Baby Beardie Very Lethargic and not Eating

Hello, I've had my baby for a little over two weeks and he hasn't eaten a whole lot due to relocation stress. On Sunday night he ate small
8 crickets at the dinner time feeding and I hand fed him a few pieces of orange pepper. By Monday afternoon he stopped eating all together and has been hiding under his log for most of the last two days. Since he hasn't been eating a whole lot he has only been pooping 1x a day. He is very small only about 6 inches so I am worried that he hasn't eaten in the last two days. I did give him a bath last night and some Reptiboost through a syringe to help keep him hydrated and get some protein and calcium in his system. I do not think there is anything wrong with my Viv setup.

His tank set up is as follows..
20 gallon tank
Tile for substrate
75 watt basking bulb
Long 10.0 T8 reptisun bulb mounted 6inches from the main basking spot under the mesh screen.
The basking spot stays about 102-110 depending on the amount of airflow in the room (door open or shut).
The cool side is about 72-75 degrees on average.
A ceramic heat emitter for nighttime which keeps his tank about 80-85 degrees.
Several hides/branches and a water dish.


Could he just be getting ready to shed? I did see his eyes bulging a little bit last night and his skin seems more dull in areas. I am just concerned because he has stayed under his hide so much in the last two days.

Hi. How are you taking the temps? Is the uvb light a t5 or t8? Also he doesn't need a heat source at night unless your house gets below 65.

I take his temps with digital probes. The bulb is a T8 which I mentioned in the first post. My house drops to 55 every night as I live in the mountains in Montana so I have to leave that CHE on at night.

Ok the T 8 needs to come up higher -- its too close -- take the screen off -- distance for a T 8 should be 8-10 inches w/ NO screen----your gonna need to upgrade that tank really soon - hes going to outgrow it --- 80-85 at nite is too warm --- he needs cooler temps like in the 70's or high 60's --- if you need the screen set the screen 1/2 on and have the T 8 running width wise --- and put his basking piece 8-10 inches directly under it --- is your house dropping to 55 at nite ?
Karrie

The T8 bulb is a weaker bulb so everything I have read has said to mount it 6 to 8 inches from his basking spot. And as I mentioned in my original post, the bulb is NOT over the top of the screen. I have it mounted lengthwise under the screen which is off most of the time anyways. I am aware that he will outgrow his 20 gallon tank soon. I can try to rig the CHE so it is father away from his tank at night so it doesn't get too warm but yes, my house drops to 55 at night and stays about 70 during the day time.

Correct but if hes hiding from the UVB its too close --- we all recommend on here 8-10 inches --- I would try it and see if his behavior does not change --- basking temps should be 105--110 taken w/a digital probe --- UVB and basking temps are the two most important things in that tank
Karrie

That is him just after his bath tonight

I moved his UVB bulb up to 10 inches away but as soon as I put him back in his tank after his bath he crawled back under the hide. He has no interest in food tonight. It's been 2 weeks since his last shed, could he be getting ready to shed again?

He is a cutie --- all I can do is recommend the distances we give people --- he will take a while to adjust as well so w/ his eating being off we call it relocation stress --- its when they quit eating all together that we get concerned about -- and the first thing we check is the UVB and basking temps-- what are you feeding him? Any salads he needs those right away as well -- you want him eating some even if he does not eat alot you want him eating some of his greens -- here is a website for nutrition
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder -- I have websites for insects and worms if you would like them-- most on here order on line for feeders and worms -- it could be the shedding but not eating is not good -- see what happens tomorrow -- it didnt look like he was going to shed --- lay off the baths for now -- that too will stress him out --- we dont usually recommend bathing right away unless they are really dehydrated and actually drink from the bath - we normally have people drop water on their nose or spray them or give by syringe -- very slowly so they dont aspirate--- I would let him get used to his surroundings for like a week before handling him then start slow --- try hand feeding him --- approach from the side not overhead he will think your a predator -- and be careful when handling they seem to think they can fly and before you know it hes on the floor ---- we had some lady lose her dragon under the fridge --

Karrie

Thanks Karrie, I have been feeding him small crickets that are smaller than the width between his eyes. I just ordered Dubia roaches and Phoenix worms yesterday. As far as veggies I have been offering them daily, but he has only occasionally taken a few bits of kale and orange pepper from the tweezers I hand feed him with.

You might try some BSFL- they are a good staple feeder and you don't need to dust them you can use them as a lure to the salad bowl-- use as many as you want and add them to the bowl in front of him - the movement will get his attention- you can order them from here www.symtonbsf.com they are also called nutri grubs calci worms and Phoenix worms- he's so little I would get medium I usually have people get large but they are small and so is he- they can be kept on your counter for a couple of weeks they would make a nice compliment to the crickets and worms and nice salad toppers just make sure you have a glass bowl they can't get out of
Karrie

So, I moved his light setup to see if that would help. The UVB light is 10 inches from his basking spot and the regular white basking bulb is right next to it about 11/12 inches away as well. I thought that it was too bright in the tank, which is why my baby was hiding. But nothing has changed in the last two days. With the basking bulb roughly 12 inches away it has been harder to keep the basking spot at 105-110 so I had to turn on the red heat lamp that is in the same fixture As the basking bulb. I normally do not have that one on since I heard the red light is not good for beardies.

Kiwi has been eating a little bit more in the last three days, but he still only eats about 5-7 crickets a day and only a few pieces of veggies. I did give him some Flukers Reptiboost via a syringe to make sure he was getting enough protein and calcium. He has been pooping once a day and it looks normal. He also has remained alert, just not basking or moving too much.

I will post a picture of my tank set up. I am just worried that he will not get enough UVB or heat exposure.