Beardie not eating and acting weird

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So for the past couple weeks my beardie has barely been eating. He usually eats a LOT of crickets/superworms in a day and now he is barely eating any at all. I have a set schedule I use to feed him and have been following this schedule since August. Since I noticed he is not eating at the times I usually feed him I have tried feeding him all different times through out the day. I offer him food at LEAST 4 times a day and he always rejects it. Every now and then I will offer him food at night and he will act like he is starving and take the food from me but he will only eat a tiny bit compared to what he usually eats. And just this morning I noticed he is acting very very strange. He is climbing on one of his rocks and stratching at the styrofoam wall in his tank. He is also clawing at the mesh top of the tank near the UVB light. It seems like maybe he is trying to get out for some reason but I am not sure why.. Now he is clawing at the floor of the tank. The tank is the right temperature, he has food and water, he is not shedding right now and I gave him a bath last night. Someone please help I do not know what to do.
 

ejuncker16

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He’s about 7 months. And all of my temperatures are the correct temperature. Cool side is like 75 degrees and the basking side is around 95. This is the temperature it has been since I got him as a baby and he has always done fine with it.
 

ejuncker16

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Original Poster
What do you suggest to get the heat up in the tank? Should I just get another dome light or would a heating mat be better?

I use a zilla UVB light that the veterinarian I take my beardie to approved. I also took off the plastic piece separating the light itself and tank so that he can get even more direct UVB radiation.
 

HylianHealeys

Juvie Member
I use additional dome lights for boosting temps on the cool end, and you can control heat output quite nicely by connecting it to a dimmer switch. Bearded dragons don't seem to mind the additional light, either. As for the warm side, you need a higher wattage bulb. In your case, that will probably be like a 75 watt halogen floodlight bulb from the home improvement store.

I'm going to contradict your veterinarian on the UVB. Bearded dragons are heavily dependent on strong UVB exposure, and even Zilla's strongest bulb, the Desert 50, doesn't compare to the top performers on the market — Zoo Med Reptisun T5 10.0 and the Arcadia Desert 14%. Both of these options are more expensive than the Zilla, but they are much better for your beardie's health. In my experience, lack of strong UVB can quickly cause them to lose appetite. Also, the bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months — after that point, they produce too little UV radiation to be of benefit.
 

Akire

Member
Agreed that Zilla is not a good brand of UVB for Bearded Dragons. Don't believe everything a vet says just because they're a vet. I've been guilty of doing it myself and ended up regretting it big time. It's always good to do more research. I've encountered many vets and doctors who get things wrong.
 

HylianHealeys

Juvie Member
***Not to say that your vet isn't trustworthy. However, unless vets are experienced reptile keepers themselves, they have a much better knowledge of reptile medicine than they do of the more practical aspects of husbandry, like which brands to trust.
 

ejuncker16

Member
Original Poster
What is a dimer light switch? Sorry I do not know much about the technicalities of lighting. Does getting a dimer light switch mean I have to get a whole new set of lights?
 

HylianHealeys

Juvie Member
A dimmer switch is an electrical attachment that you plug your lamp/CHE into. It controls the amount of electricity that goes to the lamp, which then controls how much heat it puts out. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/LUTRON-Credenza-Plug-Dimmer-TT-300NLH-WH/dp/B0000DI241

You should be able to use it with your current lighting. The only problems I've experienced with dimmer switches have been with fluorescent-type bulbs, and you should only be using incandescents/CHEs with a dimmer anyway.
 
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