some chicken or fruit baby food (read the ingredients - no onion, garlic or rhubarb) or better yet, cook and puree some nice vegetables (our lot especially like carrot and butternut squash "soup"!).

Don't be tempted to force-feed without your vet training you first - it can put them off eating and it's very easy to get it wrong - you don't want your dragon to breathe it in by accident!

Sook it up with your syringe and slowly dribble it on the end of his nose. (You'll need kitchen paper handy!) This should encourage him to licklicklick and nom it up It's also handy for getting extra liquids into reptiles.

 

[eddhartwellmusic]

So, been to he vet. Didn't have a feces sample to take unfortunately, (obviously as soon as we got back he went!), but I have some liquid cat food to try and force feed him, (he doesn't like that!), and some stuff for possible parasites... applied aurally, but not sure how I'm going to get him to take that!! He's not a fan of the syringe!!

 

[TASTIGER]

So, been to he vet. Didn't have a feces sample to take unfortunately, (obviously as soon as we got back he went!), but I have some liquid cat food to try and force feed him, (he doesn't like that!), and some stuff for possible parasites... applied aurally, but not sure how I'm going to get him to take that!! He's not a fan of the syringe!!

dont feed them anything thats made for other animals, the cat food probly has dairy in it. i would suggest getting squash baby food and try feeding him that.

 

[eddhartwellmusic]

OK, thanks for that, will give it a shot tomorrow. Have already given him a bit of the cat food... but will get baby food tomorrow

 

[Myfirstbeardie]

You should ask your vet for a fecal container you can bring home with you so you can bring it in to be tested. It is best to do this sooner rather than later because the tests can take some time and if it is a parasite it can be very easy to treat if you catch it early on. Also, how long is your beardie? Whens the last time he shed? I hope everything works out.

 

[Snarf]

You can also try dabbing the food directly on his nose or coating around his mouth if you are uncomfortable force feeding - force feeding, though it can be a saver, can also set back a little the process of eating. I know for myself when my beardie was not eating, I ended up with 3/4 jars of baby food of varying flavours and constantly switching. Because he got a small taste of the purée then he would eat just a little bit of shredded apple covered in the stuff before going off again. It was a long process but we got there in the end.

Lay off anything difficult to go down and keep up with regular baths (can also help him pass a motion to give to your vet).

 

[eddhartwellmusic]

Yep, he's got parasites... a few different ones at that! He HATES being force fed, so giving him the medication means putting it on his salad and hoping he eats it!
Gonna be a fun few weeks!!

 

[AtlasStrike]

Don't hope!! Just wrap him tightly in a towel, so he can't thrash, pull down on the skin of his beard, and put the meds in when he opens his mouth. He might be mad, but the deworming is important. He will forgive you!

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

Yup, I have five of 'em to medicate myself - some take it happily, some kick up a total stink. Be firm, be gentle, be unrelenting. He'll soon learn that the sooner he has his medicine like a good boy, the sooner he can get treats and back to what he wants to do.