New owner advice/not eating

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Greenday987

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Hello! I recently purchased an approx 2 month old beardie from petsmart, and i just want to make sure that i am on the right track. He wasn't eating well and lethargic as per the staff, but being a vet nurse, I wanted to take him on and give him a chance. Initial weight was 6g, approx 5". They were syringing him grub powder/slurry. I got a basic terarrium starter kit (10 gallon tank, 80 watt daybulb, red bulb for night). It has now been 1.5 weeks, and he has grown to 7.9 g and 5.5". Mixing appetite stimulant powder with the grub slurry, and he eats about 1.5 ml/day now. He refuses to eat on his own, and i worry about his stress level with the syringe feeding. He is scared of baby crickets, won't eat greens or kibbles or soft food. Basking temp is 95-105, cool side is 75-80.
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
Greenday987":11sb1087 said:
Hello! I recently purchased an approx 2 month old beardie from petsmart, and i just want to make sure that i am on the right track. He wasn't eating well and lethargic as per the staff, but being a vet nurse, I wanted to take him on and give him a chance. Initial weight was 6g, approx 5". They were syringing him grub powder/slurry. I got a basic terarrium starter kit (10 gallon tank, 80 watt daybulb, red bulb for night). It has now been 1.5 weeks, and he has grown to 7.9 g and 5.5". Mixing appetite stimulant powder with the grub slurry, and he eats about 1.5 ml/day now. He refuses to eat on his own, and i worry about his stress level with the syringe feeding. He is scared of baby crickets, won't eat greens or kibbles or soft food. Basking temp is 95-105, cool side is 75-80.

I'm not the person to make rehab care suggestions, but I do know that the red bulb isn't necessary for night... in fact, they really need it full dark at night, and the red bulb can be detrimental in the long run. That might be contributing to the little guy's overall stress level. I'll leave my advice at that, and hope the more veteran posters hop in with care advice. :)
 

Greenday987

New member
Original Poster
Oh yes! I should have mentioned, i will be getting rid of that and using a CHE. The day bulb that was provided was a blue 80w bulb, but my basking spot wasn't getting hot enough. I have replaced it with a 125w mercury vapor bulb.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
It's good that you replaced the blue basking bulb with an MVB. Which brand are you using? That should (in general) be about 10-12'' above the basking area for proper UVB output. You may want to use a larger enclosure if the temperature gradient doesn't work out with the bulb at that distance since it can be difficult to regulate temps and make a nice gradient with a smaller enclosure. It's good that he is growing a bit and eating some of the slurry. The lighting/heat/uvb exposure is pretty important for his overall wellbeing. Once he gets some strength back then I'd keep trying with the live bugs and try to get him chasing them a bit or eat least eating them if you hand feed/tong feed them. That is a step for later though.
 

Greenday987

New member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":2d2y57tj said:
It's good that you replaced the blue basking bulb with an MVB. Which brand are you using? That should (in general) be about 10-12'' above the basking area for proper UVB output. You may want to use a larger enclosure if the temperature gradient doesn't work out with the bulb at that distance since it can be difficult to regulate temps and make a nice gradient with a smaller enclosure. It's good that he is growing a bit and eating some of the slurry. The lighting/heat/uvb exposure is pretty important for his overall wellbeing. Once he gets some strength back then I'd keep trying with the live bugs and try to get him chasing them a bit or eat least eating them if you hand feed/tong feed them. That is a step for later though.

I am currently using a generic brand MVB off Amazon. I was hesitant to invest. With his (hopefully) rapid growth rate, i assume that I'll have to purchase a larger tank soon enough, and with that a new set of bulbs. Any recommendations?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes I would invest in this for UVB
https://www.petmountain.com/product/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-high-output-terrarium-hood this is for a 40+ gallon tank -- it comes w/ a 5.0 bulb that would be good for the 10 gallon tank for now but you will need this bulb when upgrading
https://www.petmountain.com/product/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-100-uvb-high-output-bulbs?variant=40630 you want the 22" bulb
It is trial and error w/ basking bulbs - depending on the size of tank I would start w/ a 100 watt bright white basking bulb and go from there --- just make sure you have a digital probe thermometer that is a MUST for getting actual basking temps
This UVB bulb is one of the best on the market at this time besides the Arcadia bulbs
Karrie
 
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