Sleepy and won't eat

Hi, I just got my baby beardie Sunday, he was lively and eating very well. I have been feeding him pinhead crickets as advised by the pet store, they said it would be about another month bf he could eat greens but to put them in his cage b/c he will know when he can eat them. I got the calcium powder to put on the crickets and have been doing so daily. The pet store also said with babies we need to spray him to make sure he does not get dehydrated which I have done two to three times a day. He was great eating well and we could see him drink when we sprayed him until Wed. no he won't eat and wants to sleep all the time. The pet store said to try putting him in warm water he might be dehydrated, I did and he still doesn't want to open his eyes. When I got him out he would normally crawl on me,now he just sits and closes his eyes. The pet store said if the water didn't work to get calcium drops and see if that would help. We got the all inclusive package with the lights and stuff. The bedding we switched out to more of a sand based maded for bearded dragons and recommended by the pet store. We have 3 lights one looks like a black light, a blue light, and a white light. It stated to keep all three on in the day time and only the black one on at night. At night the tempeture lowers to about 80 and in the day it stays between 85 - 90. Anyone have any ideas... is it the calcium... ?? I am worried and did not want to leave him today in fear something might happen to him. HELP

What do you take your temps with? Do you use a digital thermometer with probe? or a stick on?
If you are using a stick on, your temps could be way to hot. If you are using the digital with probe, your temps are to cold.

What uvb do you use?
If the temps are to cold, he's to cold to eat. The lighting should be a bright white bulb to get the temps to between 95 and 110, for babies closer to 110. the cool side should be around 80. The nights can get to 60 to 65. These temps are Farenheit. The uvbs you should use are the ReptISUN 10, the reptisun 5 or the Reptiglo 8. The reptisun 10 is the best fluorescent uvb, as long as it's the long tube. You can use a Mega ray which is a Mercury Vapor Bulb and is the best uvb for beardies but it's use depends on the size of your tank. You need to have at least a 40 breeder or larger. If you use it in a smaller tank the tank will get to hot and you won't be able to keep the bulb far enough away from your beardie.

There are a couple of reason that I know of right now that could cause a lack of appetite. One is of the temps are too cold or too hot. The other one is if you don't have any uvb or the correct uvb. If you use the fluorescent uvb's only use the ones I've mentioned above. The other bulbs haven' t yet tested to good. Don't use any coil or compact as they can cause real problems with baby beardies, starting with problems with them keeping their eyes open.

The temp gage is a stick on .. what should I get? The lights came in the package we bought. I will check it when I get home to see what kind they are. Thank you, for the help.

I am afraid you have fallen victim to pet shop mis-information. The lights that came with your "kit" are not the right kind and are most likely the prob. Lets hit this one item at a time to make your baby healthy and happy.
First- Baths are good. He will come to love bath time, most do. And it does keep them hydrated. At least twice a week, some do daily.
Please, no light at night. They can get as cool as 60 at night 65 is better. If your tank gets cooler, get a ceramic heat emiter. The light disturbs their sleep.
They need bright white light for basking, it needs to be next to the UVB light. Which brings up the next point:
What kind of uvb do you have? It should be a florescent tube. The prefered brand is the Repti-SUN 10.0. Please do NOT use the Repti-GLO 10.0. Those have been linked to eye troubles. They must have a uvb light.
The basking temp should be between 100-110 for a baby. Most like it closer to 110. They need to be warm to digest properly. I'm sure the kit came with some kind of stick on thermomiter. It can be up to 20 degrees off. Get a digital probe thermomiter at wal-mart for around $12. Accurate temps are important.
What size is his viv? Small tanks are hard to keep the temps right. Just so you know.
Oh and sand is bad for babies they taste everything and the sand can become impacted, especially the Calci-sand that is SUPPOSED to be safe. Non adhesive shelf liner works well and is easy to clean or plain white paper towels.
This should get you started. I reccomend reading the care sheets at the top of the main page. :study: The info is great. Any more questions, just ask. We are always willing to help at BD.org

Sandy H

thanks, I will change the bedding tonight and get the new thermometer. Where would the thermometer be located at walmart? And once i get the new one where is the best place to put it in the tank.. middle side? I think the tank is about 30" or so long. It sits on a three shelve bookshelve.

Another quick question. You said a florescent tube is better... how do I get that to work with the set up I have? The kit came with 3 oval lamps that we sit on the screen. Does the tube lamp go inside?? Sorry for all the questions this is the first time I have had a bearded dragon and I want to make sure I get it right. My history teacher got me hooked on them. He had an older one (which just passed away a few months ago) and he told me it is worth getting a young one and having it grow up with you.

They should be on the back side of hardware with the outdoor thermometers. Accu-rite is a good brand, it is the $12 one. Place the probe on his basking spot. Mine had a peel and stick back. Place the other part on the cool side. The accurite is an indoor/outdoor model. The probe is the outside reading and the "box" is the indoor. This way you don't have to keep moving it to get both readings. I put all the excess cord in a clear aquarium hose to keep it out of the way. It worked for me. Oh, and wait apout 45 min for a good reading.
Honestly, if you can return that hood it would be best. If not get a floresent fixture (wal-mart or Home Depo or Lowes) to fit your bulb. Place it beside the white light, however it will work. You may have to experiment to find the best way. If you can't figure it out post a few picts of the set up and one of us will help you.
What is your baby's name. Please post a picture of him. We ALL love pictures here.

Sandy H

Your history teacher is correct. WARNING: beardies are adictive and no one can have just one.
Anyway, go to either walmart, home depot, or lowes, or places like that and try to get a long flourescent fixture. The size you get depends on the length of the fluorescent uvb you get. I picked up a fixture that goes on a fish tank, not the whole fixture, just the one that holds the fluorescent bulbs. I chose that one because those that I could find elsewhere were a problem to turn on as the switch as laying on the screen top. Anyway, I would ask someone where to find the accurite probe, I had to ask as I couldn't find it where people on here said to look. I got the one that's $12 and gives you 2 temps and a humidity reading. About the Accurite thermometer, put the housing on the cool side and lay the probe (black side up) right on his basking spot.

I hope this helps

Lori

Thank you.. great help! I will keep you posted on how he (max) is doing.

Does anyone have a picture of their tank set up they can attach so I can see what it looks like compared to the way I have ours set up. (mainly the lighting) thanks.

I have a similar problem with my bearded dragon (phineaus). I have had him for about a week, he is probably about 2 months old. I go to college and dont have a car so i was going to try to feed him only vegtables and pelets but after 2 days it didnt look like he had eaten anything so i went to the store and bought him crickets and mealworms. Within 10 minutes he had eaten a cricket and 2 mealworms and later that night he ate another cricket. Since then its been about 2 days and he hasnt eaten anything and it seems like all he does is sleep. Even when i pick him up he just assumes his position on my hand and then closes his eyes and sits there. I think his cage is set up right, i have vines for him to climb and he always climbs right up to the light and sleeps there (near the light is about 100 degrees) the rest of the cage is about room tempurature, maybe a little warmer. At night i change the bulb to one of the night glow bulbs which makes the cage a little cooler. Is it normal for baby bearded dragons to be this lethargic? Im worried theres something wrong with him, any suggestions?

You could check the enclosures forum. Tons of picts for ideas on lighting and set up. I love that forum!

mschieck- You might want to start your own thread for more help. I'll get you started- If you have only had your baby one week don't be too worried. They go through relocation stress and may not eat for a couple of weeks. Also, mealworms are not great for babies, too much shell. It might bind them up. Start a new thread with the info on your tank set up, lights, temps and everything. I'll be off line for awhile. If no one else hops on to help out send me a pm and I'll get back at ya tomorrow. (maybe late tonight) Good luck.

Sandy H

Mine ate a mealworm the other day b/c it was accidently put in with the crickets... if they get bound up.. what do you do to help them

Thankyou very much Sandy H, I will get on that immediately

-Mike

Don't worry about 1 mealie. But if he ever does get impacted- first warm baths tend to get things moving. If that doesn't help try feeding some all natural applesauce. Put some in a dropper and he should lick it right off. There are other things but you can read about them if you ever have probs.

Sandy H