My Beardy has been very sluggish and inactive as of late.

With any sick bearded dragon, it is always a good idea to start by checking that their environment and husbandry are proper for their species. Taking a physical measurement of the temperature gradient within the enclosure and measuring humidity with a hygrometer are a good idea. Making sure the UVB bulb is appropriate for the size of the space and has been changed regularly. Even if they are still producing visible light, UVB bulbs have a limited lifespan and need to be changed every 6-12 months, depending upon bulb type. Making sure diet is varied and the insects have been gut loaded with a nutritious gut-loading diet as well as dusted regularly with calcium and multivitamin powder. Therefore, I am attaching a bearded dragon care (husbandry) reference sheet that I put together. Please review it at your convenience and let me know if you have any questions.

There are a number of reasons why your bearded dragon may not be eating a normal amount of food or be more tired than typical. Some of them are transient and may be normal while others are more concerning and warrant a veterinary evaluation. Bearded dragons may not eat normally due to emotional or physiological stress. Changes in environment such a new tank or changes in décor, or changes in lighting, temperature or diet might trigger temporary disinterest in food. Dragons kept with other dragons may be bullied by a more dominant individual. The stress or physical intimidation may prevent a more submissive dragon from eating. Close observation of interaction between dragons is important and this may require separate feeding bowls, tank partitions or even separate housing.

Improper lighting (too little visible light or UVB light) or temperature can negatively impact appetite since dragons are visual eaters. As cold-blooded animals, bearded dragons require sufficient temperatures for proper digestion.

During brumation, which is a normal, seasonal decrease in activity, typically during the Australian winter, appetite is depressed, though their weight should remain fairly stable during this time.

Before and after shedding, appetite may be down. Shedding is energy intensive and potentially itchy and uncomfortable so while they will commonly not eat during the shedding process, their appetites may be depressed just before and after shedding as well.

Appetite will also slow down in bearded dragons as their growth rate slows down, such as a transition from baby to juvenile or juvenile to adult.

Some abnormal causes for appetite depression include mouth rot (infectious stomatitis), trauma, sickness (viral (Adenovirus/Atadenovirus), bacterial, parasitic (coccidia, pinworms), nutritional (metabolic bone disease)), indigestion or maldigestion, and gastrointestinal impaction. The bot***** *****ne is that if your bearded dragon is otherwise acting and looking normally and the appetite depression is temporary then it may be normal. However, if the bearded dragon is is displaying any other signs of illness such as weakness, lethargy, sunken eyes, skin discoloration, abnormal defecation or urination or the depressed appetite persists more than a few days, a visit to a local veterinarian with experience in reptile medicine is warranted.

To find a local veterinarian with reptile experience, here is a useful website you can use to search for a local reptile veterinarian:

https://arav.site-ym.com/search/

(please note this site may not work on older browsers like Safari)

These veterinarians are active members of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, which means they have interest and experience in treating reptile patients.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BEARDED DRAGON DOESN’T LIKE TO EAT VEGETABLES

Just like people, bearded dragons can become picky eaters and develop a preference for some types of foods, such as insects. But there are things you can do to encourage your bearded dragon to eat their veggies! Adults should be eating at least 70% of their diet in vegetables (juveniles 30%). Eating too many insects, especially high fat worms, can lead to medical disorders, such as fatty liver disease, so feeding them an omnivorous diet is important.

Start by decreasing the frequency of feeding insects. Instead of feeding insects every day, feed them every other day. On non-insect feed days, feed them a salad mix of chopped vegetables. On insect-feed days, feed them their salad in the morning and wait to feed insects until the afternoon. These tips will encourage them to eat their vegetables as they will be hungry when the salad is presented. And when you do feed insects put them into the salad dish. This teaches the bearded dragon that veggies are food, too.

Here are diet recommendations for a bearded dragon:

-Balanced diet of 30% vegetables and 70% insects for a young, bearded dragon (< 6 months old) which are more carnivorous than the omnivorous adults. That should be reversed as they age and adults fed 70-80% of their diet as vegetables for an adult. Greens should be introduced to bearded dragons at a young age. Nutritional insects include black soldier fly larvae (soldier worm larvae), superworms, earthworms, Dubia and cockroaches and the occasional wax worm, mealworm or silkworms (limit them due to their high fat content). Vegetables should be a variety of primarily dark leafy greens (dandelion greens, parsley, cilantro, watercress, escarole, endive, chicory, etc.). Some greens have high amounts of goiterogens which can impact thyroid function so while they can be fed and are nutritious, feed them in moderation and in rotation with other vegetables. Examples include, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard/collard/turnip greens, arugula, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. Lettuce, such as romaine, iceberg, green/red leaf, Boston, etc. are not very nutrient rich so should be avoided or fed in very limited quantities. Also avoid feeding oxalate ***** *****s like swiss chard, spinach or beet greens as these can interfere with calcium absorption. A small amount of other vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, squash, green beans, bell peppers, etc.) and be added; variety is the key! Salad should be chopped and offered in a clean bowl or plate once to twice a day. They can be given flowers and fruit as treats or as top dressing on the salad, with fruit not making up more than 10-20% of plant material fed each day.

Some other tips:

If you are still having difficulty, some folks have had success top-dressing the chopped salad with a tiny sprinkling of bee pollen or reptile salad dressing (Nature Zone Bearded Dragon Salad Dressing). Use sparingly and decrease over time so they learn to eat the salad without a top dressing.

You can also try hand feeding pieces of vegetables to your bearded dragon as a "treat". Some beardies will take food if hand offered. If you are uncomfortable hand feeding or your bearded dragon is a “biter”, then you can offer salad from a tweezers or tongs.

The last option is "tough love". For an adult bearded dragon in good body condition (not a rapidly growing baby or juvenile or an underweight or sick bearded dragon), you can offer salad without insects for a longer period, until they eat some salad. It's not indefinite, just 2-3 days at a time, but once they get a taste for salad, hopefully that would continue.

However, I wouldn’t employ the “tough love” option for a bearded dragon that is under the weather as they need to eat.

Hopefully these suggestions will help you to get your bearded dragon eating their vegetables!

I should be notified if/when you respond with additional information so we can connect about your bearded dragon Baby but, in the meantime, I hope this information is helpful and I wish you both the best. Thanks again for posting your question to JustAnswer.com. Sincerely, ***** *****