Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my male bd is not eating and getting really skinny i need help im taking him to the vet 2morrow bc he is really skinny

like his tail u cAN SEE THE PELVIS AND THE BONE

WHAT CAN I DO TILL 2MORROW
TO HELP YHIM EAT

THANKS ALOT

Considering that I don't know the history of your beardie ... I can recommmend that you...

Make sure he is warm. Cold beardies will usually not eat or eat very little. Keep his basking spot near the warmer end of the gradient (105 - 110 degrees F). Don't let him get too cool at night. If temps drop below 65 in your house at night, consider adding a night time heat source to your beardies cage.

Encourage him to drink. Dehydration sets in quickly when beardies are off food for a period of time. Give him warm baths and drip water, or better yet, room temp. Pedialyte onto his nose to see if he will lick it up. If your beardie is severely dehydrated, forcing him to eat could cause more problems.

Find the reason your isn't eating. Parasites? Was he on meds in the past, like Albon? Try giving some Acidophiliz and B vitamins to boost his appetite.

Your vet should do a fecal test and you'll need to bring in a fresh sample of poo. If your beardie goes more than 4 hours before your vet appointment, you can refrigerate the poo overnight to preserve it. If he's not eating getting a poo sample will be hard. Try to get him to eat something then give him a bath several hours later. You may get him to poo in the bath. Be ready with a baggy to catch it! Don't let it mix with the bath water or the sample could be ruined.

If you can see his pelvis and bones in the tail that isn't a good sign. Thank goodness you're getting him to the vet! With a little luck you'll have him eating again in no time. You might want to invest a little money into some silkworms. Beardies that refuse to eat salads and some live prey will usually eat silkies. I've had great luck with getting very ill beardies to eat them. And silkies are very nutritious and will help put the weight back on your beardie. Best of luck to you and your beardie tomorrow. Please let us know what the vet says.

Veronica
Beautiful Dragons Reptile Rescue

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Beautiful Dragons

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Signature file edited; [phw 8/31/04]

I GOT a vet vist TODAY AT 345 IT IS 245 NOW SO 1 HR, i put a nother light on his cage to boost it up to like 110 i have a ligt for nigt it gets like 78-82 at night, he looks a little dehydrated, i got a sample it is only tthw white stuff(pee i think) will this help at all he drinks alot i gave him a bath to help him poo,,

thanks for you help

srry if i spell alot of things wrong im trying to watch him and type same time to see if he poos

thanks gaain

110 is a good basking temp for a sick or not eating dragon. I'm curious though, what was the basking temp before you added the second bulb? When you say you have a light on at night, is it one of those dim colored ones? Bright light at night can be very disturbing to beardies.

You need mainly fecal matter (not urates - the white part) to get the best results for a fecal test. That's what my vet told me. Hopefully you're vet will still be able to help you figure out what is wrong with your beardie.

Let us know what he says.

Veronica
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Beautiful Dragons

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Signature file edited; [phw 8/31/04]

the rescue beardie we got in January was in VERY bad shape. She was skin and bones!

Keep them hydrated. I gave daily soaks and offered her diluted gatoraid via syringe (placing drops on the end of her nose to lap up). I also offered diluted chicken baby food (Gerber First Foods) mixed with softened pellets--I used the syringe here too--she would lick it off her nose/lips. The first few days I had to stick the syringe in her side lips--not really forcing. Once she got a taste she would start licking.

Our female had severe parasites. Vet gave her panacure--panacure is good--BUT it can cause them to stop eating--not good for a beardie in bad shape. After a few days on panacure I added Parazap tea--this helped with her appetite too. I also gave her a few drops of liquid acidolpholis daily--this is pretty important.

It took a lot of care and about 4 weeks for her to recover. She has since gained over 100 grams and has a sweet 'pot belly'!

HTH
DM

How long did it take to get this skinny and what other symptoms are present?