My baby beardie won't eat!

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Grimias

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Alright so I bought this beardie off kijii about 4 days ago. He is apparently between 4-6 months old. All I know of his original diet was that he was fed live crickets on a daily basis. Since I got him I have only witnessed him eat a single Super Worm and a cricket; this was 3 days ago. I am beginning to seriously worry about his health and whether or not he's gonna live.

Currently I have him set up in a 10gallon terrarium with a 60w daytime lamp and nothing at night except the heating pad (which stays on 24/7). I was wondering if the temperature could play a role in him not eating. I have tried feeding him dead/alive superworms and crickets as well as juvenile bearded dragon pellets. None of which have seemed to tempt him. Today I came home and I noticed what seemed to be a pile of vomit resembling the pellets. I was wondering if the vomit coupled with the not eating could be a sign of some sort of illness or if I just need to raise the heat in his environment?

Someone please help me save Malice before it's too late! :cry:
 

RolandKyramere

Sub-Adult Member
Here's some questions: What is your current set up overall? Do you have a UVB lamp, and if so, what kind is it? How big is your beardie, most of them outgrow a 10 gallon very quickly. What are the heats at your basking/cool end? What kind of substrate is he on?
Get him off of the pellets and supers for the time being and instead try to get some crickets, phoenix worms, butter worms, or hornworms. How long is your beardie? Most people on this site don't recommend supers until they are at least 15 inches.
 

Grimias

Member
Original Poster
I have a Zilla Reflector dome sporting a 60W bulb. He is probably about 4 1/2 inches from head to the tip of his tail. The substrate he's chilling on is actually just a fish tank decoration that I pulled out my tank so it isn't a genuine rock. His shelter could definitely use an upgrade but as far as the heating goes I'm capable of implementing an immediate change.
 

RolandKyramere

Sub-Adult Member
Get the fish gravel out of there as soon as possible. Beardies can accidently ingest it, and the impaction can kill them. INstead, use paper towels for the time being.
You don't want to feed superworms until they are at least 15.5 inches. Instead, get appropriately sized crickets, no bigger than the space between Malice's eyes. Avoid mealworms also, as they are hard to digest.
As for the rest of it, you're going to need to make sure that you have a basking spot of at least 103 degrees and a cool side somewhere in the mid to upper 70's. This is very difficult to replicate in a 10 gallon, so you'll probably want to grab a 20 gallon tank somewhere.
Make sure to bathe your beardie every day in warm armpit deep water, that way they'll stay hydrated. Don't mist your enclosure, high humidity causes upper respitory infections in beardies. Do you have any sort of a UVB light?
 

Grimias

Member
Original Poster
Oh by substrate I thought you meant his basking rock. The terrarium is lined with vita sand but I will indefinitely look into obtaining a bigger tank. The light that I have us a Sun Glo 60W Neodymium Daylight Lamp. I have browsed the forums a bit and it seems like the type of light you use is key, if that's the case I'm gonna have to invest in a new bulb as well.

I have also seen a lot about beardies requiring more than just insects as they are omnivores. Any suggestions on what type of veggies to get this guy to eat? It's really starting to frustrate me because I've tried so hard to get him to eat like putting him in a separate enclosure with his prey and even killing it for him and dangling it in front of him lol I don't know if that's an approved method of inducing hunger but I sure as hell tried it.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

What type of thermometer are you using to measure your temperatures with? A stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?
Usually when they throw up, it is because they are not digesting their food very well & may not be at optimal temperatures or they were fed too much fatty food that didn't sit well with them.
Let us know what type & brand of UVB light you are using, as well. The Sun Glo is ok, but it does not emit UVB so you will need to get a Reptisun 10 tube bulb, to use in combination with the Sun Glo.
He is still getting used to his new home right now. It takes them a couple of weeks to get adjusted to a new home, also.

Tracie
 

RolandKyramere

Sub-Adult Member
Okay, the rock is fine, but you probably want to switch out the vita sand, if you do a search on it there are a few stories about how it cements up a beardie's insides and also causes an impaction. And yes, beardies are omnivores, during the first year or so of their life they eat approximately 80% protein (crix etc) and 20 percent veggies. As far as veggies go, I would go get some collard, mustard, or turnip greens. I personally like to get collard greens, they are very easy to cut into baby beardie sized pieces. Just make sure that the pieces are no bigger than the space between Malice's eyes. http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html THis is a link to a wonderful food chart, and gives you the nutritional breakdowns.
If your beardie isn't eating, they could also be going through relocation stress. Just keep offering food daily, sometimes offering it in a see-through glass container in your beardie's cage is a good way to your beardie to pay attention to the live feeders.
Lighting is probably the most important facet to a beardie's life. UVB light is essential for a beardie to properly process calcium, and is very essential to bone growth.
Just to give you a general idea of a set up that you are going to eventually need, I have all three of my dragons in 40 gallon breeder tanks. That is the smallest size they can comfortably live in as adults. My two adults are 15.5 inches and 17.5 inches, and the tank is 18 inches wide, so they have enough room to comfortably turn around. Floor space counts more than climbing space.
The lights that I have on my tank are a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Tube. This is the best and most recommended UVB light, avoid any Zilla and coil lights, as they can damage your beardie's eyes. I have a 100 watt basking light coupled with a 100 watt Ceramic heat emitter, a device you shouldn't have to worry about unless your house is abysmally cold all the time, and my basking spot is around 100-105 degrees most of the time.
 

Grimias

Member
Original Poster
Now my only concern with that kind of bulb is whether or not it is compatible with this lamp depicted here: http://www.exoticreptiles.ca/viewer2.php?id=5910&cid=16. You said that yours is a "UVB Tube", if that's the case and it doesn't fit with my lamp is there an alternative such as a bulb of some sort?

In addition I was wondering how long Malice could endure without eating if worse really comes to worse and I can't get him to stir up an appetite.
 

Grimias

Member
Original Poster
Alright I'm seriously starting to get worried, it's nearly been a week since he's touched any live food and whatever pellets Malice does eat he ends up throwing up. His terrarium is sporting these lovely piles of mushed food or something. I'm gonna get a stronger bulb today and hopefully that will induce some hunger but I was wondering how long he could possibly survive without real food because I'm beginning to feel like as if he's approaching his expiration date.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Did you decide to get a Reptisun 10 tube bulb to use in combination with your Sun Glo 60watt?
Please let us know what type of thermometer you are using to measure your temperatures with, we really need to direct you with your temperatures. That is extremely important for his health.
If he is not the proper temperature, he wont eat at all, which could be a large part of the problem right now. Can you post a picture of his tank?

Tracie
 

Grimias

Member
Original Poster
Well I've made some recent changes to his tank and they are as follows:

- The original bulb that I picked up was 60w and meant for rainforest lizards, this next one I picked up is 75w zoomed basking spot lamp
- I had no means for emitting any UVB so I picked up a compact top fluorescent terrarium canopy and a reptiglo 10.0 uvb blulb

Since then he has appeared more active, he can be seen basking with his mouth open and yes... HE'S EATING! Thank you all for your suggestions and your support, I never realized how pivotal a role the light played in their livelihood. In regards to next steps, I can only see it getting better from here. As far as his terranium goes as long as he continues on with his healthy new habits I will have to upgrade that shortly because the area of this tank doesn't quite leave enough room for a cool spot.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I am happy to hear that he is doing much better now with some improvements to his tank. Just remember, that the Reptiglo 10 compact/coil UVB light will not be enough UVB for him to prevent metabolic bone disease long term. You will definitely need to upgrade to a stronger UVB light. Either the Reptisun 10 tube, the Arcadia D3 12%, or a mercury vapor bulb.
Great to hear that he is eating for you as well. Bright light makes all of the difference in the world for them.

Let us know if you need anything.

Tracie
 
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