New Bearded Dragon, Some New Owner Stress

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erodred

Member
Hello! This is my first post. I have been browsing this forum for some time to get some assistance setting up my bearded dragon enclosure as well how to feed and take care of him. An introduction of me is I am posting this from beautiful British Columbia in Canada. North of Washington State for a sense of direction. I have owned a Leopard Gecko before so this is not my first time with a reptile or crickets, etc.

But this is a dragon forum, so to begin:
I got my 40 gal tank all set up with a heat lamp with a Daytime Exo Terra bulb reaching average 110F for basking and the cold side reaches about 85F. I have a tube 10.0 Reptisun and hood resting on the mesh lid and the distance is about 7 inches. My humidity is 32-40% in the day but at night it can go up to around 45%, due to the temp drop. I have two probes on either side of the tank, and I use an infrared gun to check spots as well.

I had the tank temps set up in the morning and early afternoon before going in the evening to acquire my bearded dragon, and named him Toothless after watching How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2 with my fiance. He is about 7 or 8 inches long so assuming he is 1-2 months old then. He was bought from Petsmart (failed to find a breeder in the area over the google and when showing what exactly a bearded dragon looks like in person to my fiance, she fell in love with how cute and active he was).

I have had Toothless for exactly 10 days. The first day with him (assuming its a boy) I felt like his tank was a bit empty, so I had to add a cave, and the lizard lounge hammock, which he seems to love. I gave him his first bath after a week of having him. The temperature was about 90F.

He pooped regularly everyday, although the urate became more yellow which is most likely due to his lack of appetite from relocating (which I will get to and the real point of this post). Two days ago he had a very runny poop. So it was near diarrhea, but it was also his biggest eating day, as he ate 5 crickets that day (2 of them dusted with calcium to see if he will take them, the other 3 random test of appetite). He tried a piece of bell pepper and spat it out and just licked it. Just licked some kale.

He did not poop at all yesterday, and refused offerings of crickets, but he will drink if I drop water on his head. Other than that, he seems to move around his tank, occasionally he goes for his reflection and sometimes he is waving at them too. He likes to close his eyes while he is basking on his tree or sometimes on top of the cave or the lizard lounge. He occasionally explores. But I also feel like he should be more active? The location of the tank is in my office, and I am working from home currently but for the most part he only gets peeked at by my fiance every few hours and I usually just ignore him while I click away on keyboard and mouse.

Anyways, apologize for the long read. I am really worried that he wont make it and that it could be the pet store issue but I dont want to feel like I should return him and want to really give him a chance. There is a reptile vet nearby that I was planning on taking him soon, but if this is relocation stress, I am worried what that trip would do to him.

Any assistance or comments is appreciated.
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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Welcome to the forum -- your little guy is gonna go thru relocation stress so dont fret - it looks like hes got a good set up going --- the UVB is a T 5 or a T 8? Distance and placement is key here that is why I am asking-- his eating will be slow but as he becomes adjusted or settled in he will eat more -- as long as his eating pooping and basking he should be fine- just make sure hes staying hydrated too - you can do that by rinsing his salad before serving you can also make sure his crickets are gut loaded and hydrated as well --- here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
I would recommend getting him some BSFL or calci worms or phoenix worms or nutri grubs they are all the same thing - they are another staple feeder and you do not need to dust them - feed as salad toppers and do not dust them you can order large they are small - https://www.thewormlady.ca/ if you can get some small super worms that would be good - horn worms are a good hydrating worm and grow very fast so when ordering order in small amounts - NO meal worms to harsh on babies stomachs-- if you can get some small silk worms - they are another good staple feeder as well you can use them as a salad topper too - if you find small super worms only use like 1-3 on the salads - you want him eating his salads now - make sure your using a glass or ceramic bowl - so the worms cannot get out - crickets are a little harder to use in the bowl but if you disable them you can possibly keep them in the bowl -- you want to dust his crickets 5 x per week w/ calcium D3 once per feeding and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week once per feeding -- dont worry about his pooping they will only poop out what they put in -- :) it sounds like he might be a little dehydrated offer water until he stops drinking -- they will not eat if they are dehydrated -- I would suggest a bath but he is still going thru relocation stress and I dont want to stress him out more than he already is so offer the water by dropping on his nose -- but the moist salads will give him moisture along w/ the gut loaded crickets - you can feed them carrots for hydration just dont feed the dragon carrots too to much vit A -- I dont think hes sick he just needs to settle in and they will lay around and bask so if you have anymore questions please ask - if he starts to become lethargic and not eat at all etc then its time to be concerned
Karrie
 

erodred

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":23x4apbr said:
Welcome to the forum -- your little guy is gonna go thru relocation stress so dont fret - it looks like hes got a good set up going --- the UVB is a T 5 or a T 8? Distance and placement is key here that is why I am asking-- his eating will be slow but as he becomes adjusted or settled in he will eat more -- as long as his eating pooping and basking he should be fine- just make sure hes staying hydrated too - you can do that by rinsing his salad before serving you can also make sure his crickets are gut loaded and hydrated as well --- here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
I would recommend getting him some BSFL or calci worms or phoenix worms or nutri grubs they are all the same thing - they are another staple feeder and you do not need to dust them - feed as salad toppers and do not dust them you can order large they are small - https://www.thewormlady.ca/ if you can get some small super worms that would be good - horn worms are a good hydrating worm and grow very fast so when ordering order in small amounts - NO meal worms to harsh on babies stomachs-- if you can get some small silk worms - they are another good staple feeder as well you can use them as a salad topper too - if you find small super worms only use like 1-3 on the salads - you want him eating his salads now - make sure your using a glass or ceramic bowl - so the worms cannot get out - crickets are a little harder to use in the bowl but if you disable them you can possibly keep them in the bowl -- you want to dust his crickets 5 x per week w/ calcium D3 once per feeding and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week once per feeding -- dont worry about his pooping they will only poop out what they put in -- :) it sounds like he might be a little dehydrated offer water until he stops drinking -- they will not eat if they are dehydrated -- I would suggest a bath but he is still going thru relocation stress and I dont want to stress him out more than he already is so offer the water by dropping on his nose -- but the moist salads will give him moisture along w/ the gut loaded crickets - you can feed them carrots for hydration just dont feed the dragon carrots too to much vit A -- I dont think hes sick he just needs to settle in and they will lay around and bask so if you have anymore questions please ask - if he starts to become lethargic and not eat at all etc then its time to be concerned
Karrie

Hello! Thanks for the input. In Canada I cant get a lot of these sort of worms that easily. I could try ordering those phoenix worms though.

The UVB bulb is a T8.

The salad thing seems difficult to do at the moment when he wont eat. I tried feeding him with tongs. A few days ago he took the crickets right away but lately he has been rejecting them. He runs away from it.

I gave him a bath but I did not de-chlorinate the water nor dry him off before putting him back in. So I made that mistake which I think gave him diarrhea. And I learned that he will drink the water if I mist his nose and the ground in front of him. He will lick it up no problem.

He had a runny poop today which concerned me because there was red spots in it. but based on the fact he was pooping fine for a week when I got him, then I gave him a bath, and he had diarrhea the following day, then no poop and then this one, I deduced my bad bath practice got him impacted. Which is probably why he was refusing any sort of food as well. I still made an appointment with a vet for the earliest time available so I will make sure he is healthy.

After his poop though he has been MUCH more active and his belly and neck are significantly whiter, which tells me he is not as stressed. I am still planning on leaving him alone today and start offering him some food tomorrow and some crickets, with a possibility of a proper de-chlorinated warm bath and a paper towel pat down.

The crickets are feeding on the fluker's orange cubes. I have been dusting with calcium w/d3 by rep-cal and I try and alternate days with the multivitamin.

I dont know how to get him to eat any sort of veggies yet (just trying to get him to eat insects right now since it should be 80% of his diet instead of 0% at present.

So I think I impacted him by accident :( but the good news is he managed to pass it, which means he is a strong one.

I am a little hesitant to handle him or offer food today and feel like he should just rest a bit.

Anything else you think I may need to do for this guy to grow big and strong for me?

Thanks in advance!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The T 8 needs to go inside the tank -- the bulb is not strong enough to get thru the screen is blocking 30% of those rays - you need the decor piece directly underneath approx 6-8 inches from basking decor-- hes not eating one from relocation stress and two the UVB needs to be properly placed - please see if you can order some of the worms I posted check the website and I would start googling live feeders in CA and what you can get those worms are going to lure him to the salad bowl but first you need to get the UVB placed -- you can use these to hang fixture or take the screen off so the bulb is unobstructed 3 M command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire – long plastic zip ties-- fishing line -- potted plant wire hangers -- shoe laces --
The bath did not impact him and you do not need to dechlorify the water -- it has made him more stressed out - most on here dont give baths unless they have pooped all over themselves or real bad shed etc ---
I would try hand feeding him salads or worms that will earn trust w/ him - but first you must get the UVB fixed --- this would cause lack of appetite and the runny poop - the UVB helps absorb the calcium he is getting -- along w/ other health issues it wards off like MBD etc --
Karrie
 

erodred

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":3usppa83 said:
The T 8 needs to go inside the tank -- the bulb is not strong enough to get thru the screen is blocking 30% of those rays - you need the decor piece directly underneath approx 6-8 inches from basking decor-- hes not eating one from relocation stress and two the UVB needs to be properly placed - please see if you can order some of the worms I posted check the website and I would start googling live feeders in CA and what you can get those worms are going to lure him to the salad bowl but first you need to get the UVB placed -- you can use these to hang fixture or take the screen off so the bulb is unobstructed 3 M command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire – long plastic zip ties-- fishing line -- potted plant wire hangers -- shoe laces --
The bath did not impact him and you do not need to dechlorify the water -- it has made him more stressed out - most on here dont give baths unless they have pooped all over themselves or real bad shed etc ---
I would try hand feeding him salads or worms that will earn trust w/ him - but first you must get the UVB fixed --- this would cause lack of appetite and the runny poop - the UVB helps absorb the calcium he is getting -- along w/ other health issues it wards off like MBD etc --
Karrie

Okay thanks! I will try and get some zip ties going. Just worried about the proximity of the basking bulb and it melting my zip ties.

I did hand feed him a cricket before and he seemed cool with it, although I was excited and scared at the same time when he snatched the cricket from my fingers. I will try again tomorrow with the food and just leave him be. My moving of the UVB will probably stress him out tonight.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
After getting the UVB readjusted you should see a difference in his behavior right away --- if you cant get it placed next to the basking bulb that is ok just so he access to getting directly underneath 6-8 inches from it
Karrie
 

erodred

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":3j8t3yxq said:
After getting the UVB readjusted you should see a difference in his behavior right away --- if you cant get it placed next to the basking bulb that is ok just so he access to getting directly underneath 6-8 inches from it
Karrie

https://zoomed.com/t8-reptisun-terrarium-hood/

For reference this is the one that I have. I do have those Commando velco straps lying around. You think that will anchor on to the mesh lid and not fall on Toothless? :?

It does not have much in the way of allowing zip ties to hold on to otherwise. I could see if PetSmart (the only pet store nearby) has another alternative hood maybe which has some sort of spots to anchor on to.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Most of them don't have the holes- your hood is a nice hood- those Velcro straps should work good I would think- use 3 of them spaced out - there is no clear plastic cover over bulb is there? If there is take it off you want that bulb exposed or naked
Karrie
 

erodred

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":gex9l2md said:
Most of them don't have the holes- your hood is a nice hood- those Velcro straps should work good I would think- use 3 of them spaced out - there is no clear plastic cover over bulb is there? If there is take it off you want that bulb exposed or naked
Karrie

Bulb is fully exposed. The only thing that was blocking it was the mesh. About to mount it. Going to use 4 strips to be extra safe....
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Sounds good get some BSFL and use those as lures to his salad bowl
Karrie
 

erodred

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":3azh92ol said:
Sounds good get some BSFL and use those as lures to his salad bowl
Karrie

So I am guessing crickets are just no good simply because they hop around? And meal worms are still a no go? I read that all that bad stuff was myths. Should I try getting those butter or wax worms at all?

Here is the hood now inside the tank mounted with 3 command strip velcros. Hopefully it holds for awhile. I may amazon a T5 later if I dont feel safe. The tree is around 6 to 8 inches away from it. He hopped onto the tree right away when I put it into place. Although my tampering darkened him up so I guess he will be stressed for a bit.

I did notice the light inside of the tank seemed to cut back on some of the reflection too which is a nice bonus.

Thanks for the tip Karrie and will keep you posted!


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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
If the reflection still tends to be a problem get some newspaper or magazine pages construction paper wrapping paper and put up on the back of your tank to get rid of the reflection ---
It would be great if you can get some butter worms - I cannot get any of them nor silk worms now I have been checking websites every day and even my go to place now has again quit shipping dubia roaches - as they are what I feed my two - but I am stocked up on those so I am not worried - I am however low on all my other worms - I have none at this time - and I am waiting for my super and horn worms to come - this pandemic has really effected the food supply for some reason I am not getting it -- I would go look at the website for the worm lady and see what you can find --- I know there have got to be other places in CA to get live feeders -- he is too young for meal worms - the exoskeleton is too harsh on their stomachs --- they are more for adult dragons - my two wont touch meal worms --- or wax worms which is just as well they are too fatty anyway and can cause liver damage if given long term ---
Karrie
 

erodred

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":8prkn6nx said:
If the reflection still tends to be a problem get some newspaper or magazine pages construction paper wrapping paper and put up on the back of your tank to get rid of the reflection ---
It would be great if you can get some butter worms - I cannot get any of them nor silk worms now I have been checking websites every day and even my go to place now has again quit shipping dubia roaches - as they are what I feed my two - but I am stocked up on those so I am not worried - I am however low on all my other worms - I have none at this time - and I am waiting for my super and horn worms to come - this pandemic has really effected the food supply for some reason I am not getting it -- I would go look at the website for the worm lady and see what you can find --- I know there have got to be other places in CA to get live feeders -- he is too young for meal worms - the exoskeleton is too harsh on their stomachs --- they are more for adult dragons - my two wont touch meal worms --- or wax worms which is just as well they are too fatty anyway and can cause liver damage if given long term ---
Karrie

Would small super worms and hornworms be good for a baby?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes and the hornworms grow real fast so order small amounts and feed 1-3 superworms on top of the salad w/ your Phoenix worms -- great lures to the salad bowl plus it gives variety and balance to his diet - the hornworms are a hydrating worm-- add those worms to his bowl in front of him so he sees you do this it will get his attention
Karrie
 

erodred

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":2t1vreds said:
Yes and the hornworms grow real fast so order small amounts and feed 1-3 superworms on top of the salad w/ your Phoenix worms -- great lures to the salad bowl plus it gives variety and balance to his diet - the hornworms are a hydrating worm-- add those worms to his bowl in front of him so he sees you do this it will get his attention
Karrie

I am reading the superworms can be very deadly though as they can bite and sting. So a little hesitant. I think I can only get the larger ones from the local store. But if I can get some small ones I could grab those with the butter worms. I can easily add those to the salad.

Thanks a lot Karrie, my fiance fought a bit over this and it was causing sleep loss :lol:

You are right he has begun to be more active since the UVB and his belly has turned completely white so no more stress marks. I am tempted to test a worm and some salad tonight.
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
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