New Beardie Owner, Eating Problem with Young Bearded Dragon

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danstyx

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Beardie name(s)
danstyx
Hi guys, new to this forum:

I have been having some problems with my new bearded dragon. I bought him two days ago, 1/8/18 and he ate around 10 mealworms. After that he refused to eat anymore so I decided to wait until tomorrow to feed him crickets. Come that next morning I attempted to feed him the crickets which he refused. Around the evening I tried to feed him again, but again, it was refused. Today, 1/10, I notice he is acting weird, he started to open his mouth and shake his head where he vomited, three times. It was evident that the mealworms did not digest. It has been around 4 hours since this and he has still not eaten. I am worried and not sure if it is him feeling sick or it is the stress from the new home.

Anyways I figured maybe it could be the temperature of his heat lamp, I have his heat lamp around 10" away from him. The thermometer is at the bottom of the terrarium, reading at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. So I would imagine his basking area is probably around the 90s-100s. Whenever I take him out, he almost immediately closes his eyes in my palm.

So after reading about a bearded dragon's eating habits and digestion. I figured that he probably didn't have enough time to digest his food because I turned off his heating lamp for the night to help him associate night and day. Is this something I should be doing? Ill post some pictures of the terrarium, thank you so much.

Link to terrarium kit I bought: The light and lamp from this kit are what I am using currently, as well as the thermometer.

Pictures:
102818-5446585938.jpg
102818-6519043823.jpg
102818-2578310417.jpg
 

destiny1998

Extreme Poster
Photo Comp Winner
Hi. Yes a cutie :D Unfortunately those kits are junk. First a ten gallon is way to small and hard to get the temperature right. He could use a 20 gallon minimum. Second get a good thermometer. A digital with a wire probe or a temp gun. Next get a better job light. Reptisun 10.0 T5 long tube. Next don't feed meal worms they are hard for babies to digest. Also he probably has some relocation stress. Make sure you are dusting his feeders one meal once a day with calcium. Make sure feeders are no bigger than the space between the eyes.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, aside from the good advice from Destiny, give him a drink by dripping water on his snout. They get dehydrated after vomiting. Use an eyedropper or syringe and be patient. Annd you're right, don't feed him close to bedtime , they need at least 3 hours to digest a big meal. Avoid mealworms for now and don't worry if he doesn't eat today [ and maybe tomorrow ] They are kind of like us, won't eat the same day we are sick to our stomachs.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I would recommend a way bigger tank - 20 gallon hes gonna out grow that quickly- you could try a 50 gallon but eventually you may want to upgrade that as well - he could be in the 50 gallon for a while -- second he should be eating crickets or dubias - NO meal worms as he is too young- make sure he has gone to the bathroom I am sure hes full from eating that many meal worms! I would recommend getting a Infrared gun that will give you accurate temps for your tank - his basking area should be 90-105 but a little warmer for your little guy - cool side of tank around 80 or so and not below 65 at nite--he is probably a little stress and should settle down in a few days - but in the mean time I would work on his lighting - thats going to play a big part in his digestion and keeping MBD away- thats where the calcium and vitamins come in- he should have bugs dusted 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week - crickets and dubias are the main diet for a baby- you can offer vegies like collards mustard greens green bean gr peppers a little fruit like apples strawberries blueberries etc - dont be surprised tho if he doesnt eat it but on occasion - they dont start eating salads more often till around a year or so - sweet potato is good to keep them regular-- super worms meal worms butter worms are mainly treats -- lighting should be on for 12 hrs on and 12 hrs off! There is a care sheet and articles at the top of this page -- you can read for more info -- hope this helps

Karrie
 

danstyx

New member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
danstyx
KarrieRee":3k1yn80h said:
I would recommend a way bigger tank - 20 gallon hes gonna out grow that quickly- you could try a 50 gallon but eventually you may want to upgrade that as well - he could be in the 50 gallon for a while -- second he should be eating crickets or dubias - NO meal worms as he is too young- make sure he has gone to the bathroom I am sure hes full from eating that many meal worms! I would recommend getting a Infrared gun that will give you accurate temps for your tank - his basking area should be 90-105 but a little warmer for your little guy - cool side of tank around 80 or so and not below 65 at nite--he is probably a little stress and should settle down in a few days - but in the mean time I would work on his lighting - thats going to play a big part in his digestion and keeping MBD away- thats where the calcium and vitamins come in- he should have bugs dusted 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week - crickets and dubias are the main diet for a baby- you can offer vegies like collards mustard greens green bean gr peppers a little fruit like apples strawberries blueberries etc - dont be surprised tho if he doesnt eat it but on occasion - they dont start eating salads more often till around a year or so - sweet potato is good to keep them regular-- super worms meal worms butter worms are mainly treats -- lighting should be on for 12 hrs on and 12 hrs off! There is a care sheet and articles at the top of this page -- you can read for more info -- hope this helps

Karrie
AHBD":3k1yn80h said:
Hi there, aside from the good advice from Destiny, give him a drink by dripping water on his snout. They get dehydrated after vomiting. Use an eyedropper or syringe and be patient. Annd you're right, don't feed him close to bedtime , they need at least 3 hours to digest a big meal. Avoid mealworms for now and don't worry if he doesn't eat today [ and maybe tomorrow ] They are kind of like us, won't eat the same day we are sick to our stomachs.
destiny1998":3k1yn80h said:
Hi. Yes a cutie :D Unfortunately those kits are junk. First a ten gallon is way to small and hard to get the temperature right. He could use a 20 gallon minimum. Second get a good thermometer. A digital with a wire probe or a temp gun. Next get a better job light. Reptisun 10.0 T5 long tube. Next don't feed meal worms they are hard for babies to digest. Also he probably has some relocation stress. Make sure you are dusting his feeders one meal once a day with calcium. Make sure feeders are no bigger than the space between the eyes.

First of all, thank you for all of these wonderful responses. I took today off to focus on getting him together. Unfortunately I do not have the money for a bigger tank at the moment, but I did spend in on a dual lamp that I will use for the daytime as well as a UVB bulb and a nighttime bulb. I took the dual lamp and put the UVB bulb and the daytime bulb in there over his basking spot. Almost immediately after putting this UVB bulb in, he decided to start eating. I took my single lamp I have and put the night bulb in there that I will be using for the nighttime from now on. I have been feeding him calcium covered crickets and he LOVES them. Ate about 5 today :D. He is doing great now, looks so much happier and is enjoying his heat. I really think that putting that UVB bulb in really made him comfortable. Thank you for all of this wonderful support!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Night time bulb? Is that a colored bulb ? Are you leaving lights on in the tank 24/7? They only need lights on for 12 hrs - then off for 12 hrs.

Karrie
 
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