Worried

[puffersfamily]

My BD is two years old, he's been picky since we got him as a baby. Likes peas the best. Gave him a pinky a couple of times. He loves silk worms but they are hard to find. He loves butterworms which we give him once in awhile. Rarely eats greens...
His main staple are superworms and crickets. He sometimes goes weeks without eating ... Seems like he goes into brumation then comes out of it after a couple months, then back into it a few weeks later. I'm confused on what to do. We give him baths once every couple of weeks. He has hardly pooped, i think once in a month! What should I do?

 

[puffersfamily]

His substrate is coconut husk, lighting is good, temps good...
He's alert when you take him out of tank and hold him let him wander around etc...

 

[Sapphire]

Coconut husk is a bad substrate. Put him on something solid, nothing that he could pick up pieces of and eat. Paper towels, non-adhesive shelf liner, or slate tiles are all pretty common.

Just to be sure that your lighting is good, what kind of bulbs are you using? How close can your dragon get to his UV?

 

[puffersfamily]

Half of his tank is slate tile and the other half where his UVB lighting is, is coconut husks- natural to a wild bearded dragons habitat. He used to have sand but I changed it because it was staining his scales (turned him blue), he doesn't eat his substrate and it's definitely not an impaction because he has pooped during this brumating behaviour.
I am worried because he doesn't eat for weeks at a time ... What should I be doing? Is there something I can give him in a syringe to make sure he's getting what he needs?
I can't tell you the name of the bulb because i don't have the box but I've researched on here before I bought it.. It's 100w and it's a foot and a half away from his basking spot. He also has a tube lighting at other end of his 55gallon tank where the slate is. Ive also made sure it's a good light...
I've tested the temps with a thermometer with a probe... It's good.

 

[Sapphire]

The tube light should have its name printed on it somewhere towards one of the edges. How old is the UV bulb (the tube)? They should be replaced every six months or so. And he should be able to get within 8 inches of his UV light. He may not be getting enough UV if his light is 18" away.

You can try giving him various flavors of baby food in a syringe (syringe without needle, fed into his mouth). Chicken, turkey, squash, carrot, applesauce...

You might want to post about this in the "health" or "beardie ER" forum to get more specialized advice since this is a pretty serious health concern. Definitely try to figure out what kind of UV light you have and how old it is, because if your beardie isn't getting enough UV rays, that could be cause for decreased appetite and lethargy.

Have you ever had a fecal test done? He may have parasites. Certain parasites can cause appetite loss if they get to high enough levels.

There's also a product called acidophiliz which is a probiotic, meaning it restores the good bacteria in his system. A few good doses of that might add a little jump to his appetite.

Like I said, though, I would recommend posting about this in the health or ER forum, because I am by no means an expert on beardie health and don't have any personal experience with a beardie not eating. I just know what I've read. I would also definitely recommend getting a needle-less syringe and some baby food and trying to get some nutrients into him that way.