need help with my bearded dragon

Question

Chenchis   QUESTION: I've had a bearded dragon for a little over a year now and it was very healthy ,it would eat everything from crickets to veggies. Unfortunately about 4 months ago he stopped eating and was looking sick. We took him to the vet and he gave us a medicine. After the medicine finished I noticed that my beardie wouldnt chase crickets,he wouldnt eat mealworms or waxworms, and would barely touch his greens. That is when I decided to force feed. Now I have been force freeding him for about two months. Now I would like him two eat on his own but he wont, I leave a dish with fresh veggies everyday but he doesnt eat anything and I am worried that he got used to me force feeding him although sometimes its hard to even open his mouth, anyways im worried he wont eat unless I give it to him. He is caged in a 30 gallon tank. The temperature during the day can get over 100 and about 80 at night. I use playsand as the substrate. Also when I feed him I dust his veggies with either calcium or multivitamin supplement.

ANSWER: Hello Maria,

What did the vet do a fecal exam?  Do you know which medication was given to him?
What UVB light are you using?  
Do you use a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?
Do you have a picture of his tank setup for me, as well?
Do you use a temp gun or a digital probe to measure the temperatures with?
Is sounds like he could still have parasites & or worms.  I suggest getting some bee pollen to help his appetite & immune system.
Also, since mealworms are fatty they should not be fed on a regular basis as a staple.

Has his beard been dark lately?
Can you get some probiotics for him such as acidophiliz or non dairy soy yogurt?  That can help his system out if it is still out of whack from the medication.

Let me know how he is doing.
Tracie


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


Chenchis   QUESTION: No the vet did not do a fecal exam. Im not sure of the medicine I just remember that it was a pink medicine. Currently I dont have a uvb light for him but iam planning on buying one when I get the chance I would appreciate suggestions for the uvb light. I use a 100 watt uva bulb(neodymium baskimg bulb) not sure what kind it is. I know that his tank setup is very simple but iam planning on buying a bigger tank because I feel that if I place branches in his tank he will not have enough space to move around. Yes lately he does have a black beard in the morning sometimes and in the afternoon as well, but I think that might also be because it sees my brothers bearded dragon althought they are not directly facing each other. As for your previous suggestions I really appreciate your help.

Answer
Hello Maria,

I would put a partition in between the tanks so he doesn't see your other bearded dragon.  He knows that he is there & that can cause stress.  The black beard is stress & hormones.  
The best UVB tube bulb here in the US is the Reptisun 10 tube bulb.  You can get it from www.petmountain.com  for a good price.

He may have been given Baytril possibly.
The play sand should be fine, the chance of impaction is less with that sand than the calcium based sands.

The Neodymium basking light while it looks good to human eyes, it filters out the yellow hues which can be irritating to the reptile when looking at the light.  I would switch out the basking bulb & use either a regular house hold light bulb or a nice bright halogen bulb.  I think that would help.  When you get the Reptisun 10 tube bulb, you can place it alongside of the basking light also to protect his eyes.

Let me know how he is doing.
Tracie