Baby Beardie Still the Same Size

[Freeie]

You need to use 2 diffrent bulbs...

Reptisun 10 for the UVB and you can use a reg household bulb for heat. 75 watt or a 100 watt will be fine for temps if not you might need to use two. They love the bright light from the house hold light bulbs and it protects their eyes from the light that comes from the UVB light. His temps should be for a baby 100f to 110f i usually dont go over 105f only because if we get a hot day it sends it over 110f in their vivs.

Your baby should be eating any where form 25 to 100 crickets a day. I think its lack of growth is from lack of the proper UVB/Heat and food. Thank good ness those things can be fixed and your baby will explode into a thriving beardie in no time at all.

 

[britanny]

yeah, i do.

 

[xxlauralooxx]

Hi!

In regards to the skin peeling, every couple of months they shred their skin but not like snakes! They do it in little bits and it may get stuck on their spikes and feet so you can help them by just VERY gently scratching but never peel it! I have had my 2 beardies for 6 weeks now and they have shred once. They go dark just before they are going to do it.

Hope this helps! Laura x

 

[ajkry2]

yeah, sahara goes pretty grey before she sheds. then when the skin comes off its like a whole new beardie!!

 

[diamc]

Hi Brittany, your baby is adorable. I do agree with the others that you need to change the lighting. Regarding the Repti-Glo that you have now, is it a coil/compact bulb or a strip fluorescent (long tube)? You mentioned that you ordered the Repti-Sun, did you order a coil/compact or strip fluorescent in that brand?

What size tank is he in and what is the wattage of the basking bulb? Also, what type of thermometer are you using, is it a strip, round gauge, digital WITHOUT probe, digital with long wire & probe end or a temperature gun? It's very important that we know about these things.

Have you been keeping your little guy well hydrated by bathing him or offering drinks on his nose for him to lick off?

Have you been dusting his crickets with calcium and vitamins, if so, how often? What greens have you been feeding him?

 

[britanny]

I ordered a strip fluorescent Reptisun. A feed him a few times a day...and he eats a couple of crickets but the crickets mostly hide, and yes i do dust them before I give them to him. I feed cucumbers, lettuce, and grapes, but he doesn't eat them. His basking bulb is 100w, but ever since we got him his basking bulb his eye is shut, so I moved it to a spot where he can't get as close to it. He has been a lot more active now that it's warmer in there. It's about 100 now. I feed him small meal worms every other day. I've had him for a month now.

 

[bambichik39]

He shouldn't eat lettuce, it actually doesn't have any nutritional value, its mostly water. go off this chart http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html the ones in green you can feed daily, he needs to get a good staple diet. Good luck! Also, mealworms are bad also. their hard exoskeleton is actually really hard for them to digest.

 

[diamc]

That's good that you ordered the fluorescent Repti-Sun, just wanted to make sure. Regarding the Repti-Glo that you have now, is it a coil/compact bulb or a strip fluorescent and how far away is it from your beardie? Also, what type of thermometer are you using, is it a strip, round gauge, digital WITHOUT probe, digital with long wire & probe end or a temperature gun? It's very important that we know about these things so we can work together to help increase his appetite.

You mentioned that he was keeping one eye shut, are you using a white or colored basking bulb? His eyes could also be affected from the Repti-Glo, they are known to cause eye issues. Do you have the UVB and basking bulb alongside each other?

Since he's a baby, you should be dusting his live feeders with calcium with D3 but phosphorus-free 5 days a wk but only 1 feeding a day and with vitamins the other 2 days a wk but only 1 feeding a day. How many crickets did he eat today? I agree with bambichik39 that it would be a good idea to look at the beautiful dragons list that he gave you a link to so that he can have a more balance diet of greens and veggies. The mealworms have a chitin shell that can cause impaction so they really aren't good worms to feed especially for a baby.

Have you been bathing him or offering drinks by putting drops on his nose for him to lick off? Babies can get dehydrated very quickly so those 2 ways of keeping him hydrated will help prevent that.

 

[britanny]

I actually took out the repti-glo because i didnt want anything to happen to him. i now have the Zoo Med Basking Bulb (in a clamp lamp above his small log)..a friend of mine has had his beardie for 3 years and that's what he uses so i got it until the Repti-sun comes in the mail..it's like a regular bulb and then i have a sun glo bulb just for heating. he hasn't been eating...only like 3 crickets and when i cleaned his viv today i shook off his log and about 50 crickets fell out so they all hide when i think he actually eats them. i don't know what to do.

 

[ajkry2]

try feeding your pooper in a seperate tub. that way there's no way the crix can hide in their viv, the crix will never be in their viv...

good job getting rid of that reptiglo, wait for the reptisun to come in the mail, hook it up and hopefully the new good uvb will be all you little one needs

 

[diamc]

Brittany, that's good that you took out the Repti-Glo. What size tank is he in? Are you using 2 heat bulbs now? Is the thermometer a stick-on type like a strip or round gauge? If so, those can be off by as much as 20 degrees, so if you're not getting accurate temps, that will affect his total health. The only 2 ways to get good readings are with either a temperature gun or digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end.

Are you bathing him? If not, I suggest that you do that to make sure he isn't dehydrated.

Also, please make sure to remove any uneaten crickets or they will chew on him when he is sleeping which can cause nasty sores. Feeding in a separate container would be a good idea.

Would it be possible to post a picture of him in his tank to see if we can offer any suggestions? Since he's so little and only eating a couple of crickets a day, I think it would be a good idea to start feeding him some chicken & squash baby food, dilute with a little water, heat it up to take the chill off and put drops on his nose for him to lick off. That way you could also mix a pinch of calcium in with the baby food because he isn't getting much right now with eating such a small amount.

 

[britanny]

he's only in a 10 gal. but I'm getting a 20 gal. just waiting for it. He has 2 heat lights. His thermometer is a stick on. I do bathe him, and I have a water bottle that i spray on him. I will post pictures of his tank tomorrow. Thank you for all of your help. I really hope it will work.

 

[diamc]

Brittany, if he's in a 10 gallon tank, you really shouldn't need anything higher than a 60 watt bulb, a 75 at the very most. Did you say that you're using a 100 watt now, what is the wattage of the other basking bulb? If you're getting a reading on the stick-on thermometer of 100 degrees, it could actually be 120 which can cause rapid dehydration so at least one bath daily is a good idea. It's good that you're misting him but make sure you take him out of the tank to do that because if you spray in the tank, it will raise the humidity too high that can cause an upper respiratory infection. Bathing is the best way to hydrate them, making sure the vent area (where they poop) is right down in the warm water for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Here's a probe thermometer that you can get at Walmart for about $12.00. It will give you both the basking & cool side temps at the same time as well as a humidity readout. It's the AcuRite brand and should be in the area where the outdoor plastic thermometers are sold.

Do you have a Walmart near you? If the temps are off, it will certainly affect his appetite. The way to use it is very easy. We really want to help you get this little one all straightened out.

 

[britanny]

Yeah, I have about 4 Wal-Marts near me, so I will definitely get one of those. I was going to buy some squash today to feed him and maybe give him some strawberries to see if he likes those better than the grapes and lettuce. He'll always lick them but he won't eat them. I fed him in a separate container but he was just scratching to get out, so I'll try a bigger one because like I said when I feed him in his viv, he'll chase after them but then they'll run away.

 

[britanny]

So it's been about a week...with the right lighting, right temps, baths, and everything...but he's still the same size. One day he ate about 15 crickets but every other day just 2 or 3 I'm really worried...I've tried everything