New adult male bearded dragon won't eat or bask

[Monkey girl]

We acquired a 3 year old male bearded dragon 8 days ago. He only ate once 4 days ago (5 superworms) won't eat anything else (veggies, fruit ) and hides in the corner away from the basking rock. He was beautiful yellow and orange and now he has darkened quite a bit. He is stressing (trying to climb up the glass) and seems unhappy.

His terrarium is 36 x 18 x 24, with a basking side of 95 - 105. We use PowerSun 160 W MVB bulb which is 16" from his basking rock (well within the proper range for powersun bulbs). His cool side of the terrarium is 80.

The previous owner said he really doesn't like fruit or veggies and she basically feeds him king worms (head cut off). I've tried collards, kale, romaine, tomatoes, shredded carrots, strawberries, cucumbers and zero interest. It's hard enough to get him to eat worms let alone veggies/fruits. I also have been checking his hydration and have been giving him soaks 2 - 3 times a week to help keep him hydrated.

I'm at a loss, he is so stressed that he will find one spot and stay there for an entire day (unless I attempt to feed or bath him).

Is is this just a matter of a waiting game until he relaxes and realizes we are not here to hurt him? Or is there something else I could be doing?

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

[Expensive hobby]

Could be an internal parasite if he won't eat at all. It could just be stress but I always like to prepare for the worst case scenario.

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[Monkey girl]

Could be an internal parasite if he won't eat at all. It could just be stress but I always like to prepare for the worst case scenario.

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Thanks for the reply.

How long could a parasite live in a BD? Reason I'm asking is I contacted the previous owner, and she told me when she first got him (from another owner) he basically did the same thing with her. He wouldn't eat for 2 weeks and when he did it would only be any where from 2 - 3 super worms one day and 6 - 7 another day. He was never big on veggies nor was he big on eating. This being said, would it be possible for him to have a parasite in him for 6 mths or longer? Would the symptoms be the same or would they be much more serious? He has only had one or two bowel movements. I never thought to take a fecal sample. Is there another way to test?

[Expensive hobby]

Thanks for the reply.

How long could a parasite live in a BD? Reason I'm asking is I contacted the previous owner, and she told me when she first got him (from another owner) he basically did the same thing with her. He wouldn't eat for 2 weeks and when he did it would only be any where from 2 - 3 super worms one day and 6 - 7 another day. He was never big on veggies nor was he big on eating. This being said, would it be possible for him to have a parasite in him for 6 mths or longer? Would the symptoms be the same or would they be much more serious? He has only had one or two bowel movements. I never thought to take a fecal sample. Is there another way to test?

I'm not really an expert on parasitic infections in BD's, however, I do know that many different parasites can live in a host for a very long time. Especially if the host has a good immune system, it can keep the infection at bay for long periods of time with little to no symptoms. Different environmental stresses can cause the immune system enough of a weakness where the virus/parasite/bacteria can overwhelm the immune system and that's when you see symptoms and a decline in health.

I don't want to get you scared, but I'd also hate to say "oh ya its just stress from moving it'll be okay don't worry" and then it dies from something more serious.

It's always safest to have a vet do an examination to rule out anything serious. That said, in the case of myself, I do not see a vet unless I see a decline in health, or obvious signs and symptoms. I've even had snakes with Upper Respiratory Infections that I treated myself.

But err on the side of caution and have a vet check things out. That's the best advice I can give. The second recommendation, if it doesn't seem necessary is to monitor your pet closely, and if eating doesn't resume within a week, or it is experiencing noticeable weight loss, or any new symptoms arise, then see a vet.

Hope that helps at all

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[Monkey girl]

I'm not really an expert on parasitic infections in BD's, however, I do know that many different parasites can live in a host for a very long time. Especially if the host has a good immune system, it can keep the infection at bay for long periods of time with little to no symptoms. Different environmental stresses can cause the immune system enough of a weakness where the virus/parasite/bacteria can overwhelm the immune system and that's when you see symptoms and a decline in health.

I don't want to get you scared, but I'd also hate to say "oh ya its just stress from moving it'll be okay don't worry" and then it dies from something more serious.

It's always safest to have a vet do an examination to rule out anything serious. That said, in the case of myself, I do not see a vet unless I see a decline in health, or obvious signs and symptoms. I've even had snakes with Upper Respiratory Infections that I treated myself.

But err on the side of caution and have a vet check things out. That's the best advice I can give. The second recommendation, if it doesn't seem necessary is to monitor your pet closely, and if eating doesn't resume within a week, or it is experiencing noticeable weight loss, or any new symptoms arise, then see a vet.

Hope that helps at all



Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Hi there, thanks for all the help.

We sent a fecal sample out to be tested with our vet. I noticed his feces was loose and slightly watery (not a good sign). I am concerned over this (among many other things). I'm going to give him another bath today; half water/half pedialyte to help with dehydration. He did eat some veggies and one super worm yesterday for the first time in over a 10 days. The little guy still refuses to bask, his tank set up correctly but he just isn't interested. His newest behaviour is digging at the bottom off his cage (we use newspaper as substrate). I'm also keeping tabs on his weight, he is currently 377 grams.

We we will know more once the results come back from the vet. I'm just worried over him. He definitely is not himself.

[Expensive hobby]

Hi there, thanks for all the help.

We sent a fecal sample out to be tested with our vet. I noticed his feces was loose and slightly watery (not a good sign). I am concerned over this (among many other things). I'm going to give him another bath today; half water/half pedialyte to help with dehydration. He did eat some veggies and one super worm yesterday for the first time in over a 10 days. The little guy still refuses to bask, his tank set up correctly but he just isn't interested. His newest behaviour is digging at the bottom off his cage (we use newspaper as substrate). I'm also keeping tabs on his weight, he is currently 377 grams.

We we will know more once the results come back from the vet. I'm just worried over him. He definitely is not himself.

I'm glad you got a test done, if for nothing else as peace of mind. What are his temps? If he's not basking and he's digging he may very well be too hot. Care guides can give you a good recommended base line, but every animal is different. Just like some people prefer cold weather and some prefer hot, he may like thing at the bottom of the spectrum. Try cooling things down a bit, and see if anything changes. Just make sure it isn't too cold.

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[chriswalker]

Possible parasite? Brumation? or dehydration? Have you seen him drink