Worried

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Ransom

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So I've had my first bearded dragon for about 5 days now and he was agressive as heck and went through alot but he ate meal worms today and a few pieces of kale. He feels cold when I touch him he is on the cool side of the 40 gallon tank instead of the warm side like he usually does and I'm worried because he's laying on his log and his head is flat on it when he usually sleep in his tree branch on the warm side... It's 110 on that side..

Should I be worried I mean this is his first time with meal worms he ate about 14 of them. Help please
 

fijea

Member
How old is your beardie?
I heard young beardies needs 90-100 F on their basking area.

He probably just happen to adapt with the new environment. Give another month and see how he's doing.
You can also move him to the basking area.
And if he's not pooping, give him a warm bath and slowly massage his belly.
 

Ransom

Member
Original Poster
The pet store said they think he's between 1 and 2 years old and he pooped 2 times today
 

Ransom

Member
Original Poster
Beardiesforlife333":1cvavgua said:
I would recommend not giving him anymore mealworms. Even if he is a year or two old I wouldn't risk it especially with as many as you fed him.


Ok no problem but why is that??
 

Ransom

Member
Original Poster
Beardiesforlife333":26v4hfya said:
I would recommend not giving him anymore mealworms. Even if he is a year or two old I wouldn't risk it especially with as many as you fed him.


The only reason I ask why is so I know what is wrong or what can be wrong
 

fijea

Member
If you're giving him a normal sized mealworms that should be ok. I sometimes give my beardie mealworms and he's been alive for 3 years now. Just don't give mealworms daily since their exoskeleton are hard to digest which could cause impaction on your beardie.

And your beardie got no problem going to the bathroom so far, so it's a good sign.
 

Ransom

Member
Original Poster
fijea":tdaq75gl said:
If you're giving him a normal sized mealworms that should be ok. I sometimes give my beardie mealworms and he's been alive for 3 years now. Just don't give mealworms daily since their exoskeleton are hard to digest which could cause impaction on your beardie.

And your beardie got no problem going to the bathroom so far, so it's a good sign.

Ok sweet thank you and what should I give him instead
 

fijea

Member
I've been giving my beardie crickets.
I think crickets are the most popular food for lizards.

And sometimes you can give him other insects like grasshopper, bamboo worm, or even a pinky mouse. But don't pick anything from your garden since we don't know where they've been or what they've been eating.
 

Ransom

Member
Original Poster
kingofnobbys":2jbr2hif said:
Has to do with the nutritional content ie
protein content
fat content (some fat is needed to help mobilise vitamins and minerals in the lizard's bloodstream)
water content
Ca / P ratio
and the difficulty of digesting thick exoskeletons

for details here viewtopic.php?f=76&t=234999&p=1807834#p1807834

How about super worms that's what he ate all the time at the pet store I was told
 

KevinsMama

Hatchling Member
Superworms are bad also. Pretty much everything a pet store does is bad.

Good staple feeders are crickets, dubias roaches, & black soldier fly larvae. Those are the easiest to find. BSFL is aka Phoenix worms/Calciworms/Nutrigrubs. No mealworms. No superworms til he is at least 16in long. Make sure to dust all feeders with calcium & multivitamins. I do mon-fri calcium & sat & sun vitamins. Nothing bigger than the space between his eyes.

He also needs lots of greens at that age. Offer up some collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, butternut squash. If you read the care sheets here, they cover all the good & bad foods for Beardies. Kale is not a good staple since it's a high palate & will bind to the calcium prohibiting him to process it.

Also make sure you have a good UVB light (Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12%) and it needs to be a tube, not coil/compact. If there is plastic over the fixture, remove it. UVB cannot go through plastic or glass. Depending on which you get, you may have to mount it on the inside instead of on top of the screen.

As long as all his setup, lights, temps are good, he may be going into brumation if he is over a year old. Again, the care sheets cover everything you need to know on that. If that's the case, be sure he has a hide to snooze away in & wake him occasionally to try feeding & hydrating as well as tracking his weight to be sure he's remaining healthy.

I'm not experienced at all, but these are the basic husbandry things I have learned after spending loads of time here, just reading. Hopefully one of the more experienced will chime in and go over your setup & help with what may need improvements.

The care sheets are a must read, even if your beardie isn't going through what is covered at the moment. Good to know what to watch for & expect.

Good luck!
 
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