Meet Reptar!

Hello everyone, I got Reptar yesterday and so far he/she has been super friendly. I don’t know yet if it’s a boy or a girl. The lady at the pet store said he/she was too little right now to really know.
I have done a lot of research on dieting, lighting, environmental needs, and how to handle it, but I’m still having trouble with knowing when to turn the light on and off. The lady at the pet store told me to have it on for 12 and off for 12. Because I have Reptar in my room I had my light on from last night at 7 to today at 7 in the morning. I did it because I have my AC on at night. I’m worried that I’m setting the light in the opposite way that sunlight works throughout the day.

Reptar is a cute little one! As far as lighting goes, 12-14hrs is a good daylight schedule. I've found it helps to set the lights on an outlet timer so you can set it and forget it. Overnight it's normal for them to have a cool down period. low 70s is a good target temperature but he should be fine as long as tank temps stay above 65. If they drop below that then you can use a ceramic heat emitter which will bump the temps up a bit but won't produce visible light that might disturb his sleep.

Thanks! I can’t waiy to find out what gender it is. I’m going to get the timer. It sounds like an awesome idea and for now I’m leaving the light on for 12 hours. At 10:30 pm lights go out and at 10:30 am lights go on. I’m sleeping with AC off so that Reptar doesn’t get too cold.
I’m worried that Reptar hasn’t eaten since yesterday. Yesterday Reptar started shedding and I’m thinking that’s why she/he won’t eat. I tried feeding Reptar by bringing the cricket to its mouth with a tweezer and it kept backing up to avoid the cricket. I tried again and again but Reptar kept avoiding the cricket and wiping its face with its hand when I put the cricket near its mouth.

Shedding can certainly cause temporary lack of appetite. Don't be too forceful with the feeding but keep bugs available on the regular schedule and let him take what he wants. His appetite should return when the shed is done. AC is OK overnight too but set it to the low 70s. As long as the tank stays above 65 overnight he should be just fine.

Thanks again! You’re a lot of help. Reptar’s apetite is returning. He ate 6 yesterday. 4 in first feeding and 2 in the other feeding. I’m on my way to work now and he was able to eat 5 crickets. When I get back I hope he can eat 5 more. He also ate a few kale pieces that I chopped up yesterday. I’m not exactly sure how much he’s supposed to be eating because he’s so little. I read that they should eat as much as they can in 15 minutes and that it should be 2-3 feedings per day.

Yesterday when I got back from work, he didn’t want to eat more crickets when I fed him. So he basically only ate 5 in one day. Today he only ate 1 cricket and I kept trying and trying so I ended up going to PetSmart and getting wax worms because they’re soft unlike mealworms. ( I read they’re high in fat and that they should be fed once every two weeks). She ate 3. So basically today she has eaten 1 cricket and 3 wax worms. She also ate a few tiny pieces of carrot. I’m still worried that she didn’t want to eat her crickets. I had the day off at work so I basically took a lot of time trying to make her eat crickets. I don’t know if it’s because she’s not getting enough heat. Her heat is at 90. They told me at the pet store today that it should be at 100-110. And that if she doesn’t get it, she will not digest her food well. The bottom of her belly and beard gets black lines and that also scares me. I read that it could be because of stress, hunger, or that she may just be trying to take in light. Please give me some of your insight. I’ve been stressing about her well being, and doing my very best for her. I soaked her with warm water because when she shedded her skin, I noticed her tail didn’t peel. I don’t want her to get tail rot. I’ve been reading a lot about everything so I can take good care of her. Mind you, she is very little. As seen on the pictures.

The dark lines are common with younger dragons and nothing to worry about. They darken to absorb more heat and light and the lines are just more pronounced on small dragons. Don't be too forceful with the food, let her take what she wants. The store was right about the temps to an extent. You want to measure surface temps using an IR temp gun or digital thermometer with a probe. The surface temps over the basking area should range between about 100-110. There should be areas around that in the 90s and then surface temps around 75-85 on the cool side of the tank. The point is to provide a good gradient across the tank so she has options to move around and control her temperatures how she wants.

I’m worried that Reptar didn’t eat yesterday or Sunday.I’ve tried feeding her today and she hasn’t eaten yet. I took her out today and she ran around my bed and hopped from one pillow to the other. I had her for a while on me while I stroked her gently. I put her bank in her tank and she’s sleeping underneath the light. I can’t stop worrying about her not eating. I would be very greatful if you gave me some of your insight on this situation. My mom keeps telling me to change her for another bearded dragon that is a little bigger at the petstore before the date in the receipt passes. I’ve gotten so attached already.

Nah she's your buddy, don't trade her in. Her high energy level and curiosity is a good sign and I would encourage her to explore like that as long as it's safe. She looked healthy in the last photos I saw, so I would just keep offering her food a couple of times per day and leave a salad in for her (http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html) all day. As long as she continues to show energy outside the tank and is alert I would just keep trying. It might be good to keep track of her weight too if you have or can get a kitchen scale. Keeping a chart of their weight is a helpful indicator of their overall health and growth progress.

Thank you for all your insight. I would be driving myself crazy if I didn’t have someone with enough experience to communicate with about Reptar. She looks like she has gotten skinnier, but she’s still playful.I tried feeding her again today and she’s ignoring her kale, carrots, crickets, and even her wax worms. That’s like their Hershey I heard. Today would be the third day not eating. It makes me sad ?. Three days is a lot to go without eating.

Still looks nice and alert. Have you tried offering black soldier fly larvae? https://symtonbsf.com/collections/frontpage/products/medium-feeding-grade-grubs

I haven’t tried, but I just finished ordering some. I hope they come soon. I got free expedited shipping. I’m not sure how to maintain them and The small larvae didn’t have a size order less than a thousand. I’m really worried now that it has been 4 days already that Reptar hasn't eaten. At least she has been drinking water. I place drops on her snout and she will stick out her tongue and drink.

Reptar is a cutie! I hope she starts eating again soon, Sarairodri.

They usually arrive within a day or two when I've ordered. You just keep them in the cup they arrive in and dig them out to feed them. They come with soil substrate that should be brushed off before feeding as much as possible. It's not harmful but I wouldn't want too much to be ingested. I've had good luck just putting them in a sieve and shaking the dirt off of them that way. You can rinse them too but they get stickier and can climb better when they are wet. I hope he likes them!

Thanks for all the info. You are a great help!I live in Florida and I read that the company is in Texas. I hope she has eaten something by the time they get here. ? By the way, today when I tried feeding Reptar, she ran to the wax worm and she touched it with her mouth and she didn’t eat it. I put vegetables and she nibbled them as soon as I placed them in her tank, but she didn’t really eat them. Today is her 5th day not eating and it makes me sad. She still weighs the same as yesterday (6g). She ran around my bed today and climbed on me, but I’m still worried. Can she die from not eating for so many days?