New beardie not eating (worried beardie mom...)

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CloudyCat

Member
Hi everyone!
My baby Quinn hardly ate today. She ate 1 cricket. I know it's probably just relocation stress but I'm still very worried. I got Quinn about two days ago and she has been eating fine. Quinn ate 5 crickets yesterday and ate 3 crickets and 1 dubia roach the day before. She also ate some watermelon, red bell pepper, and is drinking water.
I can provide photos or any information you might need.
Anyone have any thoughts? Probably just relocation stress? Sorry I'm just a worried beardie mom!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi CC....probably is just a bit of relocation stress. :) Pics of her, her tank and a rundown of her lights would be good.
 

CloudyCat

Member
Original Poster
Hi! Thanks for the quick response!
Here's a few photos of Quinn from a few minutes ago:
93440-5699137305.jpg
93440-9118129941.jpg
93440-2391348314.jpg
Here's a few from earlier today:
93440-6966467602.jpg
93440-1847038446.jpg
The little white stain is just a bit of calcium powder that I haven't yet washed off. Quinn was sitting on my pillow with me while I watched tv and I took a few photos.
Here's a photo of the setup and a rundown:
93440-1073106118.jpg
I have an Arcadia D3 12% UV bulb, a 100 watt basking bulb, and a 100 watt CHE light. The UV and basking bulbs are on a timer for 14 hours (from 8am to 10pm) and I turn the CHE light on when it drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Quinn has a water dish (she drinks from it and swims in it), a food dish, a basking spot, a hide, and a solid substrate. The basking spot is always about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, the hot side of the tank about 80 degrees F and the cool side about 70 degrees F.
Sorry for the over load of information. I'm trying to think about what could contribute to a lack of appetite if it isn't relocation stress.
I tried feeding Quinn one more time but she didn't eat.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Relocation stress and scared of the cat.

Make sure the cat and your little hatchling NEVER see each other and that the viv is made CAT PROOF and cat is never allowed in the same room the beardie and it's viv are in. You can never trust a cat and way too pet lizards are horribly tortured and maimed by pet cats (it only takes seconds) and they usually wind up dead as there are very nasty bacteria and viruses on cat claws and teeth.
Cats will, and often do , break into vivs which have mesh lids , snag the lizard with a claw and drag it out to torture it. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you replace the mesh lid with solid timber (heavy plywood) lid to help make the viv cat proof as a matter of high priority.

This means NEVER , they will never be friends and you need to lock cat in another room when beardie is out , and be religious about excluding cat from the room where you house the viv .

I suggest you work methodically through my cheatsheet : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050 , there are very likely issues that need tweeking or changes needed.
Here is a comparison of feeders : viewtopic.php?f=76&t=234999&p=1807834#p1807834 , I recommend offering him live feeder insects at least twice per day , a few at a time (if fast moving).
Best feeders for him are :
>> BSF maggots / calciworms / phoenix worms (USA)
>> blowfly gents
>> silkworms (small about 1.5in to medium 2in)
>> crickets (1/4 - 1/3 size) or roaches or locusts.

Offer greens daily even if ignores them.

The UV and setup appears quite good. How are you measuring the temperatures ?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Everything looks good, you did your homework before you got your little cutie. :) But again, it's probably relocation stress and yes, the cat might be part of it .

A small beardie can feel a bit lost in a big tank and everything he sees is new to him so he may just feel overwhelmed. You might try taping some cardboard on 2-3 sides of the tank. Be sure the insects are no longer than the length between Quinn's eyes and any hard veggie's are cut up very well. You can also stun a few crickets by shaking them up real hard in a jar [ with a pinch of calcium powder ] so they are wobbly + slow when you drop them right near Quinn. That can often attract a baby beardie as it sees the slow moving prey item.

Keep us posted on her progress. :)
 

CloudyCat

Member
Original Poster
Hi guys! Thanks for the information!
I don't think there's much need to worry about the cat, Xena. She is almost completely blind. I'll make sure to keep her away from Quinn, in another room, when I have the little dragon out. The two will not be in contact at anytime and Xena could not break into my current viv. So far Xena has had zero interest in Quinn, hopefully it will stay that way.
I might try taping some cardboard on the tank. If nothing improves today I'll give that a shot!
I'll keep you posted on Quinn!
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Something you need to keep in mind about the cat, other than him hunting, torturing, and killing your beardie (which a blind cat can do I assure you, just by scent), but most beardies who die due to a cat actually die from a horrible infection due to a bacteria that all cats have in their saliva at all times, and is all over their paws because they constantly licks them. So if a cat even lightly pats a beardie with a paw, or god forbid licks the beardie, it can actually kill the beardie, just not instantly. They get horribly sick and die within a week or so from the infection. So this is as much of a risk as the cat actually hunting and attacking him...
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I agree that cats have a lot of bacteria in their saliva but just licking another animal or human will not cause death in almost any instance.
 

CloudyCat

Member
Original Poster
Hey guys.
Quinn is thriving. She's been eating both her crickets and her salad. When I have Quinn out the cats are put out of the room.
Thank you guys! Hope you have an awesome day/night!
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
AHBD":3v5wkezh said:
I agree that cats have a lot of bacteria in their saliva but just licking another animal or human will not cause death in almost any instance.

No, I agree, that isn't what I meant, what I meant is that all it takes to make a beardie sick from the bacteria in a cat's saliva is simply the cat licking it or even contacting it with their paws, which is true. Does it mean they will always get sick if that happens? No, but that is all it takes for it to happen, and in my experience from what I've seen here and on other forums, once that happens the beardie typically dies from the resulting infection.

All I'm trying to get across is that most people have no idea that simply coming in contact with cat saliva can result in them becoming very sick.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
From a bite , yes, they can get sick sometimes and sometimes not, but from a lick or a paw on the beardie with no open wound or puncture they won't be affected.
 

Aprils

Member
Im not sure where else to post this. But i have a 12 week old beardie i got 2 weeks ago. When we got him he was eating about 10 crickets in the morning and salad in the afternoon and about 5 crickets in the evening about 2 hours before lights out. We went away for a weekend and gave him to a friend to babysit for us, he apparently ate upwards of 70 1/4 size crickets in 2 days. Now hes been home for a week and wont touch crickets at all. Hes hardly even eating greens. He will eat wax worms but thats it and thats not good for him as a staple. His basking temps or in the 90s and cooler temos 80s and at night time 70s. I really dont know what is wrong and have no idea where to turn. No signs of shedding and hes a bit more skitttish as well. Nothings changed in his tank, its the perfect size for him so idk whats wrong.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi April, can you start your own thread so it doesn't get mixed up with this one ? Then upload some pics of the baby as well as the set up using this :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload the pics

With your own thread people can respond to your dragon's particular situation + hopefully get you some help if needed. :)
 

Beardeddtagonlover

Hatchling Member
how is your dragon now? i noticed you have your flourescent on top of the cage i dont know what the range of those bulbs are but the screen does block a lot of light just to make sure i would replace the 100 watt basking with a lamp that provides uvb like a mercury type bulb i use powersun and i also cut the screen where the light is so it doesnt overheat and my dragon gets the full potential of the light the MVB are weaker lights as far as heat is concerned a 100 watt basking is stronger but i cut the screen and my temps are perfect.i also have a 24 inch reptisun 10.0 flourescent that i secured inside the cage with tie downs my dragon seems to like the extra light.[ximg]97755 3860897594[/ximg][ximg]97755 5924492716[/ximg]
 

CloudyCat

Member
Original Poster
Beardeddtagonlover":17zmimuc said:
how is your dragon now? i noticed you have your flourescent on top of the cage i dont know what the range of those bulbs are but the screen does block a lot of light just to make sure i would replace the 100 watt basking with a lamp that provides uvb like a mercury type bulb i use powersun and i also cut the screen where the light is so it doesnt overheat and my dragon gets the full potential of the light the MVB are weaker lights as far as heat is concerned a 100 watt basking is stronger but i cut the screen and my temps are perfect.i also have a 24 inch reptisun 10.0 flourescent that i secured inside the cage with tie downs my dragon seems to like the extra light.[ximg]97755 3860897594[/ximg][ximg]97755 5924492716[/ximg]

Hey. This was months ago. Quinn died quite awhile ago.
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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