My Bearded Dragon has stopped eating!?

Question

Hi, i have a baby bearded dragon about 14 weeks old. I have only had him for about 2 weeks but now he has stopped responding when i put food in the viv.

He was eating about 20 crickets a day and there was veg available all day. Now he will only eat if i hand feed him.

I have been dusting the crickets and the veg every other day and i have been spraying him once a day.

This all started the other day after i gave him some mealworms so i'm blaming them, so i'm trying small locusts now, he is still pooping though, but wont hunt his food.

This morning he is shredding his skin, could this have anything to do with the problem?

Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

hi there
first off i wouldn't of given the meal worms .. they should only been given as a treat when they are adults the hard exoskeleton is hard to digest and they also don't have much nutrient in them..
also what kind of substrate are u using in his tank?
if it's sand or any loose substrate get rid of it... use news print, tiles, shelf paper, etc.
the calcium/vid supplement should use 2 times a week.
u also don't need to spray them every day it should have a water dish down with fresh water every day they love to swim and they do drink from a bowl... we have 6 beardies as well have bred them for many yrs...
hope this helps....

Answer 2

O.P.: I think shedding the skin could have a lot to do with the problem. A lot of Bearded Dragons will go off of their food when they are shedding, that's perfectly normal. I don't think it's anything to be alarmed about.


And I really disagree with only feeding him less than 10 crickets a day. I see where that might be coming from if you are thinking of large adult crickets. Those have harder exoskeletons than the smaller ones, and their hind legs are more likely to cause impaction. However, feeding that few would be like starving a Beardie. The key is the size of the crickets, they should be smaller than the space between the Beardie's eyes and then impaction should not be an issue. I fed the Beardies I raised 30-80 crickets a day until they switched to their adult diets at around a year, and I got complements all the time from vets and other Beardie owners on how healthy and big they looked. And by big they didn't mean fat, they meant length. They didn't get fat on that diet, they were too busy growing.

Answer 3

I think one of three possible things have happened. A - Your dragon has caught a disease of some sort, maybe a throat infection of some sort, this can happen if you have fed him something that has been to big. if this has happened you should definitely take him to a vet otherwise he/she will die. B - If your bearded dragon is a female and living with another male she may be full of eggs as she is reproducing. The reason that she won't be eating is because there will be no room for food so she will stop eating for a few days and then when she has laid her eggs then she will start eating again. C - The temperature, if the temperature is at the wrong level then your beardie would just stop eating. I am not sure about the shaking of the head, I think it may have an infection and you should take it to the vet. I hope this helps and your beardie gets better.

Answer 4

Meal worms are the worst for babies because they are so hard to digest. I won't even give them to my 6 month old more than a little here and there.

Make sure the temps are ok. Get a temp gun or a internal therm. Never trust those cruddy ones you stick on the glass. USUALLY beardies can work themselves better with the proper heat. But keep a real close eye on things, don't let it go for too long.

Beardeddragon.org
reptilerooms.com

Those are 2 REALLy good sites to join for any questions or concerns. FYI if your baby is on sand don't feed on it. Sand clumps when it gets wet so imagine what it does in their little bellies.

Oh and, the vitamins taste REALLY bitter so I don't put them on the greens at all. (i tasted them, i know i know odd). They work better of live food because the little guys love the live food so much they wont even think twice! Keep a close eye on your little one.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I just got a baby bearded dragon about the same age I think maybe your over feeding it you should only be giving 4 crickets a day to him maybe 6 but thats the limit 20 that can impact him and dont feed him mealworms the last one i had was the same age and i gave him one the next day he was dead from impaction i took him to the vet and the mealworm was on the bottom of his stomach non-digested and 20 crickets can impact him to so only feed him 6 per day.please

Answer 6

i had one that didnt eat for 3 weeks, by the way , you are doing to much , killing it with kindness, for exx, spray twice a week