My beardie isn't eating! :(

[Andrew J]

Hello everyone,

I have two bearded dragons, one is 7 months old and the other is about 2 months old. The baby (Token) is perfectly fine, eating 20-30 crickets a day and veggies once or twice a week. The juvenile (Butters) however has started to slow down drastically on his appetite. I have been charting both of their weights since I got them. Exactly 2 weeks ago Butters weighed 57 grams and was eating fine. Since about then he has barely eaten anything (a few pieces of kale every couple days), and today he weighed in at 51 grams. I thought he might be dehydrated, so I filled up the sink about a half inch and put him in there, and he drank a decent amount of water. I then tried to feed him, and he wouldn't eat anything. I'm getting worried, however his behavior hasn't changed. He still stays alert in his basking spot most of the day and runs around a decent bit. Should I be worried, and is there anything I should be doing?

Also I wanted to mention they are in separate enclosures, both basking spots are between 90 and 95 degrees, and I mist them once a day.

Thanks in advance!

 

[julescoffman]

May want to bump up the heat to bout 110 they like it hot..helps digest food,and they seem to eat better..mine is 18mnths and his hot spot is 108-110

 

[PatsyB]

Yep, bump the heat up. Also, try feeding something other than crickets, he may be bored with them at the moment. Superworms, dubias, and hornworms are all good options.

 

[suzy]

You didn't say if he has pooped regularly that's what was wrong with mine I finely bathed her in warm water and rubbed her belly a few days in a row and she pooped has been eating fine again.

 

[drzebra]

What are you using for UVB?

 

[PatsyB]

Suzy brought up a good point! If he's eaten a lot and hasn't pooped that might be his problem. Like she said, warm bath (make sure water is real warm but not too hot) and belly rubs mostly on the right side from the front leg all the way down to the vent.

 

[jarich]

Im not sure I agree with the belly rub thing. The issue is that the lining of the gut is very sensitive. If there is any undigested hard matter (exoskeleton) or impactions, the rubbing will actually damage the lining of the gut and can even lead to piercing/ruptures. Increasing the heat will help with movement.

However, more worrying is the weight you mentioned. Are you sure that is accurate? Are you sure of the age of the dragon? At 7 months you should have a dragon of around 200-300 grams, so 50 grams is REALLY low.