Bearded dragon won't eat and I'm getting worried?

Question

I have a young bearded dragon. When I got him, he was eating a lot. I have been feeding him small crickets, small-medium mealworms, and kale. There isn't any sand in his tank, just paper towels, but at the pet store they had repti-sand or something like that. At first, he stopped eating mealworms and now he won't eat crickets. I don't know what to do. Are there any home remedies or anything? I already spent a lot of money in vet bills on my tortoise that wouldn't eat, so I can't afford to take this one to the vet. Any suggestions would be great.

Oh yea I forgot to say that I have a heat lamp and UVB lamp.

Answer 1

Baby and young beardies do not brumate and shouldn't be allowed to do so.

Mealworms are too high in chitin for beardies and can cause intestinal impactions. Do not use them. Use waxworms or phoenix worms instead.

Kale should rarely be used with beardies as it is too high in oxylates and are bad for the kidneys. Here is a link to an excellent beardie diet site--you need to make some changes.

Also, parasites are a huge problem in beardies--have you had a fecal checked by an experienced reptile vet yet? If not, needs to be done ASAP!

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

Also good info here: http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BD.html

Answer 2

Bearded Dragon Wont Eat

Answer 3

Bearded Dragon Not Eating

Answer 4

Try giving him a vitamin from the pet store or vet's office. This should help to increase his appetite. It could be that he just isnt hungry or the things you have been giving him he no longer wants. Try other types of food for him. Surely there is something different that he will eat. What was causing your tortoise not to eat? It could be the same thing with your dragon. Do with him what you were told to do with your tortoise by the vet and see if the same thing works on him. I wish you the best. You can always call the vet and get advice without having to pay anything. Just let them know that you are not able to afford the bill at this time, but needed advice if possible, and they should go ahead and give you things to try with him before you have to take him to the vet. Also, ignore the answerers who are going to tell you that you should have thought about vet bills and such before owning a pet. Each person's situation is different, and they seem to be ignorant to that fact on Y!A.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Bearded dragon won't eat and I'm getting worried?
I have a young bearded dragon. When I got him, he was eating a lot. I have been feeding him small crickets, small-medium mealworms, and kale. There isn't any sand in his tank, just paper towels, but at the pet store they had repti-sand or something like that. At first, he stopped eating...

Answer 6

Almost EVERYTHING MICHAEL P said is WRONG!! And will hurt your beardie!!!!

They don't need continuous water supply. This will cause the humidity to be too high for them and give them a respiratory infection! You can mist your beardie a couple times a day and give him a bath every 2-3 days. He also gets moisture from fresh greens and veggies. Most beardies won't drink from a water bowl, and they usually poop in it, so most beardie owners don't even keep a water bowl.
Also, it's good you got them off the Repti-sand (also known as Calci-sand)! This is harmful to your beardie!! Keep him on a "solid" substrate like the paper towels, or non-adhesive shelf liner or tiles. The Repti-said clumps when moist, so if your beardie ingests it, it will clump in his poor intestines causing severe impaction.

Impaction could also be a cause for him not eating. Has he had regular poops?

Please visit http://www.beardeddragon.org for good care sheets on how to properly care for your beardie.
Visit the discussion forums for loads of great advice from experienced handlers. They will be able to narrow down the cause of him not eating.

Answer 7

Don't feed your beareded dragon crickets its the worst thing out there they have parasites my two girls pasted because of the crickets that I was feeding them. You should have tiles for the floor not paper towels but I need to ask
Does the poop smell if it does rush him to the vet as fast as possible!! That means tbat he has parasites there poop should never smell

Answer 8

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/avT9Z

I would worry more about what she got into as far as food outside. Perhaps a vet visit is in order. She could have picked up parasites from something she ate outside.

Answer 9

I had two male bearded dragons since they were young. You have to make sure first that they are comfortable in their surroundings. Get them sand, a heated light, and a night light. If they don't feel at home, they will be dispondant & not eat. Also make sure that they have a continuous water supply. Make sure it is silica sand, they actually eat this & it helps in their diet. You can get all of this at a well stocked pet supply shop. I think once you do this, they will regain their appitite. Best of luck. Also, let them run around your living room, give them some space. They wont tear anything up & they are actually great with other pets (they got along great with my 20lb hybrid cat). Once again, good luck.

Answer 10

dont worry its called brumation, mine are all doin it too, it is totally normal for them to stay out of the light and not eat much for a few months when it gets cold. this is to prepare their bodies for sex. males need to cool down the testes and females need to prime their egg cavity. dont take it to the vet it will just waste money. but every few days you can give em a warm bath, and offer food to him