I need help. I cant tell if he is entering brumation or is sick.

[Sadie]

how often should he be shedding because he hasn't shed in about 4 months atleast. that's another reason i moved him into a bigger tank.

Dragons shed at their own rate like the growth--- their is no time period of shed -- genetics plays a factor on how big they get

 

[Sadie]

yeah i just didn't know. it divots down in the middle behind the third eye so i was just making sure he is ok.

She has asked this please

Take the pics straight on and back up a bit. Those pics don't show anything but so far eyes don't look sunken. This dragon has a big, chunky head though.

 

[Mona Lisa]

it's inside the tank hanging from the top. should i raise it up more it's about 10 inches from the bottom with the substrate.

You say it’s 10 inches from the substrate. What type of substrate are you using? Loose substrate should not be used as it can cause impaction which can lead to paralysis. You also need to stop feeding him meal worms, the outer shell on the meal worms (chitin) can also cause impaction, bc dragons can’t digest the shell on the meal worms. Super worms are much safer but only given as a treat bc of their fat content. I hope this helped as well.

 

[Mona Lisa]

i have class in about 10 minutes so i won't be able to respond i'm sorry but i'll be ok tomorrow if you are willing to help me. Thank you for all the help i appreciate it a lot i just want Earl to be ok

I want to add that moving a dragon can cause major stress. They don’t like to be moved. So when or if you have to move them to a new or bigger tank, try to decorate the new tank exactly as the old one was decorated. Some dragons can even get coccidia (a parasite caused by stress or another contaminated dragon) from being stressed so much just from being moved to a new tank, so be careful with that as well.

 

[GSieg]

Hi I have a bearded dragon named Earl who is about a year old or so and he recently stopped eating entirely and just laying under his hammock. He has eaten about 2 hornworms in the past week and a little bit of greens but now he only stays under his hammock not moving at all. He doesn't seem to be losing that much weight but i am getting a scale soo just to make sure he isn't losing to much weight. His eyes aren't cloudy or anything. The only problem is that when he is under his hammock he isn't sleeping he's just laying there not moving with his eyes open. Please help me if you can i'm worried i might lose him

So a sick dragon will typically still bask. Brumation is common enough mid-late summer in the northern hemisphere (winter in Australia). Brumation is not sleeping, it is greatly reduced energy, they will pretty much just "chill" and stay out of the basking light, yet be awake. They also generally lose very little weight while in brumation, even with reduced eating. If you are at all concerned you should always bring him to a vet.

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

She has asked this please

Take the pics straight on and back up a bit. Those pics don't show anything but so far eyes don't look sunken. This dragon has a big, chunky head though.

This is how he looks.

 

[Sadie]

This is how he looks.View attachment 32680View attachment 32681

He looks good to me -

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

I want to add that moving a dragon can cause major stress. They don’t like to be moved. So when or if you have to move them to a new or bigger tank, try to decorate the new tank exactly as the old one was decorated. Some dragons can even get coccidia (a parasite caused by stress or another contaminated dragon) from being stressed so much just from being moved to a new tank, so be careful with that as well.

he was acting weird before i moved him to his bigger tank. i moved him because i thougth he was acting like that since his tank was to small. i only touch him now when i feed him and that's it. other than that i let him be on his own.

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

He looks good to me -

could it be a respiratory infection? he sometimes makes a little wheeze kind of noise when i pick him up to feed him. i don't squeeze him or anything i scoop him up.

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

He looks good to me -

do you have any recommendations for temperature probe?

 

[Sadie]

do you have any recommendations for temperature probe?

Watch for mucous or discharge out of the nose --thick saliva -- wheezing - crackling noise -- pooping noise for RI --- most people use Zoo Med digital probe thermometers found at Petco or PetSmart or on line as well --- what is the humidity in the tank? Please get a digital probe hygrometer https://dubiaroaches.com/products/exo-terra-digital-hygrometer?_pos=1&_sid=ac857912b&_ss=r
place on back center wall of the tank

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

Watch for mucous or discharge out of the nose --thick saliva -- wheezing - crackling noise -- pooping noise for RI --- most people use Zoo Med digital probe thermometers found at Petco or PetSmart or on line as well --- what is the humidity in the tank? Please get a digital probe hygrometer https://dubiaroaches.com/products/exo-terra-digital-hygrometer?_pos=1&_sid=ac857912b&_ss=r
place on back center wall of the tank

his humidity is usually 25-40 and ill get that probe friday.

 

[yfandes5_]

Also i called my vet and they are sending me something called critical care that will hopefully bring his appetite back

You want a T10 UVB light for a Beardie. T5 isn’t sufficient. Also suggest looking for dandelion leaves for his salad. They have the best Ca to Phos ratio. I agree with other suggestions Re: changing his diet. If he isn’t losing weight, most likely he is entering brumation. Though it is more common for them to avoid the “warm” end of the enclosure almost entirely. Not all dragons brumate the same. I’ve a female who brumates 5 mos out of the year. She will eat maybe once a week during that time. Spend a short time under her lights then head out of her enclosure to sleep behind my couch til I pull her out!

My local exotic vet recommends Emeraids Herbivore mix over the critical care mix. Adult dragons aren’t carnivorous & the critical care mix is mostly protein. In addition, most dragons I’ve rehabbed like the Emeraid formula (available on Amazon) while despising the critical care stuff.

Are you soaking Earl regularly? This is important with a dragon that is brumating. 3 times a week in warm water with Repti-safe or other additive to neutralize the chemicals in tap water. Does he look like he doesn’t feel well? Or just not interested in food or warmth? If just not interested & not losing weight he is almost certainly brumating.

As an aside note - dragons don’t have the memory to tell them they got a parasite from a cricket. That’s a human tendency. To assume our animals have logical thinking. Discoids & dubias from a reputable breeder are a very good source of lean animal protein. I raise my own. Crickets aren’t bad, but they have much less meat for the amount of shell (chitin), making feeder roaches a better option. My alpha female Loves feeder discoids. As long as they’re freshly shed & still in the pure white stage. Once the shell hardens she won’t touch the things.

From what I have read, it sounds like you’re on the right track. Warm end of the enclosure should have a basking spot that ranges from 95-105 degrees. Cool end around 70.

I recall my 1st Beardie (the alpha female of a home that has anywhere from 3 to 8 beardies, depending on how many rescues I’ve taken in). I’d no clue about brumation. I remember holding her, crying, rocking her & begging her to eat. I thought she was dying! Here we are….7 yrs later. She still brumates for 5 mos of the year. I no longer stress about it. I soak her regularly. Weigh her weekly & record it. As long as she doesn’t show a steady decline in weight, I “wait” her out. Pun intended.

At the end of the day? Reptilian physiology & behavior is quite different than mammals. Humans are accustomed to mammalian behavior. What is normal for mammals is NOT normal for reptiles. Watch Earl carefully. Monitor what you can to ensure he isnt declining. If you think he is, find an exotic vet. If he is just not wanting to be under his lights & isn’t dropping weight, & you’ve ensured all the basic Beardie husbandry things are in place, give him time. Wait on him to come out of it. Of course if he looks or acts sick, take him to an exotic vet ASAP. You’re doing right by him. Let us know how he is!!

 

[Julee1971]

Hi

Hi I have a bearded dragon named Earl who is about a year old or so and he recently stopped eating entirely and just laying under his hammock. He has eaten about 2 hornworms in the past week and a little bit of greens but now he only stays under his hammock not moving at all. He doesn't seem to be losing that much weight but i am getting a scale soo just to make sure he isn't losing to much weight. His eyes aren't cloudy or anything. The only problem is that when he is under his hammock he isn't sleeping he's just laying there not moving with his eyes open. Please help me if you can i'm worried i might lose him

Hi; there’s prolly 2 issues going on here. The first is have u replaced the UVB light and is it the proper UVB light. The best and most recommended UVb is the long tube called the Reptisun 10.0 T5 this bulb and any and all UVBs need replacing religiously every 6 mnths. 2ndly, For heat the bulb needs to be CLEAR, never use a coiled or colored bulb ever. The temperature might be blazing Hot. In the summer the temps rise out of control so shut the heat light off several times a day to cool the tank down. And check the temp with an Infrared gun to get accuracy and use a digital thermometer. Temp should be around 95-97 or so for an adult Beardie not higher than 100. So check that this could be the issue is that it’s way too Hot.

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

Watch for mucous or discharge out of the nose --thick saliva -- wheezing - crackling noise -- pooping noise for RI --- most people use Zoo Med digital probe thermometers found at Petco or PetSmart or on line as well --- what is the humidity in the tank? Please get a digital probe hygrometer https://dubiaroaches.com/products/exo-terra-digital-hygrometer?_pos=1&_sid=ac857912b&_ss=r
place on back center wall of the tank

Earl still hasn't eating any bugs and he stopped eating greens again. i'm gonna make a slurry tomorrow that's mostly just fruits and veggies. do you have any recommendations to get him to eat more?

 

[Sadie]

Earl still hasn't eating any bugs and he stopped eating greens again. i'm gonna make a slurry tomorrow that's mostly just fruits and veggies. do you have any recommendations to get him to eat more?

How is his weight? Are you keeping track of his weight? And maybe look at getting him into the vet- I think we fixed everything we could w/ surface basking temps and UVB etc--- is he doing a lot of sleeping - he could be trying to go into brumation but I dont want him doing that if he is underweight-

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

How is his weight? Are you keeping track of his weight? And maybe look at getting him into the vet- I think we fixed everything we could w/ surface basking temps and UVB etc--- is he doing a lot of sleeping - he could be trying to go into brumation but I dont want him doing that if he is underweight-

It seems that he is gaining weight and his fat pads are getting better. he hasn't been sleeping but just laying around. he was the most active yesterday and i called the vet and set an appointment up for him.

 

[Sadie]

It seems that he is gaining weight and his fat pads are getting better. he hasn't been sleeping but just laying around. he was the most active yesterday and i called the vet and set an appointment up for him.

Why is he not sleeping? Are you shutting your lights off at night? They will go to sleep if those lights are off

 

[Mona Lisa]

he was acting weird before i moved him to his bigger tank. i moved him because i thougth he was acting like that since his tank was to small. i only touch him now when i feed him and that's it. other than that i let him be on his own.

How is your dragon doing now? Have there been any changes?

 

[iLoveEarl20613]

Why is he not sleeping? Are you shutting your lights off at night? They will go to sleep if those lights are off

yeah he sleeps at night only but not during the day that's why i think it's not brumation.