Not Eating

[tierneymayette]

Hi everyone, I posed back a few weeks ago... my bearded dragon has not ate on his own in about a month. I have been feeding him with a syringe for the past few weeks in hopes to get him to start eating on his own but i have had no luck. I have been feeding blended up collard greens, zucchini, peppers, multivitamin, calcium. I have replaced his UVB light in case that was dying out and i have replaced his basking light; temperatures are perfect.

I brought him to the vet two weeks ago and they did an x-ray and found nothing except a few little pebbles/bugs that might have been stuck in his stomach but i believe they have since passed. They gave me mild anti inflammatory to help him pass them that i gave for 5 days.

It has since been, two weeks since bringing him to the vet and he is still refusing to eat and is starting to refuse the syringe feeding. His beard is turning slightly back in color, which i know is an indication that there is a problem. Thus, i am looking for any insight as what to do for i really do not know what to do next....

 

[KarrieRee]

Please post a pic of your tank and lighting so we can see what is going on and get it fixed
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG at the top of the message box then click on the pic it should post --
What are your basking temps and how are you taking them? NO stick ons!
Karrie

 

[loljelloclowdz]

I’d get a follow-up X-ray just to see if the pebbles are actually gone - it’s probably a lot of money, but it’s possible they could have gotten lodged in the intestines somewhere, and the first step would be to see if everything is cleared. If the vet discovers the pebbles moved to the intestines, but got stuck in the lining somehow, it’s probably the culprit. (I’m not a vet, but you should go check it out.)

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Have you been tracking his weight during this time? Has he been improving with your feedings as far as activity levels and general health?

When hand fed, a lot of times they need to be coaxed out of it. They get lazy and don't want to eat on their own. If this is the only issue, then we can recommend ways to fix that. But if your dragon is still sick, then we need to work on that instead.
We just need more details on what is actually the problem now.

Is it still his health, or is it just him not wanting to eat on his own.

-Brandon

 

[tierneymayette]

Please post a pic of your tank and lighting so we can see what is going on and get it fixed
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG at the top of the message box then click on the pic it should post --
What are your basking temps and how are you taking them? NO stick ons!
Karrie

Hi Karrie, thanks for the reply, i use a digital temperature and humidity gage i have one on the cool side of the tank (stays around 85) and one on the warm side (stays around 90) and then the basking spot is around 104-105. For lighting i have a ceramic heat emitter and a halogen light in the dual fixture. I also have a led light strip and a 12% linear arcadia UVB light.

sorry about the pictures, he scratched up the side of his tank a few months ago and it makes it a little difficult to see inside.

 

[tierneymayette]

Hi there,

Have you been tracking his weight during this time? Has he been improving with your feedings as far as activity levels and general health?

When hand fed, a lot of times they need to be coaxed out of it. They get lazy and don't want to eat on their own. If this is the only issue, then we can recommend ways to fix that. But if your dragon is still sick, then we need to work on that instead.
We just need more details on what is actually the problem now.

Is it still his health, or is it just him not wanting to eat on his own.

-Brandon

Hi Brandon, at this point im not entirely sure, i have been keeping track of his weight and since he first started losing weight it has been relatively stable, however i definitely can tell he lost a significant amount (the fat pads on his head are sunk in and his rips seem to be showing a bit). i am feeding with a syringe and have tried enticing him with dubia roaches (which he use to love) but he has absolutely no interest. I stopped feeding with a syringe last week for a few days and provided food for him with some dubia roaches for about three days but he did not touch it. I started feeding again because i don't want him to starve He is still very lethargic even since i have started feeding.

I suppose i should add that he was also dewormed at the vet two weeks ago, so hopefully parasites should be eliminated if that were the initial problem?

 

[Claudiusx]

Poor Fella.

What is his weight at right now?

How much of the slurry are you feeding him a day?

I would look into getting the Herbivore Critical care for him instead of making the slurries like you have been. They are more nutrient and calorie dense and should help him. If you want, you can get the carnivore mix too, and do the carnivore mix once a week with the herbivore the rest of the days.

Do you have a picture of him you could share?

-Brandon

 

[tierneymayette]

Here is a picture i took of him this afternoon. His beard has not been black until today...

Ill look into getting some of the critical care formula asap!

As for his weight i will have to double check but i believe it is somewhere in the 370-360g range but prior to this he was in the 420ish range.

 

[KarrieRee]

Red light strip? Any colored bulbs get rid of them! They are harmful to the eyes and d disrupt their sleep-- how far is the UVB from basking decor? And the UVB is running the whole length of tank? Is he hiding alot?
Karrie

 

[Claudiusx]

Karrie, I think you misread. led strip was what was said, not red

Boy, he really looks bad. his face is very sunken in, it looks like his fat pads are completely gone.

I would be very surprised if he weighs that much. But if he does, and his fat pads are gone like that, a lot of times that is an indicator of organ failure. Bloodwork really would need to be done to see what is going on.

-Brandon

 

[KarrieRee]

Oopsie sorry I did misread
Karrie

 

[tierneymayette]

Okay, thanks for the help...i'll call the vet back tomorrow and schedule an appointment

 

[tierneymayette]

I just don't understand how this could have happened so fast

 

[Claudiusx]

Organ failure typically does come on quick like that. Even if it's not, bloodwork should help show a clearer picture of what's going on.

-Brandon