molting, not eating?

[ashleynicole]

I have had my bearded dragon for almost two weeks now and he has begun to molt. I noticed yesterday he wasn't eating and then I noticed the skin flakes coming off of him and in the cage. He is on papertowels which I change out the areas that he poops on every day. I gave him a soak yesterday and again today but he still isn't eating and is very skittish. I suppose he feels uncomfortable and I know sometimes snakes won't eat when they are getting ready to shed, so could that be why he isn't eating? How long does it take for him to finish molting? He is aprox 2 and a half months old.

[Wildside]

Usually lizards especially beardies don't turn down food... ever. Can you give us some more info on your setup? i.e. temps, lighting, etc. Also what have you been feeding him?

[ashleynicole]

Right now he is eating a combination of crickets and phoenix worms. I did have some mealworms last week but I ran out and only fed about 5 a day till I ran out. He has had stool every day and he has a UVB flourescent strip and a basking light. Temps under the basking light read 100-105 with an infrared thermometer. On the cooler side temps are about 85. I cut up a salad of greens every day although he rarely eats it. He occasional will accidentally get some in his mouth when I put worms or crickets on the salad. Last week I was serving escarole and kale, this week it is mustard and collard greens. I put some summer squash and a few shredded pieces of carrot to give it color. He has a shallow water dish and I mist him 2-3 times a day as well as put a couple drops of water on his head with a cotton swab that he will sometimes lick off.

oh and I dust the crickets 3 times a week with calcium, once a week with multivitamin, twice a week with calcium plus vit D

[Wildside]

Mealworms are very very very bad for baby beardies. They have trouble digesting the exoskeletons which generally leads to an impaction (which might be your problem). Keep doing warm soaks and try some fruit. Bananas, Grapes, & Apples are all acceptable. Live bugs can severely stress a lizard that doesn't want to eat them, so hold off on those for a while. Also, make sure you are chopping the fruit and vegetables up very fine.

[lady_bug87]

^^^ This

Mealworms are TERRIBLE for beardies. If the lizard has had BM everyday then I wouldn't worry too much about impaction though I don't know what a 'phoenix worm' is so I can't say for sure if they're good for the animal or not.

My specific animal does not turn down food while moulting but he does go through periods where he eats very little (twice a week). I would increase your temperatures just a bit. My basking spot is around 110F which he seems to prefer.

Lizards can take a while to moult. As it progresses watch to make sure the vents and cloaca are clear and that toes and tail are free from binding sheds (Sheds that completely cover the circumference of the affected area) since this can continue to tighten and cause the limb to die.

Don't expect the skin to come off in one piece as with a snake warm baths will help the shed come off easier

[ashleynicole]

He has a stool every day and even had one today despite not eating so he is not impacted. I am not currently feeding any mealworms, just crickets and phoenix worms. Phoenix worms are black fly larvae and high in calcium.

[Wildside]

Just let us know if this continues to go on a few more days. Assuming you have proper lighting and the beardie isn't in a high traffic area then it could just be shed related.

[ashleynicole]

Just let us know if this continues to go on a few more days. Assuming you have proper lighting and the beardie isn't in a high traffic area then it could just be shed related.

Thanks, I really hope it is just shed related. He is in a low traffic area and along with UVB light I take him out in the sun whenever I get the chance, usually once or twice a day except for the 3-4 days I work (12 hour shifts)

[beardeds4life]

Sounds to me like stress. What I had to do was not touch him at all for the first month I had her. Eventually she wasnt so stressed and ate regularly.

[ashleynicole]

he only refused food for about two days, started eating once big pieces of shed started coming off. Guess he feels better now. :)

[lady_bug87]

That's good. Beardies can be moody sometimes. Mine will go off of food for a week or two here and there and then eat anything and everything for months on end.

But mine is a diva who has a disdain for his keepers.

[beardeds4life]

mine hates human contact. How in the world did I get the only mean dragon?

[Wildside]

mine hates human contact. How in the world did I get the only mean dragon?

I have one