Please Help...Need Advice...

[FranktheTank]

I posted yesterday about my beardie Frank not eating enough due to shedding.. I'm really upset and worried about him and I do not know what to do.. He won't touch his salad, which he normally eats at least half, and yesterday and today he only ate 3-4 crickets total.. His poop is normal, he goes once a day in the same spot haha.. He's active and alert, but he's not interested in eating as much as he has the last 3 weeks. I'm afraid he's going to get sick,or starve to death... He's my baby and i don't want to lose him, any advice would be great.

 

[gandhi]

Don't Panic! As said before beardies always slow down when they are shedding and this can last as long as he is shedding. Has he completed his shed yet? if not, don't panic! Give him his baths everyday to ease the shed. Beadies go through stages of not eating or slowing down. They are very good at knowing what they want and regulating their food supply. I know it can be a worry but a couple of days is nothing to worry about. I get Gandhi a fecal check (before he goes into brumation) at the vets every year just to keep my mind at rest.

 

[FranktheTank]

Thank you... He's still shedding, from what I can see his head and back are next..
I appreciate your response, this is my first beardie so even with all my research there's things I don't know.

 

[LeapinBeardie]

Well, how would you feel if your skin was too tight?
My beardie gets really stressed during shedding, and she doesn't want to do anything. Best advice I have is either to get a nice warm bath or mist him.

 

[FranktheTank]

Good point! He's started eating a little salad, but still only 3-4 crickets a day... Everything else is normal though, and I've been giving him warm baths every day. I'm sure once he feels comfortable again he'll eat like a piggy again..

 

[LeapinBeardie]

Also, I always used to worry when I put a salad In and my beardie didn't run for it.
Then I figured out she only likes to eat at 1 specific point during the day... About 10 minutes after lights on. Funny right?
Also how do you feed the crickets? Mine doesn't like the bugs because of the noise.

 

[gandhi]

Gandhi doesn't run for the salad either, i guess because it's not moving!!! I just put one bug in his viv at a time making sure he eats them all and there isn't any left in the viv. Or some people feed them in a separate tub

 

[FranktheTank]

I woke up this morning and went to turn on Frank's lights. When I got there I noticed he had shed his entire body. The shed skin was in the corner under where he basks. He's super bright now too, and seems to be back to his old self. He ate all of his crickets today so far, and seems to be a lot more lively. Now I know what to expect for shedding..
I give him 8-9 crickets at a time, whatever he doesn't eat i remove from his enclosure... He's definitely a creature of habit, always repeating things, or doing things in the same spot. So when i give him his crickets, I always put them in the same spot and he goes right for them...

 

[LeapinBeardie]

That's great! If it doesnt gross you out, I keep a scrap book for all the largest or coolest chunks of shed.
Ny favorite is one with the entire back, with spikes on the sides and armholes!

 

[FranktheTank]

That would be cool to keep track of.. I thought you were supposed to leave the shed for them to eat?

 

[LeapinBeardie]

I don't think that they need to eat it when they are kept as pets. Its instant for them in the wild to get nutrients and not leave tracks.

 

[FranktheTank]

Oh ok gotcha!