Juvenile Central Bearded Dragon Not Eating

[rahdakrishna]

Any help or advice would be welcome! We recently purchases two CBDs that were born on the 6/12/12. While one has gone ahead and quadrupled in size, the other remains more or less the same size and when we purchased them. It doesn't help that this little one started out eating woodies on his own, but then stopped and wouldn't chase anything down. We put him in a separate enclosure because the other beardie was getting so big. Now the little one will occasionally eat small crickets if they are placed in front of him, but they have to be dead. He won't even chase down small woodies. He is lively and healthy looking, he just won't eat. We have been carefully force feeding him small crickets and veg three times a day. His temps and uv are all okay. Somebody suggested it may be a runt. Once the crickets are in his mouth he will eat them, but we have to put them there. He seems to have no initiative to feed on his own except rarely. As I said he looks healthy but is not growing. Any ideas anybody? We are at our wits end with him.

Amanda

 

[moimac]

Hey Amanda. We too have just recently become owners of 4 CBD. 3 have grown well and one is way behind in size. One of the dragons ate more & grew quicker than the other three then had a bout of diarrhoea and stopped eating for about a week. He wouldn't take any food live or dead, i ended up trying to syringe feed but without much success. I almost took him to the vet after about 6 days but that's when the appetite came back he started to eat a cricket here and there and is now eating properly. Can't explain it. Search the forums for correct basking temps and UV exposure, make sure you are dusting with calcium powder and vitamin powder. We put our guys out in the sun every weekend for as long as possible, they love it. Good luck

 

[someday]

Sorry missed the separating bit.

 

[mummabear]

When you say correct temps what temps are they? Could he be dehydrated?

 

[rahdakrishna]

Well he has a basking lamp and gets plenty of UV natural sunlight. We spray him regularly with a mister and he always drinks the droplets. Will continue to force feed him as I don't want him to die, and as I said, he is lively and healthy in every other way, poops regularly and is very active. He is in a separate enclosure that has a small heat mat under his cave which he sleeps in at night. Buggered if I know. And he always gets his crickets dusted.

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

Well he has a basking lamp and gets plenty of UV natural sunlight. We spray him regularly with a mister and he always drinks the droplets. Will continue to force feed him as I don't want him to die, and as I said, he is lively and healthy in every other way, poops regularly and is very active. He is in a separate enclosure that has a small heat mat under his cave which he sleeps in at night. Buggered if I know.

is he outside? how is he getting his natural uv?

 

[rahdakrishna]

We take him outside and put him in the sun each day for at least half an hour.

 

[ssnakeboyy]

We take him outside and put him in the sun each day for at least half an hour.

id still get a UV, could make all the difference...

 

[mummabear]

What temp is his basking spot?

 

[rahdakrishna]

Have ordered a UV light from Basking Scails. Will be here tomorrow or the next day. Good sign today, he did a full shed which at least means he's grown a bit.