So the man cub received a pet beardy for Christmas this year. It's probably 6 or so months old at this point. A few days ago it's heat lamp went out during the day and when we got home, he was pretty lethargic. We got some heat back on and he perked up within a few hours. A couple of days after that, the UVB bulb went, so I went back to the store for a new one. Since the night before last, he's been really lethargic. Hasn't been eating and staying in the same position for hours. Also, his eyes are closed and he doesn't want to open them.

I've done a bunch of research and learned a few things that we should be doing differently. We haven't been giving him baths or misting him but he always has fresh water. We haven't been sprinkling calcium over his food. Some of the crickets he's been eating are probably a bit bigger than they should be. I'm a bit worried about impaction since that sounds like a death sentence and he hasn't pooped in a couple of days. I did soak him and rub his belly today but that didn't help. His rear legs don't seem to be paralyzed or anything and there's no weird bumps. He just has a mat instead of substrate, so it's not sand or anything.

The googles took me to a bunch of sites that said the coil type UVBs are super bad, including the ones in pet stores. Which is what we've been using. And the new one I put in might have been a bit higher wattage. The refusal to open his eyes makes me wonder. But none of the online stuff was newer than around 2010. So I have no idea if the coil bulb thing is still an issue. I left it off for today just in case.

Mostly I'm looking for information on the bulbs. Any reptile guys know if that's still an issue? If he's not doing better by tomorrow, we'll head to the vet.

Give it a shave, that will help

Should have had boy circumsized before he grew so attached to his beard.

Sometimes when they are close to shedding they exhibit the symptoms you are describing.  My son has had one for almost 2 years.  When they get to adulthood they do not move around much except to catch the crickets or meal worms.  Ours has been eating mostly kale with crickets or worms every few days.

They will also "hibernate" sometimes.

Yeah. That's a lot of the problem with trying to find answers online. It's totally normal for them to go through periods of hibernation, but changes in behavior could mean something horrible is happening. Lol. He does have a couple of lighter patches on his back, so I did consider the shedding thing.

How big is he?  Every Bearded I have ever owned went through stages where they were extremely inactive.  Try varying his diet and if it is warm enough take him outside and hold him while he basks in the sun.  Be careful though, they can get a little jumpy once they've warmed up outside.  Food wise, try out dubia roaches or superworms if he's big enough to eat them.  Avoid certain leafy green such as Kale, try mustard green and dandelion greens instead, also don't skimp on the calcium.

That's how I prefer my bearded clams as well.

Dubias are a much better feeder than crickets - more protein and only 1/3 the chitin so less chance of impaction, plus dubias are quiet, won't chew on your critter's toes, can't climb/jump to escape, don't typically have mass die-offs, and don't harbor internal parasites like crickets do.  The dubias should be gut-loaded and dusted with calcium before feeding.  Alternatively there's a ReptiLinks blend designed specifically for bearded dragons and I don't believe you would need to add supplements as the links are designed to be a complete meal.

Heat and UV bulbs typically fail at the worst possible time every time, keep plenty of spares on hand.  For heat I prefer ceramic heat-emitters (CHE) as they last longer than bulbs.  Also, UV bulbs should also be replaced every few months.

I keep dubias as feeders. They don't smell bad and they're slow moving and don't climb. They like it warm so they live upstairs at my house. Cold Dubai don't reproduce well. Much easier than crickets.

How's the lizard?

I'm not really sure. He did start shedding shortly after I started this thread so I chalked up his odd behavior to that. But as of today he's still acting about the same even though the shedding seems to have stopped. He did let me hand feed him a few bites a couple of days ago.

I swapped out the coiled bulb for a tube style just in case, but so far that doesn't seem to be making a difference.

Get on the bearded dragon forum and ask these questions. You will get educated responses from breeders etc., other than the parents of someone who got one at petsmart. Care sheets vary.

There's even a section regarding  health issues, etc. within that forum.

Also, look in to the Brumating "hibernation" subject