Is it normal for my bearded dragon to lose weight after shedding?

When a bearded dragon sheds, you will also always see a change of skin color. It will always be dull, and eventually turn white pre-shed. This is totally normal, so don't worry. Adult beardies will often skip a few meals during shed.

Mealworms can be a problem for some beardies, especially juveniles, due the chitinous body. If you can, switch her over to appropriately sized crickets or dubia roaches. Gut load all prey for 24 hours prior to offering and dust with multivitamin and calcium powders to maximize nutritional value. Maintain adequate temperatures as well. Low temps can affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. A temp gradient ranging from about 76 F (cool side) to 86 F (warm side) with a basking spot of 90 F to 100 F is recommended. To stimulate defecation, soak Lizzie in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. Gently massage her abdomen from front to back during the soak. The soak will also hydrate her and aid in shedding.

It may be stress related. Survey the area around his enclosure for any negative stimuli. Massage his abdomen during the baths to stimulate defecation in case he's a bit constipated. If the behavior persists or if he develops any lethargy or loss of appetite, then have him examined by your herp veterinarian.

It can be normal for a juvenile beardie to shed frequently. Monthly sheds are not unheard of up until one year of age. Soak him daily for 10 minutes in warm water or provide a moist hide to facilitate shedding. If he won't eat greens, you can try mixing in small meal worms, waxworms or hornworms in with greens. Provide a varied diet with proper supplementation of calcium/D3 (3-5x/week) and multivitamins(2-3x/week). As he matures, his appetite and growth will level off.

Have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose and treat any infection related to the loss of the tail. In the meantime, increase tank temps by about 5-10 degrees F, soak daily in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20 minutes. Once he warms up and rehydrates, offer appropriately sized prey. Gutload prey for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Supplement with a product such as Fluker's Repti-Boost to get weight back on him. You can clean the stump with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine. Use paper towels for substrate until the stump is healed.

Increase her calcium supplementation. Dust prey daily or provide a liquid calcium supplement. Check the UVB light source and replace it if it is more than 6 months old. Offer a variety of gut loaded prey (crickets, dubia roaches, etc), vegetables and a commercial beardie diet. Soak her in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week until she perks up. Check for proper temperatures, ambient and basking, in the enclosure. If symptoms persist, have Beatrix examined by an experienced herp veterinarian in case she is impacted or egg bound.

Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. Monitor Drogon for difficulty breathing, blowing bubbles, lethargy, or odd sounds while breathing. These are symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. Parasites or URI may cause the condition you are seeing. Bump cage temps up by about 5F for a few days. Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte twice daily for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the UVB light source is not older than 6 months and use quality vitamin and mineral supplements. If Drogon gets worse or does not begin eating soon, have him examined by an experienced herp veterinarian.