Beardie not growing much in a month

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Nragis

Member
Hi, I posted with a couple appetite questions about a month ago and since then he’s been eating much better. But I’m still worried he’s not eating enough because I haven’t noticed much of a difference in size (I don’t have a scale to measure weight, but I know he was 8 grams 1 month ago).

Currently he eats around 20-30 small bsfl or 2-3 large bsfl which equates to the same biomass so it makes sense, but I’m not sure if that’s quite enough after swing the appetites of other juvenile Beardies. I’ll attach a now and before picture below.

Before:
106833-9455212820.jpg
106833-4334142935.jpg

Now:
106833-2954183882.jpg

Tank setup:
106833-1892711185.jpg

20g breeder
Reptisun 10.0 T5 24”
Basking lamp, basking temp : 100-105F with temp gun
Cool side: 78-80F
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The T 5 is in the tank and it looks too close for distance -- it should be 12-15 inches from basking spot -- if its any closer you need to move it or move decor to 12-15 inches --- I would add dubia roaches to his diet -- you can order from here www.dubiaroaches.com along w/ other worms as well - they are currently out of butter worms - but they are good to add to the salads - you are feeding salads every day correct? Here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html -- I would start adding more worms to his diet like silk worms - they are good you can get them from here www.mulberryfarms.com they are currently on sale there -- you can get super worms from your local pet store --- small for now if you can find them -- I would add 1-3 to his salad and let him see you add this stuff to his salad first thing in the morning --- but you need to get that UVB adjusted
Karrie
 

Nragis

Member
Original Poster
My last Beardie (I had him like 7 years ago) loved dubia and I totally would get them but one of my roommates is terribly scared of roaches and that was part of the agreement. Also I have been attempting to feed salad although I’m unsure how much he actually eats it.

Also how much should he be eating at this size? I will mention that he’s shedding and pooping regularly, and he’s incredibly social and active, the only problem I’ve seen is his lack of growth.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

While not much of a size difference, there is a marked difference in how healthy he looks. You've done a great job with him so far.

Not all dragons grow in a linear fashion. Some go through growth spurts where they grow a ton over a week or two, and then none for a month.

He looks much healthier and that's all that matters really. Growth will come eventually :)

-Brandon
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Although I don't like crickets you can add those to his diet-- dubias to me are the best- just keep feeding as many bugs as he will eat and I would add the bsfl to his salad-- I used them as a lure to the salad bowl -- he will grow at his own rate
Karrie
 

Linzloohoo

Hatchling Member
I agree with Brandon, he looks so much better! Good job! Don’t worry about his size so much, he looks healthy.
 

Nragis

Member
Original Poster
Thank you all for the replies, it’s good to hear from others that he looks well. I’ll be ordering some diet alternatives soon, and I wonder if he may just be picky and not like eating the same thing day to day.
 

Nragis

Member
Original Poster
I went and talked with a local Beardie breeder and herpetologist after my last post to ask his opinion on what I should do. He said to just keep misting him regularly for hydration and to give him pedialyte daily, and I have been doing that for a week now, but I don’t see any difference in his diet yet. He’s still eating what seems to me like barely enough to survive (1-3 small crickets a day). And that’s attempting at least 4-5 times a day.

I’m not sure what to do for this guy and I worry something is wrong but just not showing. I can’t say if his poops have gotten better because of the small amount of them.

I recently went and double checked everything temperature wise around the enclosure and it all seems to be right, even staying above 71 ish at night. I was curious if there’s anything else I could try or do to help him, or if there’s anything I definitely shouldn’t do.

Thanks, Nragis.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Did you move the UVB? If the UVB is 12-15 inches is he sitting under it? It seems his appetite should of picked up by now ---do you have a recent pic of him ? Can you post it ?
Karrie
 

Nragis

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":rg3wffsd said:
Did you move the UVB? If the UVB is 12-15 inches is he sitting under it? It seems his appetite should of picked up by now ---do you have a recent pic of him ? Can you post it ?
Karrie

Yes, I did move the UVB to the outside of the cage. Now it is about 8-12 in away, but also going through a not too fine mesh. I will attach a picture on the next post, I have to do that from my phone.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
He is small! What are you feeding him? Did you do any of the things I had posted in my earlier post? What is his behavior like- typical day-- what do his poops look like? Runny? A healthy poop will look like this- formed moist and dark+ urate- will be formed moist and white-- not chalky or dried out
Karrie
 

Nragis

Member
Original Poster
I moved the light and made sure temps were still consistent with my last post regularly.
I also ordered silk worms, more Phoenix worms, crickets, and wax worms (hopefully to reward good eating). Thus far he won't touch the silk worms or Phoenix worms (which I know from experience he loves), but will sometimes eat a cricket or two before retreating back to his basking log. He is quite social and shows no stress marks when being handled or approached.
When he's out he moves a little, but not near as much as previous beardies I've had.
His poops have been much more solid recently, but still not all one piece or that solid. They're still watery, but I think that is because I have been going out of my way to make sure he has as much water as he wants (also he drinks out of the water dish). The urate is barely formed however, I haven't ever seen a one piece urate out of him.
The typical day for him is wake up around 8, eat at 10am, 1pm, 4pm , 7pm and lights out at 10pm. Usually I let him come out and explore or relax with me as I'm working at my computer once or twice a day. I provide salad, but still haven't seen him touch it.
He seems to not be stressed, but has the appetite he did back in the first week I had him. After the first week, he was eating great and obviously grew in that week and a half, but I had to move about a month ago, and he hasn't been eating well since.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You should be getting lots of urate w/ him drinking water- his poop is runny? I wonder if he has parasites? That would cause lack of appetite- he needs to be eating his salads that's what the Phoenix worms were for to lure him to salad bowl-- I would call a vet find out how much a fecal test for parasites would cost and see if you can't drop off a sample for testing- that would rule out one reason for not eating+ if he's basking got good temps and his UVB is in good place and he is sitting under it correct? Then there has to be something else for lack of appetite- maybe it's just both of us being paranoid and it's just him-- I know they grow at their own rate -- how many times had he shed since you got him?
Karrie
 

Nragis

Member
Original Poster
He's shed in small bits, but has never had a full shed. He seems to be really happy with the temperature because he'll go under the lamp and stand up tall to get as close as he can for about 5-10 min, then go over to the cooler side of the basking log (95-100) and just relax there for the majority of the time.

I recently found a vet who personally keeps beardies and other reptiles, so I'm going to call and ask for their fecal exam prices. Maybe I should've done this sooner, but he seemed to slowly be getting better until recently.
 
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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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