Baby bearded dragon not eating please help

Hi so my bearded dragon is around 4 months old now. He was tiny when I bought him but he seems to be losing weight, he is not eating much and for a few days was very limp. He isn’t very active and has recently started sleeping with his head in the air. I think he is constipated becauase the little amounts of food he is eating he isn’t pooing them out. I have tried him on meal worms but he seems to like small crickets better. He has enough heat, the proper viv set up and calcium powder etc but is worrying me, can anybody help? Thanks

Hi. In order to help can you list the brands and kinds of lights you are using? Also what are the temps on his basking spot and how do you take them?

Hello,

As requested, please let us know more on your tank setup for us.
Since he is just 4 months old, how large are the crickets you are feeding him? Are they
smaller than the space between his eyes? If they are too large, they could cause an impaction
which is dangerous.
Has his beard been black at all?

Tracie

Usually if a baby beardie isn’t acting like a ravenous insect garbage disposal it means either: A. The husbandry (usually the lighting/temps) needs some fine tuning or B. He may be suffering from illness or parasites (many of which are easily treatable when diagnosed by a knowledgeable herp vet). Are you using a Reptisun 10.0 tube or an Arcadia tube for the UV? What are the basking temps, and are you measuring them with a digital thermometer to ensure an accurate reading? When he has bowel movements, are they solid and well formed, or are they extremely liquidy/mushy/foul smelling? If the latter, you may want to have the vet run a fecal test to determine if your baby is suffering from coccidia or other parasites. A baby beardie free of illness and with perfect temperature/UV light is an unstoppable eating machine, so I suspect one of these issues is the culprit. I haven’t seen your setup, but if you’re using sand or another loose substrate impaction could potentially be an issue. I always recommend taking a new beardie to a herp vet within a month of purchasing it to get a general checkup and have a fecal test. A vet that spots issues early can help nip many of them in the bud before they become significant problems. I hope your baby feels better!

This flow / decision chart will help you work out what is most likely behind her lack of appetite : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=236150&p=1815390#p1815390

Her being only small and very young , it's very important that she eat loads of quality live insects at least THREE times per day and she wont have much capacity to faste without becoming malnourished / starving and this can have serious life long health consequences for her.

Hi, thanks for all the replies. He has a B&S Pet Supplies Limited 60w Infra-red Heat Lamp and a exo-terra Reptile UVB 150 desert Lampe (both was advised by the staff member in the shop I bought him from). Also his basking spot in his viv is around 50 degrees

EllieHindle":1e3dlov2 said:

Hi, thanks for all the replies. He has a B&S Pet Supplies Limited 60w Infra-red Heat Lamp and a exo-terra Reptile UVB 150 desert Lampe (both was advised by the staff member in the shop I bought him from). Also his basking spot in his viv is around 50 degrees

Click to expand...

For starters :
1) insufficient UV from the UVB150 (a 5% UVB compact) even if it's a 26W version mounted in a reflector hood or reflector dome.
Very likely it's
>> sitting on top of a mesh lid ==> at least 40% of the UV will be blocked
>> sitting on top of the tank and too far from the basking spot to provide adequate UVA and UVB
see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050
--- notes
brands of UV light to avoid (see list)
graphic showing how to set up a good thermal gradient for a bearded dragon viv
graphic also shows how to set up the correct UVB gradient for a bearded dragon viv , I am for 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot and about 100 microW UVB / sq.cm everywhere else
see viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611 to work out the ideal distance from the basking spot to the globe / tube
Inadequate UVA ==> lack of activity + a very poor apetite, longer term neurological issues.
Inadequate UVB ==> poor Calcium metabolisation and MBD

MINIMUM for a bearded dragon is a 26W UVB200 mounted in a reflector hood about 8 inches from the basking spot ,
OR
a T8 10% to 12% UVB tube in a reflector hood will be better ,
OR
a T5HO 10% to 12% UVB tube in reflector hood is the optimal ,

... provided the tube is located to give 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot

2) regarding the B&S Pet Supplies Limited 60w Infra-red Heat Lamp - it's worthless to a bearded dragon, if it throws off a red glow , this will be effecting the dragons vision and it may not be able to recognize food as being food because it will look the wrong colour.
If it's used at night, the glow will disturb the dragon's sleep.
If in Australia = visit Bunnings and buy an 80W Philips incandescent colourless par38 domestic spotglobe for his basking globe , this will throw off heat and natural looking light.

3) Temperatures - WAY TOO HOT - you are killing him , see viewtopic.php?f=5&t=233516
the dragon should NEVER be exposed to basking spot temperatures higher than 42-43 degC.
50 degC is well into the lethal temperature range for even a central bearded dragon , it will likely be immobile because it's suffering extreme heat stroke and has lost locomotion abilities because it's unable to excape to a cool enough place to thermoregulate.
IT'S CRUCIAL the temperature be reduced IMMEDIATELY if you want to save your pet's life..

So what are the 2 best bulbs I can get for him? The viv basking spot is 41 degrees now, thank you for your help

Oh my god...if this animal is still alive you must reduce his basking temp immediately! You’re essentially broiling him alive! He’s likely suffering from extreme dehydration, severe stomach/digestive issues due to extremely brutal temperatures, and potentially even heatstroke. Right now he’s essentially fighting for his life. You need a basking spot temperature of 100-110 degrees (F) and you must measure this with a digital thermometer for accuracy (no guessing, no stick on thermometers). Do EVERYTHING kingofnobbys very wisely instructed. Additionally, since the extreme conditions have likely left him dangerously dehydrated (particularly if he hasn’t been eating veggies/insects, which is the most important source of hydration), I recommend dripping water onto his snout to see if he’ll lick up the droplets, or misting, or attempting to see if he’ll drink water from a very shallow bath. He’s in a very weakened state so try as many methods as possible to get him to drink. Had you done the necessary research, his tank would have had the proper (safe) temperatures, the proper UV lighting, and there would have been no infrared “night light.” A bright neon red light disrupts the animal’s sleep and creates stress. The “night lights” fall into the category of unnecessary products pet stores market in an attempt to make a buck (this list also includes waterfalls, coconut bark and “repti-sand” substrates, and compact UV bulbs, which can cause eye damage and fail to provide adequate UV light). It never fails to disturb me how many bearded dragons die because a big name pet shop told a customer “I don’t think they need a UV light” or “just feed the baby bearded dragon a few super worms once a week and that’s it (I overheard both these statements at my local Petco and was absolutely flabbergasted).” Read the care sheets on this site, particularly the “what to buy” list. The most urgent issue is the dangerously high temperatures, followed by your need to purchase an adequate UV tube light and ditching the night light. I really hope it’s not too late for this poor little guy.

EllieHindle":lvljcdhf said:

So what are the 2 best bulbs I can get for him? The viv basking spot is 41 degrees now, thank you for your help

Click to expand...

Some will advise a good MERCURY VAPOUR GLOBE ( capable of providing heat, natural looking light, good levels of UVA & UVB ) , but hard to fine tune the UVA + UVB & the basking spot temperatures simultaneously from one globe & they produce a narrowly focused beam of heat , UVA & UVB.

The best lights to get are highlighted in previous post in blue.