Seriously worried about my Male Beardie

[KingBeard]

Hello Everyone!
i've been reading alot on your forums about Brumation and health issues and so on, but i can't seem to find anything that fits my problem entirely so i decided to post a Topic myself.

okay i will start with some specs and setup so i can establish a baseline for you, then i will move on to the issue.

i have two Bearded Dragons (a male and a female)
they're both from the same parents, same age, and the same group of babies.
i'm not sure what age they had when i aquired them but my guess would be about 3-4months old.
i've had them for 6 months now, and there has NEVER been any dominnance or agressiveness or any issues at all between the two.
they're in a 260liter tank (65gallons)
i've had a 60watt heatspotlight and a coil UVB bulb in their terrarium the first 5 months, but i read that the coils were **** so i bought an exo-terra 125watt solar-glo combi-bulb a month ago.
the temperature at the heatspot ranges from 90-110 degrees fahrenheit depending on how high they're sitting on the rocks (thermometer is **** so it's an approx)(will buy new soon)
the light were on 14 hours a day but since i thought he were brumating i changed the daylight cyclus to 16hours of light a few days ago, with no effect so far
i try to feed them every dag with Crickets, Locusts, Mealworm beetles, and wax worms and they have plenty of succulents in their enclosure the can eat
i occationally bathe them in lukewarm water for about 15-20mins a couple of days a week mostly
i have a shallow water bowl and a rock with water in it they can drink from
i think that was about it on to the issue

the female beardie have been thriving ever since i got her the first couple of theys she didn't eat prolly stress, but since she'd been eating drinking and growing and acting very healty, no issue there, she love the succulents in the enclosure and will eat pretty much anyting i offer her.

the male however is almost not eating at all, the first month he was fine, but the last 5 months i've only managed to feed him a locust or two a few times a week, and the last couple of weeks he hasn't eaten at all apart from maybe a waxworm or two, it's hard to tell since the female could have eaten the ones that are gone (they're in a bowl in the enclosure) also i'm not sure if he's eating any greens, again the female could have been the only one eating the plants since i havn't seen him eat any. he seemed very sad before i changed the light, but after he seems happy and fine, he does not look like he is in pain or anything, but he is still not eating at all and i'm getting sickly worried that he might die on me if something don't happen soon he's lost weight for a long time now and is getting really skinny (i can see the outline of his ribs and some of the other bones in his body), there are no visible wrongs with his stool and i can easily get him to drink by sprayin his mouth or bathing him. apart from the eating issue he seems happy and fine,

what is wrong with my poor beardie ?


i've uploaded a few pictures of the terrarium the lightsource and the beardies on photobucket

dunno how you browse the page, never used it, but will chech if link works

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/Beardieguy1/media/IMG_0295_zps3ceb131b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/Beardieguy1/library/?sort=3&page=1

looking foward to hearing from you all thanks!

 

[daner923]

Most likely, he is being dominated by the female. See the way they sit on each other? Although it may look cute, that is actually an aggressive, dominating display. He is stressed and bullied by the female, most likely, and you would very likely see a major improvement in his health if you separate them.

 

[KingBeard]

As far as i can see, based on what i read on here, He is The one dominating, he is always the one ón top, they often sleep close to each other,

He sometimes sleep in his waterbowl, he did so too last Night, kinda cute, but why ? Any suggestions ? Maybe he's ill ?

 

[daner923]

He may be on top, but he is clearly the one being dominated in some way - being smaller and skinnier and lack of appetite are all signs of domination. You should remove the waterbowl anyways - it just raises humidity. They both need baths 2-3 times a week, since most dragons don't drink standing water, especially if they are being properly hydrated. The sand may also be causing health issues. But separation is really the first step to getting him healthier. There may be another issue as well (parasites, etc), but cohabitation is stressing him out in some way.

 

[KingBeard]

If tjats THE issue, is there Any Way i Can fix The problem, without having to but a second habitat ? Can i desperate Them for a few Weeks and put Them back together again, or du i have to return one of Them to The store ?

 

[daner923]

You can't put them back together. It will just cause the problems to start again. Beardie cohabitation isn't a good idea, period.

 

[KingBeard]

I'm very sad to hear that, that means i'm forced to chose between the two of Them :-(

 

[daner923]

I'm sorry to hear that. Is it a long term cost issue, or a short term one? You could set up a large rubbermaid storage bin as a tank for a while, so long as you can provide the proper lights... Otherwise, see if you can find someone who is willing to take him in, maybe on the boards here in the for free or for sale sections. That way you can at least ensure he gets a proper home. :?

 

[Dragonkate17]

2 beardies should never be kept together at all :/ I hope you find something that works out for you so you can keep them !

 

[KingBeard]

I have a friend Who has a spare tank i Can borrow for a While untill i figure put what to dó, thanks for your replies, i'll have to og back to The store and kick THE salesman in te Face

 

[KingBeard]

Hi everyone, first off, sorry for the late reply, i have set the new enclosure up and monitored Them for a few days in their seperate tanks, they have been apart for about 5 days now, and i still can't get my male to eat anything, it almost seems like he forgot how to eat :-b the tanks are not far apart and they Can easily spot each other from their tanks, is that okay, or should i take Them completely apart for a While moving one of The enclosures to another room etc. I've only tried to feed him wax Worms and once super Worms, but not even that seems to interest him at all, Would locusts/crickets be more interesting or shoul i stick to Worms/larvaes until i Can get something Down his throat? Also, how long should i expect to have the two og Them seperated before he Tries his luck and eats something again ?