Female Beardie appetite change - Help!

[Jessica Booth]

Good evening! My sons female beardie has stopped eating like she was abruptly. She was eating 10-12 crickets twice a day + her greens daily. On Monday July 2 we noticed her chewing on her plastic leaves so we removed them from her tank. On Tuesday July 3 she wouldn't eat all. At this point I thought she was impacted since she hadn't pooped in 4 days or had blockage from eating a piece of the plastic. We were able to get into the vet on Thursday July 5..the vet did a xray and found no foreign objects or impaction. They proceeded to give her an enema to help produce stool. She finally passed a bit on Friday July 6. We were going on vacation Saturday & felt it was best to board her at the vet with hospital care composed to have relatives keep her for the week. She was under vet care from Friday July 6 - Saturday July 14.. they gave her fresh greens twice a day, soaked her twice a day and was weighed/vet checked daily. The vet said she is alert, active and gaining weight and has no concerns other then not having much of an appetite. She didnt poop at all there but did as soon as she came home. She's home now still gaining weight but barely eating. We give her fresh greens twice a day but doesnt eat all of it. She still wont eat live crickets or meal worns. I do break up freeze dried meal worms and crickets in her greens to try to get some protein in her. Im not sure what else to do. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

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[PatsyB]

She could be bored of what you are feeding her. Variety is good for them because everything they eat gives them a different nutrient. Try getting dubias, hornworms, silkworms, BSFL. She's also an adult so they are okay eating every other day or every 3 days. I wouldn't worry too much as long as she is eating something during the week.You could also try a probiotic, maybe something has her stomach upset. Bee Pollen sometimes gets them interested in food.

I get why you were worried about the poop this time, but they don't always go every day. In fact they sometimes hold it for a whole week or 2. When they become adults, they don't eat as much so there is going to be more time between pooping.

Did the vet happen to look for eggs on her X-ray? Sometimes when they are getting ready to lay they go off of food.

 

[Jessica Booth]

She could be bored of what you are feeding her. Variety is good for them because everything they eat gives them a different nutrient. Try getting dubias, hornworms, silkworms, BSFL. She's also an adult so they are okay eating every other day or every 3 days. I wouldn't worry too much as long as she is eating something during the week.You could also try a probiotic, maybe something has her stomach upset. Bee Pollen sometimes gets them interested in food.

I get why you were worried about the poop this time, but they don't always go every day. In fact they sometimes hold it for a whole week or 2. When they become adults, they don't eat as much so there is going to be more time between pooping.

Did the vet happen to look for eggs on her X-ray? Sometimes when they are getting ready to lay they go off of food.

Thank you! Yes, they did not see any eggs or follicles.

We will try different things & see if she is interested. Where can I get the probiotic? Or even bee pollen?

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[PatsyB]

I get my probiotic and other supplements from beardeddragon.co or bugdelite

 

[Jessica Booth]

I get my probiotic and other supplements from beardeddragon.co or bugdelite

Thank you!!

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[katbytes]

Good evening! My sons female beardie has stopped eating like she was abruptly. She was eating 10-12 crickets twice a day + her greens daily. On Monday July 2 we noticed her chewing on her plastic leaves so we removed them from her tank. On Tuesday July 3 she wouldn't eat all. At this point I thought she was impacted since she hadn't pooped in 4 days or had blockage from eating a piece of the plastic. We were able to get into the vet on Thursday July 5..the vet did a xray and found no foreign objects or impaction. They proceeded to give her an enema to help produce stool. She finally passed a bit on Friday July 6. We were going on vacation Saturday & felt it was best to board her at the vet with hospital care composed to have relatives keep her for the week. She was under vet care from Friday July 6 - Saturday July 14.. they gave her fresh greens twice a day, soaked her twice a day and was weighed/vet checked daily. The vet said she is alert, active and gaining weight and has no concerns other then not having much of an appetite. She didnt poop at all there but did as soon as she came home. She's home now still gaining weight but barely eating. We give her fresh greens twice a day but doesnt eat all of it. She still wont eat live crickets or meal worns. I do break up freeze dried meal worms and crickets in her greens to try to get some protein in her. Im not sure what else to do. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

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If you can, keep her on a leafy/veggie/fruit diet and be sparse on the bugs, a once in a while thing and not too many, chop them up if they are the canned ones (check expiry), or medium/small (not bigger than the width of her eyes). Some inscects like hornworms have harder exo-skeletons skulls, etc. if they refuse, try other fresh items and hand feed if nessicary till they take to that item, mix it up. Mine like blueberries, strawberries and greens - then, I’ll sometimes sprinkle small bug chunks to keep them interested in their salad.

Secondly, I would put her in shallow luke-warm or running baths for some time to absorb water and hydrate through her cloaca (bottom). For my dragons, I do this every other day or so, while alternating with the leafy/veggie/fruit diet to help them keep regular. They know when they are in the tub or shower, when I say 'go poo poo' they look up and me and the deed is done.

Now, if she still isn’t poo’ing and you want to take it further - while she’s comfy in a warm bath, take your left hand and run your index and middle fingers and palpate the underside gut down to the vent, you’ll feel the blockage instantly. Keep the motion going gently and they will poop within minutes.

She could also have an egg binding issue, like my 6 y/o did and typically an X-ray will tell you. I would never opt for any intensive surgery, unless it’s a last resort. These guys are really fragile. Hydration / Fresh Diet is key - along with proper Lighting, Warmth, Husbandry & Knowledge.

 

[Hdrydr31]

It is important to note that bearded dragons do not absorb any water through their cloaca the only way they get hydrated is through the foods that they eat greens, veggies and bugs..Or if they drink from moving water (they don't recognize standing water).. Now some vets still say this is a form of hydration and those vets are more old school..But the only water absorbed is by mouth just be sure they don't take in too much too quickly as they aspirate easily.
So really if your dragon is eating bugs and their greens their bodies will do the rest as their GI systems are able to squeeze out every bit of moisture that the foods going thru provide.

 

[katbytes]

It is important to note that bearded dragons do not absorb any water through their cloaca the only way they get hydrated is through the foods that they eat greens, veggies and bugs..Or if they drink from moving water (they don't recognize standing water).. Now some vets still say this is a form of hydration and those vets are more old school..But the only water absorbed is by mouth just be sure they don't take in too much too quickly as they aspirate easily.
So really if your dragon is eating bugs and their greens their bodies will do the rest as their GI systems are able to squeeze out every bit of moisture that the foods going thru provide.

You are correct about most water absorption occurring in the digestive process (colon), similar to humans, and down to their semi-solid uric-acid urates (catabolic end product of protein/nitrogen).

Interestingly, I had to look this up to know for sure. A few interesting scientific papers below support evidence of some water reabsortion through the cloaca in reptiles (predominantly in turtles).

* Page 31 - also note epidermis/epithelial (subq) absorption in desert herps:
https://www.springer.com/cda/conten...932122-c1.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-1533572-p177647029

* Abstract 2:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010406X70909771

* Page 3:
https://www.ava.com.au/sites/defaul...ritical Care of Reptiles - Robert Johnson.pdf

* Braysher, M. and Green, B. (1970). Absorption of water and electrolytes from the cloaca of an Australian lizard, Varanus gouldii (Gray). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 35, 607-614.

I’m actually glad I read into this, thanks for motivating my reading efforts.

 

[PatsyB]

There are some reptiles that do absorb water through their vents but bearded dragons aren't one of them. There was a study done years ago, that we can't find now, that showed an experiment with a dying bearded dragon that they soaked in a blue dye for 18 hours. After the 18 hours they did an autopsy and found that none of the blue dye was absorbed through the vent. Most vets will say to soak a dragon to hydrate them but what they mean is most times if you soak them, they will drink the water in the bath. Bearded dragons have very good kidney function and they are able to squeeze water out of just about everything that they eat, including bugs.

Just another note. Hornworms are very soft bodied and don't have a hard exoskeleton. Hornworms are very good as a treat to help hydrate your dragon since they are full of fluid. Too many hornworms though can cause loose stool. Now meal worms and super worms have a hard exoskeleton. Meal worms are a never feed item because they are mostly shell but super worms can be feed occasionally. They have a high fat content so it's best to feed them in moderation.