bearded dragon not eating well

Question
QUESTION: so for at least a month id guess my bearded dragon hasnt been eating well. she used to eat about 10 medium dubia roaches once a day. now she only eats maybe 5 a week, sometimes less. she will eat salad, but not alot. she is also losing weight as i can feel the bones in the base of her tail.

what can i do for her?

ANSWER: Hello Sarah,

Could you review your tank set up with me?
How old is she?  
Do you have any pictures of her I could see?  
What type & brand of UVB are you using?  Is it a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  
How often do you give calcium for her?  

If she is losing weight, she could have worms or parasites.  She could also be having some trouble with metabolic bone disease as well.  Can she support herself on all fours or climb very easily?
What are the basking temperatures in the tank?  

Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie

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

QUESTION: she is in a 40 gallon breeder viv
i think she is around 1 year old
i use an arcadia 12% uvb light (think its 24" long) and her basking light is just a normal 60w light bulb
i try to give her calcium every day, but since she isnt eating much she usually only gets some 4x a week

she can use her front legs fine (although i have sometimes seen her bend them) but i have seen her use her back legs for awhile. i mean she uses them a bit but she usually just drags herself around.

her temps are

cool side 75
middle 80
basking spot (depending on where i measure the temp) is usually anything from 110-130

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50593241@N02/7300834202/in/photostream

that is how she usually lies.

ANSWER: Hello Sarah,


She is a cutie pie.  How far is the Arcadia D3 12% tube from her & is there any screen in between her & the light?  She needs to be 6-8 inches from the UVB light for maximum exposure.
The basking temperatures shouldn't be any hotter than 110 really, if it is getting to 130 that is too hot & can cause a lot of different issues.  
I would start trying to get some baby food into her to help with weight gain.  You could also look into getting some critical care to add more nutrition right now.
Here is a link where you can get it:

http://www.calvetsupply.com/category/s?keyword=Critical+care

This product can help with weight gain.  

Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie

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

QUESTION: im not sure how far away she is from her uvb light, but i think its maybe 10" away. i will see if my dad can move it down, but he will have to drill more holes into her viv to do it. i did buy her a fruit cocktail baby food. she doesnt lick it off her nose (what i was told to do) but she will eat it if i put some on her salad.

she also ate more yesterday than she has the past few weeks. got her to eat 5 medium roaches and a couple of small locusts. now locusts seem to be the only live food she shows alot of interest in. are these ok to feed her daily (if she will eat them) until she starts getting some weight back onto her

Answer
Hello Sarah,

You could also check with a vet to see if they can get critical care for you instead.
The roaches & locusts are perfectly fine to feed her especially if she is showing interest in them.  Hopefully she will start feeling better!
The baby food is fine to add to the top of her salad if she will eat it that way, also.
You could move the basking spot up so you don't have to drill more holes in the tank to get the light closer.  
You can also keep her tank around 80 over night to help boost her immune system.
Let me know how she is doing!  

Tracie