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His appetite seems to waining from the live adult mice though, he used to be a voracious eater of them and now he either gets the mouses head on the first shot or he won't eat it.
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You should NOT be feeding ADULT LIVE MICE to a Bearded Dragon. Not only is the size inaccurate, but an adult mouse has the ability to inflict severe damage on a herp if it had the oppurtunity. Bearded Dragons should be given "pinkies" when offered mice. Adult mice are completely inadequate. (Please don't tell me how you worked at a petstore ......That means nothing to me and actually makes me want to point out everything you are doing that is wrong and why we tell people not to listen to petstore employees.)
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Should i possibly start dusting his crickets so he can get some added nutrition since he really doesn't seem as interested in the mice as much anymore?
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You should have been dusting his prey this entire time.
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Also should i try feeding him hoppers and see if he takes better to those? I know adult mice may sound large, but my bearded dragon is 8 inches head to vent and 18 inches head to tail, his mouth is 2 inches across. And up until i moved he wasn't haveing any trouble downing a full size mouse.
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Adult mice are completely inappropriate prey for dragons. I own 3 adult dragons myself. My largest, Moose, is in pics somewhere on this site. He makes the dragon you showed us look small and he would never be offered an adult mouse.
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Besides the weight and eating issue ive noticed that he is very dirty, I soak him for an hour in warm water once every other week, but that doesn't seem to be loosening up the dirt under his scales is there a reptile soap that could help with this?
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The calcisand is bad news as stated several times. I would make a suggestion though and NOT switch to sand until his weight is back up and his issues are resolved.
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He has a high output 15 watt uv flourescent lighting setup
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How old is the light? Flourescent lights need to be changed out every 6-9 months to ensure they are outputting "useable" levels of UV. The dragon also needs to be able to get within 12 inches of the light for it to be adequate. If the light is older than 6-7 months, you should replace it. Mark the new one with a sharpie on the end that states when it was purchased and when it should be changed next.
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his basking spot is usually 85 to 90 degrees and there is a large basking rock for him.
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As stated, the temps need to rise.
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He is in a 55 gallon tank Long. his substrate is repti-cal calci-sand.
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Calcisand has been spoken on several times as well. It just isn't good stuff.
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I mist him 1 to 2 times a day on his head to make sure he gets adequate water, though he does drink out of his water bowl too. As i look at him now he actually seems dehydrated, his skin has the tendency to bunch if you pinch it.
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That dragon IS dehydrated. He doesn't just look it. That is likely from a lack of veggies. The veggies, which he can get daily, offer daily moisture to him. The water bowl is great, but he will get moisture with each bite of salad whether he needs it or not. His body will expell any excess moisture.
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And his tail bones at the base of the tail are showing. I will post some current pictures if needed. Any help that i can get at this point is greatly apreciated, im honestly considering taking him over the vet because of how worried i am about him, he's my best friend...
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If the dragon doesn't begin gaining weight shortly, or if the dehydration continues, I would advise a vet visit to at least have a fecal done.
