Nobody will eat :[

Discussion in 'Bearded Dragons' started by ColdBloodedLove, Oct 17, 2012.

  1. ColdBloodedLove

    ColdBloodedLove New Member

    Messages:
    37
    Hey everybody

    I've got two bearded dragons. They're brothers, 4 years old. One (Sandy) has some medical issues with his eyes right now- and he has seen by a vet twice, so at this point it is just a waiting game. The other (Scooby), has no other issues. But neither of them are eating. I just want them to have a normal, healthy diet like a lizard is supposed to. But no matter what I prepare- they don't want it.

    They are each housed separately. They have reptisun 10.0 uvb lamps, and 50 watt white light heat bulbs in their 4x2x2 enclosures lined with non-adhesive shelf liner. Their basking temps are at 98 to 103 degrees (depending on how high they sit on the logs) with the cool end being about 86 degrees. They have access to a hide as well as fresh water. Their lights are on a timer and stay on for about 11 hours a day I give them greens every morning and offer live food at least once a day. But usually 2 to 3 times.

    I put out arugula or endive or collard greens or carrot or butternut squash.. I've tried canned fruits, fresh fruit...
    I try setting it in front of their faces, holding it, wiggling it, leaving them alone.. they don't want to eat any of it.

    I also offer them superworms. Lately it has been the only thing I could get them to eat.
    They've gone through the list... meal worms, crickets, two kinds of roaches, pheonix worms, butterworms, silkworms... you name it. They are sick of it now.

    Has anyone ever heard of this hunger stroke behavior??
    Neither are brumating either! Nor are they losing weight. Neither are impacted.
    They mainly just sleep and wander around their enclosures to find the right temperature just to sleep some more.

    I just feel like this isn't "normal" to have a dragon that just doesn't care about eating anything.

    If anyone has any advice, input or experience with this- please share. It will be greatly appreciated!!


    -Jenny
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
     
  3. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

    Messages:
    5,483
    Hello Jenny = ) I'm sorry these issues have brought you here.

    I'm a bit short on time this morning so just wanted to cover a few quick basics... you clearly have a solid understanding of bearded dragon husbandry and have included most of the relevant details about your care so I'll assume you are replacing the UV lighting as necessary, using a digital thermometer, and are properly supplementing food sources.

    When you took them to the vet, did you have fecal examinations performed to rule out parasites?

    How confident are you that they are not losing any weight? [Just making sure you weighing them routinely with a scale and not just eye-balling it]

    How long has this behavior been going on?

    What makes you think they are not brumating? I assume you know your dragon's behavior better than anyone and have experienced multiple brumations under your care given their age...just want to rule this one out as well as brumations can indeed induce this kind of behavior. They are not always associated with constant sleeping states and can often show itself through dragons that are still semi-active and simply choosing not to eat or behave quite as normally.

    If it will help to put your mind at ease for the time being, this kind of behavior DOES happen in some individuals. Naturally, we will want to cover all of the bases possible to ensure that nothing harmful is going on, but the stable weight is certainly a postive sign = )
     

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