2 month beardie not eating often

[Chiyou]

Hey guys,

I'm a new owner.. my little dude is about 2 months according to google (roughly 7 inches in length) I didn't know before i purchased him that it's better to get them older. No turning back anymore I love the little dude or dudette (i'll just refer to him as dude for now). So Petsmart gave me some really poor advice when I got him, they encouraged me to get a 40 gallon terrarium for him, which is good for a older Bearded dragon but I find that he doesn't really explore his home often, unless he's glass surfing. Which is a problem because I need him to be more active and eat more crickets. I try to give him crickets but I find it rare that he'll actually eat them, the crickets are masters of hiding so sometimes they'll scatter and I'll have some real trouble recovering them before I go to bed or to work. Google says they should eat anywhere from 25-70 crickets a day at his age so I'm getting pretty concerned.

My Terrarium is properly lit but he spends most of his time just basking in the heat

So here's my question, other than crickets and dubia roaches (which are banned in Canada) what insects can I feed to my little dude? (he's not a fan of any veggies it seems or juvenile beardie food I got him)

 

[Claudiusx]

Welcome!

There is nothing wrong with getting a younger dragon, it's just important to make sure there setup is ok from the beginning

Appetite is largely affected by temperatures and lighting. Can you go over a few things with us first so we can verify his lack of appetite isnt related to your husbandry?

What is your basking surface temp?
What are you using to measure this temp?

What uvb bulb do you have? Be specific please. Brand, strength, and is it a compact coil, long tube, or MVB?

If you could post a picture of your tank that would be nice too.

Babies can be in 40g tanks. Once again, activity levels just like appetite are largely affected by temps and lighting. It plays a major role in just about everything relating to your little dude.

To answer your actual question, here's a list of feeder options ordered best to not as best... lol by me. Since dubias aren't an option for you and you've tried crickets, this will be only a lost of good bugs you haven't tried.

Silkworms
Butterworms
BSFL (calci/phoenix/reptiworms)
Hornworms

Another tip would be to not feed your dude crickets in his tank. Try putting him in a separate container to feed the crickets.

-Brandon

 

[Chiyou]

Thanks for the reply Brandon, I'll try and get some more information about my terrarium posted tonight, right now i'm using a pretty bad thermometer gauge to measure the temperature so i know that has to be fixed (things are getting a bit pricey) I tried to put him in a comfortable bin with a bunch of crickets and he freaked the !@#$ out, didn't even look at the crickets lol when i took him out he nearly lept out of my hand.

Are hornworms alright for him he's only 7 inches long, trying to find silkworms but Petsmart doesn't have them so I'll have to find another pet shop.

Thanks!

 

[Claudiusx]

You will definitely want to get something better than! A digital with probe end or an ir temp gun. Luckily either option can be bought for pretty cheap nowadays. temperature is extremely important so we gotta make sure that's proper first before moving deeper into some troubleshooting.

Young ones can eat hornworms, youd just want to feed the smaller worms and ot let them grow too big. Unfortunately all of the feeders I mentioned are kinda pricey when compared to other options, hornworms probably the most expensive especially when feeding them off as smaller worms.

Bsfl though are a relatively cheap, but must like silkworms you most likely will have to order them online.

-Brandon

 

[Chiyou]

Here's his set up, he loves chilling in his leaves but he often goes around where the thermometer sensor is to soak in the heat. I got a digital thermometer today and it says the area is around 96.6 degrees. I gave him a butterworm today because there we're no silkworms at the petstore (too cold still in Vancouver) it took him awhile to gobble it up but he didn't seem too interested in a second one.

 

[Colbycheese]

It might be relocation stress (if you just got him) and/or wrong uvb. Try not to use the coil or compact UVB bulbs, the best uvb to use are the long Reptisun fluorescent tube bulbs. My baby (who i got 3 weeks ago) would eat 1-2 crickets a day, and i was getting concerned as well. It was relocation stress, but his appetite gradually increased and now he eats 15-30 crickets every day. Is your baby pooping every day or every other day?

 

[Claudiusx]

Additionally to the advice above, 96 is pretty low for a baby. They prefer 105-110 usually. Without temps hot enough your baby wont be able to digest the amount of food that it would normally be eating, which will lead to him not eating as much or often.

Not saying that's 100% the cause, but proper temps are vital, and I would definitely look into bumping that basking surface temp up.

-Brandon

 

[Chiyou]

Thanks for the tips guys, yeah he poops i would say every other day.. But after seeing a 10 inch dragon's poop at the pet store I wonder if his poop is a little too small. I tried shifting things around last night so hopefully today i'll see a change in his energy.

I'm pretty sure I have the right lights. I got a 40 gal zoo med bundle
https://www.petsmart.ca/reptile/habitats-and-decor/terrariums/zoo-medandtrade-reptihabitat-bearded-dragon-40-gallon-terrarium-kit-15027.html

I'm also going to try to not handle him for a few days, hopefully he adjusts!

Much appreciated!

 

[KarrieRee]

If your using a coil UVB they are not good--- this is the type of UVB that is recommended on the forum-
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia).
UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- I would look at getting the UVB replaced ASAP-- alot of the stuff sold in those kits are not any good and a waste of money- if you dont have a Infrared Heat gun I would look at getting one of those as well - they will give the most accurate temps and that is what you want -- you can use a digital probe for your cool side of tank--also if your using sand in the tank I would recommend getting rid of that as well --- it causes or can cause impaction--- you can get some non adhesive shelf liner from Home Depot pretty cheap - its easy to clean w/ vinegar / water 50/50 spray bottle and the bugs cant get under it--- get this stuff changed out and the UVB will make a big difference in the behavior / along w/ eating and digesting the food- your lighting plays a huge role in their overall behavior and health
Karrie

 

[Chiyou]

thanks, as I posted I'm using the tube in that package which is the one recommended. I just find that he perches himself on the lower branches and doesn't bask in the right areas

 

[KarrieRee]

Tube in the package? The coil?
Karrie

 

[Chiyou]

The ReptiSun 10.0 Compact UVB Fluorescent Bulb

 

[KarrieRee]

It's a coil--- please replace w/ the flourescent long tube--- the PetSmart people give bad advice as most do not own or never have had a bearded dragon-- we have seen more dragons die from advice given by PetSmart/Petco people-- it seems they sell this stuff for people to fail cuz of the improper husbandry they put in their "kits"-- I can only recommend the things I have suggested-- it's for the health of your baby--
Karrie

 

[Chiyou]

Interesting, thank you for correcting me.. It wasn't really the Petsmart people's fault (although I could tell they didn't know much about caring for a bearded dragon) but it was packaged in the bearded dragon ZooMed kit

 

[KarrieRee]

Your babies eating will change once the proper lighting is in place--
Karrie