Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi,
i am desperate for advice regarding my female bearded dragon. she is less than a year old, probably around 9 months old. she has been happy and healthy until recently.
about a week ago, she escaped from her cage. she was gone about 48 hours before i found her. when i found her she was cold and stressed. i immediately took her to her basking site to warm her up. she ate a few crickets or meal worms that evening. i have made sure she is warm since this event. but her appetite has severly decreased and she has lost a lot of weight. during the day she is very lethargic, but in the early evening she seems fairly energetic. as i write this she is bouncing around her cage trying to escape. i keep any un-eaten food out of her cage.
i offer her mealworms, crickets, wax worms, and grub worms. i also offer her green beans and romaine lettuce. the last few days she has ate aprox. 8 meal worms a day (not near enough for her size) today she is not interested in eating anything!
one thing i have noticed when i offer her food ..... she licks her lips and smacks. it is like her body is naturally reacting to the presence of food, but she won't eat.

thanks so much!

mealies. I don't think are very nitritional and are hard to digest. I think romaine is also on the low end of recommended greens due to nutritional value. Collard, mustard, dandelion and turnip are better.

Provide some more info such as temperatures, uvb light, substrate, etc. How much weight has she lost?

You may want to take her to a vet. Hopefully a few, more experienced, people will see your post and give some advice. Hope she ends up ok.
-----
Rob

Has she pooed since you found her again? I would suggest giving her a warm bath as she probably is pretty dehydrated. If she hasn't pooed, deffinitely give a bath, offer pureed carrots or squash to help hydrate her. I wouldn't offer her mealies at all due to the fact they are difficult to digest normally.

What is the temperature of your house? If its on the cool side, she may be having burmating type behaviours. Keep her temperatures warm, basking temp around 95F to 110 F. Offer greens and crickets. If she still won't eat and remains lathargic, I would recommend taking her to the vet to assess. She may have gotten into something bad for her, especially if you keep household cleaners, poisons etc on or near ground level. However I suspect she is more dehydrated and stressed about her time lose. Keep her warm during the day and watch for continue decrease in weight. If she gets worse, deffinitely take her to the vet.

So, just to clarify (as I know I was rambling a bit above), give her a soak in tepid water (about 85F) for 5-10 minutes, take her out and clean the water/container if she does poo in it, then let her soak some more in clean water. Reduce mealies to just occaisonal treats, feed crickets or other insect foods (butter worms and silkworms are great substitutes for crickets). Don't forget regular supplimentation. For greens, use at least two of the following: Dandelion Greens, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, or Endive. Mix in for variety: escaroli, parsley, kale, romaine, pak choy, green bell peppers, zuccini and other dark leafy greens.

I hope your escapee recovers soon.

I'm not to great on Dragons, but most Reptiles will start eating again in a couple of Days, Try giving her some crickets instead of greens right now! Most Reptiles don't start eating greens until they are adults!!! Good Luck