Hi! I have recently adopted a beardie of somewhat unknown age and have been having some issues maybe someone has some insight on. I know in his previous life he was never in a terrarium and was solely carried around by his owner or kept in an open Rubbermaid. He may be around 5 years old. He was never fed veggies or fruit and only handfed super worms. No crickets. No calcium powder. I haven’t had any success getting him to eat the variety of fruit and veg I’ve offered. Really my main concern is that he doesn’t seem to see well. His eyes are not filmy or cloudy at at all but He doesn’t react at all if I hold my finger still right at his eye or slowly bring my finger to it but if I brush around his eye he closes it immediately. Even eating he will only grab a worm if it is right infront of him he will not chase them or seem to notice them at all. No vets in my town will deal with reptiles so I can’t easily have him checked out.
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May be blind?
- Thread starter Beardie87
- Start date
BeardedHippy
Bearded Dragon Veteran
- Messages
- 672
- Location
- Scarborough UK
Hi, thats a tricky one, not sure how you can test eyesight yourself. Im amazed he doesnt have MBD since he has never had lights or suppliments, but good on you for taking him on. Keep trying the veggies, he may not recognise them as food if he has never had them before and it could be the lack of vitamins that has affected his eyesight, you may have to hand feed them. Also ,if he cant see he will struggle to catch crickets, i recommend hand feeding dubia roaches that have been gut loaded and dusted. Love, care and patience are the best things you can give him
And to be honest I’m not sure if he doesn’t have MBD he moves maybe twice a day and usually I have to move him under his basking light if he’s been sitting on his cool side for too much of the day and only gets somewhat active while I pick him up. Although he does look perfect and has no deformities.
BeardedHippy
Bearded Dragon Veteran
- Messages
- 672
- Location
- Scarborough UK
Dubias may be illegal, but you may be able to buy Discoids or one of the other varieties(someone else here may be able to answer that, I live in the UK), if you can they are far superior to worms which are very fatty and not as nutritious. His lack of movement could be down to other things, he could still be getting used to his new surroundings or just be sluggish because of the time of year, sounds like he hasnt had much opportunity to brumate. MBD often presents itself in some very nasty ways, the fact he looks good physically is a good sign. With good food and temperatures/ lighting he may perk up in time.
I would take him for a vet visit. Supers are high on the fat scale and too many could cause fatty liver disease. I would think a high fat diet could cause blindness over time. Discoids, BSFL, Hornworms, silkworms, crickets are all better options.