7 cm baby

Yvonne

Member
Hi,
I purchased a baby bearded dragon and the breeder told me she is about 5 months old. I find this hard to believe as she is currently only 7 cm from head to tail. She is not eating. Not her veggies or pellets or worms. She is in her new housing for about two days now. She is also not very active. Am I just too hasty? Should I give her time to adjust or is it a problem that she is refusing food and very inactive?
 
3” and 5 months?

Was the breeder taking care of her properly? 3” sounds like a hatchling, definitely not 5 months unless she isn’t shedding for some reason which is very unlikely.. Do you have the right setup for her? Tank size, lights, food, etc..
Can you send pictures?
 

Yvonne

Member
Original Poster
How do I share the photos that I uploaded? I loaded a picture of her and her tank. We prepared her tank well.
 

Yvonne

Member
Original Poster
full
 
Wow. That is... very small. My baby is 7-8 inches and i was told he was 2 months.

Maybe ask to see that baby’s siblings. If they’re as small then they are definitely hatchlings. If it is somehow 5 months then the breeder is definitely not taking care of them properly.
What lighting are you using? What are you feeding it and how often? Is it active or lethargic? Did you get it shipped, or bought in person?
 

Yvonne

Member
Original Poster
I collected her at the pet shop where she was brought from the breeding farm. I was informed she had 2 meelworms on Saturday morning and that she should now eat only veggies/pellets until this week Tuesday and then I should feed her another 2 meelworms. However, I contacted Jozi Bugs and ordered nymph Dubia instead as they say it is much higher in protein for her and she should eat about 10 - 15 of these a day. Her lighting is a 50w UVA heating lamp and I ordered a tube UVB which will arrive from JHB tomorrow. She is currently not interested in eating at all. I tried the grated carrots and cabbage and even grated apple. She does not even open her eyes to look at the veggies which tells me she never had veggies before - as informed by the breeder. That is why I ordered the nymph Dubia to see if she will have those. She is sleeping most of the day and I worry. Her temp in her tank is between 37 to 40 degrees Celsius in the basking spot and then the middle is average 25 degrees Celsius and the farthest side of the tank averages 20 degrees Celsius. She is not moving around a lot and not eager in the water either.
 
Definitely don’t feed mealworms, those are not meant for babies. Good you’re going to feed dubias. I’d hold off on veggies if he’s that small.. they don’t NEED veggies at that age, stick to bugs till he gets bigger. Sometimes pet shops lie about beardie ages, just so you buy them.. I’d take that little guy back to the store, because he’s clearly not 5 months. Keep bath and handling to a minimum because that might stress him out more. Has he pooped recently?
 

Yvonne

Member
Original Poster
I took her back to the pet shop last night. She was very weak. I disclosed my concerns and advised that should her health not improve and she is not growing, I will not be taking her home.
 

Yvonne

Member
Original Poster
Hi,
She is gaining strength and running around a little back at the breeder. However, she only wants to eat meelworms being fed to her with a tweezer - holding the worm in front of her face. When I presented her with some nymph Dubia she did not show any interest? She only wants the meelworms and I was told it is not too healthy for a baby bearded dragon? How can I motivate her to eat the nymph Dubia as I know it is much higher in protein and better for her?
 
Have you showed her the dubia running around as well? Please don’t feed mealworms, they’re very bad for babies because of the hard chitin shell there’s a good chance the baby will get impacted because she won’t be able to digest. You could try other insects like crickets or Black Soldier Fly larvae, those two are good staple feeders.
 

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