I think our beardie is sick! Need some advice

Question
Hi Tracie

Just this Christmas I adopted a pet dragon for my 16 yr old son and I. He came from a home where he was not being properly cared for. I believe he is about 6 months old. He was doing quite well and had adapted to his new environment, eating crickets and veggies, but we fed him meal worms and he threw them up three times over the course of two days. It was devastating. I did some research and found out how bad they are for baby beardies!

I don't believe he is impacted, I bathed him tonight and he pooped. He has refused to eat the past two days. Sleeps and when handled will only keep his eyes open for a few minutes at a time. He is staying on his basking rock and not moving at all, keeping his eyes closed most of the time and is completely uninterested in eating. Even in his feeding tank today he just wanted out and was completely uninterested in his crickets.  

I did manage to get him to drink yesterday in his bath, and tonight used a syringe with fresh strawberry infused water to tempt him. He only drank a little. He also keeps turning his head to one side and almost 'flipping' over when I pet his left side. I feel absolutely awful and am so worried about him. He has already become an amazing addition to our home and I want to do all that I can to keep him healthy and happy.

Thank you so much!!!

Answer
Hello Anna,

I am sorry you have had trouble so early on with your baby.
Please tell me more about your tank setup.  Do you use a UVB light?  If so, what type & brand are you using, is it a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?
How often are you using calcium?  At his estimated age, he will need calcium 4-5 times per week since he is still trying to finish growing.

He is probably dehydrated for one, but may be having some GI issues from the upset tummy.  You could try to look for some non dairy acidophiliz or non dairy soy yogurt to give to him daily.  Continue with the flavored water, that can help with dehydration.

What are the temperatures in the tank?  Are you using a stick on type of thermometer, or a digital probe or temp gun?
The flipping behavior is indicative of a nutritional issue, such as metabolic bone disease or other vitamin deficiency.  It could also be due to an inner ear problem or bacterial infection.
What is the humidity in the tank, is it lower than 20%?  

He still could be partially impacted.  How did his stool look, was it runny or solid?  They can go to the bathroom but still be partially impacted.  I wouldn't feed him any solid foods just yet.  Instead get some chicken or turkey baby food along with some squash baby food & mix it together to feed to him.  Use a plastic dropper or syringe to feed it to him.  You could add some sugar free applesauce also & a couple of drops of olive or mineral oil to help if he is impacted a little.

Let me know how he is doing.
Tracie