Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I hope someone out there can help me. My 5.5inch baby beardie stopped eating about a week ago. A couple days ago I started force feeding him with a solution of baby chicken vegetable food, pedialyte with a bit of calcium powder mixed in. He does take a bit of it a few times a day however he still has not much energy and doesn't move allot. His legs and body however move fine when he does move. Has anyone seen a baby pull out of something like this. I feel so useless. Am I doing all I can.
My temps are just fine.
Please advise

Wow...it could be a lot of things, and it depends on a lot of things. To answer the last question first, yes i have seen a baby beardie pull out of something like this, but it was with the help of a vet and lots and lots of care.

A few things to keep in mind, what size tank is he in? Does he have access to unfiltered UVB light? What sort of supplements were you using on his food when he was eating? What temperature is the hottest part of his tank and what are you using to get this temperature? It is important to know as much as possible about the beardies home life in order to try and figure out what is going on.

Anorexia, or not eating is always a symptom of something else. What other symptoms does he have? Does he just sit limply in the cage when he isn't being handled or does he still prop himself up on his front feet?

From the information you gave it sounds like a vitimin deficency or the begining stages of MBD, have you noticed any twithcing or seizures?

I would get your beardie to a herp vet immediately. The sooner the better. I will try and help you out if i can if you can give me a bit more info.

Good luck!

I think what the problem is he's impacted. Being our first dragon the pet store owner didn't warn us of feeding too big of crickets at this young of age and I believe when we first got him we may of made this mistake a few times which led to the situation we are in. He is straining to poop and when he does its a little bit that comes out. His stomach is getting extremely bloated. Should I continue force feeding him or stop. I am giving soaks 3 times a day . I hope he makes it thru the night. This is awful.

Put him in a small tank with an under heat source for belly heat in addition to good and hot (100-115 basking) overhead lights during the day. Get some Acidophiliz or Benebac (look in the bird section of pet places if you can't find it in the reptile section). Drip some diluted apple juice. Keep soaking and keep him warm.

Let us know how he does. I know you're worried.

Best,
michele
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4.3 Bearded Dragons (Rescues)
1.0 Corn snake (Rescue)
0.1 California King
4.5 Royal (Ball) Pythons (3 rescues)
1.1 Dogs (Rescues)
2.0 Cats (Rescues)
2.2 Humans
No, it's NOT a big house

should maybe call your Vet. You say you think he may be impacted?

Here is an article that you may find useful om reptile impaction, by CheriS.

Sure hope he will be okay !
Reptile Impaction

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Eve / PHEve

AlteredMind is right, loss of appetite is a symptom of some underlying problem and it will take some detective work to figure out what that might be.

Temps and lighting are the obvious places to start. How long have you hade your beardie? Has everything up to now seemed normal? What and how much has it eaten up to this point? Is it still active at all? Did you aquire it from a private source or from a pet store?

My next guess would be parasites. Have a fecal done immediately. Any veterinary clinic can do this. Drop some fresh poop in a baggie, date and name label it and drop it off the same day. If you can't get it there the same day, put it in the fridge overnight (and tell them it was refrigerated and for how long). Any anti-parasite treatment should be accompanied by excellent housing maintenance (Remove all waste immediately. Aquire some novalsan and clean everything daily.) and supportive care. **Make sure your dragon stays hydrated.** The pedialyte/babyfood/vitamin mix is good. A pedialyte/mushed high quality pellet mix would be even better if you can get your hands on pellets. Make sure your dragon is drinking and/or soaking daily. Keep it warm while it soaks. Isolate it from any other household members (of all species) and reduce handling to the minimum required for feeding and maintenance. If you can order some Parazap it makes excellent support for the treatment of parasites and stimulates the appetite.

There is also the possibility of a viral or bacterial infection and for this you will need a good vet, excellent supportive care during treatment and sadly, to be aware that not all infections of this nature are curable . Hopefully, things will not be that bad.

Finally, if you find the cause is parasitic or infectious in origin, you owe it to other animals and keepers to notify the place where you aquired your beardie.

Keep us posted and good luck!

Best,
michele
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4.3 Bearded Dragons (Rescues)
1.0 Corn snake (Rescue)
0.1 California King
4.5 Royal (Ball) Pythons (3 rescues)
1.1 Dogs (Rescues)
2.0 Cats (Rescues)
2.2 Humans
No, it's NOT a big house

Try putting a drop of warm extra virgin olive oil on his nose, he will drink it (hopefully) which sometimes helps break up blockage, and lightly massage his lower stomach while he is soaking in warm water. It worked for me.