What causes a bearded dragon to stop eating?
Read all about reasons why bearded dragons might stop eating here. If your bearded dragon is panting a lot (in general panting is fine when a bearded dragon is basking), trying to escape the tank and digging, then it might be too hot. Extreme heat will cause overheating, stroke and death.
How can you tell if a bearded dragon is dying?
A dying bearded dragon will be shaking violently, getting bloated and becoming lethargic. This is why you must always make sure that water level in a water dish (if you have it) is below your dragon’s ankles.
How big of a tank does a baby bearded dragon need?
Baby bearded dragon over a month old already require 30 gallons tanks – so it’s better to get a bigger one straight away. In this tank, you must create a temperature gradient – a hot and a cool side. However, in smaller tanks, especially for baby dragons, you can’t create a gradient due to lack of space.
What should the body temperature of a bearded dragon be?
Preferred bearded dragon body temperatures are around 98 F (36.6 C). But for some time, it can be fine if temperatures are lower by even 10 degrees F (around 5 C). If you keep your bearded dragon in low temperatures for few hours, it will go into brumating state to save itself from dying.
Is it normal for a bearded dragon to have a black beard?
A beard can turn black when the beardie is unhealthy. Since black bearding may occur due to many reasons, a black beard is not enough to tell if your lizard is sick.
Why is my bearded dragon’s tank turning black?
Reason number 1: Your bearded dragon is cold and is trying to warm up. The fact is, your bearded dragon might turn black or just darker to increase heat absorption. This can happen if the tank is cold, and your bearded dragon needs more heat. This also happens after a night, because temperatures drop.
What kind of disease does a bearded dragon have?
Here are the common bearded dragon disease and symptoms, including metabolic bone disease, tail rot, mouth rot, respiratory infection, atadenovirus, yellow fungus, and constipation. Others are dehydration, impaction, hypocalcemia, cancer, overweight, and ear and eye infections.
What do bearded dragons do when they are angry?
As you might expect, if a bearded dragon is angry they might turn their neck black to make it obvious to everyone else. This is a sign that they want to be left alone, and you should abide by their wishes. However, you should also look to see if there’s anything else nearby that might be angering them.
How old do bearded dragons have to be to eat vegetables?
Even babies as young as 1-2 months should still be given some finely chopped vegetables to sample here and there. After all, this is the ONLY food bearded dragons are allowed to eat as much of as they want all day long!
How can I get my bearded dragon back to normal?
With treatment, you can bring your bearded dragon back to normal, but with weak dragons, it might not be enough. When treating your bearded dragon for parasites, make sure to keep its enclosure extremely clean to prevent reinfection.
How often does a baby bearded dragon shed?
Hatchies (baby bearded dragons) will shed almost every week. How to tell if your dragon is shedding? While a dragon is shedding you can give it a bath once or twice per day, this will make the skin softer and loosen of the shed.
Why does a bearded dragon not eat after a meal?
Because of their cold-blooded nature, many dragons won’t eat until they are warm enough, and post meal their lights should be kept on for around 2 hours, to ensure successful digestion. A lack of correct lighting can also cause feeding issues. Bearded dragons need both UVA and UVB lighting for around 10-12 hours everyday.
Is it normal for a bearded dragon to be lazy?
One of the most common occurrences many owners face is when their bearded dragon acts lazy or lethargic. This can be a normal behavior during certain times of the year, or can be a sign of a serious health condition for many bearded dragons. We will go over some things to look for when a bearded dragon acts lazy or lethargic.
What to do if your bearded dragon stops moving?
If your bearded dragon has stopped moving, or seems to be trying to drag its hind legs, this could be a sign of impaction. If you witness anything similar to what’s described get your bearded dragon to a veterinarian immediately.
Why does my bearded dragon shed all the time?
Shedding is an irritable time for bearded dragons and shedding can be triggered by many things including environment, diet and health but for the most part, it is caused by growth and development for baby and juvenile bearded dragons. Hatchies (baby bearded dragons) will shed almost every week.
How often do bearded dragons need to eat?
Adult bearded dragons can go weeks or months without eating if they’re in brumation, but you do still need to feed them. Juvenile and baby bearded dragons need to eat more often (see the chart in the section above). Technically, they can go weeks without eating, but this is only in the direst of circumstances.
When to take a baby bearded dragon to the vet?
Juvenile and baby bearded dragons need to eat more often (see the chart in the section above). Technically, they can go weeks without eating, but this is only in the direst of circumstances. I recommend with babies (0-3 months) taking your beardy to the vet after 3 days of not eating and juveniles (3-12 months) after 1 week of not eating.
What should I do if my bearded dragon wont shed?
You can also mist them with a water bottle. Both methods will increase your beardie’s hydration which also helps. Do keep an eye out for ‘stuck shed’ this is when there is a piece of dry skin that hasn’t come off – you can see my article on bearded dragon shedding here.
Read all about reasons why bearded dragons might stop eating here. If your bearded dragon is panting a lot (in general panting is fine when a bearded dragon is basking), trying to escape the tank and digging, then it might be too hot. Extreme heat will cause overheating, stroke and death.
Adult bearded dragons can go weeks or months without eating if they’re in brumation, but you do still need to feed them. Juvenile and baby bearded dragons need to eat more often (see the chart in the section above). Technically, they can go weeks without eating, but this is only in the direst of circumstances.
Juvenile and baby bearded dragons need to eat more often (see the chart in the section above). Technically, they can go weeks without eating, but this is only in the direst of circumstances. I recommend with babies (0-3 months) taking your beardy to the vet after 3 days of not eating and juveniles (3-12 months) after 1 week of not eating.
What happens when a bearded dragon goes into brumation?
Brumation is a hibernation-like state that lizards will go into during the cold months of the year. When a bearded dragon goes into brumation, a lot of their core body functions will slow down. They won’t move around nearly as much and will also eat a lot less food. This is because they simply have no need for this fuel!
Is it normal for bearded dragon to open its mouth?
It can be very common for the bearded dragon to open its mouth while on the basking perch for short periods of time. This is a way to cool off while directly under the basking bulb. This behavior is very similar to the way a dog pants to cool off and completely normal. If slack jaw is suspected seek a reptile veterinarian immediately.
How can I tell if my bearded dragon is sick?
If your bearded dragon is stressed, it can seem sick as well. In fact, prolonged stress will cause sickness as it suppresses the immune system. To find out if your bearded dragon is stressed, you need to look at many different factors. If you have just brought your bearded dragon home and it’s not eating or basking for few days, it’s fine.
While adult bearded dragons can survive stress and lack of food for longer periods, babies are not as strong. If a baby bearded dragon under 3 months old seems stressed and isn’t eating for more than a week, take it to a vet immediately. You can read a full post on stress in bearded dragons and how to manage it here.
It can be very common for the bearded dragon to open its mouth while on the basking perch for short periods of time. This is a way to cool off while directly under the basking bulb. This behavior is very similar to the way a dog pants to cool off and completely normal. If slack jaw is suspected seek a reptile veterinarian immediately.
Why did my baby bearded dragon die quickly?
If you have got a baby bearded dragon and it died very quickly, it could possibly be a parasitic infection. This is why getting a slightly older bearded dragon at least will give you a better chance of its survival. Even if this sounds harsh, weak and sick baby bearded dragons mostly don’t make it, even with intensive care.
How can you tell if your bearded dragon is sick?
Much like people, you can tell A LOT about the overall health of your pet simply by examining your bearded dragon’s eyes. For instance, if your bearded dragon has sunken eyes it could be due to them being dehydrated. If you discover that your bearded dragon is dehydrated, try coaxing them to drink fresh water by placing a bowel in their tank.
Why does my bearded dragon have sunken eyes?
If your bearded dragon has sunken eyes it could be due to them being dehydrated. A quick way to confirm if this is in fact the case, is to gently pinch your bearded dragon’s skin if it looks loose. If the skin doesn’t settle back into place immediately after you release, chances are they’re in need of some water.
One of the most common occurrences many owners face is when their bearded dragon acts lazy or lethargic. This can be a normal behavior during certain times of the year, or can be a sign of a serious health condition for many bearded dragons. We will go over some things to look for when a bearded dragon acts lazy or lethargic.
Much like people, you can tell A LOT about the overall health of your pet simply by examining your bearded dragon’s eyes. For instance, if your bearded dragon has sunken eyes it could be due to them being dehydrated. If you discover that your bearded dragon is dehydrated, try coaxing them to drink fresh water by placing a bowel in their tank.
Why do bearded dragons not open their eyes?
Bearded dragons are hardy lizards, but from time to time, problems may arise. In this post, we will talk about bearded dragon eye problems, inability to open one or both eyes, eye infections and discharge, why bearded dragons close their eyes and more.
Is it safe to use a coiled bulb on a bearded dragon?
Some bulbs are also fake/cheap, and can damage your bearded dragon’s eyes if used for a long time. If you used the coiled bulb, especially in a smaller tank, then it could damage the eyes. Turn off the UVB lighting for 2-4 days to see if it helps your bearded dragon’s eyes.
Can You Wash bearded dragon’s eye with tap water?
Do not wash your bearded dragon’s eye with tap water if you think there is a small scratch. Tap water is not completely sterile and can easily cause an infection. Instead, keep using reptile drops – you can alternate between antibacterial reptile eye wash and simple saline eye wash until it gets better.
What’s the average age of a bearded dragon?
In the wild the average lifespan of a bearded dragon is 3 – 4 years and in captivity the average age is around 8 -10 years. Although some have been known to live to 14+ years.
What happens if you give a bearded dragon a tank?
Beardies will sometimes attack their tank mates so aggressively that the weaker of the two can die. Give one dragon away or buy another tank. When you purchase a new dragon the transportation process and then housing them inside an alien surrounding will place a lot of stress on them.
How old does a bearded dragon have to be?
Some bearded dragons will still be rather healthy and active until 6 years old, and become seniors at 7-8 years old. If your bearded dragon is older than 7-8 years old, it might be starting to get especially lethargic and slow. And this is normal.
What to do with an old bearded dragon?
Even older bearded dragons can enjoy their last years by leading a quiet and mostly inactive life. However, you might consider euthanizing your bearded dragon if it’s struggling a lot. If your bearded dragon has lost a lot of weight, cannot eat and doesn’t want to take food anymore at all, is terminally ill, then you might consider euthanasia.
Is it OK to euthanize an old bearded dragon?
You shouldn’t consider euthanizing your bearded dragon unless it’s suffering a lot. Even older bearded dragons can enjoy their last years by leading a quiet and mostly inactive life. However, you might consider euthanizing your bearded dragon if it’s struggling a lot.
Why is my bearded dragon not eating anything?
Depending on the blockage your dragon may be suffering from intense pain which will put them off food. Obviously, force-feeding will increase the intensity of the problem. Impaction is one of the most feared health issues for dragon owners but it is one that can be helped with bathing, massaging and laxatives or ultimately taking to the vet.
What does it mean when a bearded dragon is Boney?
Boney / Malnourished Appearance. A boney, malnourished appearance can be a direct sign that the bearded dragon is not eating correctly. This could be due to stress, improper temperatures, a lack of adequate UV lighting, or a sign of a more serious health condition.
What happens when the temperature of a bearded dragon goes down?
Low temperatures can cause a loss of appetite and activity levels can drop. Make sure to use high quality thermometers at each end of the terrarium (one in the basking area and one in the cooler area) so you can monitor temperatures. For more information on proper temperatures depending on the age of the bearded dragon please read our Care Sheet.
Why does my bearded dragon refuse to eat?
If your bearded dragon is losing weight, there might be few different reasons for that. Please read this post first, if your bearded dragon is refusing to eat and is losing weight. Please note that healthy bearded dragons can go up for few months without eating and not lose much if any weight.
How can you tell if a bearded dragon is too skinny?
If you look at your bearded dragon from top, it’s sides will be too thin. Also, you will see lose skin from the sides. If your bearded dragon is skinny, it will also have thin legs and a skinny tail. Its ribs will be also protruding, along with hips. With very underweight bearded dragons, their head will look large compared to their body.
How to take care of a healthy bearded dragon?
Furthermore, all its body parts must be intact and without any severe scars. Eat and bask – A healthy beardie should have a high appetite and enjoy eating various foods, including live feeder insects, veggie s as well as some safe fruits or plants. Similarly, they must go to their basking spot to catch some warmth.
Why does a bearded dragon get lazy and lethargic?
A bearded dragon acts lazy or lethargic if the temperatures are not adequate enough. Low temperatures can cause a loss of appetite and activity levels can drop. Make sure to use high quality thermometers at each end of the terrarium (one in the basking area and one in the cooler area) so you can monitor temperatures.
What to do when dragons refuse to eat?
During this time their activity will be minimal as well as their eating and some dragons will refuse food altogether which is fine. Make food and water available to them so if they want to eat they can but do not force feed them just let them move naturally through their brumation period.
What to do if your bearded dragon is sick?
Illness and disease will change the behaviour and appearance of your bearded dragon. A sick bearded dragon will exhibit some similar signs to a dying bearded dragon and if left untreated in most cases will eventually die. If you’re in any doubt or think your bearded dragon is sick get them to a specialised vet or herpetologist.
What happens if you get too close to a dragon?
Too close and you can do permanent damage to their eyes. Dragons need fairly high temperatures to survive, one of the main reasons for these temps is to help them properly digest their food. If they’re digesting their food, they’re not getting all of the benefits from that food which is not ideal, especially for baby and juvenile dragons.
Why is my bearded dragon’s eye so swollen?
If your bearded dragon’s eye is swollen, then request a blood test, culture swab and even an X-Ray. The swollen eye can be caused by: Infection that spread deeper. Please request a test to determine what is causing the infection.
Impaction occurs when your bearded dragon is not able to “pass” something they’ve eaten. The most common causes of impaction are using the wrong substrate (such as loose particle substrates), feeders that are too large or contain hard shells, and inadequate tank temps.
What should I do if my bearded dragon won’t open his eyes?
Turtle eye drops are also good to use for your dragon. Check the eye, around the eye and the lid for any mites (often small red or black dots hiding around the eye), pus, crust and other discharge. If there is any discharge, then this is an infection.
What should I do if my bearded dragon dies?
It’s really difficult to positively determine the possible cause of death sometimes. The best advice I can give is to recommend that you take your beardie to a herp vet and have a necropsy perform (an animal autopsy). The procedure generally costs around $100, but it may give you some answers. Again, I am sorry to hear of your loss. Reply
Why does a baby dragon not want to eat?
As your dragon enters into adulthood though, their eating behaviors (and requirements) will change, they won’t want to eat as much because that need to supply loads of nutrients isn’t there for them. If you have a baby dragon keep in mind that you will need to adjust to their eating style as they move through their age cycles. 2. Tank Environment
What happens when a bearded dragon is not eating?
When a bearded dragon isn’t eating, brumation is something you should definitely consider. Brumation is a hibernation-like state that lizards will go into during the cold months of the year. When a bearded dragon goes into brumation, a lot of their core body functions will slow down.
As a breeder or buyer, you may want the average age and size of a bearded dragon ( Pogona vitticeps) starting from a hatchling, those three weeks, four weeks, one month, two months, three months, four months, nine months, and so on. There is no way of doing so with certainty,
As your dragon enters into adulthood though, their eating behaviors (and requirements) will change, they won’t want to eat as much because that need to supply loads of nutrients isn’t there for them. If you have a baby dragon keep in mind that you will need to adjust to their eating style as they move through their age cycles. 2. Tank Environment
You can also mist them with a water bottle. Both methods will increase your beardie’s hydration which also helps. Do keep an eye out for ‘stuck shed’ this is when there is a piece of dry skin that hasn’t come off – you can see my article on bearded dragon shedding here.
How long does it take a bearded dragon to go back to normal?
Also, don’t expect them to have much of an appetite either. How long it will take your bearded dragon to go back to normal will vary on a case by case basis, with some beardies acting like their normal selves within a few days and others taking a whole month. Just be make sure to be patient.
What happens when you bathe a bearded dragon?
A dying bearded dragon will be shaking violently, getting bloated and becoming lethargic. This is why you must always make sure that water level in a water dish (if you have it) is below your dragon’s ankles. Baby dragons especially can fall in a dish and aspirate water or even drown. Same goes when you are bathing your dragon.
Give your bearded dragon some activated charcoal, to help cleanse the system quickly. Mix a pinch of charcoal in a 10ml of water, and then offer 0.2 ml to small dragons under 150 grams. You can add extra 0.2 ml for each 150 grams of your bearded dragon’s weight.
How long can you keep a bearded dragon for?
As noted above, one to two days is almost never going to be an issue. You shouldn’t think twice about this and as long as the precautions we list below are taken, you and your bearded dragon should be just fine. Three to four days is stretching it. It’s not something you’ll want to do often, but it’s still considered okay for an adult.
How often can a bearded dragon wake up from a nap?
If brumation is beginning, your bearded dragon can sleep for days or even weeks at a time and its appetite may drastically slow down or even stop. You may be able to wake your bearded dragon up every few days for food and a bath, but each beardie is different.
What does it mean when a bearded dragon is lethargic?
Lethargic can mean that the bearded dragon doesn’t move much at all, stays in one location for days and days, and acts very weak and unresponsive. A bearded dragon acting lethargic could be a serious sign of a possible health issue.
How can you tell if a bearded dragon is gravid?
Signs Your Bearded Dragon is Gravid. Unusual weight gain not attributed to her eating habits. Her belly is bigger, with lumpy, bumpy bits 😉. She may stop eating when it gets closer to the time to lay her eggs.
In the wild the average lifespan of a bearded dragon is 3 – 4 years and in captivity the average age is around 8 -10 years. Although some have been known to live to 14+ years.
What should I do if my bearded dragon wont poop?
If your bearded dragon hasn’t pooped in a while and isn’t eating normally, it could be impacted. Give it a few drops of olive, vegetable oil or mineral oil then give baths. Also, feed it some natural laxatives – pumpkin puree, applesauce. Bathing will stimulate pooping.
If your bearded dragon hasn’t pooped in a while and isn’t eating normally, it could be impacted. Give it a few drops of olive, vegetable oil or mineral oil then give baths. Also, feed it some natural laxatives – pumpkin puree, applesauce. Bathing will stimulate pooping.
How often do you need to light a bearded dragon?
Lighting should remain on for at least 10-14 hours depending on the season and the age of the bearded dragon. It is important to keep both heating and lighting consistent especially for baby bearded dragons. Constant fluctuations can stress them and contribute to your baby bearded dragon not eating. Are your bulbs providing enough UVB light?
Why is my bearded dragon not eating or moving?
If your bearded dragon is not eating, they might be suffering from impaction. This isn’t something that many new owners are familiar with, so let’s explain it for a second. Impaction is a buildup in the gut or intestines that can’t be moved by normal digestive or colon contractions.
Can a bearded dragon eat too much?
When a bearded dragon eats food that is too large it puts pressure on their spinal cord during the digestion process. If the pressure lasts too long it can cause long term paralysis or even death. If you suspect your bearded dragon has eaten something that is too large, you need to keep them off their stomach.
What is a healthy bearded dragon diet?
Bearded dragons are omnivores and can eat a variety of things. Normally your bearded dragon’s diet will consist of vegetables, insects, and non-citrus fruit. When you give your beardie insects you will need to make sure that the insect isn’t too big for your dragon to eat.
What (not) to feed my bearded dragon?
Avocados and rhubarb are toxic and should not be a part of your bearded dragon diet. It is also advised not to feed lettuce to your bearded dragon because it lacks any real nutritional value. Lettuce contains a high proportion of water, feeding it to bearded dragon can cause different problems such as diarrhea.
