Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys I need some help I am fairly new to bearded dragons I have 2 males and 2 females all are doing great and eating fine but for the past week my red flame female has nit been eating like she normally has been she is a juvie over 14inches i'd say she seems to have lost weight in the last week and I'm worried I feed my dragons crickets daily along with a nice salad and fruits And worms ever so often out of the four dragons she is the only one that seems to be having the problem she is housed in a 30galllon tank hot spot is about 105 cool side is about 85 I soak them 3 to 4 times a week to ensure they stay hydrated around my way there is no herp vet near me and I do not drive but if you guys think it is best to get her to a vet I will get a ride any help and advice will be muc appreciated and I can get exact size and weight if needed by tomorrow morning thanks for any help you guys can give me Andres

Size, weight and age would be very helpful. A picture would be good too.

she is a little under 14inches and she only wheighs about 140grams this is the first time i put her on the scale so i am unsure of how much weight she has lost but she use to be very chubby she sits bu her basking spot most of the day and eats greens only when they are left in there and no one is around she looks very thin and i am worried that something is wrong she is active and explores the cage and drinks water well any help will be much appreciated thanks Andres

How old is she? I'm trying to get an idea if her size/weight is consistant with her age. Have you had her since she was a baby? If not how long have you had her?

How often are you feeding her crickets? And how many does she eat? Can you post a picture of her setup?

I would try raising her basking spot to the 110 range as a start. I also would not bath her so much. Try offering water with an eyedropper for hydration instead. Just drip it onto her nose and she should learn to lick the water.

From the picture she does look underweight. If she isn't already, set her up in a cage by herself. Make sure temps are idea...with a basking spot at least 110F (and make a wide sloping basking spot so she can choose how hot she wants to be).

She doesn't look very old either...so I would offer her more crickets. Juveniles should be fed crickets 1-2 times a day, all they can eat in a 5-10 minute period. Crickets should be well gut loaded (24 hours before feeding...gut load with either commercial gut load, or a mix of fresh greens (same given to your dragon), crushed cat or dog food, fish flakes, crushed bearded dragon pellets, or use one of the various home made gutload recipes available online (google 'gut load recipe' should bring some results).

What we need to do is get her eating so her weight can get up.
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PHLdyPayne

30G is not big enough for dragon to grow into. Dragon may have gone off feed due to feeling contained in small dimensions(stress). 30G tall are only 36" long, 14" dragon is nearly half the length of cage and almost as large as the width. I think 40G breeders (commonly suggested for 1 adult dragon) are too small too. Lizards that grow into the 2ft range should have at least 4ft of useable cage length to live in.

Also, stressed or sick dragons are less likely to chase crickets around the cage. It's easier for dragon to consume a worm diet during these times (superworms, hornworms, silkworms, waxies & butterworms on occasion)