Friend's Dragon

[Jay_Bunny]

My friend has a full grown female bearded dragon named Bella. About a month ago, Bella's food intake slowed and now she doesn't eat at all. She has not pooped for a month and is very lethargic. She still moves around the enclosure but spends most of her time in one spot. Her tank consists of 1/2 tile and 1/2 calcium sand. Bella is fed veggies and greens on a dish on the tiled side and is fed insects in a different enclosure that has no sand (empty tank I think).

She might be bringing her up to Richmond to take her to a reptile vet here to find out if she's impacted or not. Any ideas?

[Muze]

Could be many issues. Are her temps/humidity levels correct? What type of veggies/insects is she being fed? Has she been checked for parasites?

She might be dehydrated for one. Does she get soaked every week? My 1 year old male was pretty similar to what you are describing. I took him to the vet. He did not find anything wrong with him other than a light parasite load. He did deworm him after I begged (my vet hates to use meds unless absolutely necessary), but it still took a while for him to get back to eating on his own (I did give him baby food w/ TRex veggie dust & calcium about 3 times a week because I was afraid that he'd get worse w/o any nutrition). I think the Trex veggie dust did help.

I'm sure more experienced Beardie keepers will chime in soon also.

[West Coast Jungle]

Sounds like it could just be brumation. Similar to hibernation but much less extreme.

I have had beardies sleep for 2-3 months.

Everyone who has never experienced this always thinks they are sick. They usually do this in winter but I have seen them brumate summer or anytome of year.

[Nasubi77]

A VERY common culprit for those symptoms is the wrong UVB, or lack thereof. Any of the compact coil UVB's are dangerous and will cause these symptoms. So will some of the fluorescent tube UVB's depending on the brand and output.

Also, the calcium sand is an impaction risk. If they MUST use sand, washed, sifted children's playsand is the only "safe" option. The calcium sand clumps like cement when damp, so if the beardie ingests any at all, it builds up like cement in his intestines and belly. Even though he is fed separate from the sand, it is still highly advised against.

Those are my first ideas...a rundown of the exact husbandry would help narrow down any other issues.

My advice for now is that they try to feed it applesauce (unsweetened) with a couple drops of olive oil to "get things moving." If she's not eating, they can feed her squash babyfood, and maybe some chicken babyfood. Give warm baths daily. Have them gently massage her belly to feel for any hard lumps starting at the right armpit and working down the belly on the right side in circular motions.

Glad a vet is getting involved.

Best of luck!

[Crazy4Herps]

Sounds like it could just be brumation. Similar to hibernation but much less extreme.

I have had beardies sleep for 2-3 months.

Everyone who has never experienced this always thinks they are sick. They usually do this in winter but I have seen them brumate summer or anytome of year.

True, but be careful about blaming loss of appetite and lethargy on brumation. They are symptoms of parasites, lack of UVA/B radiation, and impaction.

I can't be sure, but I'd guess impaction. Sand presents a major risk to beardies; while it is a no-no for young beardies, many use sand for adults. This is not "bad", although you must still be aware that there is a risk. Using 1/2 sand 1/2 tile is great. HOWEVER, calcium sand is highly dangerous. For beardie owners that wish to use sand, use washed playground sand. Try adding a few drops of water to calcium sand; it clots. This is what it will do in the intestines of a beardie. Adult beardies are able to pass small amounts of playground sand, but even small amounts of calcium sand will clot and cause further problems.

Yes, a detailed description of Bella's enclosure would be helpful. If she doesn't have a UVA/B light, or it is burnt out (they will continue to give off light long after they stop emitting UVB. A fluorescent should be replaced every 6mo, a MVB, every year), or it is one of the many harmful UVA/B bulbs, such as the ReptiGlo, this is probably the problem.

There are very few UVA/B bulbs that won't harm a beardie. All compact and coil UVB bulbs are dangerous. As far as fluorescents go, the ReptiSun 10.0 is a great bulb. Arcadias are also good, available in the UK. The vast majority of MVBs are crap. The MegaRay is the only one I trust using for my beardie. Many argue that the PowerSun is fine, but I have heard cases of eye injuries due to the PowerSun, so I always go the safe road with a MegaRay.