Bearded dragons can go for long periods without food in their natural habitat, as it can be difficult to find. However, with a steady supply of food in captivity, it’s unusual for your pet to refuse to eat, so if they do, it’s a cause for concern. This could be an indication of anything from a minor health issue to a serious problem that requires immediate attention.
A bearded dragon’s loss of appetite may be a result of environmental or biological factors. A change or decline in its living conditions or health can immediately disturb its feeding process leading to appetite loss and other complications.
Taking care of a beardie is not an easy task, especially when you’re doing everything to ensure that it’s feeding well. Let’s go through the reasons and solutions for why your bearded dragon might be refusing to eat.
10 Reasons Why Your Beardie Is Refusing To Eat With Solutions
Appetite loss is a symptom that can be linked to several problems. Below, I have listed the possible reasons why your beardie is refusing to eat, and just what to do about it to get it back on track.
| Reasons | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Your bearded dragon may be ill | Ensure that the tank temperature, humidity, and hygiene are maintained. Also, consult a vet for a professional exam. |
| Your beardie may be stressed | Check the living conditions to ensure they’re suitable and give your pet the necessary space. |
| Your beardie may be impacted | Give it a warm soak or visit the vet for a prescribed laxative. |
| Your beardie is preparing for brumation | Do not disturb or intensely change its environment. Instead, ensure that its living parameters are stable for its burmation period. |
| Your beardie may be injured | Perform routine checks to find the injury and check in with the vet for treatment. |
| Your beardie may be receiving medication | Keep track of the changes in appetite with the vet to ensure your pet is recovering properly. |
| Your beardie may be shedding | Warm soaks and placing shedding rocks in the terrarium help to quicken the process and provide relief. |
| Your beardie may be petty | Ensure you haven’t removed, moved, or exchanged any significant part of your pet’s living space. If you have, you may need to reconstruct the space to suit your pet. |
| Your beardie needs more food options | Diversify your pet’s meals to encourage feeding. |
| Your beardie is nearing retirement | Don’t force it to eat daily. Give it all the love you can at this phase. |
1. Beardie Is Suffering From An Illness
Ironically, dragons in captivity often fall sick more easily than those in the wild. While we may replicate their natural habitat, there are a few instances where we might miscalculate the arrangement of their environment which may cause them to fall ill.
For example, humidity levels above 40% in their terrarium can lead to respiratory diseases, improper lighting can lead to metabolic and digestive problems, and unhygienic or poorly structured settings can lead to parasites, intense stress, and weakness. Your bearded dragon may indicate these complications by losing its appetite.
If you notice that your bearded dragon has fallen ill, the best thing to do is inspect its surroundings to ensure that these parameters are correct and to visit the vet if the loss of appetite persists. A professional examination will determine the condition of your pet to prepare a diagnosis, manage the loss of appetite, or prevent it from worsening.
2. Beardie Is Stressed
Stress is a common problem for bearded dragons as they are not fond of change. When you alter or break a routine in their environment or system, it could affect their appetite. Being transported from one terrarium to another and experiencing different vibrations, smells, and sounds can cause your beardie to be in ‘observation mode’ and eat less in response.
Signs of stress in bearded dragons include head bobbing, dark or black streaks on the body, dark beards, loss of appetite, hiding away in shaded areas, and aggressiveness.
In this situation, it’s best to give your bearded dragon space and some time to adjust to the change. Make sure to not startle it with noise or light. If you want to hand-feed your intimidated beardie, do it slowly and visibly; do not approach it from behind, taking it by surprise. Ensure that it is aware of your presence before you lower your hand into its space.
3. Beardie Is Impacted/Constipated
Bearded dragons must be placed on a proper balance of veggies and protein to ensure they receive the right amount of nutrients and hydration. If your pet is constipated, it means it has been consuming too much protein and receiving less hydration than it requires. Naturally, your beardie would be unable to excrete or eat.
The best method to help your beardie cure impaction is the warm soak method. This involves soaking your bearded dragon in shallow water for up to 30 minutes, massaging it gently going from underneath the belly towards the tail as if you’re nudging the junk out. Slowly but surely, your beardie will shoot out the plug. If the problem persists, rush to the vet for a proper diagnosis. This could either land your pet a laxative or an immediate operation to remove the blockage.
4. Beardie Is Preparing For Brumation
Brumation is the period when bearded dragons experience an immense reduction in activity and metabolism, which causes them to enter a state of ‘torpor’. It’s quite similar to hibernation without the complete blackout of activity and beardies do not sleep as long. During this period, bearded dragons will eat less and eventually refuse to eat in preparation.
Major signs that your beardie is entering brumation include lethargy, loss of appetite or complete food fasting, pooping less, hiding away more often, basking less, and sleeping earlier than usual.
Beardies brumate when the day is shorter than night, or when there’s a drop in temperature and a decrease in humidity. If your environment suddenly starts displaying the listed characteristics, your beardie may take it as a cue to prepare for brumation and eat less as a result.
5. Beardie Is Injured
It’s common for dragons to fall from heights or brush against surfaces that may cut or bruise them when you let them out to roam. Sometimes, they may eat their food a little too aggressively and cut their mouths in the process. Very normal beardie behavior.
In this situation, inspect your pet for swelling in affected areas, unusual limping or numbness from the affected limb, difficulty breathing, sluggishness, aggressiveness, and of course, loss of appetite. Note that the injury could be internal which is even more threatening, and symptoms of certain injuries can take longer to manifest. So, if you have any suspicions, I suggest you immediately take your pet to the veterinarian for a proper examination.
6. Beardie Is On Medication
If your pet is being treated for any reason, the medication could be affecting your pet. Antibiotics specifically have the side effect of reducing appetite in reptiles such as bearded dragons. Backtrack to when you started giving your beardie the medication and see if the loss of appetite coincides with that timing. You can also discuss the problem with the vet who prescribed the medication and ask further questions for clarity.
7. Beardie Is Shedding
Shedding is highly uncomfortable for bearded dragons and could affect their behavior. If your dragon is shedding its skin, it may eat less than it normally does. Shedding usually takes anything from a few days to 3 weeks depending on the size of your dragon. If it’s taking too long, your beardie could be dehydrated.
You can help your bearded dragon hydrate and shed faster by misting its body with a few spritzes or soaking it in water for 15 minutes. Ensure there are rough surfaces like rocks in its terrarium that it can rub against to peel the dead skin off. Please do not, for any reason, peel the skin off your bearded dragon yourself as you may injure it. I understand that it’s tempting, but unless the skin is hanging on a thread, leave it alone to fall by itself. If you must intervene, refer to your vet for assistance especially if it looks like the dead skin is covering its eyes or ears.
8. Beardie Is Being Petty
Bearded dragons can display behaviors according to their personalities. Do you recall that they are not so fond of change? Well, if you keep moving things around the terrarium – especially the feeding plate – or touching it while it eats, your bearded dragon may refuse to eat until it wants to. Understanding your beardie’s tank setup will give you better insight into what might be missing so that your pet is comfortable enough to eat.
My senior dragon likes its feeding bowl exactly adjacent to its basking spot. One time, I thought the plate might be hindering it from climbing the basking rock, so I moved it closer to its sleeping area. Would you believe my little fella kept carrying the live bugs from the new spot to the former eating area to feed? Ultimately, I returned the plate for peace to reign. If you monitor your pet’s behavior occasionally, you might just notice something spectacularly hilarious!
9. Beardie Is Bored Of The Food
Feeding your beardie just one type of protein or veggie source will bore sooner than you think. Bearded dragons encounter all sorts of food in the wild, so they’re certainly not meant to eat just one type. Ensure you feed your dragon a variety of veggies and bugs to capture its attention and increase its appetite. If you wonder what to feed your bearded dragon, this discussion will help you create the most suitable diet according to your pet’s age.
10. Beardie Is Aging
As bearded dragons age, they eat less and less. Their metabolism and activity slow down a notch, so much that they may eat every other day instead of daily. Food becomes a delicacy rather than a necessity, and they may not have the appetite to accommodate it as often.
During this period, try as much as possible to show your beardie all the love you can. Spend more time bonding with and feeding it all its favorite meals. You have been a good pet owner, and your beardie has come this far because of you. Well done!
Why Won’t My Bearded Dragon Eat Veggies?
It’s normal for your beardie to be a picky eater and refuse to eat its greens. Remember that bearded dragons are individuals who have unique personalities. So how do you make your pet eat its veggies? You can add fruits in small quantities (careful not to overdo it) and then select veggies that resemble the fruits. For example, pair strawberries with red bell peppers, grapes with eggplant, or bananas with butternut squash.
Another great method is to sprinkle bee pollen (view on Amazon) onto the greens. The aroma is irresistible to beardies and they’ll be diving into the plate before you can say “Jack”!
Why Won’t My Beardie Eat Its Bugs?
The only reasons a bearded dragon will pass on some delicious platter of bugs are that it is suffering from an illness, is a veteran (seriously old), or dislikes the choices selected for it. Sometimes, the dragon might be tired of eating the same bugs consecutively. It’s necessary to switch things up a bit by introducing treats such as waxworms and hornworms.
Also, ensure that you are not feeding your beardie only dead bugs; bearded dragons enjoy hunting. If the grubs are alive, the chase stimulates its appetite causing your beardie to eat more.
Why Is My Bearded Dragon Refusing To Drink Water?
Bearded dragons need water to survive, and they always source it in the wild. If your pet is refusing to drink water, it’s probably not aware that the still water in the bowl is drinkable. They’re used to licking dew drops off of leaves and rocks to stay hydrated. Another reason why your beardie might not drink water is simply that it doesn’t want to. Yes, they can be self-willed at times and put us on our toes, but there’s always a way around it.
You can fool your beardie into drinking water by throwing their favorite treat into the bowl. It will have to take it out of the bowl to eat it by dipping its mouth into the water, taking big gulps to fish the food out! Other good methods include misting the vegetables with water before feeding them, soaking your pet in baths to absorb the water through its skin, and putting drops of water on its head for it to lick off– works like magic.
Wrapping It Up
It’s terrifying to see your bearded dragon eat less and less each day, and it may even leave you feeling helpless. Loss of appetite in bearded dragons is a common symptom of several ailments, so it can be a little tricky to reach a diagnosis. Given the discussion we’ve just had, you should be able to navigate the issue like a pro. If you’re still frantic about the situation or the stubborn symptom persists, your veterinarian is your safest bet in finding a solution. Good luck!
