Hi everyone!
I recently posted a thread about my two female bearded dragons sharing an enclosure. As recommended, I have now separated them. However, I am very concerned about one of them—the smaller and younger one.
She has always been a bit "different" (eating less, being more sleepy, etc.), but since the separation, she has started sleeping all day. She hides in the cave, under the 3D wall, or anywhere without light or warmth. The biggest issue is that she refuses to eat.
I’ve tried encouraging her to bask, which helped a little, but she only ate one feeder. I have been able to get her to eat about once every 2–3 days, but only a single feeder each time. I also tried hydrating her—she drank—and I gave her grape sugar mixed in water, which I read might help with non-eating beardies, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
Because of this, I scheduled an appointment with an exotic vet for tomorrow, as I’m really worried about her health. However, she doesn’t seem to be losing weight—though she’s not growing either.
Now, here’s where I’m confused: Today (one day before the vet visit), I placed her on the basking spot again, hoping it might encourage her to eat. For the past two days, I let her decide on her own, but she just kept sleeping. But today, something changed—she finally ate seven feeders after about a month of barely eating!
So now I don’t know what to do. Should I still take her to the vet and risk stressing her out, or should I give her another chance to improve on her own? I don’t want to underestimate any potential health issues, which is why I’m asking for advice.
Could this behavior be due to stress from separation and adjusting to the new enclosure? Or was she possibly trying to brumate? I live in Europe, and the weather has still been quite cold some days.
I’d really appreciate any insights or advice! Thx!!
I recently posted a thread about my two female bearded dragons sharing an enclosure. As recommended, I have now separated them. However, I am very concerned about one of them—the smaller and younger one.
She has always been a bit "different" (eating less, being more sleepy, etc.), but since the separation, she has started sleeping all day. She hides in the cave, under the 3D wall, or anywhere without light or warmth. The biggest issue is that she refuses to eat.
I’ve tried encouraging her to bask, which helped a little, but she only ate one feeder. I have been able to get her to eat about once every 2–3 days, but only a single feeder each time. I also tried hydrating her—she drank—and I gave her grape sugar mixed in water, which I read might help with non-eating beardies, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
Because of this, I scheduled an appointment with an exotic vet for tomorrow, as I’m really worried about her health. However, she doesn’t seem to be losing weight—though she’s not growing either.
Now, here’s where I’m confused: Today (one day before the vet visit), I placed her on the basking spot again, hoping it might encourage her to eat. For the past two days, I let her decide on her own, but she just kept sleeping. But today, something changed—she finally ate seven feeders after about a month of barely eating!
So now I don’t know what to do. Should I still take her to the vet and risk stressing her out, or should I give her another chance to improve on her own? I don’t want to underestimate any potential health issues, which is why I’m asking for advice.
Could this behavior be due to stress from separation and adjusting to the new enclosure? Or was she possibly trying to brumate? I live in Europe, and the weather has still been quite cold some days.
I’d really appreciate any insights or advice! Thx!!
Bearded Dragon Information
- Species: Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
- Gender: Female
- Age: 5–6 months
Enclosure Setup
- Size: 100×50×50 cm
- UVB: Arcadia D3+ Compact Reptile Lamp (12.0 UVB)
- Heat Source: ExoTerra Intense Basking Spot 50W (+75% Intensity)
- Lighting: Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar
- Timers: Automated socket timers set for 12 hours per day
Diet & Feeding
- Insects: Own colony of Blaptica dubia (fed with vegetables, water gel, and specialized roach food)
- Greens: Home-grown arugula, dandelion, valerianella
Temperature & Humidity
- Monitoring: Analog thermometers on both the hot and cold sides of the enclosure
- Basking Spot: ~45°C
- Hot Side: ~30°C
- Cold Side: ~25°C
- Humidity: ~40%
