Sick baby beardie!!! HELP

tarabennecker · Oct 24, 2016

Hi, I bought a baby beardie from Petsmart about a month ago, he (Diego) was doing great, he ate crickets and I fed him mealworms but I've been doing research in this last week come to realize I shouldn't be feeding him mealworms so I quit, and the past 4 days he hasn't ate, I've tried hand feeding him, tried new foods I bought from petsmart, I talked to three different people at petsmart three separate times, and I just bought a new basking heat bulb mine was 50 W and it only got to about 85 degrees in the basking area and the guy at petsmart said to get a higher wattage so I just bought a 100 W, is there anything else I can do? Do you know what's wrong with him? I also have been giving him warm baths because I'm thinking maybe he is about to shed, and recently one of his eyes has started shutting more and both his eyes are a little swollen, which might be shedding but I'm not sure? Please help me!!!

SpacialCoogs · Oct 24, 2016

For a baby your heat in the basking area should be between 105-110F and the cold side should be around 80F. He needs more heat to be able to digest his food.

When was the last time he pooped?

What kind of UVB light do you have? The coil bulbs can cause eye issues and the tube lights give a better uv gradient throughout the tank.

tarabennecker · Oct 24, 2016

SpacialCoogs":eqhwnssd said:
For a baby your heat in the basking area should be between 105-110F and the cold side should be around 80F. He needs more heat to be able to digest his food.

When was the last time he pooped?

What kind of UVB light do you have? The coil bulbs can cause eye issues and the tube lights give a better uv gradient throughout the tank.

He hasn't pooped in 2-3 days, he does a little in the warm baths but that's it. I just bought a Exo Terra 100W UVB. What UV light do you recommend if the coil ones cause problems?

SpacialCoogs · Oct 24, 2016

Is this a Sun glo UVB light you just bought? Can you link the light bulb? Some have UVA but not UVB which would be a problem.

The Reptisun 10.0 tube or the Arcadia 12% are highly recommended.
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com carries the Arcadia, you can find the Reptisun at most pet stores or amazon.

You can get a T8 or T5, the T5 has more power and can be mounted on a screen above the tank or within 8-12", the T8 would need to be mounted inside the tank at about 6-8" from the basking spot.

If you don't have one already you should look into a probe thermometer, they will help you properly test to regulate your temps. A temp gun would also be a good long term idea.

https://www.amazon.com/CNZ-Thermome...001&sr=8-2&keywords=reptile+probe+thermometer

tarabennecker · Oct 24, 2016

SpacialCoogs":3rgobnlk said:
Is this a Sun glo UVB light you just bought? Can you link the light bulb? Some have UVA but not UVB which would be a problem.

The Reptisun 10.0 tube or the Arcadia 12% are highly recommended.
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com carries the Arcadia, you can find the Reptisun at most pet stores or amazon.

You can get a T8 or T5, the T5 has more power and can be mounted on a screen above the tank or within 8-12", the T8 would need to be mounted inside the tank at about 6-8" from the basking spot.

If you don't have one already you should look into a probe thermometer, they will help you properly test to regulate your temps. A temp gun would also be a good long term idea.

https://www.amazon.com/CNZ-Thermome...001&sr=8-2&keywords=reptile+probe+thermometer

here is the link for the UVB. Would that be the only problem for why he isn't eating, the heating problem? I'm new to this whole thing and he is my first bearded dragon and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. I am very worried because he is getting very skinny

tarabennecker · Oct 24, 2016

tarabennecker":38axl1cr said:
SpacialCoogs":38axl1cr said:

Is this a Sun glo UVB light you just bought? Can you link the light bulb? Some have UVA but not UVB which would be a problem.

The Reptisun 10.0 tube or the Arcadia 12% are highly recommended.
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com carries the Arcadia, you can find the Reptisun at most pet stores or amazon.

You can get a T8 or T5, the T5 has more power and can be mounted on a screen above the tank or within 8-12", the T8 would need to be mounted inside the tank at about 6-8" from the basking spot.

If you don't have one already you should look into a probe thermometer, they will help you properly test to regulate your temps. A temp gun would also be a good long term idea.

https://www.amazon.com/CNZ-Thermome...001&sr=8-2&keywords=reptile+probe+thermometer

Click to expand...

here is the link for the UVB. Would that be the only problem for why he isn't eating, the heating problem? I'm new to this whole thing and he is my first bearded dragon and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. I am very worried because he is getting very skinny

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DBSXNXI/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1477360180&sr=8-8&keywords=exo+terra+100+watt+basking+bulb

SpacialCoogs · Oct 24, 2016

That's good b to get v the temp up but he still needs a separate bulb to provide UVB. Without it he can get very sick. They need calcium and d3 but they can't absorb it from their food unless they have a uvb source. It's basically like a little sun.
There's lighting guide on the top corner menu of v the forum. It has a lot of good info on.

Lighting and heat ares the two most important things for these little guys in my opinion.

tarabennecker · Oct 24, 2016

SpacialCoogs":smssfpmo said:
That's good b to get v the temp up but he still needs a separate bulb to provide UVB. Without it he can get very sick. They need calcium and d3 but they can't absorb it from their food unless they have a uvb source. It's basically like a little sun.
There's lighting guide on the top corner menu of v the forum. It has a lot of good info on.

Lighting and heat ares the two most important things for these little guys in my opinion.

Thank you so much for your help, I will update you if anything happens such as an increase in appetite or if anything worse happens which I hope doesn't. I will get a new UVB and be sure to mount it inside the tank so he can get 100% of it, thanks again!

Sick baby beardie!!! HELP

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