Hello all, my sons bearded dragon has not been acting himself and dont know if something is wrong or if hes trying to brumate? Past couple weeks hes been sleeping a lot, but not in his hide he sleeps on his hammock. Hes hardly eating, even his favorites of blue berries, apples or snap peas. Once in awhile he will move to his rock, or if I move him there he seems to perk up a bit. Gave him a bath and he was his normal self, let him wander on the floor but he just went to a corner and went to sleep. He will eat some dubias unless I put calcium on them then he turns his nose to them. Should I leave him be, just thought it odd hed choose to brumate on a hammock if that is what he's doing. Hes about 6 years old but weve only had him about 8 months.
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Question Hopefully Someone Can Answer
- Thread starter Waffen06
- Start date
P
Please go over your uvb is it a coil or a long tube fixture? Basking temps what are they and how are you taking them - they need to be surface temps taken w/ a digital probe thermometer- we will start there--Hello all, my sons bearded dragon has not been acting himself and dont know if something is wrong or if hes trying to brumate? Past couple weeks hes been sleeping a lot, but not in his hide he sleeps on his hammock. Hes hardly eating, even his favorites of blue berries, apples or snap peas. Once in awhile he will move to his rock, or if I move him there he seems to perk up a bit. Gave him a bath and he was his normal self, let him wander on the floor but he just went to a corner and went to sleep. He will eat some dubias unless I put calcium on them then he turns his nose to them. Should I leave him be, just thought it odd hed choose to brumate on a hammock if that is what he's doing. Hes about 6 years old but weve only had him about 8 months.
UVB is a reptisun 10.0 24" just replaced it as the last one just hit 6 months. Basking temp is 100 degrees on top his rock taken with an infrared thermometer.P
Please go over your uvb is it a coil or a long tube fixture? Basking temps what are they and how are you taking them - they need to be surface temps taken w/ a digital probe thermometer- we will start there--
Ok please get a digital probe thermometer- certain materials a ir gun won't read off of - and a probe is more accurate- where is the uvb? If your screen is a fine mesh like a screen door it needs to go inside the tank w / it directly above the basking decor 12-15 inches- the screen is blocking 30% of the raysUVB is a reptisun 10.0 24" just replaced it as the last one just hit 6 months. Basking temp is 100 degrees on top his rock taken with an infrared thermometer.
Terrarium is only 18" tall, his basking cave/rock is about 10" tall. Screen I would say is more open then what a screen door would be.Ok please get a digital probe thermometer- certain materials a ir gun won't read off of - and a probe is more accurate- where is the uvb? If your screen is a fine mesh like a screen door it needs to go inside the tank w / it directly above the basking decor 12-15 inches- the screen is blocking 30% of the rays
Ok post a pic of it from above pleaseTerrarium is only 18" tall, his basking cave/rock is about 10" tall. Screen I would say is more open then what a screen door would be.
I am out of town cant till next weekOk post a pic of it from above please
Is there anyone that can snap a photo and post or send to you so you can post -- this is very important - If the screen is a wide hole type it can sit on top but a piece of decor needs to be directly under it 8-10 inches -- the hammock needs to have a digital probe thermometer used to get the actual basking temp - I would recommend getting some liquid calcium for him and mix w / some water in a syringe -- is he drinking from his bath? Dragons will not eat if they are dehydrated - are you using any kind of daytime basking bulbs -- off white or yellowish bulbs -- colored bulbs ?I am out of town cant till next week
I use a GE par38 flood bulb on a dimmer for basking. His rock is under it and the uvb bulb. His hammock is on the cool side of the tank. His rock is about 10" under the basking/uvb bulbs. Have never seen him drink water from his baths the entire time we have had him. He does have a small water dish but never seen him drink from that either.
Ok so what is the temp w/ the GE par bulb -- I heard those were good -- --- most dragons do not drink from a bath and get most of their hydration out of the salads they eat -- I really need a pic of the tank -- your lighting and UVB are good so I need to rule those out completely as that is usually the culprit for not eating -- being hes 6 it could be brumation but most dragons are coming out of brumation now-- it could be parasites as well - what is his diet? what about poop ? Is it real runny and smell so bad it makes you want to leave the room?I use a GE par38 flood bulb on a dimmer for basking. His rock is under it and the uvb bulb. His hammock is on the cool side of the tank. His rock is about 10" under the basking/uvb bulbs. Have never seen him drink water from his baths the entire time we have had him. He does have a small water dish but never seen him drink from that either.
I will try to get one, diet is different greens (mustard, collard or dandelion), snap peas, parsnips, butternut squash, we rotate those around. Then also do green peppers, sweet potatoe, apples, blue berries or raspberries every other day. Poop has been normal, last one was a couple days ago, no bad smell, not runny at allOk so what is the temp w/ the GE par bulb -- I heard those were good -- --- most dragons do not drink from a bath and get most of their hydration out of the salads they eat -- I really need a pic of the tank -- your lighting and UVB are good so I need to rule those out completely as that is usually the culprit for not eating -- being hes 6 it could be brumation but most dragons are coming out of brumation now-- it could be parasites as well - what is his diet? what about poop ? Is it real runny and smell so bad it makes you want to leave the room?
Good diet -- what insect are you feeding?I will try to get one, diet is different greens (mustard, collard or dandelion), snap peas, parsnips, butternut squash, we rotate those around. Then also do green peppers, sweet potatoe, apples, blue berries or raspberries every other day. Poop has been normal, last one was a couple days ago, no bad smell, not runny at all
Dubia from dubiaroaches.comGood diet -- what insect are you feeding?
Ok so now I am stumped --- its possible hes just not hungry --- get a kitchen food scale from Walmart and weigh him -- keep track of his weight in grams-- if hes losing weight a trip to the vet would be in order - -- how long was he brumating for?Dubia from dubiaroaches.com
This has been going on for about 2-3 weeks. Some days he sleeps on his hammock some days he moves to his basking rock for a couple hours.Ok so now I am stumped --- its possible hes just not hungry --- get a kitchen food scale from Walmart and weigh him -- keep track of his weight in grams-- if hes losing weight a trip to the vet would be in order - -- how long was he brumating for?
ok so hes basking and moving around --- they will go thru a spell where they dont eat -- mine did and it really thru me off he didnt eat for like a month -- took him to the vet and they did all kinds of test and come to find out here was nothing wrong w/ him -- $500 later -- he did not lose weight either -- so just keep offering his food watch his weight and go from thereThis has been going on for about 2-3 weeks. Some days he sleeps on his hammock some days he moves to his basking rock for a couple hours.
Will do will start weighing him when we get home. He definitely still has plenty of weight on himok so hes basking and moving around --- they will go thru a spell where they dont eat -- mine did and it really thru me off he didnt eat for like a month -- took him to the vet and they did all kinds of test and come to find out here was nothing wrong w/ him -- $500 later -- he did not lose weight either -- so just keep offering his food watch his weight and go from there
You don't need to dust Dubias with calcium.Hello all, my sons bearded dragon has not been acting himself and dont know if something is wrong or if hes trying to brumate? Past couple weeks hes been sleeping a lot, but not in his hide he sleeps on his hammock. Hes hardly eating, even his favorites of blue berries, apples or snap peas. Once in awhile he will move to his rock, or if I move him there he seems to perk up a bit. Gave him a bath and he was his normal self, let him wander on the floor but he just went to a corner and went to sleep. He will eat some dubias unless I put calcium on them then he turns his nose to them. Should I leave him be, just thought it odd hed choose to brumate on a hammock if that is what he's doing. Hes about 6 years old but weve only had him about 8 months.
You don't need to dust Dubias with calcium.ok so hes basking and moving around --- they will go thru a spell where they dont eat -- mine did and it really thru me off he didnt eat for like a month -- took him to the vet and they did all kinds of test and come to find out here was nothing wrong w/ him -- $500 later -- he did not lose weight either -- so just keep offering his food watch his weight and go from there
Sturner007
Bearded Dragon Egg
- Messages
- 5
Hi there,Hello all, my sons bearded dragon has not been acting himself and dont know if something is wrong or if hes trying to brumate? Past couple weeks hes been sleeping a lot, but not in his hide he sleeps on his hammock. Hes hardly eating, even his favorites of blue berries, apples or snap peas. Once in awhile he will move to his rock, or if I move him there he seems to perk up a bit. Gave him a bath and he was his normal self, let him wander on the floor but he just went to a corner and went to sleep. He will eat some dubias unless I put calcium on them then he turns his nose to them. Should I leave him be, just thought it odd hed choose to brumate on a hammock if that is what he's doing. Hes about 6 years old but weve only had him about 8 months.
Your beardie really shouldn't brumate at all if his lighting/humidity is at the right temps/levels. Have you checked his temps? What are the temps on the coolest side of the tank during the day? How about during the night? What are the temps on the hottest side of the tank during the day/night? What are the humidity levels during the day/night? I put a few blankets over the top of my tank to keep the warmth in.. especially at night. Keeping a warm tank at the right temps will encourage him to eat, poop, and have energy. Does he show signs of a black beard at all? Has he been pooping and peeing regularly? If your temps are in the right range, then he might be dealing with a small tummy bug. In this case, I would take him in immediately. Your vet might recommend doing blood work and starting him on antibiotics. Beardies often show signs of illness when it's too late. Getting help when you first know something isn't right is the best thing you can do for them!
Also, can I recommend something?? Please please please don't give your beardie calcium supplements! They are incredibly bad for them because you can't regulate the amount they are getting. Most times, without knowing you're doing it, he will get too much calcium and this could lead to calcifying his insides/death. He should be getting enough nutrients if you are giving him a bearded dragon/gecko pebble diet. I use T-Rex bearded dragon growth formula. This is one of the more reputable brands that I trust.
I hope this helps!
Please keep me posted! I hope your little guy starts to feel better soon!
Samantha
Hi, I'm not sure that I agree with this advice. Brumation is a completely natural process and to interfere with this would be injurious to the health of your Beardie. Reptiles are very sensitive to their surroundings and can sense all sorts of changes in their environment including outside their vivarium (temps, air pressure humidity etc). So if your son's beardie wants to brumate, let it.
