Beardie not eating that many crickets

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My bearded dragon, Rojo is about 2-3months old I think (6-7inches) and finished shedding a few days ago . Every morning and night I offer him 1/2 inch crickets, along with greens .and he eats a mean of 5 crickets a day. I purchased him a few days ago and have him in a 29 gallon tank with a basking temp 90-93 degrees and cool side of 74-77 degrees . I purchased him a five days ago and seems healthy otherwise ..
 

Claudiusx

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90 to 93 degrees isnt hot enough to facilitate proper digestion. A baby dragon needs a basking SURFACE temp of 105-110. You will need a temp gun or digital with probe end to measure this. Dials aren't accurate and they cant give you the basking surface temp, which is the most important temp in your tank.

What bulb are you using for uvb?

Proper temps and proper lighting are key for a healthy dragon, and play a massive role in appetite.

That being said, it's also not uncommon for new dragons to have low appetites just due to the stress of a new environment.

Make sure your husbandry is up to par, and if the appetite is still low, it should get better with time.

-Brandon
 

TheownerofROJO

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claudiusx":366c3nyp said:
90 to 93 degrees isnt hot enough to facilitate proper digestion. A baby dragon needs a basking SURFACE temp of 105-110. You will need a temp gun or digital with probe end to measure this. Dials aren't accurate and they cant give you the basking surface temp, which is the most important temp in your tank.

What bulb are you using for uvb?
Reptisun T5

Proper temps and proper lighting are key for a healthy dragon, and play a massive role in appetite.

That being said, it's also not uncommon for new dragons to have low appetites just due to the stress of a new environment.

Make sure your husbandry is up to par, and if the appetite is still low, it should get better with time.

-Brandon
 

TheownerofROJO

Member
Original Poster
TheownerofROJO":o6urekg1 said:
claudiusx":o6urekg1 said:
90 to 93 degrees isnt hot enough to facilitate proper digestion. A baby dragon needs a basking SURFACE temp of 105-110. You will need a temp gun or digital with probe end to measure this. Dials aren't accurate and they cant give you the basking surface temp, which is the most important temp in your tank.

What bulb are you using for uvb?
Reptisun 5.0 uvb actually

Proper temps and proper lighting are key for a healthy dragon, and play a massive role in appetite.

That being said, it's also not uncommon for new dragons to have low appetites just due to the stress of a new environment.

Make sure your husbandry is up to par, and if the appetite is still low, it should get better with time.

-Brandon
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The bulb is good-- but it needs to be in the tank around 8-10 inches -- the 5.0 HO is more for tropical reptiles -- or so I have been told
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

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Staff member
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Is it the t5 5.0, the t8 5.0, or the compact coil 5.0?

There was a lot of other information in my post you didnt respond to. It's all very important.

-Brandon
 

TheownerofROJO

Member
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claudiusx":2gb8duh1 said:
Is it the t5 5.0, the t8 5.0, or the compact coil 5.0?

There was a lot of other information in my post you didnt respond to. It's all very important.

-Brandon
T5 5.0. Also the watts for Basking lights is halogen 50watt. Husbandry and set up seems good. He has had four crickets today
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I take it the 5.0 is a long tube correct? 4 crickets is not very many he should be eating 20 or more in a 10-15 minute time span---- that is why we are asking about the UVB bulb-- I understand he is new to surroundings but he still should be eating a little more that 4 crickets / feeding
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
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Yeah the t5 is a tube.

The feeding amount is ok really. When tombo was new he only ate 2 or 3 worms a day for a day or two. And then it slowly built up each day.

Some food is better than none. I wouldn't be too concerned for now unless he refuses food completely for a couple days.

Your husbandry isnt ok if your basking temp is only 93 degrees. Like mentioned, if no digestion is occurring, no food will be eaten. You need to bump your temps up and make sure you're measuring with an accurate tool.

Temperature is arguably the single most important part of a dragons husbandry.

-Brandon
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
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Once you get your temperature fixed I'd say everything else seems good and you'll be off to a great long life with your new bud :D

-Brandon
 

TheownerofROJO

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":1hzklxcr said:
Yeah the t5 is a tube.

The feeding amount is ok really. When tombo was new he only ate 2 or 3 worms a day for a day or two. And then it slowly built up each day.

Some food is better than none. I wouldn't be too concerned for now unless he refuses food completely for a couple days.

Your husbandry isnt ok if your basking temp is only 93 degrees. Like mentioned, if no digestion is occurring, no food will be eaten. You need to bump your temps up and make sure you're measuring with an accurate tool.

Temperature is arguably the single most important part of a dragons husbandry.

——Ok.. also I am using a dial for temperature but purchased a temp gun and reptisun 10.0 that is gonna arrive tommorow . He is also not that active but probably because of stress and improper uvb which will be fixed . Hopefully the temp is incorrect

-Brandon
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Awesome. Let us know when they arrive and we can help you out with your temperatures too.

-Brandon
 

TheownerofROJO

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":2ey5d2rn said:
Awesome. Let us know when they arrive and we can help you out with your temperatures too.

-Brandon
The digital thermometer is seems like be saying 92* and I got the new uvb. About to go to reptile store for new crickets and heat lamp..
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Thats good but you want an actual basking temp -- the only way to get that is w/ a infrared heat gun-- we dont know if its warmer or cooler --- w/ the probe-- how long did you let it sit for before reading it? 92 is ok for an adult -- your little guy needs to be warmer like 105-110
Karrie
 

TheownerofROJO

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":4vvc1w49 said:
Thats good but you want an actual basking temp -- the only way to get that is w/ a infrared heat gun-- we dont know if its warmer or cooler --- w/ the probe-- how long did you let it sit for before reading it? 92 is ok for an adult -- your little guy needs to be warmer like 105-110
Karrie

I had it sit for 10 minutes before reading
 
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