Beardie not eating

[Newbeardiemom]

Can he get directly under the UVB and is the UVB in a fixture / hood w/ a reflector? The tank set up looks really nice-- you want surface basking temps 95-100 - middle of the tank 90"s and the cool end 80's

she also posted back some more info on the brumation thing

Oh and they do not need to be worrried at all about calcium, dragons are built to brumate for months at a time with minimal or no food at all. My dragons brumate 2-3 months every year without a bite to eat, sleep right through and have no MBD or calcium related problems. They can also go off food for other reasons and not be affected as long as they are old enough + large enough.

Yes he can get directly under uvb. Uvb is mounted inside enclosure and runs 2/3 length of tank. It is in a reflective hood. I use the Reptisun T5 HO and just replaced it 3 months ago. I’ve replaced the uvb 2 times in the last 11 months. I’ve always kept the basking temps at 95-100 but I had lowered the middle to mid 80’s.. this was advice from the vet… but I questioned doing that but did it anyway. But today I have upped that middle temp to 90. My cool end is around 85 now. Maybe me lowering that middle temp caused him to stop eating? That seems to be about the time this all started. He actually seems less lethargic today.

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Yes he can get directly under uvb. Uvb is mounted inside enclosure and runs 2/3 length of tank. It is in a reflective hood. I use the Reptisun T5 HO and just replaced it 3 months ago. I’ve replaced the uvb 2 times in the last 11 months. I’ve always kept the basking temps at 95-100 but I had lowered the middle to mid 80’s.. this was advice from the vet… but I questioned doing that but did it anyway. But today I have upped that middle temp to 90. My cool end is around 85 now. Maybe me lowering that middle temp caused him to stop eating? That seems to be about the time this all started. He actually seems less lethargic today.

Charlie is 14 months and around 560 grams

 

[Sadie]

Yes he can get directly under uvb. Uvb is mounted inside enclosure and runs 2/3 length of tank. It is in a reflective hood. I use the Reptisun T5 HO and just replaced it 3 months ago. I’ve replaced the uvb 2 times in the last 11 months. I’ve always kept the basking temps at 95-100 but I had lowered the middle to mid 80’s.. this was advice from the vet… but I questioned doing that but did it anyway. But today I have upped that middle temp to 90. My cool end is around 85 now. Maybe me lowering that middle temp caused him to stop eating? That seems to be about the time this all started. He actually seems less lethargic today.

Mid tank should be in the 90's-- your surface basking temps and uvb are the most important thing in the tank - w/ your temps being adjusted watch to see what he does- if those temps and uvb are incorrect you will get behavior of no eating or no basking etc

 

[Sadie]

Charlie is 14 months and around 560 grams

He weighs good so just keep an eye on him

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Mid tank should be in the 90's-- your surface basking temps and uvb are the most important thing in the tank - w/ your temps being adjusted watch to see what he does- if those temps and uvb are incorrect you will get behavior of no eating or no basking etc

Ok.. I will continue to watch his behavior since I’ve adjusted temps. Thank you and I’ll keep you posted

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Ok.. I will continue to watch his behavior since I’ve adjusted temps. Thank you and I’ll keep you posted

I have raised Charlie’s overall tank temp to 90-92 over the last 3 days and he seems so much more alert and his color looks brighter. 2 days ago he ate 3 very small silkworms but still refuses food. He has not been pancaking and sleeping as he was. He is basking and not hiding at all. Maybe I did the wrong thing when I took the advice to lower overall tank temps? There is so very much wrong information out there about keeping these guys! I had bought some Reptaid XL but have not given it to him as I am not sure if I should. Couple you tell me if it’s safe or good to use this? Should I try this to boost his appetite?

 

[Sadie]

I have raised Charlie’s overall tank temp to 90-92 over the last 3 days and he seems so much more alert and his color looks brighter. 2 days ago he ate 3 very small silkworms but still refuses food. He has not been pancaking and sleeping as he was. He is basking and not hiding at all. Maybe I did the wrong thing when I took the advice to lower overall tank temps? There is so very much wrong information out there about keeping these guys! I had bought some Reptaid XL but have not given it to him as I am not sure if I should. Couple you tell me if it’s safe or good to use this? Should I try this to boost his appetite?

You can try the Reptaid but please increase the surface basking temps to 95-100 - and your mid tank should be 90's and cool side 80's --- they will go into a state of brumation if the temps are too low and they cannot start digestion w/ temps low as well --- adults like 95-100 and babies 105-100- after they get to be about 5-6 months old they tend to not like temps so high- I would get the temps to where they should be before trying the Reptaid see if that will increase the appetite -- dragons will not eat w/ out proper basking temps and correct UVB properly placed and distanced in the tank -- those are the key factors here - if all those factors are correct then something else is going on ---

 

[Newbeardiemom]

You can try the Reptaid but please increase the surface basking temps to 95-100 - and your mid tank should be 90's and cool side 80's --- they will go into a state of brumation if the temps are too low and they cannot start digestion w/ temps low as well --- adults like 95-100 and babies 105-100- after they get to be about 5-6 months old they tend to not like temps so high- I would get the temps to where they should be before trying the Reptaid see if that will increase the appetite -- dragons will not eat w/ out proper basking temps and correct UVB properly placed and distanced in the tank -- those are the key factors here - if all those factors are correct then something else is going on ---

Ok.. his basking surface is 100 and the ambient temp on hot side is 95-97… cool side stays about 83-85 and the middle of tank is 90-92. Each temp is measured with the temp probes placed in each area. I’ve always kept the hot side as it is now and the cool side in 80’s but I had lowered the middle to 85. That was bad advice I listened to. But since upping that middle back to 90’s he’s much more alert..he’s 14 months old and I got him at 4 months and he’s never been real active but always alert until I lowered that temp. He’s never eaten a lot of his greens since I got him and I’ve bought every type of green that is in the lust of foods that can have. But he’s always eaten some. He’s always loved superworms and crickets until I lowered that middle temp. His uvb is a 48 inch Reptisun T5 HO in a reflective fixture mounted inside. His basking surface is 13 inches from uvb and heat lights placed directly under both. I’ve never used the daylight bulbs or any colored bulbs. So, now that my temps are correct how long should I wait for him to eat before trying the Reptaid. Today he has a bowl of turnips, baked sweet potato, apricot, hornworms, a superworm and some larvae. Also some crickets on the side. He’s not interested as of now tho.

 

[Sadie]

Ok.. his basking surface is 100 and the ambient temp on hot side is 95-97… cool side stays about 83-85 and the middle of tank is 90-92. Each temp is measured with the temp probes placed in each area. I’ve always kept the hot side as it is now and the cool side in 80’s but I had lowered the middle to 85. That was bad advice I listened to. But since upping that middle back to 90’s he’s much more alert..he’s 14 months old and I got him at 4 months and he’s never been real active but always alert until I lowered that temp. He’s never eaten a lot of his greens since I got him and I’ve bought every type of green that is in the lust of foods that can have. But he’s always eaten some. He’s always loved superworms and crickets until I lowered that middle temp. His uvb is a 48 inch Reptisun T5 HO in a reflective fixture mounted inside. His basking surface is 13 inches from uvb and heat lights placed directly under both. I’ve never used the daylight bulbs or any colored bulbs. So, now that my temps are correct how long should I wait for him to eat before trying the Reptaid. Today he has a bowl of turnips, baked sweet potato, apricot, hornworms, a superworm and some larvae. Also some crickets on the side. He’s not interested as of now tho.

What a feast-- did he eat any of that-- sounds like all of the temps now are correct so give him a few days and just keep offering him his food - they will slow down on the food as they get older but he should be eating something - its when they quit eating all together that is not good -- they do get tired of eating a certain staple insect as well - I would get him some dubia roaches --- www.dubiaroaches.com -- if hes eating I would not feed the reptaid - at least not yet- try getting him some roaches and see how that goes -

 

[Newbeardiemom]

What a feast-- did he eat any of that-- sounds like all of the temps now are correct so give him a few days and just keep offering him his food - they will slow down on the food as they get older but he should be eating something - its when they quit eating all together that is not good -- they do get tired of eating a certain staple insect as well - I would get him some dubia roaches --- www.dubiaroaches.com -- if hes eating I would not feed the reptaid - at least not yet- try getting him some roaches and see how that goes -

Ok.. I just now saw him eat 2 crickets! That’s better but I know it’s not where he needs to be. I have also offered dubias but he has refused those since a moth after I got him. I started a colony of dubias for him before he arrived and he stopped eating them! So I’m now stuck with feeding the roaches! I’ve been hoping he would start liking them again. No, he hasn’t eaten any salad but he just got down from basking and he ate those 2 crickets. He hasn’t made his way to his salad yet. I’ll wait a few days on the repaid. I have located another reptile vet about 2 hours from me that I will take him to if this behavior continues. But one more question… I’m in Louisiana and we have 98-100%humidity daily. How will this effect him if I have to get him out for a vet trip? That’s about 2 hours there and 2 back. Not to mention the wait in the vets office. And what’s the best way to transport him to not expose him to such high humidity?

 

[Sadie]

Ok.. I just now saw him eat 2 crickets! That’s better but I know it’s not where he needs to be. I have also offered dubias but he has refused those since a moth after I got him. I started a colony of dubias for him before he arrived and he stopped eating them! So I’m now stuck with feeding the roaches! I’ve been hoping he would start liking them again. No, he hasn’t eaten any salad but he just got down from basking and he ate those 2 crickets. He hasn’t made his way to his salad yet. I’ll wait a few days on the repaid. I have located another reptile vet about 2 hours from me that I will take him to if this behavior continues. But one more question… I’m in Louisiana and we have 98-100%humidity daily. How will this effect him if I have to get him out for a vet trip? That’s about 2 hours there and 2 back. Not to mention the wait in the vets office. And what’s the best way to transport him to not expose him to such high humidity?

Run your air in the car - what does his poop look like? Crickets are notorious for causing parasites- I would take a fecal in and have it tested NO ENEMAS! they often end in disaster - parasites will cause lack of appetite - I would get a small pet carrier https://www.amazon.com/s?k=small+pe...et+carrier,aps,160&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_4_17
you can collect a fecal the night before or day of feed him some plain canned pumpkin w/ a drop or two of olive oil / honey and that will make him go to the bathroom

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Run your air in the car - what does his poop look like? Crickets are notorious for causing parasites- I would take a fecal in and have it tested NO ENEMAS! they often end in disaster - parasites will cause lack of appetite - I would get a small pet carrier https://www.amazon.com/s?k=small+pet+carriers+for+small+dogs&crid=3CVLU50BPHIKJ&sprefix=small+pet+carrier,aps,160&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_4_17
you can collect a fecal the night before or day of feed him some plain canned pumpkin w/ a drop or two of olive oil / honey and that will make him go to the bathroom

He pooped 4 days ago. It looked normal… log like.. not runny. The white part looked normal too. I had a fecal done about 3-4 weeks ago and she said he was parasite free. If I have to take him back to the vet I am going to use a different vet. I will collect a sample before I take him in and if he doesn’t go before then I’ll do the pumpkin and oil and take the sample without him. Ever since I’ve had Charlie he only goes every 7-10 days. But it’s a whopper when ge goes! I’ve treated him twice for parasites since I’ve had him. Last time was around February.

 

[Sadie]

He pooped 4 days ago. It looked normal… log like.. not runny. The white part looked normal too. I had a fecal done about 3-4 weeks ago and she said he was parasite free. If I have to take him back to the vet I am going to use a different vet. I will collect a sample before I take him in and if he doesn’t go before then I’ll do the pumpkin and oil and take the sample without him. Ever since I’ve had Charlie he only goes every 7-10 days. But it’s a whopper when ge goes! I’ve treated him twice for parasites since I’ve had him. Last time was around February.

Ok sounds good ---- w/ that being said I would keep an eye on him and his weight- kitchen food scale weigh in grams-you can weigh him every 10 days or so to see if hes losing weight-- if hes not losing weight I wouldnt be that concerned at this point - dragons do go off their food and eating will slow down - my two dragons are 3 and 4 and do not eat every day - watch him for lethargic behavior -not eating at all - losing weight - my 4 year old quit eating for like a month or so - wasnt losing weight took him to the vet spent $500 trying to figure why he wasnt eating and turns out it was just him and he was fine -- he has been fine every since -- if Charlie is eating some and basking and pooping and moving around I would say its just him --

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Ok sounds good ---- w/ that being said I would keep an eye on him and his weight- kitchen food scale weigh in grams-you can weigh him every 10 days or so to see if hes losing weight-- if hes not losing weight I wouldnt be that concerned at this point - dragons do go off their food and eating will slow down - my two dragons are 3 and 4 and do not eat every day - watch him for lethargic behavior -not eating at all - losing weight - my 4 year old quit eating for like a month or so - wasnt losing weight took him to the vet spent $500 trying to figure why he wasnt eating and turns out it was just him and he was fine -- he has been fine every since -- if Charlie is eating some and basking and pooping and moving around I would say its just him --

Ok.. thank you. I had purchased a scale to keep him weighed as soon as I got him. He has lost about 5 grams Over the course of the last 2 weeks of this strike on eating. I will continue to weigh him and monitor his behavior as well as keeping those temps correct. Thank you and I’ll keep posted.

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Ok.. thank you. I had purchased a scale to keep him weighed as soon as I got him. He has lost about 5 grams Over the course of the last 2 weeks of this strike on eating. I will continue to weigh him and monitor his behavior as well as keeping those temps correct. Thank you and I’ll keep posted.

I took my Charlie to the vet today.. a different vet. They said he looks good but did an x-ray for diagnostic purposes and so glad they did. His belly and all looks good but they see some density in his little lungs. Said it was very little but started him on daily antibiotics x 5 days. Said brumation could be possible also but to keep on with the same heat and uvb schedule. Recommended 20 minutes 3xweek in direct sunlight. Said that amount of time the humidity level would be ok. I just can’t understand why this would happen. During the day his overall tank humidity is always between 30 and 40… the cool side will get to 42. I have 2 hygrometers in his tank… one hangs in the middle toward the backside and the other on the cool side. I purchased a large dehumidifier for his room and keep the room humidity at 40-42. At night tho in order to get him cool enough I have to turn my central air down low which raises his rank humidity to around 45. I’m not sure if I’m doing this humidity right?? Is this what would cause lung density? They just didn’t answer that question for me. I will take him back in 3 weeks for a follow up. He has lost about 20 grams but is still weighing 550 grams. This vet says that some weight loss is possible with brumation and of course if he’s not eating due to feeling lousy but should’ve loose an excessive amount. She did not seemed concerned about this amount of loss. Am I getting correct information? I’ve had 2 vets in 2 weeks give opposite information so I’m a bit confused here…

 

[Sadie]

I took my Charlie to the vet today.. a different vet. They said he looks good but did an x-ray for diagnostic purposes and so glad they did. His belly and all looks good but they see some density in his little lungs. Said it was very little but started him on daily antibiotics x 5 days. Said brumation could be possible also but to keep on with the same heat and uvb schedule. Recommended 20 minutes 3xweek in direct sunlight. Said that amount of time the humidity level would be ok. I just can’t understand why this would happen. During the day his overall tank humidity is always between 30 and 40… the cool side will get to 42. I have 2 hygrometers in his tank… one hangs in the middle toward the backside and the other on the cool side. I purchased a large dehumidifier for his room and keep the room humidity at 40-42. At night tho in order to get him cool enough I have to turn my central air down low which raises his rank humidity to around 45. I’m not sure if I’m doing this humidity right?? Is this what would cause lung density? They just didn’t answer that question for me. I will take him back in 3 weeks for a follow up. He has lost about 20 grams but is still weighing 550 grams. This vet says that some weight loss is possible with brumation and of course if he’s not eating due to feeling lousy but should’ve loose an excessive amount. She did not seemed concerned about this amount of loss. Am I getting correct information? I’ve had 2 vets in 2 weeks give opposite information so I’m a bit confused here…

Ok please get a digital probe hygrometer place on the back center wall of the tank --- your humidity level is good if its correct but I dont like dial ones if thats what your using - optimal humidity is 40-50 % -- its the real low humidity that causes issues --- and over 70% as well but for the most part your humidity level is good if its ready correctly but I wouldnt trust it and you want it coming from the center of the tank --- I am going to see if I can get some help on this -- and losing some weight during brumation is a possibility but you dont want a lot of weight loss-

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Ok please get a digital probe hygrometer place on the back center wall of the tank --- your humidity level is good if its correct but I dont like dial ones if thats what your using - optimal humidity is 40-50 % -- its the real low humidity that causes issues --- and over 70% as well but for the most part your humidity level is good if its ready correctly but I wouldnt trust it and you want it coming from the center of the tank --- I am going to see if I can get some help on this -- and losing some weight during brumation is a possibility but you dont want a lot of weight loss-

Ok.. yes all my temps and humidity is read with a digital probe. I have one hanging in the middle toward the back and one hanging on the cool side. I will raise his humidity to 40-50. If it’s the low humidity that causes problems then it would have happened this past winter as I had a really hard time keeping humidity high enough in his tank. I will have to do something else this coming winter then. Thank you for any help. The antibiotic is Enroflaxacin 22.7% at 1 syringe daily x 5 days. Gave his first one today.

 

[Sadie]

Ok.. yes all my temps and humidity is read with a digital probe. I have one hanging in the middle toward the back and one hanging on the cool side. I will raise his humidity to 40-50. If it’s the low humidity that causes problems then it would have happened this past winter as I had a really hard time keeping humidity high enough in his tank. I will have to do something else this coming winter then. Thank you for any help. The antibiotic is Enroflaxacin 22.7% at 1 syringe daily x 5 days. Gave his first one today.

Ok you don't want humidity lower than 20% take one of the digital probe hygrometers and place on center of back wall - it will read the whole tank- if you need to get a small humidifier place next to the tank

 

[Newbeardiemom]

Ok you don't want humidity lower than 20% take one of the digital probe hygrometers and place on center of back wall - it will read the whole tank- if you need to get a small humidifier place next to the tank

Ok.. yes it did go below 20% a couple of times this past winter but for the most part stayed 20-30. I will purchase a humidifier this winter coming up. I’m raising my humidity right now to 40-50. There is way too much conflicting information out there but I will no longer listen or believe what I read. I will only take advice right here. I’m afraid that I caused this lung density and I feel so horrible. I planned and researched for over a year before I got him. But I suppose it’s a learning process.

 

[Sadie]

Ok.. yes it did go below 20% a couple of times this past winter but for the most part stayed 20-30. I will purchase a humidifier this winter coming up. I’m raising my humidity right now to 40-50. There is way too much conflicting information out there but I will no longer listen or believe what I read. I will only take advice right here. I’m afraid that I caused this lung density and I feel so horrible. I planned and researched for over a year before I got him. But I suppose it’s a learning process.

It is the only thing dragons have in common are the surface basking temps-- and uvb- I reached out to a vet tech - she's pretty good and is currently working on research on adenovirus