My 2 mo new beardie won't eat and has sunken fat pads

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Dragonmomma19

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My husband and I adopted a baby beardie from Petsmart (I know, we already regret that but we just fell in love with little Lewis), who told us he only needed to eat 3 crickets a day (!!!). The first time we fed him, he hunted and ate the 3 crix, and a few pieces of kale (I fed him as much as he would eat). The second day, he ate two, and after that for the rest of the week we realized he wasn't eating them and they were hiding in his terrarium. We tried hand feeding him on Day 5 of having him in our family, and he ate 5. The next morning, he ate 7. It has now been a week since, and he refuses to eat anything at all, besides a few pieces of celery. This is the two week anniversary date of our adopting him.

BUT HERE'S THE WEIRD PART. His poo is normal, and he's active! He will sit happily on his basking log, then run around his cage and play for a bit, then go back on the basking log and rest again for a while. He lets us hold him, and he has the proper lights, humidity, and temp! It is only that he doesn't like to eat! For the meantime, we have resorted to assist-feeding him nutrient pellets dipped in water to make mushy, so they are easier for him to digest.

We recognize that it has only been two weeks, and we think he was somewhat traumatized by how many crickets were hiding in his basking log, and we were only finding them as they would come out in twos while he was asleep at night, and would be walking on/around him. On top of this, we only got him a backdrop last Saturday, which is like putting him in an entirely new setup, and they are doing construction on the apartment below us.

Is this just stress? Is it just a baby learning he needs to eat to live? We read that at Petsmart they basically give their reptiles the reptile-version of pop tarts and junk food to make them bulk up and look healthy- is this just him adjusting to a healthier diet? Or is this something more? I'm freaking out but my husband (who has actually had reptiles before; I haven't) said he thinks it's just the reacclimation, which he has essentially had to do twice in two weeks. Any insight would be very, very helpful!!! I'm so scared our little Lewis won't make it...
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Welcome to the forum-- please post pics of your tank and lighting --- people from Petsmart often give bad advice and more times out of ten by the time people get to this forum their dragons are terribly sick--- first off your little guy is probably going thru relocation stress --- it will take him some time to get used to you and others - I would recommend putting in a soft piece of cloth like fleece or sock or some sort of clothing they love soft things that has your scent on it - he will become used to you quicker- I would recommend you switch him over to dubias -- they are way better for him they are easy to keep they dont stink and they dont chirp and they last longer than crickets -- they can be kept in a tote or 10 gallon aquarium and can be fed carrots apples squash strawberries etc............. please dont leave crickets in your babies tank -- they bite and can cause infection - dubias do not bite! Please dust the bugs your feeding him w/ calcium D3 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week - offer him a salad like mustard collard turnip greens -- maybe a little fruit some squash -- apples strawberries blueberries NO citrus! His main diet is bugs and he needs that and the calcium / vitamins till hes around a year then his diet will flip w/ vegies being the main course and bugs maybe 2 times per week - but please post pics of your tank and lighting -- that is crucial in the development and over all health - I forgot say he should be eating 15-20 crickets in a 10-15 minute feeding -- if you give him dubias it will be less as they are more filling- 1 dubia = 6 crickets
Karrie
 
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