Strange Behaviour

[Blodyn]

So lately my beardie is eating only when he seems to want to(even when he's not eating though he'll take maybe one or two crickets) he's digging in the corners of his viv/at the side of rocks and he's mostly sticking to the cool side of the viv (he'll stay cold all day unless I move him to the basking spot, dunno if that's good from me or not, although once he's under the heat, he'll stay there until he's warmed up)
He's pooping irregularly but then he's also eating irregularly.
So I'm just not sure if this is something beardies normally do or if I should worry, or any advice at all would be great tbh.

How old is your dragon?
Almost a year, 10 months.
How long have you had your dragon?
8 months.
How long is your dragon?
between 19 and 20 inches
What is the sex of your dragon?
Male (we think)
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
A big corner unit...it's big.
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Paper/Reptile carpet
Do you use UVB lights?
Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
Florescent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
Arcadia, 12% uvb
How old is your UVB bulb?
About 1 month, I checked the previous tube's UV output and it had diminished quite a bit (lasted 7 months) so I purchased a new one.
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
9-10 inches away (from the log, not his back)
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb?
White, daylight basking bulb 100w.
What are the basking temps?
It's a range between 37(98.6) to 31(87.8)
What is the cool side temp?
The coolest part of the viv is 22(71.6)
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Temp gun
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Where my beardie basks
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
Nope
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
Crickets, Locusts, Salad (spring greens, rocket, watercress, butternut squash, peppers, carrot and occasionally fruit like blueberries and mango.)
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
I feed him salad in the morning and the insects about late afternoon.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
Yes, they get the salad my dragon doesn't eat from the previous day.
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
ReptiTerra, Calcium+d3 and Multi vit, calcium daily and multi vit on the weekend.
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Not really, as explained in my issue
Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Less frequently than once a week, depends on whether he's dehydrated or not
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Only inside his hide and only if he's using it during shedding.
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
Nope
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
Nope

 

[Blodyn]

I attempted to get photos of the behaviour, but every time I try, he stops as soon as I watch him (or as soon as he knows I'm watching.)

 

[kingofnobbys]

So lately my beardie is eating only when he seems to want to(even when he's not eating though he'll take maybe one or two crickets) he's digging in the corners of his viv/at the side of rocks and he's mostly sticking to the cool side of the viv (he'll stay cold all day unless I move him to the basking spot, dunno if that's good from me or not, although once he's under the heat, he'll stay there until he's warmed up)
He's pooping irregularly but then he's also eating irregularly.
So I'm just not sure if this is something beardies normally do or if I should worry, or any advice at all would be great tbh.

How old is your dragon?
Almost a year, 10 months.
How long have you had your dragon?
8 months.
How long is your dragon?
between 19 and 20 inches
What is the sex of your dragon?
Male (we think)
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
A big corner unit...it's big.
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Paper/Reptile carpet
Do you use UVB lights?
Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
Florescent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
Arcadia, 12% uvb <<< T8 or T5HO version ?
How old is your UVB bulb?
About 1 month, I checked the previous tube's UV output and it had diminished quite a bit (lasted 7 months) so I purchased a new one.
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
9-10 inches away (from the log, not his back)
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb?
White, daylight basking bulb 100w.
What are the basking temps?
It's a range between 37(98.6) to 31(87.8)
What is the cool side temp?
The coolest part of the viv is 22(71.6)) <<< I suggest a bump up across the board by 5-6 degC.
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Temp gun
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Where my beardie basks
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
Nope
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
Crickets, Locusts, Salad (spring greens, rocket, watercress, butternut squash, peppers, carrot and occasionally fruit like blueberries and mango.)
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
I feed him salad in the morning and the insects about late afternoon.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
Yes, they get the salad my dragon doesn't eat from the previous day.
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
ReptiTerra, Calcium+d3 and Multi vit, calcium daily and multi vit on the weekend.
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Not really, as explained in my issue
Do you bath your dragon? How often?
Less frequently than once a week, depends on whether he's dehydrated or not
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Only inside his hide and only if he's using it during shedding.
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
Nope
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?
Nope

 

[kingofnobbys]

See above comments .

FEEDING SCHEDULE:
I suggest TWO feeds of insects per day for now until he turns 12 months old..

POOING INTERVAL:
<<< all dragons are different , see this for my two perfectly healthy siblings on exactly same diet and same husbandry : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=232446

 

[Blodyn]

T8 and I can increase the temps by about 3 degrees but I dropped them about 2 months ago because he was dehydrated all the time (I expect it's because of summer and the fact he doesn't eat veg.)
The behaviour that's concerning me the most is the digging, it coincides with the drop in appetite, the only reason I'm feeding him once a day is because his appetite dropped, I was feeding him 2-3 times depending on whether he'd take his crickets or not.

 

[daughterofMyou]

Are you certain that your dragon is male? It's possible he is actually a 'she', and is trying to burrow to lay unfertilised eggs. Try to gently feel around on their belly, see if you notice any bumps toward the bottom. Unfertilised eggs are smaller and more difficult to feel, though.

My Ginger had a tumour on one of her ovaries, making her think she was gravid, so she went off her food and desperately tried to dig. We filled an old suitcase with a sand/soil/vermiculite mix for her, and she was happy to burrow in that

 

[Blodyn]

Uh well, I've thrown a plastic tub in the viv with some soil/sand combo, it's a bit damp and he (or she) has been digging into it but doesn't seem sure. If this is the problem, is it normal for it to happen before they're a year old?