REALLY NEED HELP! New Beardie Owner - Not eating -

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Birdie

Member
Hi everyone!

I’m a nervous new beardie mom and really need some advice and/or reassurance.

We bought a baby beardie on Friday last week at Petco. At the time of purchase, I was told that this baby would eat between 10-15 crickets 2-3 times a day.

Since bringing Franklin (that’s his name) home, I’ve had some questions and concerns about his feeding that I no longer feel the employees at Petco are able to expertly answer.

My first concern is that Franklin doesn’t seem to be eating enough.

I want to point out that he does appear to have a large area on his hind claw that is shedding. Not sure if that makes a difference...

We brought him home on Friday, and Saturday morning I watched him chow down on 10-12 crickets. I didn’t see him Eat any additional crickets although some were left in the tank. I offered more at night and he was uninterested.

On Sunday morning, I put the crickets in a Tupperware container in his enclosure and I watched as he ate 8-10. I used the Tupperware to better remove the uneaten crickets and to better understand how much he’s eating. He was uninterested in additional crickets offered in the afternoon and evening.


This morning, I again put the crickets in his enclosure, but he was not interested.

He is also not eating any greens or fruit.

But he’s pooping 1-2 times a day! So....that’s good?

At this point, I feel like 8-12 crickets per day is simply my enough. Is he just adjusting to his new environment? Is it the shedding? He seems a little jumpier yesterday and today.

Any advice or reassurance would be very much appreciated. I really want to do right by this little guy.
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Hi,

Glad you're trying to give this little one a good home! When they're shedding, the can go off food for a while, and if they're new, some adjustment anxiety is also a possibility. If you're feeding crickets, make sure you dust them with calcium and that you follow the "no bigger than the space between their eyes" rule so they don't choke on them. They may or may not eat fruit or veg when they're young. Protein seems more important at this stage from what I've seen. Definitely leave some of the former out because it's good if they get used to eating that stuff early. My dragon won't touch either, which is a bit worrisome because he's over 1 y.o. now. In the URL I reference below, there's a really good link on pg 2 about what greens & fruits to offer.

Other than that & making sure you collect any crickets from the cage at night so they don't bite your dragon, the Bearded Dragon Care Sheet link on the left is a trove of information to make sure you're doing the best for your new friend.
 

Birdie

Member
Original Poster
Hi Aaradimian!!

Thanks for your quick response! Yep, I’m dusting the crickets (although not every time I feed), and I’m gutloading the crickets with food that hasn’t calcium in it also (not sure if that really works). And the crickets I’m feeding are the correct size and super small. He has not had any issues - one the few occasions he’s eaten - chowing them done one right after the other. I’ve ordered some Dubia roaches and they are on their way.

I’m placing a plate of both veggies (kale, carrots zucchini), and fruit (strawberries and papaya), all chopped up finely for him. I’ve heard that some people put baby mealworms - babies not full grown so that they don’t yet have a harder to digest outer shell - in the veggie dish. Have you tried this?



Aaradimian":2as5ehxy said:
Hi,

Glad you're trying to give this little one a good home! When they're shedding, the can go off food for a while, and if they're new, some adjustment anxiety is also a possibility. If you're feeding crickets, make sure you dust them with calcium and that you follow the "no bigger than the space between their eyes" rule so they don't choke on them. They may or may not eat fruit or veg when they're young. Protein seems more important at this stage from what I've seen. Definitely leave some of the former out because it's good if they get used to eating that stuff early. My dragon won't touch either, which is a bit worrisome because he's over 1 y.o. now. In the URL I reference below, there's a really good link on pg 2 about what greens & fruits to offer.

Other than that & making sure you collect any crickets from the cage at night so they don't bite your dragon, the Bearded Dragon Care Sheet link on the left is a trove of information to make sure you're doing the best for your new friend.
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Birdie":37m8y6ol said:
Hi Aaradimian!!

Thanks for your quick response! Yep, I’m dusting the crickets (although not every time I feed), and I’m gutloading the crickets with food that hasn’t calcium in it also (not sure if that really works). And the crickets I’m feeding are the correct size and super small. He has not had any issues - one the few occasions he’s eaten - chowing them done one right after the other. I’ve ordered some Dubia roaches and they are on their way.

I’m placing a plate of both veggies (kale, carrots zucchini), and fruit (strawberries and papaya), all chopped up finely for him. I’ve heard that some people put baby mealworms - babies not full grown so that they don’t yet have a harder to digest outer shell - in the veggie dish. Have you tried this?

I haven't tried immature mealworms as I'm a dragon newbie myself, but absorbing as much info as I can from the site :). It seems like dubias, silkworms, and soldier fly larvae are posters' favorites, though I have a hard time finding anything but dubias, crickets, and superworms around me. I may have to order these because I hate crickets with a passion!
 

Birdie

Member
Original Poster
So I just got some young mealworms from the pet store where I purchased our beardie. The guy told me that he’d likely already been fed mealworms and so might like some. (I am aware that darker color mealworms are difficult to digest.)

Our little guy STILL won’t eat them. He’s going on about 24 hours without showing any interest in food. Just wants to sit at the top of his tank under the heat.

Again, he’s shedding so I’m not sure what to think of all this. Beginning to worry a bit!
 

Birdie

Member
Original Poster
102336-3621590315.jpg

Here’s a pic of our little man. I’d really like him to eat. Want to add to the above post that he seems to be pooping regularly. Just not eating.
 

Birdie

Member
Original Poster
So he just ate 7-8 crickets. In the photo above, are those stress marks on his belly?

Anyone out there who can help???
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Birdie":3bpxl2on said:
So he just ate 7-8 crickets. In the photo above, are those stress marks on his belly?

Anyone out there who can help???

Well, I don’t know that there is anything wrong with what you have described. I think the big thing that stands out in my mind is that he is shedding. They do tend to go off food when shedding. If he is eating something and pooping regularly, it may just be a matter of waiting a little while until the shed is finished before his appetite comes back. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe you could send off a fecal sample to have them check for parasites. Parasites will cause them not to eat also. The dark lines under his belly could be stress marks, but shedding can be uncomfortable for them. Are you giving him a bath or misting him? If not, that’d be something to try. Can you post your lighting and temp situation? There may be a clue in there as well.
 

Birdie

Member
Original Poster
Yes, I’m misting him daily. Gave him a bath just now and watched him drink water for the first time. A good amount of shedding was visibly floating in the water while he bathed. He loved it though - even pooped! He also ate a small bite of collard greens but was uninterested in crickets both times I offered today.

Lighting: I have a 100watt basking bulb and a UVB coil both made by ZooMed. Using the Etekcity temp gun, the temps are ranging from 105-110 in the highest basking points. Between 85-90 in the other warmer parts of his 40-gal enclosure and around 70-75 on the cool side.

Any clues from this?



I’m waiting on the Arcadia 12% HO T5 lamp and fixture to arrive because I know the coil UVB bulb I have is quite inadequate.
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Birdie":2y1218yw said:
Yes, I’m misting him daily. Gave him a bath just now and watched him drink water for the first time. A good amount of shedding was visibly floating in the water while he bathed. He loved it though - even pooped! He also ate a small bite of collard greens but was uninterested in crickets both times I offered today.

Lighting: I have a 100watt basking bulb and a UVB coil both made by ZooMed. Using the Etekcity temp gun, the temps are ranging from 105-110 in the highest basking points. Between 85-90 in the other warmer parts of his 40-gal enclosure and around 70-75 on the cool side.

Any clues from this?
I’m waiting on the Arcadia 12% HO T5 lamp and fixture to arrive because I know the coil UVB bulb I have is quite inadequate.

To be honest, nothing jumps out at me. This not eating could just be a temporary "beardie thing". In fact, my 1.5 y.o is on a fast right now. For a while he was barely eating & acting groggy, which sounded like brumation, and in fact he went to sleep for a few days so we shut everything down to let him sleep. Well, he got back up and is still off his food, but acting normal otherwise. I tried his favs, hornworms & dubias, and he just looked at me funny before snubbing them. We don't know whether he's up, he's down, he's brumating, or just messing with us! Such is the life of a beardie slave I suppose, but I really don't see any issues or cause for concern. If you want, take a length & weight measurement and keep a little diary of food intake, poops, and those other two parameters + do that fecal test for parasites. However, if he is shedding and he's not losing weight, I'd put this down to normal beardie weirdness :)
 

Birdie

Member
Original Poster
This is really reassuring, thank you Aaradimian!!

Aaradimian":3ohybhso said:
Birdie":3ohybhso said:
Yes, I’m misting him daily. Gave him a bath just now and watched him drink water for the first time. A good amount of shedding was visibly floating in the water while he bathed. He loved it though - even pooped! He also ate a small bite of collard greens but was uninterested in crickets both times I offered today.

Lighting: I have a 100watt basking bulb and a UVB coil both made by ZooMed. Using the Etekcity temp gun, the temps are ranging from 105-110 in the highest basking points. Between 85-90 in the other warmer parts of his 40-gal enclosure and around 70-75 on the cool side.

Any clues from this?
I’m waiting on the Arcadia 12% HO T5 lamp and fixture to arrive because I know the coil UVB bulb I have is quite inadequate.

To be honest, nothing jumps out at me. This not eating could just be a temporary "beardie thing". In fact, my 1.5 y.o is on a fast right now. For a while he was barely eating & acting groggy, which sounded like brumation, and in fact he went to sleep for a few days so we shut everything down to let him sleep. Well, he got back up and is still off his food, but acting normal otherwise. I tried his favs, hornworms & dubias, and he just looked at me funny before snubbing them. We don't know whether he's up, he's down, he's brumating, or just messing with us! Such is the life of a beardie slave I suppose, but I really don't see any issues or cause for concern. If you want, take a length & weight measurement and keep a little diary of food intake, poops, and those other two parameters + do that fecal test for parasites. However, if he is shedding and he's not losing weight, I'd put this down to normal beardie weirdness :)
 
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