[Idk]

I got a bearded dragon about a month ago, and he was about 3 weeks old then, so now he's about 7 weeks. When we first got him he was very active and jumped around the cage, playful, and ate a LOT. Now he's very lazy, not playful at all, and eats NOTHING. He's still a hatchling and I bathe him every other day, he gets squirted every day 3 times a day, basking temp is at 95 degress F, he gets calcium in his crickets, I fed him a variety of Mealworms, crickets, and Juvenile Bearded Dragon Food that was mixed with bananas. The UV light has been running at the same time as the basking light, the cooler side of the tank is about 85 degress F. At the moment he is in a 20g tank I had previously from a leopard gecko. I don't understand why he randomly stopped eating, He still drinks water off of his head when I spray him, I tried forcefeeding him when he opens his mouth to get the water off of his head by placing crickets, mealworms, and pellets individually. I don't understand. He's dangerously thin, and when he basks he usually has one eye open and one eye closed. He also shakes his head up and down rapidly every once in a while, which I head was from a bone disease but I've given him calcium in his food every since we got him! I followed all of the directions I found online :/ He has approx 6.5 cm. As Im typing hes sitting on my desk standing still, where as if I used to set him down anywhere he would run around. I cant take him to the vet, my mom won't pay for it.

Please help!!!

 

[Nibbler]

Would it be possible to know your set up and tempatures plz

 

[Jess]

What brand and type of UVB light do you have? Is it a coil light, a fluorescent tube, or a mercury vapor light?


Some UVB lights, like the coil and compact ones, don't give off the right amount of UVB light for a beardie and can also damage their eyes. So even though you have a UVB, he could still be getting metabolic bone disease because its a crappy brand/type. This would explain the eye shutting and lack of appetite too. I can give you a more definite answer once you tell me what type of UVB you have though.


One of the best UVBs that would work with your setup is a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB fluorescent tube. You can get one for $25 at www.petmountain.com. This is the UVB I use for my beardie, and it is awesome. You can get a T8 fluorescent fixture for it at Walmart for $10.

 

[Idk]

I have the mercury vapor one, and I don't know the brand.

 

[Jess]

Ok, would you be able to find out? It's important to know which one it is. Some of them are really good, but there are a couple that have been causing problems.

 

[Idk]

I have no way of knowing D: I went to the website you linked me though and it came in one of those sets where it has a basking light and a UVB light, I may be able to find out the type of lamp it is tomorrow. Is there any way I can make him eat forcefully right now? Every time I look at it it depresses me D:

 

[Toirtis]

The brand and wattage of the bulb should eith be on the top of the bulb, or branded near or on the base. How far from the beardie's basking area is the bulb, and what, if anything, is between the bulb itself and the dragon (screen, glass, etc)?

Why are you feeding a south american fruit that is very high in potassium to a agamid lizard from the Australian interior? This is a very unnatural diet item for them, and a potential source of potassium overload.

 

[Idk]

With further inspection it seems the bulb is a "All Living Things" bulb I got from PetCo about a month ago when I got the lizard. It's 100 watts, there is a screen in between the bulb and the basking area.

I fed the dragon bananas mixed into the pellets in his food bowl because someone on another forum board told me it was good :s

 

[Ravnos]

Southeast Asian fruit, just grown in South America. I use bananas sometimes to tempt rescue beardies into eating something, as they seem to like it, but it shouldn't really be a significant part of their diet. They're also high in phosphorus, so don't meet your Ca : P ratio. Other, bright colored fruits are also sometimes helpful in tempting adults to eat, but babies are a different story and can be hard to get back on the right track after they have had problems. They tend to prefer things that move. I've had good luck with finely shredding greens and sprinkling them in front of the beardie to get his attention.

When bearded dragons stop eating it's almost always from what people have already mentioned: wrong temperatures and/or inadequate lighting. Proper UV lighting is absolutely necessary for proper development, as is adequate temperatures to make sure food is getting digested. Have you checked the night-time temperatures as well as the day?

Another common reason for not eating is simply stress. Too much handling and fussing can cause stress. Having his cage in an area of the house that is too busy or too noisy can cause stress. Inadequate places to hide in his cage can cause stress. This is why I don't really like to force feed beardies, it tends to result in more stress.

 

[Idk]

My beardie currently resides in my room, where no one but me is ever in it, when I'm, sleeping, on the computer, eating, or handling my pets. I don't think stress would be an issue, besides that I moved him about 2 weeks ago into a larger tank from a 10gallon. He was eating in the new tank for about 3 days then just stopped. You can see his ribs :/ At night the cage is at 80 (78-83 degrees is what I've seen), I leave on the light for about 12 hours a day, and leave the basking light on for about 14.

 

[Toirtis]

Really, at this point I would suggest an exotics/reptile vet...coccidia is a concern, and only a fecal exam will determine that. Your care, apart from some of his diet, seems reasonable, so illness is certainly a possibility, and can only be diagnosed with proper lab work.

 

[Jess]

@Idk: That "All living things" light isn't a UVB light, it is just a plain basking light. The lack of UVB is probably why he isn't eating. Get the ReptiSun 10.0, and there is a pretty good chance he will improve.


I agree with what the others said, lay off the banana. My beardie LOVES it as a treat, but fruit shouldn't be a large part of their diet. Stick to dark leafy greens like mustards and collards, and most beardies go nuts for squash too.

 

[Toirtis]

@Idk: That "All living things" light isn't a UVB light, it is just a plain basking light. The lack of UVB is probably why he isn't eating. Get the ReptiSun 10.0, and there is a pretty good chance he will improve.

Aha...that would explain a lot. I have never seen these 'All Living Things' lights anywhere before....apparently PetsMart carries them, which would be why. Agreed, now that we know that your beardie has been getting zero UVB, it sounds like a severe UVB deficiency is the issue.

 

[MeteoraAngel]

The "All living things" brand is owned by petsmart and they tend to not properly lable things sadly =( and the things that do have proper lables arent always easy to read like theyll have more important information on the back in small letters

 

[Jess]

The thing with those reptile basking lights is that they all say that they emit UVA... I've talked to SO many people who confuse that with UVB. When they label their lights, they should put a disclaimer or something that they are not a source of UVB.