My baby dragon not interested in food

Hi we got our baby dragon a few days back. I know he is probably still adjusting to his new environment. We have him in a 40 gallon enclosure. He spends a lot of time basking on his log. I put some crickets in and he is not going after them at all. Yesterday he ate one cricket and two Phoenix. But only bcs i put it on the log. I put food in his dish with some greens.

If he is basking and seems alert, he is probably fine. Their appetites fluctuate a lot and it may take some time for him to settle in as you said.

If you want to provide details about your setup and lighting (photos help) we'll be glad to review your setup and make sure everything is just right for your new buddy. You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button when you reply.

I bought the kit which came with everything. Got the all in one bulb, 125W and the reptile dome. The temps are btw 99-105 under basking area. And the cool side is 82.. he seems to be shedding as well.. he seems to be a little more active but still spends most time up basking.. there was a Lotte fly that got into his enclosure and it landed on glass he he launched from his basking spot at the glass.. but didn’t seem to be interested in crickets today or bsf. I just don’t want to lose him..

Try increasing the basking temps to 105-110 and I would invest in another long tube fixture UVB -- the MVB is what brand --- the digital probe thermometer needs to sit on the spot where he bask for actual basking temp-- some of those MVB's do not put out enough UVB that is why I recommend getting a tube fixture --- so it looks like the tank is a 40 gallon ? 18" high? You can get a 24" fixture w/ reflector w/ a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 depending on the screen it could sit on top but we need to know what kind of screen it is --- fine mesh or a wide holed screen ? He will go thru relocation stress so his eating may be off but he should be eating something which it sounds like he is but to me he should eat more--- add your BSFL to your salads --- that will get his attention to the salad bowl -- relocation stress poor basking temps and bad UVB will cause him not to eat --- that is why I asked about the brand for the MVB -- if he quits eating all together there is a issue
Karrie

The bulb is Exoterra Solar Glo 125W, and the lamp is reptile dome. That’s what they recommended at the store and said that’s all I need.. I was thinking about wether he needs a night heat lamp.. the room is one of the warmest in the house. But I checked his warm side is at 80 and cool side is at 76 at night. He might be cold at night. The enclosure is 12“ in height and 18“ depth.

The mesh is a fine mesh

The night time temp is good-- you only need heat at nite if it's falling below 65-- and that would be a CHE no colored bulbs---
Karrie

So you suggest I get a 24“ light fixture with reflector and reptisun. I saw those at the pet store but not the light fixture.. where do I get it? Found one on Amazon not sure if it is the right one..Sunblaster light kit 24W.. he didn’t eat anything today.. but he did lick the water of the green when I held it close to him.. I will try again tomorrow.

If your tank is 12" high I would go w/ the T 8 -- you can get those at the pet store like a 20" and get the Reptisun 10.0 bulb T 8 --- distance on the T 8 would be 6-8 inches -- and MUST be unobstructed -- no screen or no clear plastic cover over the bulb if there is one-- I am sure hes going thru relocation stress as well but the extra UVB is going to be good for him -- and I am not sure how much the Solar Glo is putting out for UVB ---
Karrie

So does this light fixture go on the inside of the enclosure? I have a mesh on top of the terrarium. I will definitely look for those today. So as far as feeding him.. I did manage to give him some water off of the lettuce last night. But he didn’t eat anything yesterday unless he ate a cricket that was left bcs I couldn’t catch it. If I am feedin him the crickets just dust them with calcium and throw them in. And put bsf in with lettuce.. like do I put a whole bunch of them..?

Yes the light fixture goes inside approx 6-8 inches directly above basking decor --- Please no more lettuce-- here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
and do not leave crickets in the tank over nite they will come out and bite
Karrie

Ok those are all great. How many crickets should I put in there bcs that’s my worry that he won’t eat them all and then I got to catch them, they are a pain to catch especially the little ones.

Your 125w is providing a nice temperature gradient, but the mesh is probably intercepting quite a bit of the UVB. I have the same mesh top for mine, but I don't have one of those bulbs to test out, unfortunately. Generally you'd want that bulb at around 10-15'' above the basking area for optimal UVB output. With the mesh top, I'd guess that is cut down to about 6-12'' or so. Since you have the fixture on a stand, you could remove the mesh top if you don't have any other animals in the house. I have the 18'' tall version of that tank and just leave the mesh off of it. If you can get the bulb within those ranges and still provide a good heat gradient, that bulb may do the trick.

Another option as mentioned is to move to using a UVB tube along with a halogen or incandescent light for heat. The advantage is that you can set the UVB light at the appropriate distance and adjust the heat separately. In this setup I'd probably use a T5 fixture with a ReptiSun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% bulb. If you put the fixture right on top of the enclosure, the mesh should cut down the UVB so that it is appropriate for the distance to the basking spot. Then just use the hanging fixture with a halogen flood light and adjust the height until you get the proper surface temps. The Solar Glo could then be used in a clamp fixture or second hanging fixture somewhere around the house to provide UVB and heat during free roam time.