Refusing to eat

[FadedIntimacy]

Hey everyone, long time no post.


Recently Emmette has become one of two things: A picky eater, or sick.

Hes just over one and never had a problem eating everything in sight until recently. He first began by refusing to eat crickets, only wanting waxworms. My mother gave into his wants and all he would eat was waxworms and a small amount of lettace and carrots.

Hes not not touching anything. He'll look at crickets, interested... but then lose interest and refuse to touch them. Worms, he pays no attention to and he wont even look at lettace.
I dont understand what could possibly be wrong Temprature on his basking spot is in the 90's, he has a zoomed Power sun bulb.. so theres his heat, uva and uvb. he is 12 inches away from the bulb.

The only thing I can maybe think is.. is his sleeping schedule messed up?
Ever since school stopped for me, I sleep in until about noon, his light goes on and then goes back off about midnight. is it possible he knows this is the wrong timing?


Edit: Also, he is pooping, but only if I assist him(aka: warm baths), but he does not appear to be losing ANY weight.
Any advice or suggestions are appreciated. He have some baby food im about to try.

 

[Naomi]

I think it's possible that his sleeping schedule might be affecting his appetite. I know my first dragon always seemed to do best when I turned his light on at 8:30 AM and off at 8 PM. You can try to play with that a little bit.

Also, his diet is concerning to me. Neither lettuce nor carrots are very good for beardies. Lettuce has little to no nutritional value and can sometimes cause diarrhea, while carrots are too high in vitamin A. You may look into some dark, leafy greens such as collards. I usually feed mine a mix of collard, mustard, and turnip greens. Finally, you'll probably want to try to kill his waxworm habit. Waxworms are very high in fat and can send a dragon into fatty liver disease, and that is no fun to deal with. It's possible that that is why he is refusing to eat.

 

[FadedIntimacy]

I've adjusted his sleeping schedule, im now wakeing up at 8 AM solely to turn on his light... He's eated a few pieces of squash and he licks at the babyfood..

I told my mom no more waxworms, and I'm still trying to coax him into crickets. Otherwise I'm trying to feed him baby food daily.

My mother INSISTS he's lost weight. Lets ignore the fact that she wont pick him up, he still doesnt seem to be to me.

 

[Naomi]

Have you tried any other kind of worms? Superworms, perhaps? They're a lot lower on the fat scale, and therefore healthier for your beardie, but they might be close enough that he'll still eat them. Waxworms are generally okay only for an occassional treat. It's not good for them to be a staple food.

 

[FadedIntimacy]

The superworms we sell at my store are too big, but i'll try to bring home some mealworms today.


Edit: also! I went to the store and bought bananas, kale, parsley and squash..
I brought a piece of the kale to him and he immedietly TORE UP that small piece... but has now refused to touch it and anything else. I'm getting pedialyte, water, and baby food in him a little a day. enough to try and keep him going.

Also, does this sound like a possible case of parasites of some sort??

 

[beardie parents]

What wattage is your power sun? and How old is it? In the last 6 months or so the new powersun 100 watt bulb have been causing problems with beardies' eyes and then wanting to eat. This could be part of your problem.

 

[FadedIntimacy]

What wattage is your power sun? and How old is it? In the last 6 months or so the new powersun 100 watt bulb have been causing problems with beardies' eyes and then wanting to eat. This could be part of your problem.

its a 100 watt, I bought it in february, i was having problems with his eyes and the company told me to put it further away.


Switching to a new bulb.

Will that maybe help?

 

[maze1216]

Sometimes beardies get addicted to one kind of food and refuse to eat anything else. There was one who's caretakers caught a whole bunch of grasshoppers in the spring and froze them. The beardie ate only those for a couple months but then their supply ran out. The beardie refused to eat anything else and starved itself to death. I'm not saying that this is what's happening but it might be. I think it's the waxworms that are like beardie candy, all fat and not much nutrients, don't quote me on that as it's early and i didn't look it up to double check. But if that's what I'm thinking of then it's entirely possible that you're going to have to slowly ween it from waxworms. I wouldn't worry about it too much until it starts noticeably loosing weight. Beardies originate from the deserts and are used to harsh climates. Just give it some waxworms, fewer each week, with other food and hopefully it will get back into eating everything else. Also the new light will help. If it starts getting weak, make a slurry of 1/3 calcium, 1/3 vitamins and 1/3 water and force feed it with an eye dropper. Also make sure you use the vitamins with the waxworms once a week and calcium every day.

 

[FadedIntimacy]

Well, ithe problem is hes refuseing to even eat the waxworms. he wont touch anything.

 

[maze1216]

Then it's probably from the late mornings, he thinks it's time for brumation. Or from the lighting. Best thing to do would be to take a stool sample to the vet. They'd be able to tell if it's something serious.

 

[FadedIntimacy]

Then it's probably from the late mornings, he thinks it's time for brumation. Or from the lighting. Best thing to do would be to take a stool sample to the vet. They'd be able to tell if it's something serious.

Can i just take in a stool sample or will i need to take him in as well?
This is his first time being sick, so it'll be his first doctor trip. :-/

 

[diamc]

Hi there, I just wanted to pop in and add my 2 cents. Yes, you can take just a poop sample in rather than having to take your beardie. And, getting a fecal done is a good idea.

From what I've read, it sounds like a combination of a problem with the MVB and temperatures. A temp in the 90's in the basking spot sounds like a little low for a 1 yr old. Could you fill us in on the type of thermometer you're using to check them? Regarding the Power Sun, beardie parents is right, there have been some issues from that bulb. You can read more about that here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=105629&p=851021&hilit=power+sun+problems#p851021

About 2 mo ago, I purchased one of the best of the 2 MVB's that are made and I noticed that Sabrina hadn't been acting right. The bulb was 100 watt and I even moved it 16 inches away from the basking spot and she still was avoiding laying under the light. It seemed like the temps were erratic so I suspect that the bulb is defective which I am going to call the company about. I even slid the bulb more toward the middle of the tank so that only 1/2 of the bulbs rays was over her but she would end up laying under her brick hide with only her head sticking out and her eyes looked very unhappy. She wasn't eating anything at all, she looked interested in her feeders but wouldn't eat them, didn't touch her greens. I had been feeding her baby food, thinking it was "just a phase" or she might be getting ready to shed. Well, yesterday, I unplugged that MVB and put in an old bulb of the other best brand UVB you can buy and I immediately saw a change in her attitude. She became much brighter and stayed right on her basking area. I checked the basking temp of both bulbs and at that particular time, there wasn't a large amount of difference although the original bulb was 2 degrees higher with the bulb more toward the middle. Today she ate 4 large crickets and had boundless energy and actually enjoyed being in her tank. So, my suggestion to you would be to turn off the Power Sun and replace it with a 100 watt household light bulb or white reptile basking bulb, check the temps again and see if you notice a difference in the way your beardie acts and eats. Didn't mean to make this post so long but wanted to share what I just encountered. Hope it helps.

 

[FadedIntimacy]

Dia,

Thank you so much for the reply.

His temps have been raised to the high 90's since i noticed him not eating... I just checked and the temprature is 101. I'm using a temp gun to check the temps.

I will replace his MVB with a 75 watt white light bulb(He already has one for extra heat! hah) until I can order him a new brand type of MVB... what one would you suggest?

Also, he's acting just as you said. He acts.. interested? eyes them for a moment... but then wont eat.

Thank you again

 

[zebraflavencs]

I highly recommend the MegaRay 100w self ballested. I have two of my boys under it, and well, I must admit their color, eating and activity levels are high !
Here is a link:
http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
Janie.

 

[diamc]

That's good that you're using a temp gun, I just wanted to double check. :wink: So, 101 is good but you could try to get it up to 104 or 105 to see how he acts. So, trying a 100 watt might work, totally up to you.

I'm sending you a pm too.