My Lethargic Baby Bearded Dragon

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mschieck

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I have my baby dragon (Phineaus) 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?

Heres a link to the cage that i bought for Phineaus (medium)...
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/habitat_kit_desert.php

-I do not use all of the things that came with the kit, i thought it was too clutered, his cage consists of vines that wrap around the cage and up to the light (where he sleeps), a water dish, and a little fake cactus.


Heres 2 links to the day and night bulbs that i use for Phineaus, they are both 25W:...
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/sun_glo_neodymium.php

-http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/night_glo.php


I take Phineaus out of his cage a few times a day and let him explore around my room, i gave him his first bath yesterday and im going to try and give him a bath everyday from now on, The crickets i fed him i think were the right size (i heard they should be no bigger than the gap between his eyes). They were all about that size, they might have been slightly bigger but not much at all. He has a food dish with pellets mixed with water and lettuce (which he doesnt eat)... however the crickets and mealworms enjoy it very much haha. I change his food once every other day (not that it matters since he doesnt eat it!).

he seems fairly healthy, hes just alot more lethargic than when i bought him a week ago so im a little worried. I just want to make sure he doesnt end up sick down the road because i didnt care for him the right way...any suggestions??
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

We need to go over your tank setup more.
The bulbs that you are using are not quite the right ones to be using. The Sun Glo is fine for the basking bulb during the daytime, but you are going to need to get a UVB light such as the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb. You can get that one from http://www.petmountain.com It is much cheaper there than out at the petstores.
The UVB flourescent tube bulb needs to be placed directly beside the Sun Glo basking light. That will focus the heat along with the UVB light for a good basking spot. The other side will be the cooler side.
He does not need any lighting during the night. That will disturb his sleep patterns. It is best that it is completely dark all night long for him to sleep properly.
The recommend basking spot temperature is 95-110 & the cooler spot should be 78-82. The temps need to be taken with a digital probe or a temp gun.
The best greens for him are mustard or collard greens, & they should be offered daily. The crickets need to be smaller than the space between his eyes or else he could get impacted. The mealies are ok, but they should not be offered daily. They are too fatty & not very nutritional so they should only be fed a few times per week & limit 4-5 each feeding. Make sure also, that you are not leaving any crickets in with him overnight, or for extended periods of time or else they could stress him out or bite him.
What type of substrate are you using?
Are you supplementing calcium 5 times per week?

Tracie
 

mschieck

Member
Original Poster
How important is the UVB lamp? The cage is setup to only accomodate one bulb, but if its really important i can throw away the lighting they gave me and buy 2 new ones. I bought the night glow light mainly to give him heat during the night, it doesnt give off that much light, I wont put it in tonight though if you think that will help. The crickets i tried to feed him the other day are still in his cage, i will take them out. The substrate i am using is what came with that kit that i bought. The lady in the pet store said that she thought it was calcium sand, and no i have not been giving him calcium supplements, i heard people say that they spray it on their crickets? Can i buy calcium supplements at the pet store? what other ways are there to get him to eat them? Thankyou very much!!

-Mike
 

LJean

Extreme Poster
UVB lights are very important for a dragon. The calcium is too. (you know for strong bones)
I buy my calcium powder from regular pet stores. Dust the crickets one feeding a day just before feeding.
Proper lighting and temps do wonders for these guys.
 

Menolly

Juvie Member
hey,
How is your dragon doing so far? Have you managed to replace you bulb? You really need to to avoid trouble down the road. Trust me your pocket will appreciate it when you don't have to pay out the nose for vet bills :lol: . It could be relocation stress. They do suffer that for about the first two weeks till they get used to their surroundings. But right now he should be fine.
Is he eating yet?
You are going to need to have a constant supple of crickets or meal worms. Generally they eat from anywhere 40-100 crickets in just a day. You should buy the boxes of crickets that are 1000 probably once a week depending on how good of an eater your dragon is.
Rule of thumb though, NEVER feed your dragon anything that is bigger then the space between his eyes.
Mel
 
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