New baby beardie

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BeardieSpark

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Hi,

I am new to owning a bearded dragon. I have read so many discussions and websites. I am not sure how old this baby is he looks be only a month old. We got him Monday last week, so it will be 1 week tomorrow. He just seems kind of lethargic, he didn’t eat for the first 3 days which I read is normal, so then we finally got him to eat crickets but only with tongs. He will not hunt for them. He won’t eat salad. We have been dripping water on his nose. We have been getting him to eat 5-6 crickets a day but only with tongs. He has pooped everyday since we started feeding him (yay super proud moment when he pooped) Are they suppose to be active? He is either a lazy one or lethargic, he just kind of sleeps under the heat all day, either on his rock or on the floor. We just switched our uvb to the reptisun t5 light yesterday. Should I give him a bath or wait another week to let him settle in longer?

Our setup
40 gallon
150 w light (we had 100 w but it was hot enough for a baby)
Reptisun t5
Carpet substrate
Basking rock
Hammock
Driftwood
Water bowl
Salad bowl

Any tips, advice or some reassurance?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
So lets go over what you posted
150 w light (we had 100 w but it was hot enough for a baby) what is the temp and how are you taking it? NO stickons they are inaccurate
Reptisun t5 where in the tank is it? Top of screen or inside the tank? If on top of screen your screen MUST be a wide hole type -- if its a fine screen like a screen door it needs to be inside the tank-- distance plays a key role once we establish this we can then fix what needs to be fixed
He will go thru relocation stress but he should be active and basking --- pooping is good - he needs to stay hydrated tho -- salads are a good way to do that rinse before serving ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
BUT BEFORE anything we need to get the UVB and basking temps in order -- he will not eat w/ out this being correct -- after this is situated everything else will fall into place ---NO colored bulbs
NO heat mats NO heat rocks and most of all NO COILS!!
 

BeardieSpark

New member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":2ab851uz said:
So lets go over what you posted
150 w light (we had 100 w but it was hot enough for a baby) what is the temp and how are you taking it? NO stickons they are inaccurate
Reptisun t5 where in the tank is it? Top of screen or inside the tank? If on top of screen your screen MUST be a wide hole type -- if its a fine screen like a screen door it needs to be inside the tank-- distance plays a key role once we establish this we can then fix what needs to be fixed
He will go thru relocation stress but he should be active and basking --- pooping is good - he needs to stay hydrated tho -- salads are a good way to do that rinse before serving ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
BUT BEFORE anything we need to get the UVB and basking temps in order -- he will not eat w/ out this being correct -- after this is situated everything else will fall into place ---NO colored bulbs
NO heat mats NO heat rocks and most of all NO COILS!!

We bought digital temp probes one for each side of the tank. The temp is reading at 90.7, surface of the rock read 108, the floor was reading 100. The reptisun is on top of the tank, we brought a wider hole lid on day 3 of owning him. the lid the tank came with was definitely not letting enough heat or light in. I would say the reptisun is about 5 inches from his basking rock, 14 inches away from the floor. He has not eaten any of his salads that I place in his salad bowl. Should I give him a bath or will that stress him out more? He is currently basking on his rock, he pooped, we have not fed him yet, letting him just warm up and relax since it’s still morning. I am ordering the BSFL and the bowl you recommended right now.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You want the UVB directly above him and the basking decor piece -- approx 12-15 inches from him -- NO closer than the 12" -- hes going thru relocation stress and as long as hes eating thats good -- you want him eating a little-- NONE is NOT good - no baths for now -- it will stress him out more -- drop water on his nose see if he will lick or you can try misting him to see if he will lick water that way too --- make sure those insects are hydrated w/ water tabs or crystals and fed good - he will get some moisture from that but for the most part he will get it out of the salads -- rinse before serving --- once you get everything in place it will be up to him to eat more but the correct lighting and temps will help -- those are a MUST-- as he acclimates to his tank and surroundings his appetite will increase - no handling for now -- get your hand in the tank as much as possible so he get used to your hand being in there -- place a piece of clothing or a fleece blanket in his hide w/ your smell on it - that will get him used to you approach from the side not over head he will think your a predator -- trust and patience is key here - he needs to learn to trust you --
 

BeardieSpark

New member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":1o2ozbhr said:
You want the UVB directly above him and the basking decor piece -- approx 12-15 inches from him -- NO closer than the 12" -- hes going thru relocation stress and as long as hes eating thats good -- you want him eating a little-- NONE is NOT good - no baths for now -- it will stress him out more -- drop water on his nose see if he will lick or you can try misting him to see if he will lick water that way too --- make sure those insects are hydrated w/ water tabs or crystals and fed good - he will get some moisture from that but for the most part he will get it out of the salads -- rinse before serving --- once you get everything in place it will be up to him to eat more but the correct lighting and temps will help -- those are a MUST-- as he acclimates to his tank and surroundings his appetite will increase - no handling for now -- get your hand in the tank as much as possible so he get used to your hand being in there -- place a piece of clothing or a fleece blanket in his hide w/ your smell on it - that will get him used to you approach from the side not over head he will think your a predator -- trust and patience is key here - he needs to learn to trust you --


He did a lap around his tank and he finally caught a cricket on his own (the legs were torn off) but he still caught it! Finally saw a little tiny burst of energy from him. Thank you for all your help. I am sure more questions will come up along the way. Hoping he starts to get the hang of things.
 
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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.

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

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