Why isn't my beardy eating?!

[MusikalMadness]

For a while he has seemed completely uninterested in food and he is very inactive. Whenever I put food near him he shakes his head and it looks like he's trembling.. it really worries me... I basically had to force feed him yesterday- I opened his mouth and popped a dubia roach in and then he chewed it up.

How old is your dragon? about a year and a month
How long have you had your dragon? a year
How long is your dragon? about 16 inches long
What is the sex of your dragon? Male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 gallon tank
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? sand
Do you use UVB lights? Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Mercury vapor bulb
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? PowerSun UV 100W
ow old is your UVB bulb? about a month
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? about 12 inches from it
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? No, but I have a red head lamp
What are the basking temps? Unsure; need new batteries for temp gun
What is the cool side temp? unsure
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? basking rock (warm side of the tank)
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. about 3-4 large dubia roaches daily with greens (usually collards, mustard greens, or endive)
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? afternoon and night; always has pellets in tank
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes, they get a bran mix
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? yes, repti calcium with D3 every time he is fed crickets and herptivite (multi-vitamins) with beta carotene once a week (rep-cal)
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? No
Do you bath your dragon? How often? Yes, twice a week
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? yes, offer water with a dropper
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? not recently


Brittney

 

[duke11]

Hi,
Duke is having almost the same problem. He is napping more often and will only eat fluid foods like baby food. He is also losing weight and will not eat bugs. The members here told me it's most likely brumation. You can read about that here: http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/
I would recommend trying baby food. Chicken and squash are good flavors to try. Also, since he doesn't have regular bowel movements, you can try some warm apple sauce, olive oil, mineral oil, or 100% pure pumpkin to keep his system moving. I would also get a fecal check as he could have parasites. Duke was treated for pinworms which is one of the reasons why. You can also get soy fruit yogurt to help his stomach feel better. Duke likes peach and blueberry flavors. If you do get yogurt, please make sure it is NOT dairy but SOY. I know it's hard and I'm going through the same things as you are. Keep us updated!

Erin

 

[herpfreak]

Hi, Brittney!

For the most part, your husbandry seems great, which leads me to agree with Erin that it is probably brumation. He is at the typical age when most beardies begin to brumate.

However, if there is really something wrong with him, allowing him to brumate is very dangerous.

Do you feed him in his enclosure? For the most part, sand is an acceptable substrate for older beardies, but there is always the chance that he is impacted. Feel around his lower belly. Are there any hard lumps?

The only other thing that concerns me is the calcium. RepCal is an excellent brand, but with the use of a MVB, additional D3 supplements can be dangerous. As you haven't had the PowerSun in for very long, I doubt that is the case, but I do recommend you switch to RepCal calcium without D3.

Since he is older now, it is recommended that you lower calcium supplements to 5 days per week. It is possible for a beardie to OD on calcium, which has pretty much the same effect as a calcium deficiency, and could also explain the lack of appetite and lethargy.



Again, I'm betting on it being brumation, but don't allow him to brumate until you're positive.



Best of luck!





Maya

 

[duke11]

I agree with Maya, don't let him brumate if he is sick! Didn't see that you were using D3, so I'd agree with you getting a calcium supplement without D3. Fecal checks are good, as it is very unhealthy for beardies to brumate with parasites.