New (sick?) adult beardie

[EricaMae]

hey folks
We just purchased an adult (not sure exact age but seller thought between 4-6) bearded dragon. From what I've been learning compared to what the seller told me about their regualr care of "Fred", I have a feeling that he feels as bad as he looks.
We've had him for almost 7 days and he hardly eats, barely moves, and looks "saggy". He did eat a little at first and had a couple of nice poops. I don't think he ever saw a UV light and since we've gotten one for him, his movement has become non existent. We have been slowly introducing him to it, so as not to cook the poor guy. When he does move it is very slow and lethargic.
Fred has all the proper stuff in his tank and to date we have fed:
Crickets (he doesn't move fast enough to eat one)
A little carrot
A little Apple
Kale
Squash
The only thing he has eaten so far was the carrot and some kale.
Any advice would be appreciated. Our son, who Fred belongs to, is trying very hard to help bring him back to good health.
Thanks!

 

[Monkeys563]

He might need some time to settle in to his new home. Every dragon is different. What do you mean by "saggy" some pictures might help. What are his cage temperatures? He needs some time under the UVB as that is absolutely necessary. The UVB shouldn't admit any heat so it won't cook him.
It's a good sign he's at least eating some. Maybe try hand feeding him some crickets.
That's all I can think of right now hopefully someone has a good idea for you good luck with your new little buddy

 

[EricaMae]

By saggy, I just mean his skin looks very loose compared to other dragons I've seen.
Here is a picture of him. He's pretty much been in this same position for more than 24 hours. I understand about their brumation process so I hesitate to bother him as he is breathing. I've turned his lights on for the day... His temp is 95 and humidity is about 28%. I've told my son he may just need some time to adjust to new home and care but it's hard not to worry
Thank you for your response.

 

[EricaMae]

Update - With a little encouragement, Fred just ate a couple crickets as well as some veggies. My husband had to hand feed him but he ate and is looking much more alert at this point. Now I will await a nice poop from him...
He really didn't care for the squash though. Perhaps too mushy? According to my research, squash is one of the acceptable daily veggies though so does anyone havea Better way to cook and feed it so it isn't mushy?
(Here is a picture of him after he ate)

 

[Monkeys563]

I know bearded dragons are different from geckos but when my gecko gets dehydrated he looks wrinkly like that maybe try to drip some water on his nose see if he will drink a bit.
Mine does not really care for cooked squash unless its spaghetti instead I use a potato peeler to make it into paper like strips and then it can just be torn to be the correct size. He seems to like it better like that maybe yours will too.

 

[EricaMae]

Great, thanks.
I've thought about dehydration and my understanding is they enjoy being in water and will generally drink their "bath" water instead of from a water dish. When our son gets home we will try him in a bath.
I was going to just grate up some squash but it says squash needs to be cooked. Maybe doesn't need to be as cooked so it's mushy? Shall continue to try different things. Maybe just a different type of squash...

 

[Canicke]

He may or may not drink water well in the bath. They generally do not drink water from a bowl - it's standing not moving so they don't recognise it for what it is. Both of mine will now drink water when I drop it on their snout they lick it. I did have to train them – using an eyedropper I pulled down the side of the mouth and put a drop inside the mouth then immediately put a drop on the tip of the snout. It did take some time but now when they want a drink they will let me know by flicking their tongue. Both of mine are in cremation right now – I miss them so much

 

[Canicke]

NOT cremation - silly siri - BRUMATION !

 

[EricaMae]

Oh good! Brumation is a much better state to be in
Thank you for the advice. My husband has dropped some water on his nose and he did drink it. I'm sure it was much needed!
Hopefully he continues to improve as much as he has today.
Again, thank you both for taking time to help.

 

[PatsyB]

@Canicke so glad they aren't in cremation, we've got too much of that going on these days.

@EricaMae I think he looks dehydrated. So giving him baths and dripping water on his nose may entice him to drink. An eyedropper is a good tool as is just a small dixie cup to drip the water out. Sometimes mine get interested if I run my fingers through the water. As far as squash goes I cook mine until in the microwave with a bit of water until it's just done. I've also just shredded it and fed it to them raw. The pieces are small enough that they don't have a problem with them. I think I would still cook it for your guy until he's more hydrated.

Also make sure to gut load his crickets. Anything veggie you would feed him can be fed to the crickets. Make sure to you dust his crickets with calcium powder and a multi vitamin, alternating days.

 

[EricaMae]

Yes, I agree about dehydrated. The drips on his nose seem to be doing the trick, thankfully.
With cooked/uncooked squash, I wasn't sure the reason behind having it cooked. We definitely always make sure the pieces of veggies he gets are small enough so if that was the only concern with cooking it then I'll try some uncooked.
We do have some calcium powder so thank you for the idea of how to get it into him. I was going to brush some on his veggies but the crickets would probably be a better way.
I don't have a multivitamin though... Is that what he needs as opposed to just vitamin A?
And didn't know to feed his veggies to the crickets too!
Thank you!

 

[PatsyB]

The bugs are as much of a pet as the pet itself! They call it gut loading. It's a way to get a little more nutrition into your beardies diet. A multi vitamin once a week will help pick up the slack of anything missing from his salad. I think the reason behind having the squash cooked is because it could be hard to digest if the beardie isn't hydrated enough. There is also more water content in the squash when you cook it as opposed to when you use it raw.

So glad to hear that he is drinking his water!

 

[EricaMae]

Ahhh, yes. The new pet crickets!
And yes, that makes sense about the squash. It's obvious the water content it has, which is one of the reasons we tried to get that into him today.
And yep! He definitely did much better today than the last few days
Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Andyurgay]

All awesome advice from the other members. I'd also try misting him with a spray bottle a few times a day. Often when you mist the side of the tank, they see the water dripping down and will lick it. I think they also absorb a little through their skin? Not too sure but that's what I've read. My little guy will lick the water off his branches when I mist him. And in the bath, my beardie is more likely to drink it if I move my fingers around in the water so its moving. Then he really goes for it. Glad to hear he is doing so much better!!

Also maybe some veggies with more water content? If you have a multi vitamin, use that to help make up for the lack of nutrients in the mostly water veggies. Veggies like iceberg lettuce and celery. I don't recommend these as daily veggies but to help boost his hydration, it might be a good idea for a bit.

 

[beardieX0]

Oh wow he looks exactly like my new 4 year old!! Mine was being a spaz from relocation. Just keep your handling with him to a minimum. Spray him at least once a day. Keep feeding him like you are and he will adjust to his new home soon enough (

 

[EricaMae]

Update - First off, thanks so much for all your help, folks!

Fred is doing so much better. We had to hand feed him at first but now he's mobile enough to actually catch his crickets. We've added calcium and multi-vitamin to his diet as well as water on his nose. He's since had a bath and loved it! We also have added a red lamp for overnight use, after his basking and UV lamps during the day.
My son is just beyond relief as we really thought he wasn't going to make it!
His tank gets misted as well, unless the humidity guage is reading high.
He's pretty entertaining these days and it's beautiful to watch after such a struggle in the beginning.
Again, thank you all!!

 

[Canicke]

Good news indeed! Generally red lamps are not recommended - even that little bit od light can disturb their sleep. If you need heat - a heat lamp - which produces no light - is a better option. Carry on!

 

[EricaMae]

Really? I only got it because it was recommended to me. We did monitor him throughout the night the first night to see how he took to it and he seemed to rest easily with it on.
It's hard, I guess. Just like any other animal, you've got to see what works and what doesn't for the individual
I will continue to monitor him overnight though just to make sure.

 

[PatsyB]

Good that he's doing better! Canicke is right about the red light. They have a "third eye" on top of their head that allows them to see light spectrums that we can't even see. It helps them know when a predator is overhead and when it's night and time to sleep. The red light can disrupt their sleep cycle.

 

[beardieX0]

I use a red light on the dimmer it can go and Leo sleeps right through it, so I don't know. I would say as long as it's not crazy bright.