New beardie owner ( beardie not eating)

Status
Not open for further replies.
I need help with my beardie. I feed he in the morning around 6:45am and again 5:30pm because of the hours I work. Over the past couple of days I've noticed her not wanting to eat as much. On the weekends I'm able to feed her 3 times a day. Now she only ate 5 wax worms this morning and only 1 meal worm tonight. What can I do for her it scares me that she's eating less.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Relocation stress will have a lot to do w/ not eating-- however she should not completely quit eating-- can you go over your set up pics of tank and lighting please---- https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG on top of message box and then click on pic to post---- I can give you tips on getting him / her to eat salad- meal worms and wax worms are not good staple feeders -- you need to get either crickets or dubia roaches -- I recommend dubias ---
First you need to feed salad first thing in the morning --- after they warm up- they wont eat when cold- next get a glass bowl that bugs cant get out of - add 1-3 super worms on top or meal worms and BSFL https://symtonbsf.com/these are a good staple feeder - add as many as you want on top of salad - this will get him / her to food bowl - let him / her eat from that bowl for 30-45 minutes then add your staple feeder crickets or dubias - you can disable the crickets by pulling one of the legs so they cant jump out --- add it right to their salad bowl -- but for now we need to see the tank and what you have going for lights and basking temps --- what are they and how are you taking them ? infrared heat gun stick ons or digital probe?
Karrie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok so I see the stick ons in tank-- are you taking temps any other way? Stick ons are not accurate and you need to get a digital probe from Petco or Pet Smart $5-- and a infrared heat gun for $10-12 from your local home improvement store---- the UVB is a T 8? It needs to go inside the tank appox 6-8 inches from basking area --- he/ she needs to be able to sit directly under it w/ cover off the bulb meaning it needs to be exposed for best UVB rays---- this and the basking temps in that tank are crucial ---- the UVB for absorption of calcium and basking temps for digestion of food - this could be another reason for not eating or very little ---- once you get that in place and in order you should see a pick up in eating --- right now he is still settling in but you need to get that lighting fixed --- basking temps should be 105-110 for a baby --- as they get older they wont need them so hot --- do you have a hide for him / her -- also I recommend some more climbing decor - it is nice for them to have a piece of decor that gives them different temp gradients for them to sit and bask - a piece like this is nice from Pet Smart and easy to clean https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/PetSmart/5103128?$sclp-prd-main_large$
Karrie
 
The basking bulb is a 75W ReptiSun unit, and the UVB is a new ReptiSun 10.0 T8-18. Temps at the top of her basking rock, under the temp bulb, are close to 100*, which needs to be a bit higher.

She wakes at 06:00, and Lana starts getting the worms warmed up at that time as well. Usually by 06:45, the worms and Marline are warmed up enough to eat and be eaten. Being that we rent the home, and it is Florida, I am reluctant to do anything with Roaches (as Florida is a perfect natural breeding habitat for them, and once loose and multiplying they will NEVER be gotten rid of). Crickets, even disabled, seem to be a bit too quick moving for her in a 40G terrarium.

Once I get home, her habitat will be remodeled to make the lighting brighter and the whole set-up easier to clean. I would like to start from scratch and build a larger-than-40G for her, to give her some real room to run as she grows to adulthood. Any help would be appreciated.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You can try ordering discoid roaches -- I think they are available in Florida and JumpinJellyfish lives in Fla I think she has some suppliers down there --- as far as enclosure tips check out the DIY board on this forum -- might give you some ideas a long w/ some other people on here that have made their own as well
Karrie
 
I ordered some Phoenix Worms BSFL today, and she'll hopefully be able to enjoy them by this time next week. Lana reported that she ate all of her dose of ReptiStim (I think that's what she called it) and a few worms this morning; she was bright and cheery, happy to see her 'mom' (which are good signs). Her belly felt full (not flaccid like it were empty) and she was warm at this morning's feeding.

I have been a member here since 2011, shortly after I got Cooper (from which my screen name is derived) and have been cruising the D-I-Y and VIV forums; always looking for better than average stuff. I would like to take the time and build a versatile and large space for Marline. lots of good light, heat, places to run and play.........
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
What is ReptiStim? Is she eating salad? the basking temps play a big role in the eating--- how are you taking those temps? The T 8 needs to be inside the tank -- she is not getting enough UVB w/ it on top -- the T 8 bulb is not strong enough for rays to get thru the screen - its filtering out 30% of the rays and w/ it being the T 8 shes not getting much UVB - I would get it in the tank approx 6-8 inches from basking area and I would put it so shes directly under neath - this is a probable cause of her not eating
Karrie
 
The stuff is called Repti-Boost. It is a mix of different feeders, blended up and you add water to. She seems to like it so far, and it is much like Pedialyte for humans (it adds nutrients and electrolytes back into your system, plus hydrates). Her belly is full-feeling and plump, so she is eating until full (it seem).

Her eating varies, and Lana has added a ceramic bowl to the terrarium in which she adds the different types of worms. She said that when she got home today, Marline had eaten quite a few from the bowl (that is likely the direction that we will go when Lana works longer shift days). Kinda like a self-serve!

Lighting will be improved considerably in the near future. Had the unit die this morning, and a replacement is in place (also a T8-18 with a fresh Repti-Sun 10.0 UVB tube installed). I will be upgrading lighting when I get back home, as well as refreshing her entire environment.

She is energetic and very happy to see her mom, so it looks like what we were experiencing is somewhat normal for a beardie of her age.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
That is good -- glad to hear shes eating her vegies and the lighting is good as well
Karrie
 
For anyone else who may also be experiencing this phenomenon with a new beardie; get good lighting, proper heat, and give the little critter time to adjust to its new surroundings.

It has been a week and all I can say is she's going to eat us out of house and home. She continuously eats between 20-35 wax worms daily now. Every day. She poos regularly and healthily. :D
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
It's good to hear that she's eating so much more now ! Keep in mind that waxworms are not a really good staple insect, they are high in fat and somewhat low in protein. Try adding bsfl , crickets + dubias to her diet.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Coopersdad":3rj7ce47 said:
For anyone else who may also be experiencing this phenomenon with a new beardie; get good lighting, proper heat, and give the little critter time to adjust to its new surroundings.

It has been a week and all I can say is she's going to eat us out of house and home. She continuously eats between 20-35 wax worms daily now. Every day. She poos regularly and healthily. :D

Yup! That's what we try to tell everyone but it's hard to believe it yourself for the first time until you actually see it happen. Just gotta trust the process, and let the proper husbandry take care of the rest :D

But remember like AHBD mentioned, waxworms are more of a treat insect if anything. A good comparison IMO is a hersheys bar. You give your kids chocolate as treats, but you'd never let them live off of it right? Apply that to waxworms too :)

-Brandon
 
She has no problems eating now!

The bowl of worms never gets to stay full. We now feed her roughly 50-60 Phoenix Worms a day, along with 10 or so Wax Worms and finely diced Kale. She will decimate the worms, all throughout the day. Veggies are usually first thing in the morning, along with 20 worms and her supplements. Throughout the day, her ceramic bowl gets 30 or so large Phoenix worms. When Lana gets home from work, the bowl will be empty and a stuffed baby lizard girl will be basking! Lana will put between 10-20 worms back into the bowl, and they will most often times 'disappear' before Marlines' lights go out!

She eats regularly, and well. She poops well enough and large enough! She has a massive appetite. To be honest, I will chalk this instance up to relocation stresses and a diet switch. Good lighting helped, but I think she just needed to get comfy and used to her new diet!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Still Needs Help

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
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:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,678
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom