kingofnobbys":2g5koxnc said:
CHANGE 1
I'd change the time his lights and heat are switched , if you have them both on a timer, set the time they come on for at least an hour (or 2) earlier.
This way he'll have an hour or two to wake up and warm up, a sleepy cold hatchling (or even adult) beardie will be very disinterested in moving , basking or even eating.
You may well find he'll up before you then and ready for some food (even eager for it).
CHANGE 2
Increase the day to about 15 hours (lights and heat on), this will give the hatchling ample time to bask and digest it's food.
Will also be much more like the natural daylight / uv hours wild beardies experience in their native range in tropical central Australia in summer.
CHANGE 3
If you don't have a UVB that produces AT LEAST 10% UVB , this is a necessary change , very high (at least 30% UVA) will Improve the beardies vision and enhance it's appetite, and it needs at least 10% UVB to adequately metabolise dietary calcium.
Make sure it can get close enough to the UVB source ,to experience UVI of at least 14 (again like the native range of beardies in summer), you may need to relocate the UVB source so it's closer to the basking spot or provide a means for the beardie to climb closer to the UVB (and UVA) source of it's own accord.
CHANGE 4
Make sure the beardie has at least 2 hours after the last feed to bask and digest last meal of the day.
CHANGE 5
If you are offering greens and salad / veg with the first meal, it is likely pigging out on these and has not got the room for it's insects in the first feeding and second feeding (of 3 per day), hold off on the greens and salad/veg til the last live feed of the day.
OPTION1
It is perfectly OK to hand feed some of it's insects to it if it's not terribly interested in the am. (Least that way you will go to work knowing it has eaten some insects)
OPTION2
Try another feeder insect (crickets , roaches, silkworms).
I go to work around 9-10, so when the lights flip on at 6, his tank is nice and warm by the time I (or my boyfriend) go to feed him at 7-8. But he will literally refuse to come out of his cave in the morning. Most of the time I have to move it and then let the light wake him up.
His day ends around 8; an approximately 15-hour day.
I have a 24" Reptisun 10.0 T8 inside of his tank next to his basking spot. With his branch, he can get as close as 8-inches from it and as far away as 14 inches.
I give him as much time as he needs to bask, but after his last meal of the day, he only basks for 30-40 minutes before climbing in his cave for the evening.
I offer a mix of kale, shredded carrots, and collard greens. It's offered in the morning and I change it every day. I have not, however, seen him actually EAT from the salad though. And I can't really tell if he eats it throughout the day. (He is a baby-baby though and only a few weeks old and not that interested in greens yet)
He doesn't like me or my hand. He's scare of it/glares at me/runs away when I stick my arm in the tank. I tried feeding him worms with my fingers (although that's a little difficult as I do have acrylic nails) and he dgaf.
I tried crickets and they chase him around the tank.
I haven't tried horn or silkworms yet because I don't want him to be picky and reliant on foods that should only be reserved as a treat.
