Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last couple days shes been sleeping alot. I noticed today when i put their food in the cage she didnt come running like usual. I have her out now and shes barely moving very stiff, skinny, dehydrated and her eyes are sunken into her head. Shes about 6 yrs old. How long do they live?

Your beardie is old, but I've heard of older. They can live about 10 yrs in captivity, but I believe the average to be less. Since you know she is dehydrated, how about a warm bath, or drip water on her nose. It's possible she has a parasite and a vet visit could cure that. Good Luck
-----
TheClassyLizard

I gave her some food and water she did drink a little but shes barely moving very stiff. Their lights have been off for 4 hrs now and shes still standing there not moving

I would give her a good soaking and also syringe 3-5 mls of pedialyte. If dehydrated she may not have neccesary ions (Na K Cl Ca) to control her body. I agree a trip to the vet would do wonders. They can give subcutaneous fluids which would help alot. I would also buy some chicken baby food mix it with some pedialyte and feed her that daily. She very well could have parasites, I would get a fecal done. A vet visit can be expensive, however your dragon is old but not ancient. But from the sounds of it action needs to be taken pretty quickly.
-----
Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

Problem is she isnt eating... once in a while she opens her mouth just a bit like shes panting but thats it. She wont take any food or water

Yes when i said give pedialyte and/or chicken baby food mixed with water I meant to force it. I would go out buy a 5 cc syringe (no needle, pharmacies usually carry these). Fill the syringe with the desired substance (i say 3 cc of baby food mixed with pedialyte). Then hold the dragon with you left hand under its belly. pull the dragon to your chest, your middle finger holding down the beardies front legs and rng finger and pinky supporting the rest of the dragons underside and the dragons back against your chest. now holding the filled syringe in your right hand use your forefinger and thumb of your left hand to open the dragons mouth, to do this pinch its beard and apply downward pressure. Insert the syringe, only into mouth not throat, and depress the plunger slowly. Your dragon should swallow by itself. I ahd a dragon pass on from a colon abscess it drank its pedialyte till the morning it died. It can provide the required nutrients till you get her to the vet.
-----
Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

Hi
i speak to a guy yesterday named erik and he showed a very old dragon to me on his webcam 12 years old.
so i think 6 yeArs is old but not to old .
go to reptile vet and let him check on parasites .
byeeeeeee

I trust you checked the temperatures in her enclosure? You mentioned something below about the lights being off for 4 hours? (assuming this was a typo and you meant the lights were on for 4 hours). As other suggest I would take her to a vet just to make sure she doesn't have parasites or some disease.

What did she eat last? Any chance she may have eaten something that you didn't want her too (ie some insect flew into her enclosure or forgot to wash her greens?) Though she is getting older I don't think she would be suffering from old age but then again I am no expert. Did her change happen suddenly, as in fine one day, lathargic and shrivelled up the next?