Help!!!

Sheldon & Tori · 05-31-04, 07:46 PM

our beardie has decided to stop eating (well, maybe he eats a little and we don't see him) and has lost about 20 grams in the past 2 weeks........is it common for bearded dragons to fast??? i know it's somewhat common for leopard gecko's to go through a short no-eating spell but not too sure about beardies......we will be taking in a fecal as soon as we can, but does anyone have any idea's as to what could be going on???

thnx,
sheldon and tori

BoidKeeper · 05-31-04, 07:57 PM

What are you using for substrate?
Trevor

ChristinaM · 05-31-04, 08:13 PM

Need more info

Temps, housing, substrate, etc.
Is he just refusing salad or insect as well?

Sheldon & Tori · 05-31-04, 10:10 PM

i don't know the exact temps but i know they are good because he is spending about 50% of the time under the heat lamp (150W bulb about 6-8" from his log).......plus when we pick him up he is warm.....he is in a 65 gallon aquarium by himself.......for substrate he is on a sand substitute (crushed almond shells i think.....i bought the bag at petsmart).......we ruled impaction out last night when he took a fair sized crap on our carpet while we were cleaning his cage lol!.......he has a UV lamp which is only about a month or two old........we haven't seen him eat any bugs or veggies in a few days now, however, yesterday he decided he was going to eat the back half of a pinkie and throw the rest across his cage (that was really gross!) i hope this info helps you guys help us!

thnx,
sheldon and tori

BoidKeeper · 06-01-04, 03:57 AM

Quote:

i don't know the exact temps but i know they are good because he is spending about 50% of the time under the heat lamp (150W bulb about 6-8" from his log).......plus when we pick him up he is warm

This is part of your problem. Just because he sits there and is warm when you pick him up doesn't mean that your temps are right.

Quote:

for substrate he is on a sand substitute

This may also be part of your problem. It may slowly be building up in his system causing a loss of appitite.
If you want to know if it's eating or not put a few worms in a bowl that they can't climb out of and count them.
Trevor

ChristinaM · 06-01-04, 12:58 PM

I agree with Trevor on the temps. You need to know exactly how warm he is getting. You can get a cheap digital indoor/outdoor probe thermometer in Canadian Tire/Walmart/Homedepot/etc. The so called "reptile" ones are very inaccurate.

Generally a dragon spends 90% of his day under the heat. Because yours is only spending 50%, perhaps he's telling you it is too hot. Just from the bulbs I have going here, I have a 100W bulb 8" from the highest basking point, and I have to have it on a dimmer or it will reach over 130F. Not good. That tank is a 90g tank btw. I have a definate feeling yours may be too hot. Could be wrong.

The substrate is also not a particularly good one. If you like sand, just plain ol childs play sand is perfect. Small chance of impaction, but way better than the petstore substrates.

Basically, unless it is during the winter, it is not normal for a beardie not to eat. Especially when offered crix or worms.

ChristinaM · 06-01-04, 12:59 PM

BTW: how old is the dragon?

Sheldon & Tori · 06-01-04, 08:14 PM

the dragon is about 8 months old......and i pulled the thermometer out of our incubator (it's a digital aquarium thermometer w/ a probe) and in his basking spot it's 109 degrees......now from what i have heard, 113 is about average so his temps are fine according to what i've heard......we are pulling out the substrate tonight and replacing it with newspaper and we'll see how that goes

thnx for your help!
sheldon and tori

ChristinaM · 06-01-04, 09:35 PM

Good luck

The only other thing that comes to mind is: without starting the dragon and pinkie debate, I'd have to say he's definately too young for pinkys, and could possibly be having trouble digesting it, causing him a belly ache perhaps.

Good move on the substrate removal

One other thought: is he shedding? Has anything new happened in his environment?

Sheldon & Tori · 06-01-04, 11:10 PM

ChristinaM--->nothing new other than air pressure in the city as this past week the air has been really heavy due to steady rains......he's been eating pinkies for us for over a month and is just now refusing them......but like you said, no sense starting the debate.......i'm not sure if he is shedding or not as i've never seen a beardie going into a shed, just coming out of one.......plus his colors are really light so it's tough to tell if the old skin is lifting up or not

gregandsarah · 06-02-04, 05:53 AM

I have been experiencing something similar. Mine had a touch of mouth rot which incrementally took away her apetite (she is 4 years old).

It was due to a sore mouth which eventually (the infection) spread to her lungs. As bad as this sounds we caught it early, got her to the vet who put her on antibiotics, raised her temp, went from a sand filled enclosure to paper towel, bleached everything (rinsed well) and she seems to be doing a lot better.

AS a voratious eater we sure noticed a problem.

My advise: try what you are at the moment but don't rule out a trip to the vet to check him/her's mouth for injuries or sores. Better to get it early Reptiles can have an infection for a long time before injuries show up.

Mine is still on the mend, her attitude is back but her apetite isn't. I try to keep her hydrated (I think this is important) using pedialite or diluted Gatorade within which I add a little calcium, and vitamine supplement (drip it over her nose in the bath -she loves it).

Also, 113 degrees seems a few degrees too high to me. Try for 105, 110 tops.

My opinion and experience take it or leave it.

ReptiliansDOTca · 06-02-04, 01:11 PM

I would definitely consider those pinkies as a contributing factor to your problems. Keep in mind the word consider.

Quote:

Generally a dragon spends 90% of his day under the heat

I will disagree with that, 90% is over exaggerating. Generally, desired temperatures for a dragon are set by the individual itself. Temperatures usually range between 95°F - 120°F. Keep in mind, age plays a big part as well. At eight months of age, I would reduce the temperatures to 100°F and see how that plays out.

As convenient as feeding pinkies are (you feed one item, rather then fifteen crickets for example), they are not good for your dragon. I will not get into this debate on whether or not they can digest them, but what I will say is feeding pinkies on a regular basis is definitely something to avoid. At most, I would feed no more then one per month.

I doubt shedding is a cause to the problem, but who knows. As for what to do from this point on, I will suggest a certain protocol. First, stop feeding pinkies, at least for the time being. Second, place a dish in the enclosure, with a known amount of worms. Include different species of worms, butter worms and silk worms for example. Monitor how much, if anything, he is eating. Do this for a week, and if there is no progression diagnostic testing through your local veterinarian is strongly recommended.

ChristinaM · 06-02-04, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ReptiliansDOTca

I will disagree with that, 90% is over exaggerating. .

Nope, I was not exaggerating. My dragons spend 90% of their day basking. The other 10% is spent eating and roaming. I'm a stay at home mom, so I have ample oppurtunity to observe my dragons

Sheldon&Tori: hmmmm. He's got me puzzled. Other than the temp and substrate, I can't suggest anything really. If he's pooping and acting normally, I wouldn't worry too much....but if he goes a few days without pooping, and still not eating, I'd get a little more concerned.

My largest female, went through a good month where she ate a whopping 4-7 silkworms during that period. Vet check after vet check proved she was fine. She starting eating one day, and is a huge pig LOL. Chalked it up to relocation stress. It took her a while to get comfy in her new home. Thats why I asked about the change.

Good luck, I do hope it all turns out ok.

concept3 · 06-02-04, 04:47 PM

well, i dont no foresure but i was talking to my breeder who had this same problem and it had to do with UVB. What type of UVB light are you using? is it in the cage or on top of the cage? if your UVb bulb is sitting on screen this instantly reduces it about 40-60 percent? If its going through glass about 99 percent. Ive got an 8.0 and its hanging inside the cage about 6 inches from his basking spot? I just hung it on the back of the tank with 3 of the big hooked suction cups. I hope this helped

ReptiliansDOTca · 06-02-04, 05:13 PM

Christina, if your dragons are spending 90% of their time basking, you need to raise your temperatures. Also, I have never heard of improper UVB people the cause for a lack of appetite.