Too Skinny - Need Advice

[KylaChanelle]

Quick question.

I have two bearded dragons currently being housed together in a tall 2ft while I prepare to move them into their new tank. One is 1 year and 6 months old, the other one is approximately 7-8 months. My brother used to own reptiles, so currently I use a UV tube he had for his reptiles and a ceramic heater (their light blew, I'm buying a new one today)

I feed them both the same thing, often together. They get a mix of crickets and sometimes mealworms (was feeding woodies, but I'm really scared of roaches. I'm considering trying again), as well as fresh vegetables (green beans, kale, bok choy, carrot, butternut pumpkin, sweet potato, zuchinni, brocolli, capsicum, etc). I dust it all in a multivitamin and calcium + D3 powder once daily. They have their favourites. The oldest, Snakelegs, will only go for the green vegetables while the youngest, Captain, will only eat the orange-yellow. I don't know if that is balanced for them but I can't seem to get them to eat the other stuff, even if i mix it together.

My oldest boy, Snakelegs, has started to lose a lot of weight over the past few weeks, to the point where you can see his spine and bones around his tail base. I'm really concerned for him. I've tried to offer more food more regularly, but that hasn't made any difference from what I can see. He still has interest in food (except yesterday when I seprated him to feed him and had to force feed him a few beans to ensure he is eating his plants, but he ate mealworms like there's no tomorrow). He isn't showing signs of lethargy (he is sedentary by nature though). No aggression (he's always been incredibly placid). His colouration is fine (though, i have noticed a few patches of what looks like rubbed down scales in the crevices of where his legs/arms meet his body, similar to the discolouration we get under our armpits. He doesnt seem bothered by this.)

My other boy, Captain, is not experience any weight loss. He is more plump than he has ever been, in fact. He is highly active, and actually he's started to become more aggressive again (he was super aggressive when I got him but he had calmed down up until a couple days ago)

Both their poop seems fine. Good colour. Good consistency. I clean it up often (I do a full tank clean).

The main question I wanted to ask is, what is the possibility of the weight loss being caused by parasites if my other boy isn't experiencing the same thing despite living in the small space together?
I can't exactly take him to the vet (I'm in Australia and due to me actually handrearing snakelegs from a baby when I found him near death in the wild, I can't put him on my license (we need to have a license to keep reptiles), so technically I shouldn't have him and I'm worried about what will happen if I take him to a vet).

I also think it could be caused by stress from being in a small tank. Maybe even a dominance issue I don't know about. I will be putting them into a new, bigger tank very soon. Hoping I can just a little bit of advice or possibly reassurance on this though. I have experience with reptiles, but I haven't had any for years, so my knowledge on all of this isnt that great tbh. I just need a bit of help. I'm really worried about my boy. Any advice is appreciated xx

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, just a quick reply to address one aspect and I'm sure others will chime in....please do separate them ASAP. Beardies very rarely get along when housed together [ some females raised together as hatchlings can ] so there may be a big fight in the future that can be very harmful. Beardies have powerful biting grip and can tear off toes [ even an entire foot at times ] tails + injure the eyes. Separate large enclosures to start with would be a good idea.

 

[CooperDragon]

In addition to separating them, they may have a lighting issue. How old is the UVB tube? The UVB output decays over time so they need to be replaced periodically. They also need to be set somewhat close to the basking area to be effective (this varies depending on the type and wattage of the bulb you're using). My guess based on the info provided is that it's more likely a dominance or lighting issue than parasites.

 

[EllenD]

They need to be separated immediately! You absolutely cannot house 2 male bearded dragons together, no matter how large the tank. The reason you have one fat dragon and one emaciated dragon is because the fat one is dominating the other one. The fat one gets all the best food, all the best basking spits, etc. This is a really common problem, and unfortunately usually what happens is people refuse to separate them, either because they can't afford 2 of everything or because they think they are fine together and "love each other", which is completely wrong. And then one day they come home and out of the blue one dragon is dead, ripped apart, and the other is injured. As it is one of yours is dying of starvation, that's where it's heading.

Please leave the weak, emaciated one in the tank it's in now, and get the fat one out, as the small one cannot take anymore stress. In the meantime before you can buy another tank and lights, put the fat one in a plastic tote with a basking light over him. He can go without a uvb light for a few days to a week, so you'll need to go buy a new enclosure (larger), new basking light, uvb light, and decor. And I'll repeat to you that it has nothing to do with the size of the current tank, getting a larger tank and putting them both in it will not help. The skinny one is going to die if you don't separate them immediately. And then stack their separate tanks on top of each other so they cannot see each other, they are solitary animals in the wild who only come together to mate, then they leave. 2 males should NEVER be put together, not even out of their separate tanks supervised, because one good chomp down on their head and you have a dead beardie...Please get the fat one out of there now!

 

[babyatti]

I'm not sure if my 1 and a half month old is too skinny!? He is my very first bearded dragon. He is super active, loves to play, swim, and be out of his tank. He eats about 15 crickets, semi big ones, every day and his entire salad but he won't eat anything else after that!! Should he be eating more?! he is about 8 inches long, tummy is fully round when he flattens and I can't see his ribs when he walks, belly is big but doesn't touch the floor when he crawls. does this sound healthy or should he be bigger or smaller? sorry for so many questions I just want my baby in his best health!!