Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm new here and have a question about my bearded dragon.

He's almost two years old and recently he's been having problems with eating. Over the past month he's lost interest in his veggies and meal worms and has spent a lot of time hiding in his log. I switched his meal worms out for crickets last week and he ate them for a few days before losing interest again.

Otherwise he's still very active and alert. He's going to the bathroom about once a week, and he runs around in the living room regularly and is dunked in a shallow sink for moisture. He also spends a good deal of time stalking my parakeet that lives next to him on the table (so I'm assuming he still has some interest in hunting.) His heat and sun light bulbs have been changed recently so he's getting what he needs from them, and his basking spot gets up to around 100 F so I don't think he's too cold to eat.

This morning I noticed him bend down and take a big bite out of his substrate (a millet seed/crushed walnut shell mix) and I had to take him out of his cage to keep him from eating more.

Around 6 months ago he had another problem eating. It turned out to be an infected spot on his gums, but I don't see any signs of that this time.

Some of my friends have suggested that it might be hibernation time for him or a mating thing, but I'd appreciate opinions from people with more experience with beardies. Should I be worried about this, or just let him do what he wants?

Get rid of the seed/walnut substrate.. too much risk of impaction from it and seeds can cause mold and attracts grain mites and other insects.

Second, 100F is rather low for a basking spot...are you measuring the surface temp on the basking spot or is that more the air temperature? Also, what are you using to measure temperature?

Have you tested him ever for parasites or impaction? What is his weight and length? What sort/size of cage is he in?

As he is active and running around, he isn't brumating.
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PHLdyPayne

And what are you using for UVB? What brand and bulb type?

He has a Reptisun 5.0 UVB bulb and a Repti Basking Spot Light, both put out by Zoo Med.

Thanks for replying

We've never had a problem with his substrate before (anything he eats passes right through him) and I've checked it over for mites and mold without finding anything, but what do you think I should use instead?

When I measure his basking spot, I usually just stick a regular room thermometer on his rock and let it stay there a while. Depending on how hot the rest of the kitchen is, his basking spot is usually between 100 and 110.

He's been to the vet several times for checkups and had to be treated for pinworm once about a year ago. His most recent trip was a month and a half ago and the vet said he was healthy. He's 16 inches long and I don't know how much he weighs, but he's got a little bit of fat stored around his tail.

His cage is a regular reptile tank, 3 ft x 1.5 ft.

I have to agree that the Crushed Walnut shell's are not good at all. They may pass some of what they eat but, other pieces will get stuck and if they don't come free can cause severe issues including death.

I recommend a non-particle substrate. Such as shelf liner, newspaper, ceramic tiles. Choose what works best for you. I use tiles because I think it is the quickest and easiest to clean.

Ernie
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www.midnightdragons.net

Dragons will do fine with a loose substrate. Millet and walnut shell are not good choices though. Sifted playsand works just fine. Dragons like to dig and nest. It is instinctive behavior for them.

If your particular dragon took a big bite of substrate as you describe it may be lacking moisture inside the cage. Find a way to measure the humidity inside the cage and report back

Are you sure about the sand? Nearly everyone I've talked to says that sand is bad for them... causes impaction too easily.

As for the humidity, I already have a board across most of the top of the tank and a big water dish in the cool half. He also gets baths on a daily basis.

Okay, you probably have enough humidity in the tank with a water dish. If so, you can cut 5-6 of those baths a week out. That's a little too much moisture for dragon, IMHO. What is the board on the top?

Now to the great substrate debate. Yes, I think sifted playsand is safe for dragons. I've never had an issue with an impaction. Sand is a very small particle....they would need to gulp up lots of sand to cause an intestinal blockage. Usually they know it's not food after their first taste! Shelf-liner, newspaper, and tile are not natural nor suitable for an adult dragon.

I don't recommend a baby or dragon under 12" on playsand. At that stage in their lives they are still learning to be adept hunters of prey and can be a little sloppy with a loose substrate underneath.

Well, the room he's in gets a little cold sometimes so the board on top of his house is there to keep the heat in. It seems to be working really well so far, since the only other option would be to crank the thermostat up really high.

The baths were recommended by a vet though, and I talked to a vet this afternoon about his problem. She didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with him environment-wise. Her best guess was that he was trying to hibernate and the only thing I could do to snap him out of it would be to keep his lights on for 12-14 hours instead of the 9 that he has them right now.

9 on is too short. Even my hard brumaters get 11 on. The active and semi active get 12 on/ 12 off which is what I would suggest for this time of year in the US unless you are looking to cool for breeding.