Bearded Dragon Lethargic -not eating/basking

[Sadie]

Please post a pic of the tank and lighting-- are you keeping track of her weight- is she hydrated? Dragons will not eat if they are dehydrated --

 

[Beardielove363]

Yes she is hydrated she get a bath every night sometimes 2 times a day and I am not home right now I am working night shifts. And how do I weigh her no one has told me...

 

[Sadie]

Yes she is hydrated she get a bath every night sometimes 2 times a day and I am not home right now I am working night shifts. And how do I weigh her no one has told me...

She does not need that many baths --- dragons are a desert animal --- you can weigh her on a kitchen food scale weigh in grams please - get a weight on her now and keep track of it - its good for when they brumate then you can tell if they are losing weight as they do not eat when brumating or at least not much and if they are losing weight in brumation you will know something else is going on -- but please post pics when you can -- its better if we can see what is going on w/ her -- also you can tell by her poops if shes dehydrated I realize she may not be doing alot of pooping since shes not eating much but what she does poop out it should be formed dark and moist - urate should be formed white and moist no dry chalky looking if it is she is dehydrated -- is she drinking from the bath?

 

[HoomanSlave]

Many vets offer a payment plan-you can discuss one that will work for you with the vet. If you cannot take her, the most important thing to do is raise her basking temps and get her the best diet you can provide. You can purchase a fecal test online for less than what a vet would charge and send it into a lab for testing.

 

[thujone]

For the record, my beardie is about a year old and brumating. I'm not sure why people said 1 year, 4 months can't be brumating. Your beardie might just be brumating

 

[Julee1971]

Beardies a year and up don’t like the temperature to be over 105

Exactly adults like the temp around 95-97 and that’s it.

 

[Julee1971]

We dont have the money

We don't have the money right now to take her to the vet we had to sell quite a few family collectables to take her the first time. And I dont have the room to move the other animals into that has the same amount of heating and natural light.

If you don’t have the money please relinquish the animal to a vet u can do that rather than letting him suffer-eventually die. He needs UVB Reptisun 10.0 T5 and a clear basking bulb for heat and both on 10-12 hours in the winter and 12-14 hours on in the summer. Feed him after an hour or two of basking and lst feeding akways they need 2hoirs to digest their food. Warms baths to get him to poop both of mine poop daily maybe they mite skip a day. Remove any sand

I also offer crickets not only mealworms, I got her from petsmart, no she isn't doing any of that, I use a 10.0 t8 reptisun and i believe a 75 watt we went down because of her being sick we thought she was too hot she wouldn't stay out of her cool side, and her baking temps are about 100 we use the stick on thermometer, we have started using the carpet stuff we havent used sand in awhile we thought that might have been making her sick, we use calcium and reptivite and reptiboost, she is about a year and 2 months we got her she was about 2 months and that was in last December.

Please buy a digital thermometer and digital hygrometer. Humidity can only be 30-40 and for substrate use terry cloth towels or paper towels. They won’t eat unless they are warm ans have been basking for an hour or two.

 

[thujone]

Your beardie is just brumating. Ignore the people who aren't even reading your messages yet have decided you arent doing things right.

 

[Julee1971]

Please answer the questions so we can help, and book an appointment at the vet's for a checkup, blood tests, and a fecal test as soon as possible.

1. Do you only feed mealworms (and the single hornworm)? What other insects do you offer?
2. Where did you get her from?
3. Have you noticed her shaking, vomiting, "stargazing", or dragging her hind legs?
4. What do you use for a UVB lamp and a heat lamp?
5. What are her basking temperatures, and how do you measure them?
6. What do you use as her cage substrate?
7. What supplements do you use?
8. How old is she?

Lower the calcium to 3-5 times a week once per day only. And the runny poop is “Coccidia” read about it; it’s like lice in the tummy & can lead to death!! U need a Vet Asap & if they know what they are doing they will do a fecal sample or u call & tell them u want one it’s $50 then Dr will give him Ponazuril it’s an antibiotic (2doses) 48 hours apart. U need to remove poop rite away and keep cage extra clean forever. Burn the cage on hot boiling water & all furniture in cage in hot boiling water & sanitize the cage. Use paper towels & remove poop rite away. Keep all other Beardies away and any other animals it spreads like wildfire wash hands bedding carpets need steam cleaning it’s a nitemare to kill & takes a lot of work.

 

[Julee1971]

Please post a pic of the tank and lighting-- are you keeping track of her weight- is she hydrated? Dragons will not eat if they are dehydrated --

Sadie!!! Geezus STOP they won’t eat if they are not at the right body temp or don’t have proper UVB!! Stop giving incorrect advice!!!! They need to be warm amd have temp at 95-98 for adults and humidity 30-40 and Reptisun 10.0 T5 for uvb. Also REpCal dust the feeders or veggies once per day 3-4 times a week with calcium. Leave a water bowl in their and shake it in front of them so they drink they don’t see still water. If u have sams remove it; it ingests them. Also is the poop firm/solid and oval shaped if it’s runny he has a parasite prolly Coccidia and needs a Vet. Baths also twice per week in lukewarm dechlorinated water buy reptisafe. But mainly u need a clear basking bulb for heat amd uvb he needs proper temps/UVB and good humidity to move have energy strong bones and eat/digest absorb VitaminD and breakdown the calcium.

 

[thujone]

Actually, i take what i say back! Sorry, dont listen to me

 

[Julee1971]

Yes she is hydrated she get a bath every night sometimes 2 times a day and I am not home right now I am working night shifts. And how do I weigh her no one has told me...

Only bath a Beardie 2times per week only once per day. U are bathing way way too much and u cannot get water in their ears ever, that leads to an URI. The water needs to be lukewarm, dechlorinated water 15min bath time minimum. Buy/Reptisafe to oalce a few drops in drinking & bathing water this kills the chlorine which is bad for them and their skin.

 

[CastielTheBeardy]

We only have one vet in the area who specializes in exotics unfortunately, the curse of small towns. In the meantime I may buy a different temp sensor, right now I have the little wire temp probes, and maybe investing in a handheld temp gun would be more accurate. I can change her UVB as well and see if that affects anything. Right now I use a Reptisun 10.0 T5 tube. Her heat lamps were just changed about a month ago, but the current UVB bulb has been around about 5 months so it's close to time for a change. I have a scale, so I will try weighing her more, if she loses significant weight due to her not eating, I'll take her in somewhere for a check. Thank you for your advice!

I currently have a zoo med digital thermometer and it works great, i also have a hygrometer to check humidity as well, maybe consider getting one off of amazon (where i got mine) humidity needs to stay 30-40% humidity, it will cause respiratory infections if it is too high like in 60-70 area but at night 50-55 is ok yes i agree with everyone else when it comes to temps 90-110 degrees, im actually worried about my beardy because like today i got home at 5 and he wasnt fully underneath the basking area but he will go up towards it after he eats so idk if its too hot or not, but in order to properly digest food they need good temps, if you are really concerned about there food there is a salad dressing you can use that it is to die for for them they absolutely love this dressing here Nature Zone Bearded Dragon Salad Dressing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJBRHTE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_bpR0FbXK0B5ZA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 and they love bee pollen powder to add on top of food, the pollen powder is almost like croutons when we eat salad lol here is that link ALOVITOX Bee Pollen Powder | 100% Pure, Natural Raw Bee Pollen - Gluten Free, Non GMO | 16 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084RTQ8HJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_iqR0Fb5HRJ5YH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 so with the dressing you don’t always want to overdue it, because you dont want them to rely on the dressing either.

 

[Julee1971]

I currently have a zoo med digital thermometer and it works great, i also have a hygrometer to check humidity as well, maybe consider getting one off of amazon (where i got mine) humidity needs to stay 30-40% humidity, it will cause respiratory infections if it is too high like in 60-70 area but at night 50-55 is ok yes i agree with everyone else when it comes to temps 90-110 degrees, im actually worried about my beardy because like today i got home at 5 and he wasnt fully underneath the basking area but he will go up towards it after he eats so idk if its too hot or not, but in order to properly digest food they need good temps, if you are really concerned about there food there is a salad dressing you can use that it is to die for for them they absolutely love this dressing here Nature Zone Bearded Dragon Salad Dressing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJBRHTE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_bpR0FbXK0B5ZA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 and they love bee pollen powder to add on top of food, the pollen powder is almost like croutons when we eat salad lol here is that link ALOVITOX Bee Pollen Powder | 100% Pure, Natural Raw Bee Pollen - Gluten Free, Non GMO | 16 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084RTQ8HJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_iqR0Fb5HRJ5YH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 so with the dressing you don’t always want to overdue it, because you dont want them to rely on the dressing either.

The uVB u are using is great Reptisun 10.0 T5 does it cover 70percent of the tank? And does the Beardie have a hideaway? Get a hammock and place a towel over it and a fleece blanket imderneath that way he can get away from UVB when needed. UVB shoidl be 10inches at least away from him. The heat lamp is it a Clear Bulb? Only use clear never a black, red or any colored bulb ever. Zoomed is good and maybe temp is too hot for him. In the winter they are lazier & eat less. Mine liek the temp around 95 sometimes like 90 so try lowering it maybe it’s too high for him. The Reptisun of its a T5 need changing every 12mnths but if someone gave it to you or u bought it used I wud change it now. Order on Amazon. Heat/UVB on in winter for 10-12 hours mine like 10 rite now. And 12-14 in the summer. One of mine has been spending less time under the heat too rite now. Grab him and give him a bath in lukewarm water to poop. He needs to poop, mine do daily. When he’s not basking as much I grab him after 3hoirs of basking and soak him and he poops. They need to let it out and they can’t if they have not been basking. Also after eating they always bask they need “2” good hours sitting under the heat/uvb to digest food, absorb vitamin D and breakdown the calcium.

 

[CastielTheBeardy]

The uVB u are using is great Reptisun 10.0 T5 does it cover 70percent of the tank? And does the Beardie have a hideaway? Get a hammock and place a towel over it and a fleece blanket imderneath that way he can get away from UVB when needed. UVB shoidl be 10inches at least away from him. The heat lamp is it a Clear Bulb? Only use clear never a black, red or any colored bulb ever. Zoomed is good and maybe temp is too hot for him. In the winter they are lazier & eat less. Mine liek the temp around 95 sometimes like 90 so try lowering it maybe it’s too high for him. The Reptisun of its a T5 need changing every 12mnths but if someone gave it to you or u bought it used I wud change it now. Order on Amazon. Heat/UVB on in winter for 10-12 hours mine like 10 rite now. And 12-14 in the summer. One of mine has been spending less time under the heat too rite now. Grab him and give him a bath in lukewarm water to poop. He needs to poop, mine do daily. When he’s not basking as much I grab him after 3hoirs of basking and soak him and he poops. They need to let it out and they can’t if they have not been basking. Also after eating they always bask they need “2” good hours sitting under the heat/uvb to digest food, absorb vitamin D and breakdown the calcium.

Could i get your opinion on my newest thread i created, he does not have a hammock he has a big driftwood that takes up 70% of the room in the 75 gallon tank he is in and on the other side is two of his dishes and yes i have the T5 and the 24 inch fixture is on one side of the tank the other side doesnt have any light, the basking light is a clear bulb, i dont use any of those pointless red bulbs

 

[Julee1971]

Could i get your opinion on my newest thread i created, he does not have a hammock he has a big driftwood that takes up 70% of the room in the 75 gallon tank he is in and on the other side is two of his dishes and yes i have the T5 and the 24 inch fixture is on one side of the tank the other side doesnt have any light, the basking light is a clear bulb, i dont use any of those pointless red bulbs

Picture please and u can get some nice inexpensive basking furniture that has low and high points. And Gr8 on the Reptisun T5; Is it 10.0? That’s the best one & Change it every 11-12mnths.

 

[CastielTheBeardy]

Picture please and u can get some nice inexpensive basking furniture that has low and high points. And Gr8 on the Reptisun T5; Is it 10.0? That’s the best one & Change it every 11-12mnths.

It is the T5 10.0 24w 24 inch fixture

 

[CastielTheBeardy]

Picture please and u can get some nice inexpensive basking furniture that has low and high points. And Gr8 on the Reptisun T5; Is it 10.0? That’s the best one & Change it every 11-12mnths.

There he is on the driftwood its nighttime for my guy as you can see top left is basking bulb and the T5. the temperature does get 110 degrees where is actually laying in the picture, he does move further down, not sure if its too hot like when i got home he was further down the wood it is also a 150w do you think i should go down to a 100w??

 

[Julee1971]

View attachment 24614There he is on the driftwood its nighttime for my guy as you can see top left is basking bulb and the T5. the temperature does get 110 degrees where is actually laying in the picture, he does move further down, not sure if its too hot like when i got home he was further down the wood it is also a 150w do you think i should go down to a 100w??

What size is the tank? Is it 36inches long by 18high & 18deep? If so definately buy the zoomed clear 75 watt basking bulb for sure or a 100Watt but 75 should work if the height of your tank is 18inches and his basking log is 12 inches or so from the top of the screen. 150 watt is way to high unless u have a 120Gallon tank & even then u mite wanna go to a 100Watt. Buy it at a petstore u can always return it try it for a few week & u can exchange it too; it takes a few good hours for it to get at its maximum temp. And buy a digital themmomtwr amd digital hygrometer and place in the hot basking area 2incejs below the top of cage. Humidity should be 30-40 never higher than 40z Beardie will be much happier and the UVB I know it’s a T5 but is it a 10.0 or a 5.0? It doesn’t look bright Enuff in there, if it’s a 5.0 or emits little to No UVB. So get that changed ASAP and buy a longer one to cover 70 percent of the tank at least, but 50 percent coverage is ok too. . And this UVB Reptisun u need to change it every 12mnths. It will turn on but will be emitting no uvb; so u have to knwk & set a reminder in your iPhone to replace it. But def replace the heat bulb with a lower wattage and get a new UVB if it’s time for changing it and u will see a big difference in him. And place a small water bowl next to his food dish u can put bkunwrries in there or Dubia roaches so he drinks also. And are u sing the REPCAL calcium powder? Once per day 3-4 times per week & Herptivite vitamin one example per week. I place crickets in a big ziplock and sprinkle/shake the calcium in it then feed him and let him eat out of the ziplock that way cage stays clean & none hide & annoy him. Or u can sprinkle the veggies/greens. U can also do 10 super worms per day as an adult those are good too & Dubia roaches. I do about 20larges crickets for my adult dragons & some super worms or a i do 6worms and 15large crickets amd always 2plates of veggies/greens. Consider a hammock and some small cushiony plush animals u can buy at the petstore or home goods. He can prop and lay on too. When he’s off the log. Here’s a partial pic of one of mine and I place a towel on top of hammock so he can have a hideaway & a fleece blanket under to sleep on; they don’t hide under logs as adults and consider making his tank dark at night like cover the sides of the tank with pillow cases so it’s dark they get annoyed with lights or Rays at night. Make sure to not cover the top screen he needs air flow to breathe

 

[CastielTheBeardy]

What size is the tank? Is it 36inches long by 18high & 18deep? If so definately buy the zoomed clear 75 watt basking bulb for sure or a 100Watt but 75 should work if the height of your tank is 18inches and his basking log is 12 inches or so from the top of the screen. 150 watt is way to high unless u have a 120Gallon tank & even then u mite wanna go to a 100Watt. Buy it at a petstore u can always return it try it for a few week & u can exchange it too; it takes a few good hours for it to get at its maximum temp. And buy a digital themmomtwr amd digital hygrometer and place in the hot basking area 2incejs below the top of cage. Humidity should be 30-40 never higher than 40z Beardie will be much happier and the UVB I know it’s a T5 but is it a 10.0 or a 5.0? It doesn’t look bright Enuff in there, if it’s a 5.0 or emits little to No UVB. So get that changed ASAP and buy a longer one to cover 70 percent of the tank at least, but 50 percent coverage is ok too. . And this UVB Reptisun u need to change it every 12mnths. It will turn on but will be emitting no uvb; so u have to knwk & set a reminder in your iPhone to replace it. But def replace the heat bulb with a lower wattage and get a new UVB if it’s time for changing it and u will see a big difference in him. And place a small water bowl next to his food dish u can put bkunwrries in there or Dubia roaches so he drinks also. And are u sing the REPCAL calcium powder? Once per day 3-4 times per week & Herptivite vitamin one example per week. I place crickets in a big ziplock and sprinkle/shake the calcium in it then feed him and let him eat out of the ziplock that way cage stays clean & none hide & annoy him. Or u can sprinkle the veggies/greens. U can also do 10 super worms per day as an adult those are good too & Dubia roaches. I do about 20larges crickets for my adult dragons & some super worms or a i do 6worms and 15large crickets amd always 2plates of veggies/greens. Consider a hammock and some small cushiony plush animals u can buy at the petstore or home goods. He can prop and lay on too. When he’s off the log. Here’s a partial pic of one of mine and I place a towel on top of hammock so he can have a hideaway & a fleece blanket under to sleep on; they don’t hide under logs as adults and consider making his tank dark at night like cover the sides of the tank with pillow cases so it’s dark they get annoyed with lights or Rays at night. Make sure to not cover the top screen he needs air flow to breathe

It is a 75 gallon tank the bulb is a 150 watt, it is a clear bulb, the picture i showed you was when his lights are off for the night. I have a digital thermometer. Where he is laying in the picture actually gets to 110 degrees. The uvb is a T5 10.0 24 watt and you said calcium with D3 or without D3 3-4 times a week but once daily? And Herptivite once a week? And superworms are okay daily? Hmine does eat his greens if mixed with superworms but i sometimes have to sneak a piece while he is chewing. But yes my tank is a 75 gallon with a 150w basking light and a 10.0 T5