Help - my beardy isnt eating

[Sarah Edwards]

My beardy "Trinity" isnt herself.. she shead 2 days ago and has refused a feed now for 24 ...
Iv only had her 2 months and she is my first dragon so im a bit worried.. She has never refused a feed until yesterday and if anything is usually a little on the greedy side! she has greens avail 24/7 and usually eats 15 - 20 large crickets or 8 -10 large locust a day which are dusted with calcium... she also has water avail and usually drinks, but doesnt seem to have done so in the last 24 hours.
She is still basking and moving around, but her colour seems to have drained today and she seem very dark compared to normal.. shes also a little lethargic and sleeping much more than normal.
So im after advice really - cause a vets visit is not an option at the mo, and im scared of loosing her..

 

[Germ]

How old is she? It is not uncommon for a BD to go off it's food for a few days. If she isn't moving around much, she isn't expending any energy, so may not require more Nutrition. They have off days just like we do.

It may help if you give your setup specs, lighting, UVB type & brand, substrate, Temps Basking & cool side, size of enclosure, feeding schedule, etc, etc, anything you can tell us to give an idea of the situation. Pics are a great help, of the enclosure & Dragon. If for nothing else, we love pics .

AND .....

 

[Sarah Edwards]

we got her 2 months ago sold a sa "juvenile" she is about 6 inches from head to base of tail now... i have a 3ft x 3ft square tank. the basking area is at 40c and the cool side 28 - 29 c during the day. 14 hours of "lights on" daylight. tank approx 2 ft tall. - we have a uvbtube for her 10:0 (extro terra) and beech chip substrate.
she has greens and water avail 24/7 - but only eats live feed once a day - usually about 15 large crickets or 8 - 10 large locusts altho it can sometimes be more, but is rarely less..
would upload a picture of her, but a) im not sure how and a tech phobe!!! and b) only got the ones i had taken the day she moved in and she is defo double the size now!!

 

[Germ]

I don't recommend it being on chip substrate, to much chance of ingestion that could lead to impaction. I would bump up your Basking Temp another 3-4*C. As I mentioned previously, it is not overly strange for a BD to go off it's food for a day or 2, without worries. But I do recommend raising the temps & finding a more suitable substrate.

 

[Sarah Edwards]

Thanks for all ur help... i bumped up the temp, and yesterday she had a big poop and last night she ate.. not a huge meal - but a big enough one for me to no longer be worried!
Whats the best substrate to use?? - iv heard that play sand is good??

 

[Germ]

The 'Safest' is any kind of non-particle substrate such as the different types of tile, non-adhesive shelf liner, textured lino, newspaper, paper towel, butchers paper, slate & the list goes on and on. As to what is the 'BEST', you will get all sorts of answers there, because everyone has their personal preference.

Any particle substrate poses some level of risk, some much more than others. When it comes to particle Substrates, Children's Washed Play Sand is the only one I would recommend for BDs larger than 10" from Nose to Tip of Tail, not at all for smaller BDs. Of course you have to watch that it is not too coarse coming out of the bag, if it is, it would have to strained or sifted. Play Sand has been used since the start of the hobby without issues. Any issues that have arisen are almost always husbandry related & not because of the sand itself. If Proper basic husbandry is up to par & the BDs are well hydrated there should be no problems.

Everyone has their personal preferences, mine is & has been for many years, Children's Washed Play Sand. I have always used it in all of my enclosures for all of my BDs larger than 10 " long.

I would guess by the size you mentioned that your BD would be in the 6-7 month old range. But really hard to tell as we don't know how it was cared for prior to you acquiring it.

You have a really nice sized enclosure that any of mine would be jealous to have all to himself. You will have to post some pics of it.

 

[laurenwind]

Staples of your beardie’s diet will include insects, baby lizards, carrots, beans, dandelion greens, and worms. Young dragons (2-4 months of age) should be fed 80% insects, but only 20% greens. You will most likely find that crickets are a good choice for young bearded dragons, and you may feed them up to twenty or thirty crickets daily. Adult dragons will require a radically different diet. Begin introducing more meat, such as pinky mice, to your adult beardie, but keep greens at around 20%.

 

[Aleena]

Staples of your beardie’s diet will include insects, baby lizards, carrots, beans, dandelion greens, and worms. Young dragons (2-4 months of age) should be fed 80% insects, but only 20% greens. You will most likely find that crickets are a good choice for young bearded dragons, and you may feed them up to twenty or thirty crickets daily. Adult dragons will require a radically different diet. Begin introducing more meat, such as pinky mice, to your adult beardie, but keep greens at around 20%.

Please don't feed your beardie baby lizards. Carrots are also on that list of things that people argue about whether they're good for your beardie or bad. Adult dragons also need more veggies than animal protein. I believe the ratio of veggies to an adult should be around 80%, animal protein is not needed as much. The prey insects ideally should be no larger than the space between the dragons eyes.

 

[Sunkiss]

I agree with Aleena, make sure the prey insects be no larger than the space between the dragons eyes.