# Bearded dragon, how long without food?



## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Righto guys another issue, how long can a bearded dragon go without eating any food at all, hes not eating anything at present almost like hes gone off everything, took him to the vet last week and he said hes fine, good build, plenty of fat stores in tail and generally in good health and said hes good to go for as long as he wants without eating..But im not so sure thats true.

He was eating Locusts, Morios, and his greens such as rocket, cress, and spring greens (collards) and now i cant even get him to eat any of the above. Also he is digging alot in his viv, to the point ive removed the slate tiles as his nails are getting very low on the front but again the vet said its ok..

Temps, 86F cool end, 90F hot end ambient and a spot temp of around 108F, UV tube is ok for another 4 months.

So how long is safe for no food at all? bare in mind its his choice for not eating seemingly.


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## Antw23uk (Jan 12, 2009)

Sure its sexed correctly? Lots of digging and off food could be a sign its going to lay!


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

I hope he is sexed correctly at least, inline with his vent he has raised pores, that go down his rear legs, and just behind the vent infront of his belly id imagine they are his testicles


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## Antw23uk (Jan 12, 2009)

Without a pic i wouldnt like to say. How old is it? Young beardies can be difficult to sex and what looks like a female can infact be a late maturing male.
How long has he been off food?


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## yacker (Jun 17, 2005)

Sounds exactly like mine but mine is defo male .Although he did eat a few crickets last night but not eating his usual amount .


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Well its around 2-3 years old, as i rescued him a good 9 months ago now, and the previous owner had no idea on its age but vets and other people i know have guessed that age, and hes been off his Veg for about 2 weeks now and his live food a week and a half, hence the vet trip..Picture of him generally and a pic of his nether region. Not the best in the world as he hates being held in that way to take a picture.

Click the thumbs for bigger pictures


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

i know the vets said he looked ok but did he take a faceal sample as reptiles are genius at hiding illness.


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

No, i did ask if they wanted me to take one, they said im better off getting it done elsewhere ie. sending it off myself, which i must admit confused the hell out of me...im judging by these replys they dont normally go without food for any decent period of time?


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

KevUK said:


> No, i did ask if they wanted me to take one, they said im better off getting it done elsewhere ie. sending it off myself, which i must admit confused the hell out of me...im judging by these replys they dont normally go without food for any decent period of time?


really? i assume he aint a specialist reptile vet then 
anyway mate click this link Veterinary Laboratory, Tests For Companion & Exotic Animals and get yourself a smaple test kit send it back to them and they will email you the results. print of said email and take it to the vets if theres problems and they will give you the medication you need etc etc. 

it is the best bet if your that worried it dosnt cost that much but it could save you a hell of a lot of money later down the line : victory:


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Thanks, that website is slightly confusing, cant see anything specific to Reptiles, plus on the submission form what the heck do i need to tick, im not familiar with all the terms used on that page.


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

iv only used it one myself lol but gimme a few minutes and ill have a look for you lol


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

iv had a look and cant figure it out. but by looking at it you have to give them a call and they send one out to you. i really cant remember what i done when i done it myself lol


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## nick19 (Jun 13, 2010)

i just gave them a call very friendly and helpfull


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## baitman (Jan 13, 2011)

looking at the pics, i would its a female( no spots or spike on the thighs...)

and digging is a good sign she is getting ready tro lay, do you know weather or not she has been with another dragon at all in the last 3 or 4 mths....


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

i didnt notice the pics you put up but id say female aswell. it looks nothing like my male underneath and gonads are very visible andhe is only 1.

so its a dam good possibilty she will be away to lay eggs fertile or not fertile : victory:


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Im almost sure he is a male though, bad pics, so i got my neighbour to hold him while i snapped some pics lol, these to me suggest male but i could be wrong..
Theres more here dragon sexing pictures by KnightStalkerUK - Photobucket


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

KevUK said:


> Im almost sure he is a male though, bad pics, so i got my neighbour to hold him while i snapped some pics lol, these to me suggest male but i could be wrong..
> Theres more here dragon sexing pictures by KnightStalkerUK - Photobucket
> [URL="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/KnightStalkerUK/dragon%20sexing/th_IMG_20110706_143213.jpg"]image[/URL] [URL="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/KnightStalkerUK/dragon%20sexing/th_IMG_20110706_143047.jpg"]image[/URL] [URL="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/KnightStalkerUK/dragon%20sexing/th_IMG_20110706_143013.jpg"]image[/URL] [URL="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff320/KnightStalkerUK/dragon%20sexing/th_IMG_20110706_142949.jpg"]image[/URL]


ok ill go back the way and say male after those pics there a lot clearer than the last ones lol.

best bet in that case is contact pals about a fecial : victory:


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Come across a slight problem lol, hes not pooping at the moment due to him not actually eating, so how am i going to get any feaces to collect.. 

Ive been giving him warm baths daily at the moment, and he drinks a little each time - so is there something i can add to the water to get something good into him?

Oh and are we sure hes a male, as the two lumps dont really show up like most pictures ive seen, nor can you feel any lol, but his pores are huge.


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## violentchopper (Jun 20, 2008)

I think you should reduce the temps down to nearer 100f. 108 might be a tad too hot for an adult. Have you tried crushing some crickets with a bit of warm water and syringe feeding. That might get him in the taste for eating. My male beardie digs and little bit just before bed, think he wants to burrow for the night. Not sure why yours is doing it. How often do you let him out of his tank for??


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Ok ill try and get his spot down a bit then, as for crickets i dont have them only locusts, i guess i could do the same to them, and yea he digs all day, like i say to the point hes running out of nails on his front feet hence way i removed his slate tiles, and he comes out for roughly 3-4 hours a day.


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## violentchopper (Jun 20, 2008)

Probably nothing to do with being too hot. Try having him out less. What's your daily routine with him. Start from lights on and what time they are switched on


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Right his daily routine is, both lights come on at 8am, usually feed him around 11-12, leave him for an hour or 2, then out for a run, then back in for a few hours then his lights go out at 8pm. Feeding Usually/Was Fresh greens around 9am in the viv, then depending on the day was either locusts/morios, dusted with either calcium or nutrobol depending on a weekday or weekend. Thats it i think.


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## violentchopper (Jun 20, 2008)

Well his basic care is fine, do you give him any heat at night???


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

doesnt need it in my viv, it never drops below 72F, seems to hold heat fairly well at night time.


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Ok in the interest of updating people, i crushed various locusts and a couple of morio worms with a little warm water and syringed them into him, he seemed to take it, and strange after was a full liquid poo, so im not sure if its yesterdays drink he passed, or the fluidy mess i gave him an hour ago.
Also a little video of his digging which he does all day long.

Should add incase audio isnt working on it, i was saying the reason Playsand is in there, is because i removed his slate tiles and paper was getting shredded quicker than i could replace it, so its Playsand, baked and sived to remove any larger bits, mainly just to save his front nails.
Following link is a Youtube link


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Well ok ill update the thread, Today ive been to the 5th different Vet in my area, one called Holly House, very good vet this one turns out to be, my Male, is probably a Female due to the fact there are no lumps either side of its tail, and its femoral pores are probably just large for some reason, it explains the digging some what, anyways, again if its female it explains the loss of appetite, She/He weighs in a 450g, which is quite respectable i think - No physical signs for the loss of eating so she/he has had a broad spectrum antibiotic, and ive got some Critical care formula to syringe feed her/him for 3 days then i got to take her/him back.

All very confusing at best, but it does at least make certain things more understandable.


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## syngamus81 (Oct 14, 2008)

What happened to this one in the end?


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Well believe it or not hes still alive and kicking, hes still not eating properly, despite all tests being all good and around 300 quid lighter, Hes just doing my head in, wont poop unless in a bath, wont eat unless i force him to eat, but hes still fairly active sometimes.
Some days he refuses to go anywhere near his lights and sleeps, others hes running around like a looney and head bobbing all over the place.

Since posting ive never seen him eat more than 2 locusts, or morios, Totally ignores any greens and just walks through it and scatters it, His weight has stayed at around 540g and it hovers there regardless of what he does.

Hes in a nice 4x2x2 viv, with a 100w basking bulb giving a nice 109f on the low spot and the higher up part 112f so he can choose, hes got the new T5 Arcadia UV lights etc.

Also as hes barley eating im getting more paranoid about his calcium and vitamins intake being low.


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## KevUK (Oct 29, 2010)

Well time to update i feel and possibly get more advice, im starting to get frustrated with my male dragon, carrying on with the theme of this thread, its pretty much the same still.

He wont eat veg apart from 2 mouthfulls which is usually spring greens, little bit of rocket and a small amount of watercress on occasion - Live food is a game an a half, hopper locusts he sits and waits for them, so doesnt eat many, morio worms wont eat unless i kill them first, large crikets wont eat as they are too fast, dubia roaches he did eat briefly, but only when i put them upside down - Due to all of this hes not gaining wait, not getting what he needs via the calcium or vitamins, hes still active running around, head bobbing, going black, obviously without the food intake hes not pooping alot at the moment.

All vet checks have been normal, fecals have been clear - The only thing i havent done is got bloods done.

Hes still in a 4x2 viv, has a 100w reflector bulb or a 75w halogen bulb, temps at basking spot 102-109f, hot end 94f, cool end 84.3f
T5 12% uv with reflector, mounted above the front glass roughly 35" away from the bottom, with the option of getting to within 18" from it

Im stumped, the vet costs are mounting up, wasting food and worrying about him are getting to me now.


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## Laddal (Oct 7, 2016)

This sounds exactly like my male beardie. All the temps are correct, been checked over by the vet, had fecal done which is clear of parasites and he still just won't eat ANYTHING. He has barely eaten now for 6 weeks, apart from me force feeding him which I have now stopped. I have tried probiotics, changed his substrate, light bulbs and uvb lamp..the list goes on. The only difference with mine is that he is gradually losing weight.

He is basking alot and has a black beard most of the time. 

He drinks lots of water so he can't be dehydrated.

I am very frustrated and very skint due to the amount of money that I have spent on my little fella


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