Baby Beardie Not Eating

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi everyone, I am very new to all of this. I have researched a lot on beardies but i’ve never actually had one up until a few days ago. I purchased a baby bearded dragon on craigslist. From what I saw, his previous owners did not properly care for him as he was only provided with canned bugs (no calcium, vitamins, fresh fruit/vegetables) and looks to be very young (only about 5-6 inches long) and was purchased from Petsmart. As soon as I brought him home, I went out and hurriedly bought everything he still needed and in my excitement I forgot to double check about bug size and fed him 2 superworms (which he ate slowly, starting my first wave of worry). He didn’t eat any of the vegetables I provided either. When I offered him food later that day, yesterday, and today multiple times each day he did not show any interest in any of the food offered. He has been drinking though. I got worried when he didn’t eat on the second day and very quickly found out that I fed him too big of a meal and became very panicked as I didn’t want to cause him any harm. I still feel very guilty and am hoping he is just full, but even as a new beardie owner I know that this is unusual and I am wondering if anyone here has advice, possible answers, etc. Thank you!!
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Congratulations on your first dragon. They can definitely cause us worry. Do you have
pictures of him, along with your tank setup too?
How big were the superworms that you fed him?
For now, you can give him a little bit of unsweetened apple sauce or canned pumpkin &
mix that with a drop or two of olive or coconut oil daily with a dropper or syringe. That may
help out his system in case he backed up some from the superworms.
You can also keep him a little warmer overnight, around 75-80, to help boost his system right
now.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie
 

lindsaym12

Member
Original Poster
Thank you for the suggestion! I will definitely pick up both of those tomorrow :) I believe the super worms were about 2 inches each in length (yikes, I know!!) I tried offering him a small dish of kale, carrot, sweet potato, and small mealworms, but he was uninterested. He has pooped about 4 times since I got him/fed him ( Sunday, 9/06) hopefully that is a good sign-and his belly feels soft (hopefully no blockage). I live in California so the room temperature is in the 75-80 degree range you recommended and he likes to sleep in his water dish. His current setup is a 10 gallon with reptile carpet, a large basking rock, a water and food dish, and a basking heat lamp. I know it’s not ideal but it is what he came with when I got him on craigslist and I’ve decided to keep him in there until he gets a little bit bigger so I can upgrade him to a 40-75 gallon when he is ready. It’s possible he may be stressed as he is adjusting to an entirely new environment. I’ve been trying to handle him at least once a day (usually he just sleeps on my chest) to get him used to me (his first day he was very scared, running around his cage, opening his mouth, nipping me, etc) should I stop handling him to reduce stress?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
10 gallon aquariums are very hard to get temps controlled - I would suggest you get him into something bigger sooner than later - please get this to get actual temps in the tank
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/zoo-med-reptile-terrarium-digital-thermometer-14914.html?cgid=500202
Your basking bulb should be a bright white bulb like this
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/exo-terra-intense-basking-spot-light-14809.html?cgid=500202 I would only use a 50 watt and make sure you have that digital probe I posted
Please no more super worms if they were too big and NO meal worms - the exoskeleton is too hard on the stomachs- get him some BSFL also known as calci worms phoenix worms or nutri grubs - make sure you have a glass or ceramic bowl so they cant get out
What are you using for a UVB --- I am assuming its a coil-- those are inadequate for larger tank - your going to need to invest in a tube fixture - like this
https://www.reptilesupplyco.com/wholesale-reptile-hoods-domes-fixtures/1884-reptisun-terrarium-hood-t5-24-zoo-med.html this is good for a 40+ gallon there is a 5.0 bulb that comes w/this fixture it would be good for a back up the distance would be different from the 10.0 bulb of which you would need for a bigger tank
https://www.reptilesupplyco.com/t5-uvb-bulbs/1878-reptisun-100-uvb-t5-ho-fluorescent-bulb-22-zoo-med.html you need this bulb --
Once you get your basking temps and UVB corrected hes going to start eating -- but for now work on your basking temps and work on getting your UVB that your going to need
Here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
If you need websites for worms / insects please let me know I can post some for you
in the meantime here is a site to order BSFL from
www.symptonbsf.com order large and do not dust them they are calcium enriched
You can move him to a large tote as well - just make sure your basking bulb is not anywhere near the plastic so it does not melt - the UVB would not get hot enough to do that - you can use the new UVB fixture on the larger tote as well - just keep us updated and we can help you
Karrie
 

lindsaym12

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":3jhib1pk said:
10 gallon aquariums are very hard to get temps controlled - I would suggest you get him into something bigger sooner than later - please get this to get actual temps in the tank
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/zoo-med-reptile-terrarium-digital-thermometer-14914.html?cgid=500202
Your basking bulb should be a bright white bulb like this
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/exo-terra-intense-basking-spot-light-14809.html?cgid=500202 I would only use a 50 watt and make sure you have that digital probe I posted
Please no more super worms if they were too big and NO meal worms - the exoskeleton is too hard on the stomachs- get him some BSFL also known as calci worms phoenix worms or nutri grubs - make sure you have a glass or ceramic bowl so they cant get out
What are you using for a UVB --- I am assuming its a coil-- those are inadequate for larger tank - your going to need to invest in a tube fixture - like this
https://www.reptilesupplyco.com/wholesale-reptile-hoods-domes-fixtures/1884-reptisun-terrarium-hood-t5-24-zoo-med.html this is good for a 40+ gallon there is a 5.0 bulb that comes w/this fixture it would be good for a back up the distance would be different from the 10.0 bulb of which you would need for a bigger tank
https://www.reptilesupplyco.com/t5-uvb-bulbs/1878-reptisun-100-uvb-t5-ho-fluorescent-bulb-22-zoo-med.html you need this bulb --
Once you get your basking temps and UVB corrected hes going to start eating -- but for now work on your basking temps and work on getting your UVB that your going to need
Here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
If you need websites for worms / insects please let me know I can post some for you
in the meantime here is a site to order BSFL from
http://www.symptonbsf.com order large and do not dust them they are calcium enriched
You can move him to a large tote as well - just make sure your basking bulb is not anywhere near the plastic so it does not melt - the UVB would not get hot enough to do that - you can use the new UVB fixture on the larger tote as well - just keep us updated and we can help you
Karrie


Thank you so much Karrie! This was an extremely helpful post and I would love some more advice on how to set up a tote enclosure for him/ more websites for feeders if you have the time :). I just ordered the large BSFL from Sympton and they should be arriving in a few days—any suggestions for feeders before they arrive? Before I purchased him, it appears he was only being fed canned Fluker’s mealworms and treat-grade Freeze-dried crickets (both of which I know not to feed him). I bought crickets but he hasn’t eaten any yet (I have offered, please let me know if these are suitable or not) and he still hasn’t eaten. However, he looked a lot better today and was a lot more active. I tried offering him a canned pumpkin/olive oil mixture recommended via dropper but he wouldn’t take it and I didn’t want to force him unless it was absolutely necessary as he has been having BMs. He soaks in his water dish every night as well. Thank you so much for all the tips and I am always open to more as I am so new to this-I can’t wait to learn from you all and give my beardie the best care! :)
Lindsay
 

lindsaym12

Member
Original Poster
Just adding on to my last response.. I checked out all of the links provided and am picking everything up ASAP! :)
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I am going to have AHBD help you set up the tote for now
www.mulberryfarms.com they are spendy on shipping but have some good worms - you can order some small super worms butter worms BSFL --
www.reptilianarts.com they have silk worms usually in bulk but I think they are out those come small and w/ no food so if you ever order make sure you get food - the cupped food comes w/ food - they also have super worms that come in a gunny sack wrapped in paper if you order from here make sure you have a cup w/ holes on lid and some oatmeal regular for them to go into - you can try and find some small at your local pet store so you can get a cup / the food in it - I managed to hang on to mine from pet smart so when they came I had something for them to go into - I was shocked they came like that so I am giving you a heads up -- the roaches they send come in a plastic container and you can keep those in that 10 gallon aquarium and feed them dubia food along w/ carrots / squash for hydration- these people are fast and good at getting orders out
www.dubiaroaches.com nice horn worms and roaches - this place is usually pretty good for shipping out and the worms and roaches come in plastic containers - they are usually pretty fast but I think the pandemic has slowed them down-- also order medium horn worms they usually come small and order small amounts they grow real fast you will want to feed 2 at a time
www.coastalsilkworms.com the last order from them I wasnt real happy w/ the silk worms came in a container that was wet - it looked dirty and was real dark lots of food in the container but I ended up taking the worms out and using one of my extra containers I had in the house from previous orders--
www.joshsfrogs.com I have never ordered from this place but others on here have you can check them out --
If hes pooping you dont need to feed him pumpkin / olive oil -- its when they get impacted or have eaten a insect too big for them -- please dont leave the water dish in his tank - take it out over nite - too many accidents --
You need to feed fresh salads everyday that I posted for you the nutrition website -- use those BSFL to lure him to the salad bowl and feed first feeding -add those BSFL to his salads in front of him feed as many as you want they are a good staple feeder - and dont dust them - just dust the insects w/ your calcium D3 and Vitamins -- you can use the other worms as well - use like 1-3 of the super worms
roaches work real good for adding to the salads - you will need a glass or ceramic bowl so the insects/ worms cant get out something like this https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Reptile-Ceramic-Leopard-Bearded/dp/B084VJJWTV?pf_rd_r=R0HNPKXJ2ZARWAT5MPAH&pf_rd_p=c5b6893a-24f2-4a59-9d4b-aff5065c90ec&pd_rd_r=0173f98f-f39b-4d44-9f76-6ae4d88c419b&pd_rd_w=AuGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
Hes going to go thru relocation stress but we need him eating something - his temps / UVB need to be correct so make sure his basking temp is 105-110 no hotter -
Karrie
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, that's a nice looking little dragon and hopefully he'll do well for you. Like Karrie said it's better to get him in a larger plastic tote for now and he can live in it for at least a couple of months. The 10 gallon is too small. So here's a simple set up, just get a medium -large clear tote, try to get one that's no taller than 24 -30" high. Here's an idea of a simple set up.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29953/full

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29895/full

Just a rock or 2 and some branches for climbing + basking, it's how I raised quite a few babies.
 

lindsaym12

Member
Original Poster
Hi Everyone! Thank you all so much for your feedback :) Kuby (any breaking bad fans out here?) is doing very well! I upgraded him to a tote and got him the UVB light + hood fixture that was recommended as well as the basking light. He’s enjoying his new home complete with a basking rock, cork log for climbing, and sea grass hammock! He also enjoys the BSFL from Sympton Feeders :) The only problem i’m having now is getting him to eat his veggies! Haha I guess with a lot of time and patience he and I will get that settled too.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Use those BSFL to lure him to the bowl -- add them to his salad on top in front of him it will get his attention
Karrie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Still Needs Help

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
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.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,897
Messages
1,255,656
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom