Hi! I have been looking for a site like this and am hoping to get LOTS of info! We are on our 2nd beardie--the first one was too small when we got him and didn't make it. It was terribly traumatic on my sons and me. Now we are on #2. He is 6.25 inches long and we have had him since he was 5.5 inches long. Here is my question: 3 days ago he shed a LOT of his skin. And I can't get him to eat now. He won't eat his crickets. Yesterday he ate 2 worms. He is eating just a tiny bit of his lettuce as well. He is very alert--eyes bright and open. I have been taking him outside to bask because it is hot here in GA, and am hoping that aids in his digestion. HELP! I can't lose another--is this normal that he doesn't eat? He is walking fine and today I started giving him some gatorade, because I am so worried. He has about 5 crickets in his tank.
Thank you all in advance...
Kathy
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NEWBIE Beardie Owner Question
Replies (1)
Hello there.
It isn't too uncommon for bearded dragons to loose their appetite while in shed but usually not after all their skin has come off (the old skin of course). You can try giving him a soak in luke warm water to help remove any skin that has not yet shed.
For a better understanding of why he isn't eating, will need to know more about your setup and feeding habits. Natural sunlight is very good for reptiles, especially diurnal lizards such as bearded dragons (active during the day). When unfiltered sunlight cannot be provided (ie too cold to just too hot to take him outside for about an hour 5-6 times a week), artificial UVB light is needed.
What size of a tank do you have for him? What kind of substrate are you using? What is the basking temperature? What size of crickets are you feeding him? Do you dust them with any suppliments? (ie calcium powder, multivitamin powder). How often do you give him dusted insects? How often do you feed? Is he well hydrated? What kind of worms do you offer? (mealworms are not good for young bearded dragons, they can cause impaction if too many are fed). What kind of greens are you offering? (iceberg lettace, leaf lettace, romaine and spinach are all greens that should not be fed to dragons, the first three containing little to no nutritional value, spinach containing oxates that actually binds calcium, making it unusable to the dragon). When was the last time your dragon pooped?
As you mentioned you are from GA which I beleive is Georgia, we do have an American site as well. Not that I mind you posting in the Canadian site. However, unfortunately, the Canadian site is not as active mostly due to the fact my fellow Canadians find it not active enough and go to the American site instead. If they posted here often, it would get active...anyway, the American site is below. I also will include a site that has a great nutrition chart for bearded dragons.
