Baby beardie poop normal?

Beardie name(s)
Mushu
I just got my first baby beardie last Friday afternoon. He’s just been sleeping a whole lot and I honestly haven’t seen him eat much even though I’ve been offering a salad and bugs every morning. He poops daily and moves around to different spot a few times a day. I’m not sure if this is normal behavior for them when they get to a new home. I’ve been making sure his humidity stays between 30-40% by misting the couple of live plants I put in there and a small water bowl on the cool side of his enclosure. I live in California, so it’s not all that humid in the first place. He has a 10.0 UVB bar that is 12 inches from the highest point on his decor underneath it. I’m using a 100 watt Arcadia halogen bulb for basking area in a 120 gallon enclosure and the temp in that area is between 107-111. He’s 6.5 inches long. His poop is on the watery side and I guess I’m just concerned about him not eating much and if that’s red I’m seeing in there. He has a doc appointment scheduled for March 6th for an overall check up and fecal test.
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I just got my first baby beardie last Friday afternoon. He’s just been sleeping a whole lot and I honestly haven’t seen him eat much even though I’ve been offering a salad and bugs every morning. He poops daily and moves around to different spot a few times a day. I’m not sure if this is normal behavior for them when they get to a new home. I’ve been making sure his humidity stays between 30-40% by misting the couple of live plants I put in there and a small water bowl on the cool side of his enclosure. I live in California, so it’s not all that humid in the first place. He has a 10.0 UVB bar that is 12 inches from the highest point on his decor underneath it. I’m using a 100 watt Arcadia halogen bulb for basking area in a 120 gallon enclosure and the temp in that area is between 107-111. He’s 6.5 inches long. His poop is on the watery side and I guess I’m just concerned about him not eating much and if that’s red I’m seeing in there. He has a doc appointment scheduled for March 6th for an overall check up and fecal test.
Ok please keep him hydrated -- he looks ill-- how are you getting the surface basking temps ? They should be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer those are the most accurate- He should be active and looking at him he doesnt look so good - I would get him moved to a 20 gallon tote set up your UVB and basking light completely on top of the tote it should look like this -- your going to be able to take better care w/ the smaller tank --- please start feeding off a spoon or a syringe which ever he will do some baby food chicken /w/ some baby food squash I would mix them together - make it a watery consistency so hes getting hydration - add a drop of raw unpasteurized honey for sweet -- feed very slowly and I would start w/ 1/2 ML for now a few times a day -- you want the UVB 12- inches directly above the basking decor piece -- surface basking temps 105-110 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer
1677006487234.jpg
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
I agree with Karrieree that baby looks sick and very dehydrated.
Contrary to popular myth, they DO NOT hydrate through their skin or vent. All the spraying and soaking in the world will not hydrate them, they have to drink. You can use an eyedropper to drip it on his snout. He should start lapping it up. It may take a few minutes, be patient with him. If he won't drink you can add in a little none citrus fruit juice or punch to give it flavor. Be sure to use a wet paper towel or wet wash cloth to wipe away any that runs down their chin. No need to take a chance on causing bacteria or fungus to start in their scales. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL AND DO NOT FORCE IT INTO HIS MOUTH. You can aspirate him very easily. If he still won't start lapping at it, you can place your fingers over his head, and your thumb under his chin in the shape of a C. You can very gently use your thumb to pull down his lower lip (it doesn't take much effort to pull it down like this) use the dropper to drop just a drop or so OURSIDE his gums, just enough to get him to taste the fruit juice in the water. Please work with Karrieree to get your lighting on par, she is very good. Also please get him hydrated, prolonged dehydration will lead to organ failure and the inability to eat. Babies dehydrate much faster than older dragons, please stay on top of hydration.
 

Mushu_the_dragon

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Mushu
@KarrieRee and @xp29 I called the breeder since we just barely got him last Friday and went over everything in my enclosure and made some adjustments. They told me they did ally soak them every Monday and Friday and to get a shallow bowl and soak him for a bit. Once I put him in, he started drinking almost immediately. While he was soaking I put in a barrier to make his enclosure a little smaller for him since I have the 120 4x2x2 zen habitat. Added more plants to make him feel a little more secure. I put him back in once I saw he was done drinking and he’s been moving around more.
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
@KarrieRee and @xp29 I called the breeder since we just barely got him last Friday and went over everything in my enclosure and made some adjustments. They told me they did ally soak them every Monday and Friday and to get a shallow bowl and soak him for a bit. Once I put him in, he started drinking almost immediately. While he was soaking I put in a barrier to make his enclosure a little smaller for him since I have the 120 4x2x2 zen habitat. Added more plants to make him feel a little more secure. I put him back in once I saw he was done drinking and he’s been moving around more.
Ok so its good hes drinking from the bowl - I would make sure hes able to get under the UVB directly 12-15 inches - your going to haft to eventually lower it so its not so high - I have the same tanks and mine are inside w/ the distance 12-15 inches --you want your surface basking temps and UVB on par for him -- it will help him adjust to his tank and surroundings faster --- I would leave him partitioned off till hes around 3-4 months old then you can open it up -- I put Blaze in his Zen at around 3 months and he only used 1/2 of the tank then - stayed under his basking light and UVB most of the time
 

xp29

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Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
It's good he is willing to drink, but it is also telling. Both of my rescues drank in a bath the first coulpe times, they where dehydrated also. But after that they will no longer drink in a bath. I use the eyedropper a couple times per week.
Please keep an eye on him to make sure he is drinking in the bath, if he stops you will have to use a different method to hydrate him. If he will eat greens you can wet them, or you can feed hornworms, they hydrate decently. But they grow INCREDIBLY fast so you will need to feed them off quickly or they will be to big for him, also once they have hornworms they may refuse all other feeders so be careful.
As a baby he needs a ton of protein so once he is eating he needs two to three feedings per day, as much as he will eat in 10 to 15 minutes. One feeding per day needs to be dusted with calcium every day, and 2 to 3 times per week they also need to be dusted with a multivitamin. this works in conjunction with the uvb to prevent metabolic bone disease. It is critical to their long term health. The basking is for food digestion, he has to get up to temp to process what he eats.
I hope I'm not coming off as preachy, i just want him to thrive for you 🙂
 

Mushu_the_dragon

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Mushu
Ok so its good hes drinking from the bowl - I would make sure hes able to get under the UVB directly 12-15 inches - your going to haft to eventually lower it so its not so high - I have the same tanks and mine are inside w/ the distance 12-15 inches --you want your surface basking temps and UVB on par for him -- it will help him adjust to his tank and surroundings faster --- I would leave him partitioned off till hes around 3-4 months old then you can open it up -- I put Blaze in his Zen at around 3 months and he only used 1/2 of the tank then - stayed under his basking light and UVB most of the time
I was told by the breeder to allow him to get about 6 inches away from the heat. I’m using a 100 watt Arcadia halogen bulb. The UVB is 15 inches away from him right now. I do have probes in his enclosure but have new ones on the way, since the current ones are plugged into a Zoo Med brand output. Pictures below. It’s a bit difficult moving those probes around. I just took the temp in his basking spot and it’s 109 in that middle area and 106 where he’s choosing to hang out right now. His BSFL was just delivered so I’m going to try and feed him some of that if he’ll take it. Please, any feedback to help me get things on par would be greatly appreciated!
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I was told by the breeder to allow him to get about 6 inches away from the heat. I’m using a 100 watt Arcadia halogen bulb. The UVB is 15 inches away from him right now. I do have probes in his enclosure but have new ones on the way, since the current ones are plugged into a Zoo Med brand output. Pictures below. It’s a bit difficult moving those probes around. I just took the temp in his basking spot and it’s 109 in that middle area and 106 where he’s choosing to hang out right now. His BSFL was just delivered so I’m going to try and feed him some of that if he’ll take it. Please, any feedback to help me get things on par would be greatly appreciated!
IR guns can be off --- I would get 2 digital probe thermometers https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...c=ds&adlclid=8495ecaec29312dd21d48f5b8844a8cd
these are the most accurate -- basking bulb no closer than 6" -- when he hits 6 months of age he will not want those real hot temps most dragons that age and older will go to surface basking temps of 95-100- your UVB is ok for distance at the 15 inches but I would watch him -- see how long hes basking under it and if it looks like hes trying to get closer to it --
 

Mushu_the_dragon

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Mushu
@KarrieRee and @xp29 not preachy at all! I want him to thrive too. That’s why I’m soaking up all this helpful info. He’s my first beardie and I’m a worrier and just want to do all I can to help him live a very happy, healthy life. Since he’s not eating much right now, how would you suggest I try to get him to eat? Put the BSFL on a spoon or just in a dish? Do I leave the bugs in there past the 10-15 minutes till I see him eating?
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
I'm guessing once he is hydrated his appetite will kick in, he is probably a little weak right now. Babies typically are very active eaters. You might want to try feeding him in a small tote or cricket keeper till he is actively chasing food, it might make it easier for him to catch
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
@KarrieRee and @xp29 not preachy at all! I want him to thrive too. That’s why I’m soaking up all this helpful info. He’s my first beardie and I’m a worrier and just want to do all I can to help him live a very happy, healthy life. Since he’s not eating much right now, how would you suggest I try to get him to eat? Put the BSFL on a spoon or just in a dish? Do I leave the bugs in there past the 10-15 minutes till I see him eating?
Your surface basking temps and UVB are going to get him to eat more but he needs to adjust to his tank and surroundings - just keep feeding the BSFL on his salads dropping them in front of him - let him eat from the bowl for like an hr feeding as many BSFL as you want - dubia roaches are a great staple feeder as well - they can be added to the tops of his salads as well you want him eating some of that salad hes going to eat the protein because that is what he needs -- just make sure your dusting the main insect w/ calcium D3 - 5 x per week ONE time per feeding lightly dusted - I would offer two feedings of the roaches -- hes going to go for those - vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week lightly coated ONE time per feeding - the roaches are also going to fill him up as well --- get some small super worms add those every couple of days 1-3 of them on top of his salads that will also entice him to that food bowl --
www.dubiaroaches.com go by the chart on the website and order insects no bigger than the space between the eyes
 

Mushu_the_dragon

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Mushu
I'm guessing once he is hydrated his appetite will kick in, he is probably a little weak right now. Babies typically are very active eaters. You might want to try feeding him in a small tote or cricket keeper till he is actively chasing food, it might make it easier for him to catch
I tried the tote about 2 hours before his lights shut off and he didn’t eat any of the bugs I put in and kept trying to climb out. I saw him licking the side of the tub and then he’d just stand there afterwards and close his eyes and then try to climb out. :/ I don’t think he ate anything today even though I offered multiple times. I’ll try the tote again in the morning to see if it helps him at all. I’ll also keep putting droplets of water down his little nose. I’m just so afraid I was sent a baby who was already not feeling well cause he hasn’t been very active since we got him last Friday.
 

Mushu_the_dragon

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Mushu
Your surface basking temps and UVB are going to get him to eat more but he needs to adjust to his tank and surroundings - just keep feeding the BSFL on his salads dropping them in front of him - let him eat from the bowl for like an hr feeding as many BSFL as you want - dubia roaches are a great staple feeder as well - they can be added to the tops of his salads as well you want him eating some of that salad hes going to eat the protein because that is what he needs -- just make sure your dusting the main insect w/ calcium D3 - 5 x per week ONE time per feeding lightly dusted - I would offer two feedings of the roaches -- hes going to go for those - vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week lightly coated ONE time per feeding - the roaches are also going to fill him up as well --- get some small super worms add those every couple of days 1-3 of them on top of his salads that will also entice him to that food bowl --
www.dubiaroaches.com go by the chart on the website and order insects no bigger than the space between the eyes
I tried multiple times today with both dubias and BSFL and he hasn’t eaten anything. Just drank the water from his soak and that’s it. :( I’m so scared.
 

hdochow

Sub-Adult Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Sir Henry of Scales
I’m just so afraid I was sent a baby who was already not feeling well cause he hasn’t been very active since we got him last Friday.
That fear is normal, and I've been there. You're in the right place. The advice from this forum saved Sir Henry of Scales when we first got him and he was in the same situation. So many people around to help. KarrieRee's the master of lighting so keep working with her. As simple as it seems, the temps and lighting really do control all aspects of your little one's health.

It's good you have a vet appointment already. Always good to go get things checked out. Hopefully they can rule out parasites, or give you treatment to follow if it is an issue.

And honestly, if you weren't crazy, worried, paranoid, going bananas over your beardie and its care, that's when I'd be worried. All us beardie parents around here are the same way. We are vested in the care of our little scaly-butts, even if they belong to someone else.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
When is the vet appointment? Please do not let them do any enemas and I would hold off taking him anyway- its just going to stress him out more and prolong the eating--- I would keep feeding him offering him his food and feed him in the tank --- moving him from one place to another causes more stress -- post pics of him please -- is he basking?
 

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