Very concerned about weight

[MNbeardie]

Jack is about 2 1/2 years old and has lost a lot of weight during his brumation. I can't remember his pre brumation weight, but he is now 318g. White he was brumating I had taken his UVB light fixture out to paint it and when I put it back in I had somehow put a normal bulb in (feel really bad). So he's been without UVB for about 4 months. He does sun himself in the open window quite often, but I'm sure it's not enough. He doesn't seem very interested in any greens unless hand fed, even then he doesn't eat much. However he will eat 4-6 sub adult dubia. Both food sources are dusted. He gets a 30min bath twice a week, and when in the tub he always spends a good amount of time drinking his bath water (something he's been doing for a year now. From 7-9am Jack is VERY active, he has free reign of the house while the kids are getting ready for school. He runs and explores EVERYWHERE.

I think he should be almost twice his current weight judging by other dragons posted around his age. Any suggestions? Should he see a Vet?

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Yes, that seems quite small for a 2.5 yr old beardie. Does he have a UVB now? What type and brand UVB is it?
How are his temps in his enclosure? What type thermometer are you using?
The UVB and temps play a big part in your beardie's overall health and growth.
How often is he eating the dubias?
If he is drinking an extreme amount of water while in the bath, it might be a good idea to bathe him more often. This could be a sign that he is not getting adequate hydration. Some beardies need more water than others. I have a 7 y.o. beardie and if she is not bathed at least 4 times a week, she tends to drink alot while in the bath. She just requires more water.

Has Jack had a fecal lately? It would not hurt to have one done. Beardie's can lose weight if loaded with parasites as well.

 

[AHBD]

Just a couple other things to consider besides what has been mentioned....how long is Jack ? A 21" dragon would be way off weight at 318 grams whereas a 17 - 18' would still be on the thin side, but would no where near be needing to gain another 200 - 300 grams, maybe another 60 -100 at most. What were the temps. during brumation ? If they were above 70 degrees F, [ I keep mine around 63-65 ] this would have kept his metabolism higher and possibly contributed to weight loss and a slight dehydration. It's great that he's eating, drinking, and being active. Please know that, although you don't want him to lose more, and it would be good to gain some, there are actually far more problems with obesity in dragons, so many of the pics you see are overweight dragons, with well - meaning owners mistakenly feeding too many protein and fatty insects when they should be eating more vegetation, or at least less of the insects altogether. So, maybe bump up the number of Dubia, or give a few more at a different time of day, and keep in mind that it's breeding time and many a dragon in the spring is pretty lean after brumating !

 

[MNbeardie]

He's 19 1/2" long

Cage temp ranges from 70° on the cool side to 104° on his basking perch.
I didn't track Brumation temps, but they could have been between 65-75 where he was sleeping. Maybe a bit cooler as it was winter in Minnesota and the house is a bit chilly.
Temps are taken with an IR temp gun.

UVB light is a 36" Zoo-Med Reptisun 10.0. I used a MegaRay until the recall and was thinking about going back to them as he's never had any problems related to that bulb.

He eats 4-6 sub adult dubia / day and only a couple leaves of collard or mustard greens. Once in awhile he gets a Hibiscus blossom as a treat.

His last fecal was 18 months ago along with a full checkup and was perfectly clear.

 

[MNbeardie]

I've decided to play it safe and schedule a vet exam. Gotta to wait 'til he has a bowel movement outside the bathtub for a fecal first though