new baby beardie sleeps all day, won't eat.

Hello everyone. This is my first post here.

I bought a Baby Red beardie for my 11yr old daughter yesterday from Monster Pets here in Philadelphia. It was the last beardie left in the cage and I noticed it was sleeping. We got it home and it has continued to sleep pretty much most of the day until I pick it up, it will open its eyes for a few seconds then close them again.

I put her/him in a separate plastic container to feed on baby crickets, put about 15 in there and the beardie just fell asleep while they were crawling all around her and even on her. I guess the crickets scared her because she woke up and started scratching against the side of the container as if it wanted out.

I went out and bought butternut squash, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. Cut them up super small, no bigger then the space between the eyes. and the beardie isn't interested in that either. My poor daughter is so worried and I feel terrible.

I have a cage 36x18x18. With a 30 inch Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb on top the cage along with a basking bulb. I even have a zoomed heating pad under the cage to make up for the chill in the house right now during the winter. I do admit I don't have a thermometer yet, will get one Friday when I get paid. I'm also using Repti-Carpet for the bottom of the cage.

The only movement the poor thing has made was about a few inches to the water bowl while we were a sleep last night. I have witnessed it drink water from the bowl after I placed it in front of it and dropped a few drops of water on it's head yesterday. It also had a bowel movement over night and one just about a hour ago.

please any help or advice is greatly appreciated. if any more info is needed or pics I will gladly do whatever I can. Thanks I'm advance.

Hi Stax, hopefully we can help your new baby. A baby that is sleeping during the day is definitely having some trouble, it may be something easy to remedy or may be more serious. It's good that he/she is drinking, hopefully he'll be eating soon too. Sometimes the stores have inadequate set ups,....not enough heat, uvb, calcium, babies may have arrived in poor condition, etc. Some are not fed enough or are fed insects that are too large. So there are a number of possible problems. Since he drank + poo'd, that's a good sign.

It probably has not had proper uvb + calcium, so getting the lights + heat right should help . So post pics of your set up and we'll see if any adjustments are needed. If your set up is good + he starts eating he may gradually begin to improve. You can also try some squash, chicken [ no gravy ] + green bean baby food in a syringe/eyedropper with a pinch of calcium powder. You can also squish a small cricket until the guts come out the back and rub it lightly on his snout....that sometimes gets them to eat.

Here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

hey, thanks for the quick reply. I fell sleep last night. I snapped a few pics before I walked out for work this morning. I feel terrible the poor baby is just laying there and won't eat or drink.

here are some pics. I covered the back left side with the hand towel to keep some of the cold are out coming from the window draft. it's 14 degrees here today.

This might help you work out what is going on : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=236150&p=1815390#p1815390


Most common causes of lethargy in a dragon are UV , temperature , malnutrition or severe illness.

UV , inadequate UVA exposure will cause a deprived dragon to be lethargic and to have a very poor appertite.

I can see at least one obvious easy to do change that your little hatchling will definitely benefit from (two actually)
>>> both relate to the UV
1) I STRONGLY SUGGEST moving the UV tube and it's reflector hood (it is a reflector hood ?) under the very fine mesh lid.

The mesh will be blocking 40% of the UV so moving the tube and it's reflector hood will have the following benefits

Gain 1)
an instant increase of UVA & UVB flux everywhere in the tank by AT LEAST 40% , likely 50-60% as the tube
Gain 2)
and the reflector hood will be a few inches closer as well , it is possible to estimate the improvement/increase in UVB as a result by referring to my charts here : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611
ie if the tube is a 12% UVB T5HO tube, and you move it closer ie from 40cm to 30cm , this results in a doubling of the microW UVB / sq.cm seen.

2) check the output rating for the UVB tube , it should be either an Arcadia T5HO 12%UVB or a Zoo Med T5HO 10%UVB tube ideally , if it is not a T5HO, you need to either move the reflector hood & T8 tube (10% - 12%UVB) so it's about 6 inches from the basking spot and not more than 23cm from the rest of the tank's floor.

3) if the tube is a 5% T5HO tube , I suggest immediately replacing it with a 10 to 12%UVB T5HO tube.

4) if it the tune is a 5% T8 tube, it's totally inadequate and needs to be upgraded,.

Temperatures are wrong
If the dragon is kept in a tank that is too cold , it will not be able to prcess it's food to create energy and will be perpetually "sleepy". Often a cold dragon will appear dark.

if the dragon's tank is too hot , nowhere under 100F , and even more so if over 110F , it will be unable to thermoregulate and if this goes on too long it will loose it's ability move and will soon be dead unless urgent vet care is provided.

Check your tank temperatures using ACCURATE DIGITAL THERMOMETERS with a probe remote from the display ie https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-LCD-Digital-Temperature-Thermometer-Fridge-Freezer-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Reptile/252754651862?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140107090050%26meid%3D43ecfe031f444eec8d0702c0599ccdc6%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D391259141696&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850 .
Very likely the thermometer you have been been using is very inaccurate and you don't know the temperature in the tank.

What is the room temperature during the day ? overnight ?

Placing the tank right next to a window , even with the blind down and the curtains drawn , is not a good idea, as windows act like heat sinks in winter and can be drafty too.

The little hatchling needs to kept warm 24/7,
aim for basking spot surface temperature at 40-42 DegC NOT MORE !!! EVER !!!.
aim for a warm zone air temperature at 32-36 DegC
aim for a cool zone temperature no less than 28 DegC
lights on 6am , off 9-10pm

Overnight temperatures in the tank no less than 24 degC, warmer (maybe 28degC) is better. ==> investment in Ceramic Heat Emitter & and a dimming thermostat will be an excellent investment over winter in your very cold climate

Feeding schedule and diet needs to be reviewed.

Poor little guy, hopefully he'll be O.K. You have a very nice set up with great climbing + basking options for a healthy dragon but in his condition he can't get up close enough to the uvb bulb. Is the uvb a t5 or a t8 ? The t5 is a very thin but more powerful bulb but at that distance it won't reach the baby, especially since the mesh can block from 15-40% of the uvb depending on how fine the mesh is. If it's like window screen mesh, it blocks more uvb.


You may want to set him up in a temp. enclosure like this :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29889/full

It's a plastic storage bin, get one that's about 12" high so you can set the uvb right across the top. Rig the actual basking light a little higher if it's more than 75 watts. Another option is to put the plastic tote right in her tank but put something under it to raise it closer to the uvb bulb. You'll have to move the cage decor to make room for it but that would work, too. Then be sure that the heat lamp is not too close to the baby. Get yourself a digital thermometer with a probe, leave the probe on the basking spot for 30 minutes to be sure of the proper reading and on the cooll side you'll want it to be about 76-82 at the most. No under tank heater for the plastic bin unless it's cold at night with the lights out, then you can put it on low.

There's no way right now to tell exactly what is wrong but these adjustments will insure proper uvb + heat.

Have you tried any of the feeding methods I mentioned like the baby food or smashing a small cricket ?

AHBD":uzti1hgi said:

Poor little guy, hopefully he'll be O.K. You have a very nice set up with great climbing + basking options for a healthy dragon but in his condition he can't get up close enough to the uvb bulb. Is the uvb a t5 or a t8 ? The t5 is a very thin but more powerful bulb but at that distance it won't reach the baby, especially since the mesh can block from 15-40% of the uvb depending on how fine the mesh is. If it's like window screen mesh, it blocks more uvb.


You may want to set him up in a temp. enclosure like this :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29889/full

It's a plastic storage bin, get one that's about 12" high so you can set the uvb right across the top. Rig the actual basking light a little higher if it's more than 75 watts. Another option is to put the plastic tote right in her tank but put something under it to raise it closer to the uvb bulb. You'll have to move the cage decor to make room for it but that would work, too. Then be sure that the heat lamp is not too close to the baby. Get yourself a digital thermometer with a probe, leave the probe on the basking spot for 30 minutes to be sure of the proper reading and on the cooll side you'll want it to be about 76-82 at the most. No under tank heater for the plastic bin unless it's cold at night with the lights out, then you can put it on low.

There's no way right now to tell exactly what is wrong but these adjustments will insure proper uvb + heat.

Have you tried any of the feeding methods I mentioned like the baby food or smashing a small cricket ?

Click to expand...

That's an very good idea : In fact you can modify a 100L tub / tote by using a power drill or soldering iron to make two sets of 100-200 5mm holes, one set high on one end , the other set low on the opposite end , attached the UV tube's reflector hood to the underside of the lid (only need 2 selftapping hex-head screws) and set up a tub how I set up my bluetongue skink / bearded dragon rearing tubs see viewtopic.php?f=34&t=233480
My beardies were all reared individually in these using Exo Terra Nano Hoods + 26W UVB200 compacts and a domestic globe to act as a basking globe.

The advantage of a tub with a lid on it is the lid
>> keeps the dragon inside secure from other animals
>> keeps the heat in, so you don't need nearly as much basking globe wattage to achieve the same basking spot temp and warm zone temperature
>> heat losses overnight are not as big as you'll seen if the tank is open topped, heated air immediately rises.


You may need to resort to handfeeding / assist feeding to the poor little hatchling over this big hump and to get some insect protein into it , see this for some instructions on how to handfeed : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=235583

AHBD":3qzo9pqq said:

Poor little guy, hopefully he'll be O.K. You have a very nice set up with great climbing + basking options for a healthy dragon but in his condition he can't get up close enough to the uvb bulb. Is the uvb a t5 or a t8 ? The t5 is a very thin but more powerful bulb but at that distance it won't reach the baby, especially since the mesh can block from 15-40% of the uvb depending on how fine the mesh is. If it's like window screen mesh, it blocks more uvb.


You may want to set him up in a temp. enclosure like this :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29889/full

It's a plastic storage bin, get one that's about 12" high so you can set the uvb right across the top. Rig the actual basking light a little higher if it's more than 75 watts. Another option is to put the plastic tote right in her tank but put something under it to raise it closer to the uvb bulb. You'll have to move the cage decor to make room for it but that would work, too. Then be sure that the heat lamp is not too close to the baby. Get yourself a digital thermometer with a probe, leave the probe on the basking spot for 30 minutes to be sure of the proper reading and on the cooll side you'll want it to be about 76-82 at the most. No under tank heater for the plastic bin unless it's cold at night with the lights out, then you can put it on low.

There's no way right now to tell exactly what is wrong but these adjustments will insure proper uvb + heat.

Have you tried any of the feeding methods I mentioned like the baby food or smashing a small cricket ?

Click to expand...

hey, no I havnt tried feeding it like you suggested I do. I will definitely try when I get home later. i tried feeding it some sweet potatoes by hand last night and it bit it a few times then spit it out.

this maybe a stupid question but how would I go about putting the tube light under the mesh like the person stated above?

I am also going to move the tank away from the window later too. And see if I have a big enough bin for the temp enclosure. Thanks so much for your help and I'll keep you updated.

Stax":3u1y2f1b said:

AHBD":3u1y2f1b said:

Poor little guy, hopefully he'll be O.K. You have a very nice set up with great climbing + basking options for a healthy dragon but in his condition he can't get up close enough to the uvb bulb. Is the uvb a t5 or a t8 ? The t5 is a very thin but more powerful bulb but at that distance it won't reach the baby, especially since the mesh can block from 15-40% of the uvb depending on how fine the mesh is. If it's like window screen mesh, it blocks more uvb.


You may want to set him up in a temp. enclosure like this :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29889/full

It's a plastic storage bin, get one that's about 12" high so you can set the uvb right across the top. Rig the actual basking light a little higher if it's more than 75 watts. Another option is to put the plastic tote right in her tank but put something under it to raise it closer to the uvb bulb. You'll have to move the cage decor to make room for it but that would work, too. Then be sure that the heat lamp is not too close to the baby. Get yourself a digital thermometer with a probe, leave the probe on the basking spot for 30 minutes to be sure of the proper reading and on the cooll side you'll want it to be about 76-82 at the most. No under tank heater for the plastic bin unless it's cold at night with the lights out, then you can put it on low.

There's no way right now to tell exactly what is wrong but these adjustments will insure proper uvb + heat.

Have you tried any of the feeding methods I mentioned like the baby food or smashing a small cricket ?

Click to expand...

hey, no I havnt tried feeding it like you suggested I do. I will definitely try when I get home later. i tried feeding it some sweet potatoes by hand last night and it bit it a few times then spit it out.

this maybe a stupid question but how would I go about putting the tube light under the mesh like the person stated above?

I am also going to move the tank away from the window later too. And see if I have a big enough bin for the temp enclosure. Thanks so much for your help and I'll keep you updated.

Click to expand...

If you have some fishing reels , take some fishing line and slip it through the mesh to form two loops to secure the reflector hood under the mesh , cable ties are good too, as are fuse wire, string and wool.

You can attach it with wires poked throught the screen like this [ or make bigger holes in the screen and use zip ties ]

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30028/full

But the plastic tote would be better, you can set the uvb right across the top. And I forgot to mention, the cut up veggies are too tough for a tiny baby, they lack the jaw strength to chew it. You can either make smoothie or get baby food for your little guy.

AHBD":2gkbf5b8 said:

You can attach it with wires poked throught the screen like this [ or make bigger holes in the screen and use zip ties ]

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30028/full

But the plastic tote would be better, you can set the uvb right across the top. And I forgot to mention, the cut up veggies are too tough for a tiny baby, they lack the jaw strength to chew it. You can either make smoothie or get baby food for your little guy.

Click to expand...

ok I'll definitely do the temp enclosure tonight and blend up the bell peppers squash and sweet potatoes into a mash and try feeding it that. if that doesn't work I'll try mashed crickets .

AHBD":14v9u91g said:

You can attach it with wires poked throught the screen like this [ or make bigger holes in the screen and use zip ties ]

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30028/full

But the plastic tote would be better, you can set the uvb right across the top. And I forgot to mention, the cut up veggies are too tough for a tiny baby, they lack the jaw strength to chew it. You can either make smoothie or get baby food for your little guy.

Click to expand...

I find using a fine grater works well for hard veg like carrot, sweet potato. Mix through some cut up leafy greens and it becomes a good source of vitamins.
I have a set of these : http://www.kitchenwarehouse.com.au/Scanpan-Utility-Grater-Fine-Grate-2mm-S-S?utm_source=google&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInYKIso-t2AIVhw4rCh1JDgvjEAQYAyABEgKEv_D_BwE which are perfect for the job.
For a hatchling , you are much better off using something like Repashi GrubPie and giving this as a slurry .
A lot of small feels is the way to go rather than one or two big meals in a case like this.

kingofnobbys":19zd5utt said:

AHBD":19zd5utt said:

You can attach it with wires poked throught the screen like this [ or make bigger holes in the screen and use zip ties ]

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/30028/full

But the plastic tote would be better, you can set the uvb right across the top. And I forgot to mention, the cut up veggies are too tough for a tiny baby, they lack the jaw strength to chew it. You can either make smoothie or get baby food for your little guy.

Click to expand...

I find using a fine grater works well for hard veg like carrot, sweet potato. Mix through some cut up leafy greens and it becomes a good source of vitamins.
I have a set of these : http://www.kitchenwarehouse.com.au/Scanpan-Utility-Grater-Fine-Grate-2mm-S-S?utm_source=google&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInYKIso-t2AIVhw4rCh1JDgvjEAQYAyABEgKEv_D_BwE which are perfect for the job.
For a hatchling , you are much better off using something like Repashi GrubPie and giving this as a slurry .
A lot of small feels is the way to go rather than one or two big meals in a case like this.

Click to expand...

ok I'll use the grater when I get home in a few hours. my daughter just called me all excited saying she thinks she is feeling better because she moved from the back side of the cage and was on her food dish but she didnt see if she was eating any, that was a few hours ago and is now laying in her water dish. Are these good signs? should I leave her in the water dish or move her out of it? also she pooped again.

It's good that he's moving but yes, tell your daughter to take out the water dish, that can be a sign of disorientation. They can drown or just get chilled.

And try baby food or pureed food....in his condition it's better to have only soft foods. Grated carrots + such are still tough for a tiny baby that is very weak, you want something that is soupy that she'll just lick up or baby insects that are soft as butter, like the abdomen of a baby cricket. Very soft shredded greens would be good but not just any. You'd want nutritional ones like turnip, mustard, dandelion, arugula. endive.

AHBD":21niubca said:

It's good that he's moving but yes, tell your daughter to take out the water dish, that can be a sign of disorientation. They can drown or just get chilled.

And try baby food or pureed food....in his condition it's better to have only soft foods. Grated carrots + such are still tough for a tiny baby that is very weak, you want something that is soupy that she'll just lick up or baby insects that are soft as butter, like the abdomen of a baby cricket. Very soft shredded greens would be good but not just any. You'd want nutritional ones like turnip, mustard, dandelion, arugula. endive.

Click to expand...

what exact kind of baby food should I buy for her?

You can use squash, green bean, sweet potato, chicken [ but no gravy or salty broth ] mixed together. Or just buy one type of baby food, smash a cricket like I mentioned and mix it together. Put it on her nose/lip area + see if she'l lap it up.

The Repashy grub pie that the other poster mentioned is also a good choice , really good stuff.