bearded dragon not eating

Question
QUESTION: hi tracie, its sarah here. on my last message you asked me to show you a photo of my bearded dragon so you could tell me the sex of it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50593241@N02/7337461858/

not sure if this photo helps or not. was the best i could do with one hand free. as for the oxbow critical care i havent ordered any yet as i need to wait until i get paid at work

ANSWER: Hello Sarah,

Your dragon appears to be male.  The bumpy looking pores are usually a give away.  :-))
How is he doing today?
I hope you can get the critical care ordered soon!  Keep me posted on him.

Thanks.
Tracie

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QUESTION: well if she is a he i guess thats good as i wont have to worry about him being egg bound. he still wont eat anything (sometimes eats a bit of salad, but not much). im still feeding him the baby food and he is still gaining weight everyday. he is now 245g. im thinking he  may have an internal parasite. he does sometimes show interest in his live food, like his head will perk up but he wont take it.

just another what should his ideal weight be. ive read people who have male bearded dragons they are usually over 500 grams at 1 year old, but as i said mine was only 260g at his biggest

ANSWER: Hello Sarah,

It does appear that he is a male.  If you gently lift up the tail, at the base of the tail you should be able to see a lateral bulge on each side/edge of the tail which would be hemipenis bulges if he is male.  The pores are a pretty good indicator but there have been some females with pores, but normally not as pronounced.  They will become larger as he gets older & more mature.
I would get a fecal done on him to make sure he doesn't have worms or parasites that are affecting his appetite & growth.
Continue feeding him baby food right now until he starts to show some interest in live insects.  Are his temperatures optimal?

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi tracie i have some news about sydney. turns out he is actually a she. and the only reason i know that is when i went to say hi to her when i got in from work this afternoon i found 17 eggs in the viv. now i can still feel some inside of her what i want to know is what should i use for a digging box. do i need one?

atm all ive got is an empty icecream tub filled with exo terra plantation soil. would her being full of eggs stopped her from eating for so long? and she happily took 5 small locusts off me. also do i still need to take her to the vets

Answer
Hello Sarah,

Ah, that is why I mentioned that sometimes females can have small pores!  LOL
The other test was to lift the tail to see if there was one or two bulges on the lateral edges of the tail.  That is normally the best way to determine.  Had you tried that method?  She will just have one bulge in the center at the base of her tail.

You can use a deep plastic bin so she can burrow.  Use regular potting soil with no fertilizers in it, with vermiculite or perlite & have the dirt wet but not sopping.  Just so it will hold up if she wants to dig a burrow.
That is great she ate some locusts for you.  She could lay several clutches also!
No, you can hold off going to vet as long as she passes all of her eggs & you feel she is not eggbound.
Yes, being full of eggs will dampen the appetite.  Usually, just the last week or so before laying though.
I had thought of egg issues, but was not positive.  I am glad she is doing pretty well now.
Keep her calcium intake daily for awhile in case she is developing more.

Tracie