New baby beardie not eating

Hello there! I am new to the Forum. So- HELLO
I got my baby beardie Drogon 8 days ago. First-time beardie owner. I know they need some time to settle in but he really worries me. He is in a 40-gallon tank with his basking spot on 110F and his cold area on 85-95F. I got a 10.0 UVB light reptisun. I feed him crickets, dubia roaches, and greens. He's been eating on and off but only a couple of feeders and one piece of green a day. I offer him his food every 2 hours. He usually only eats once a day. I powder his food with calcium and vitamins. I feed oranges and carrots to the feeders. He hasn't been eating since yesterday. All he does since yesterday evening is hiding. I got him standing with me on my desk so he can see me and my fam and gets used to us. I try not to take him out. He poops daily. I turn his lights off and on at the same time daily. The company I got him from said he's about 2.5 months old. Could it be that he's going into shed mode? I am really worried and on my wit's end. I just want him to be a happy lil dragon. Please help!

Hello,

Welcome to the forum, but sorry you are having some trouble with your dragon already.
Is the Reptisun 10 a long tube or a compact/coil bulb? What are you using to measure
his basking temperatures with?
Which feeders are you giving to him?
The temperatures may be a bit off. The basking temperatures sound fine if they are in
the range of 95-110F but the cooler end should be a little less hot. Those temperatures
only need to be in a range of 78-82 or so. He could be getting a little too hot which can
affect his appetite quite a bit.
If he is getting ready to shed, that can also affect his appetite & his mood overall.
Do you have pictures of him, along with your tank setup you could post?

Tracie

Drache613":34y3oklm said:

Hello,

Welcome to the forum, but sorry you are having some trouble with your dragon already.
Is the Reptisun 10 a long tube or a compact/coil bulb? What are you using to measure
his basking temperatures with?
Which feeders are you giving to him?
The temperatures may be a bit off. The basking temperatures sound fine if they are in
the range of 95-110F but the cooler end should be a little less hot. Those temperatures
only need to be in a range of 78-82 or so. He could be getting a little too hot which can
affect his appetite quite a bit.
If he is getting ready to shed, that can also affect his appetite & his mood overall.
Do you have pictures of him, along with your tank setup you could post?

Tracie

Click to expand...

Hey Tracie,

Thank you for your reply. I have attached a pic of his viv and also a pic of his tail. I think he might be shedding because his tail has this bright part and the rest of him is greyish. But I haven't found any skin. His cold side is on 81F. I have the bulb that came with the kit and I also bought a 10.0 long tube. I gave him a bath yesterday which he seemed to enjoy. Today he is hiding again. oh and for some reason today the humidity meter that I have in there shows 40. so on the tropical side. I usually have 30!? I have no water in there since I feed him with the pipette and no food as well. what could that come from? Oh, and I measure the temp with a temp gun. I feed him crickets, dubia roaches, and waxworms. I asked the company where I have him from what they fed and they said crickets and mealworms. he likes both but the dubia roaches are his fave I think. The glass dish that is in the tank is to feed the crickets without them running away. the dubia and his greens I feed with the tongs.

Your UVB is a T 8 or a T 5-- it looks like a T 8 w/ that being said please move the T 8 into the tank - the screen is blocking 30% of the rays and there should be no clear plastic cover over the bulb - that too will block the rays --- here are some things to hang inside the tank place a piece of basking decor directly underneath approx 6-8 inches for a Reptisun bulb or 10-12" for a Arcadia 12% D3 bulb
3 M command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire – long plastic zip ties-- fishing line - potted plant wire hangers-- and these I found work really good https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-15-ft-Cable-Ties-Hook-and-Loop-Spool-Black-10375/304220195
Your humidity is fine - I would recommend getting a digital probe thermometer -- petco or petsmart for $8 -- sometimes IR guns do not read correctly because of the material the piece is made out of or they do not read off of hammocks -- its best to have one on hand
Karrie