New Beardie not Eating

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fcooper

Hatchling Member
New reptiles need time to become comfortable with their new surroundings and to de-stress. The fact that the bearded is eating something sometimes is much better than nothing. Just give the bearded time to adjust. As long as all the correct husbandry (like UVB lighting and 110 F basking temp) is provided for, the bearded should come around quickly.
 

nikochanr3

Member
Original Poster
Is there anything else he can eat? Also, catching any crickets he doesn't eat is a huge pain and i'm afraid they bite him during the day since he doesn't eat them.

I heard some kinds of worms are ok. We had mealworms the first day, he ate one (like 10 days ago) and this board told me that's bad so i got rid of them
 

nikochanr3

Member
Original Poster
Hi There,

He still doesn't really eat much. He was more active yesterday, less so today. I am not home all day so i can jsut say what i see when i am. (I say this because maybe he moves when i'm not there).

I know he's eating because he has some poop and there are some cricket pieces scattered about, usually in the same place near his rock. I've seen him eat a cricket since having him once, i've seen him stalk and miss two other times.

I just don't want to wait till he's very sick before i do anything. I took all the advice given here, but it's worrisome he doesn't seem to show more appetite.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, what exact size are the crickets ? If you're finding pieces of cricket they may be too big for him. Can you post a cricket next to a dime for scale ? Another thing you can do is squish a cricket from the head until the guts come out the back end, then rub that lightly on his mouth. This will often get them to eat them.

He may also be dehydrated [ they hardly ever drink from a bowl ] so drip water on his snout to give him a chance to drink. Use an eyedropper or small spray bottle.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Just want to verify that you got that Zilla T8 UVB tube strapped to the underside of the mesh lid, so that there is absolutely nothing between the tube and him, and that his basking spot/platform is at least within 6" of the now unobstructed UVb tube? That UVB tube is very weak, and if he is not able to bask within at least 6" of the tube then he's not getting adequate UVB or UVA light, and he won't have an appetite. Your tank looks quite tall from the photos, so if the tank is 12" tall or taller and you have the entire fixture strapped to the inside of the tank, then it's still almost 12" away from the floor of the tank. I saw how low you have his hammock to the floor, so I'm wondering if that's his "Basking Spot", or do you have something that is higher (and preferably solid instead of the mesh) on the Hot Side of the tank that is within at least 6" or closer to that UVB tube? If not, then that's your problem, and if you didn't get it under the mesh (I couldn't find anywhere you said that you strapped the entire UVB tube fixture under the mesh lid, so I'm just making sure, as this is crucial) then that's really the problem. You can only leave the much stronger T5 UVB tubes on top of mesh lids, as they are the only tubes strong enough to still get adequate UVb light to your dragon on the other side of the mesh.

Just another FYI about that T8 strength UVB tube made by Zilla: In addition to having to be strapped underneath the mesh lid, and having to be within at least 6" of your dragon on his basking spot, and also having to be on for at least 13-14 hours every single day (along with his bright white colored Basking Bulb), it also must be replaced every 6 months at the very latest. The T8 UVB tubes have a very fast UVb decay rate, and at 6 months old they no longer emit adequate or any UVB light.

When that Zilla Desert 50 T8 UVB tube is 6 months old and needs replaced, I highly suggest that you either upgrade to the 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube, which you can put into the Zilla Slimline fixture you already have (the Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube will still have to be mounted underneath the mesh lid, be within 6" of the basking spot, and be replaced every 6 months, however it's a much higher quality UVB tube and does not emit any harmful light rays as a byproduct of the manufacturing process, as the Zilla, All Living Things, Reptile One, and many other brands do), OR better yet, you spend around $55 on Amazon.com and you upgrade to a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube and a 24" T5-rated tube fixture for it. You can buy both for around $55 shipped on Amazon.com, and the T5 UVB tube can sit on top of the mesh, it only has to be within 11" of his basking spot, and they only need replaced once every year. So it's a much stronger UVb and UVA light for your dragon, and it also saves you money because you only have to replace it once a year instead of every 6 months.
 

nikochanr3

Member
Original Poster
Hi There,

I think i'll get the new light as recommended. Do you think that light will work if i go to a bigger tank? When he's older i will get a bigger tank of course. So i wonder if there's a solution i can use for now and future.

I replaced the hammock with the cave under the lamp as it's much close to the basking light. The circkets are small, i'll try to find smaller though. It's hard. The ones in most stores here are very large. I'm glad that are least he's eating (the one's i'm finding dead with pieces missing he is eating right? (Note: 2 he ate fully, as they were gone from the tank).
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Yes, the Reptisun 10.0 T5HO or the Arcadia 12% T5 are fine to use in even a large, custom wooden enclosure installed on the ceiling. You many want to think about buying a longer tube and fixture though, depending on how large an enclosure you want to end up with, so you don't have to keep buying fixtures, because you'll only have to replace the T5 tubes once a year. So instead of a 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO tube and a 24" fixture, maybe a 34" tube and a 36" fixture, etc. The cost of the tube on Amazon.com isn't much more, the fixture is a few bucks more, but much cheaper than buying a new fixture. Again, make sure that the fixture you buy for the tube is not only rated for a T5 tube (make sure the wattage of the fixture matches at least the wattage of the tube you buy or higher; choose your tube length first, because sometimes the longer the tube, the higher the wattage)...

As far as the crickets go, you must make sure that any live insect he eats (the ones with a shell or exoskeleton, like crickets, roaches, etc.) is smaller than the space between his eyes, that's a must. We just had someone a couple of months ago accidentally kill their dragon by feeding him roaches that were larger than the space between his eyes, the owner thought it was fine because he was able to eat them, and his dragon ended up dying shortly after eating them. They can end up choking to death, suffocating, or developing a very bad bowel impaction or obstruction otherwise.

My best advice on that issue is to order you live insects in bulk online. You'll not only be able to buy anything you want and have it in 2 days, but you'll save a LARGE fortune. I use www.dubiaroaches.com to order my Phoenix Worms/BSFL, I get 1,000 size large for about $23 shipped (if the live insect is soft-bodied, like either the BSFL or Silkworms, then they can handle the larger ones as babies/juveniles). There are many online vendors that sell crickets, different species of roaches (for a baby you want small Dubia's), Silkworms, and BSFL/Phoenix Worms in large quantities very cheaply. But please don't make the mistake of feeding your baby a cricket that is too large for him, even if he eats them without an issue they can still be fatal.
 
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