Spike stopped eating

[Spikeshuman]

Spike stopped eating over spring break.. which was a month ago here. I have tried every insect and vegetable imaginable. Roaches, super worms, phoenix worms, wax worms, crickets... even tried to give her kale today.. even though its not the best for her. I have tried bearded dragon pellets, dry and wet. I have tried lentils.. squash.. baby food.. even the horrible calorie supplement they sell at petsmart. She is not brumating.. she does not hide at all.. she basks and often glass dances. The glass dancing is weird because she has never done that much before. I thought maybe eggs.. but her belly is completely soft and pliable.. I cant feel anything in there whatsoever. Two weeks ago she ate one roach.. and a few days after that she ate about 5 waxworms.. but nothing before and nothing since. She still goes every day.. but there is only urates. I spray her mouth every few days.. and she drinks it. Oh.. and shes 10.5 months old and about 18 inches long. She was a nice fat beardie.. so she isnt getting skinny yet.. but I am starting to really freak out. If anyone has any ideas please help.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there...can you post a picture of Spike ? Also of Spike's set up ? And how much does she weigh ? Some dragons grow quickly and then go through a period where they just aren't as interested in eating for a while. Try something totally different that is bright colored, if you have dandelions blooming try a few flowers . [ As long as you get them from an area where no pesticides are sprayed ] Or if you haven't tried hornworms or supers, give those a try.

 

[Spikeshuman]

She was 300g.. I have not got her weight since she stopped eating.. I can go do that today.

This is her house as it currently is.. branches and a tree have been removed because of her constant glass dancing.. they were getting in her way. Its a 40g breeder.


This last picture was taken yesterday.

 

[AHBD]

She looks pretty hefty in the top picture, if she's 18" she looks like she's closer to 350 - 400 grams, maybe a bit more. Anyway, you really should have a laybox set up because her behavior points to carrying eggs. It is an absolute myth that you can always feel eggs, they can definitely carry infertiles without you being able to feel them, and even smaller clutches of fertile eggs. If you need directions on how to set up a laybox, there is a great tutorial at the top of the breeding forum.

 

[Spikeshuman]

Your right about her weight. I went to the vet... she was 400g last time.. and shes 400g still. Well.. more like 398 to be exact.. but she has not lost any weight at all.

 

[Spikeshuman]

Got sand in a 5 dollar walmart bin. Going to wet it.. pack it and stick her heat lamp on it. Going to put her uv bulb over it too.. wish me luck! I really hope this is the problem.

 

[Spikeshuman]

2 days in sand bucket.. no eggs.. no eating.. (I put her in her house about an hour before bedtime.)

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....it can take several days ,and sometimes they go through all the motions without even laying eggs. But don't leave her in the bin alll day, let her wake up in her tank, put her in the lay box about mid day if you can, just leave her for an hour or 2 at a time. If she starts digging, then you can leave her in longer. The lay bin is too cold to leave her in for hours + hours if she's not actually digging. You can set up a clamp lamp to keep her warmer but always put her back in her tank an hour before lights go out to warm up properly even if she's been digging. You can drip water on her nose fpr a drink or give a bath every couple of days, then be sure to pat her dry before putting her in the lay box again. Keep offering food just in case she wants a snack.

 

[Spikeshuman]

I had put her in the sand box around 1pm.. and I moved her heat and uv lights with her. I put her back in her house a few hours before lights out. Today she hid in her house and slept all day so I didn't bother her. I have been spraying her mouth with a water bottle every few days. When shes really thirsty she opens up and drinks. A water bottle probably sounds harsh.. but I barely squeeze it so that water sprinkles onto her lips, this is the ONLY way she will drink water. I still bathe her once to twice a week. The few times shes been in the sand box she has just sat there like a lump.. she doesn't even try to roam around or attempt to get out. She doesnt scratch at the sand.. or dig at all. Anyway... I will keep watching her weight and offering her food. Today I tried collards and buttercup squash... no luck. I try the roaches every day... no luck on that either.

 

[AHBD]

The spray bottle method is what I've done for the almost 20 years I've owned beardies. They will definitely drink when thirsty, nothing harsh about it at all, excellent way to hydrate them. Just wondering what type, brand + wattage lights you have ? Are there 2 basking bulbs ? Is there a UVB bulb ? She may be getting hot if your household temps. are warmer as the weather changes, and the tile holds the heat. As for another insect to try to get her to eat, have you tried hornworms ? Most beardies find them to be irresistible. Just a thought, also try some dandelion flower, none of my girls can resist them and they love green clover from my yard. If you have either of those and your yard doesn't get treated with chemicals you might try those. I pick the dandelion on the stalk and wave it in front of their noses and they grab the flower right off.

 

[kawa798]

OK, first of all I do not claim to be an expert but I do have some experience with a gravid female that I lost because I was a day late in making the decision to take her to the vet to have the infertile eggs surgically removed. It is my opinion, through all the research I have done, a 10.5 month old female dragon will not develop eggs this young! Now I'm not saying it's not possible but I would bet this is not the case with this young of a dragon. My female was a little over 2 years old before she developed her eggs. There was no doubt about it as her belly swelled up and you could feel and see the eggs. When a dragon is ready to lay she'll start digging almost nonstop, even in her regular home, doesn't matter, she's going to dig. That's when you put her in the lay box.

Now, the reason I decided to respond to this post is I now have a male dragon, 10 months old, 19 inches long, 420 grams and he has stopped eating! He's been to the vet and I've had 3 fecal's performed. The first two were clean, the third fecal was positive for pin worms and hook worms. Not a huge count but they were there and the main concern being the hook worms as they are blood suckers and can cause major damage, to death. So, I am two weeks into treating him for that and I'm still not seeing any improvement with his appetite. Just like yours Spikeshuman, he would eat a bug 1 day and then nothing. This has been going on for 2 months and I've offered him everything. Yesterday I received a shipment of 200 silkworms and he ate 5. I was so happy. Today, won't touch them so I'm back to force feeding to keep him from dropping weight which can lead to other problems, not just starvation.

I have since found out that some of the dragons from the same clutch as mine are experiencing the same thing as far as quitting eating. I discussed this with my vet and she has been seeing others not related to my dragon that have also stopped eating for whatever reason! On an alarming note, my vet did recently have one that was positive for the Adino Virus. Not good! I have not requested any tests for this virus but if I can't get him to turn it around and start eating like the little monster he was, and he's clean of any parasites then I think we will start testing for that.

Spikeshuman, just wondering, are you in Texas? That's where I'm at and like I said, my vet is seeing this loss of appetite thing in several dragons here. The only thing I can suggest is get a cheap digital scale at walmart and monitor your dragons weight daily. If she starts dropping weight then I suggest you start force feeding. Fluker's Repta+Boost will keep the weight on, or Critical Care or a home made slurry. Main thing is don't let her drop allot of weight. I really don't think she has eggs but I could be wrong. If she is gravid and she starts digging and digging then put her in the lay box. If shes struggling to lay, take her to the vet, don't wait. Otherwise, I'd suggest bumping up her temps a bit, make sure she's clean of any parasites and give her a good warm bath, 15 to 20 minutes daily. Hopefully she'll make a turn around and she'll start eating. Good luck and let us know how shes doing.

 

[AHBD]

Thanks for the input Kawa, I agree that slurries could be helpful, if the beardie will take them. It's worth a try to mix in a variety to see what she'll go for. As far as her being too young, 10 months is not too young. I've had 2 females lay infertiles at 10 months old, and a female with infertiles doesn't always get very large. I've seen many gravid females. And glass dancing can be a sign that she is looking to lay. At any rate, we can just trouble shoot, but it is important to watch that she doesn't get extremely lethargic. A qualified vet can check and even take X-rays to determine if there are eggs. Or you can take in a fecal. But check your temps. to see what they are, whether it might be too hot or not hot enough, and what type of UVB bulb you have.

 

[Spikeshuman]

I am in Texas.. and oddly enough.. the resident bearded dragon at Petsmart here stopped eating about a month ago. They are force feeding her now. She however lost a TON of weight and looks terrible. Spike seems perfectly fine other than the refusal to eat. I think maybe its time to pay a visit to the vet.. just to see.

 

[kawa798]

So, any update on Spike? Egg's or?

 

[Spikeshuman]

Well.. Vet believes shes got eggs. He said she may lay them.. or they may be absorbed. He also said that after a month of not eating.. her body is leaching calcium from her bones to make those eggs so he had me start force feeding her baby food with her calcium powder in it. She always eats the first half of the syringe willingly.. but after that I have to sneak it in there. Some days I get about 6ml in her.. and some days maybe only 3.. but its food.. and shes pooping again so thats good. I keep trying to feed her normal food.. but she is completely unwilling.

When he held her up.. I could see exactly why he thinks eggs. The lower portion of her belly is HUGE!! Hopefully we will get back to normal soon.. but at least I know shes healthy.. she had NO other problems other than her eggs!