my water dragon will not eat

Question
hi my water dragon will not eat i have had him from 13/02/10-06/12/10 he is still a young male but will not eat atall i give him crickets,locusts,cucumber,meelworm,waxworm,mario worm and i gut load the crickets ect. please he has recently broken his leg but has recoverd well and can move about alot.i have read up on many things but never non eating.

Answer
Hi Alisha,

You didn't happen to mention whether you have a Green Water Dragon or an Australian Brown Water Dragon. The distinction is important because the Brown water dragon is more likely to enter a dormancy period at this time of year called brumation (which is similar to hibernation. Reptiles typically do not eat during brumation.

Green water dragons sometimes slow down a bit in feeding and activity during the winter months but the change is less dramatic and is usually not considered to be true brumation. This drop in appetite is often directly related to temperature. Reptile appetites are very temperature dependent. During fall and winter the ambient room temperature naturally drops and this affects the cage temperature as well. For this reason it is always a good idea to re-check your temps when the seasons change and change your bulb wattage if needed. Your dragon should have a basking spot of around 32 - 34 C or the low 90's F. You may have to make an extra effort to keep the humidity up as well during the winter months with extra misting and/or covering part of the cage lid with plastic.

If the cause is not simply a matter of temperature or brumation then things get more complicated. Lack of appetite is a general symptom of reptiles that are ill or stressed but it is not particular to any one condition. Intestinal parasites, infections, calcium deficiencies, a new cage environment or excessive handling can all  potentially cause a reptile to stop eating.

If his behaviour is still normal and he is not showing any other signs of illness like runny poops, weight loss, lethargy, sunken or half closed eyes, nasal/mouth discharge then you shouldn't need to panic just yet.
Check your temperatures, keep him well hydrated with soaking or misting directing over his face and snout (reptiles that stop eating often stop drinking as well) and keep offering food a couple times  a week. If you notice any other symptoms develop then a  vet is really your best option. Your vet may need a stool sample to rule out parasites which are a common problem with Green water dragons. You can also try dabbing a bit of chicken based baby food on his snout. They usually respond by licking it off which gives them a nutritional boost and can sometimes re-trigger their appetite