2 month old beardie refuses to eat

[jmeinking]

i just recently got a 2 month old beardie. he will not eat crickets. i had mixed in 2 meal worms with his crickets and he ate them. im begining to worry about him because i dont want to underfeed him. also i cannot seem to get the basking temp. to 100 degrees. i have 2 lights over his basking spot and it still isnt doing the job. any information will be helpful!!!!

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i have a 150 watt reptile baskin bulb in now. i had a 250 watt bulb but it broke. that seemed to do the job. should i go back to the 250 watt bulb?

 

[Fogles]

Whats the name of the buld you are using? You need to have a UVB Light for him, I got one for mine and he seems to be more active with it.

I'm using the PowerSun UV 100WATT

 

[diamc]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Getting the temps right is a little tricky, but we are here to help guide you. The 2 most important things we need to know are what size is the tank and what type of thermometer are you using to check the temps? Then we can go from there. :wink:

 

[jmeinking]

im using a 150w zoo med basking spot lamp over his baskin area that is at a steady 91-92 degrees right now.. an additional 75w zoo med basking spot lamp right next to it and in the other end i have an infared 75w bulb that i use on 1/2 power. the tank is about 45 gallons

 

[diamc]

Hi, since it is only a 45 gallon tank, that it an awful lot of wattage to use, seems like it is too much. One of my tanks is a 55 gallon and I'm using a 100 watt mercury vapor bulb with a 40 watt standard household lightbulb on the cool side. I would definitely NOT go back to a 250 watt bulb. Are you using a type of stickon thermometer like a strip or round gauge type? If so, those can be off by as much as 20 degrees. In the pictures, it looks like round gauge thermometers stuck to the glass. The only 2 ways to get an accurate reading are with either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end. Here's a picture of the digital with probe that I bought at Walmart for about $12.00 and it works very well.

They are in the area of the store where the plastic outdoor thermometers are sold. It's very important that you get accurate readings right away because too high of temps can cause rapid dehydration (especially with a baby), heat stroke and even brain damage.

Are you also using a red bulb? They do much better with bright white bulbs as it increases their activity level which helps increase their appetite. The colored bulbs are also hard on their eyes. What type of UVB are you using or don't you have one yet? They need one in order to prevent metabolic bone disease.

Can you fill us in on the substrate on the bottom of the tank? Is it crushed walnut shells or a type of sand?

 

[jmeinking]

im going to get a uvb light today. and im moving him to a 20 gallon tank until he gets a little bigger. ill take a pic of the set up and put it on here later today.

 

[diamc]

Do you think he's having a problem with the 45 gallon tank? You could actually section part of it off, that would help him adjust better. With as small a tank as a 20 gallon, it's even harder to get the temps right because you need to have a cool side too so he can thermoregulate.

When you go to get the UVB, make sure it is not a coil or compact bulb as those are very dangerous causing all sorts of serious health issues. The best UVB you can get in the U.S. is this one: http://www.petmountain.com/product/bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-high-output-uvb-bulb.html This company is great to deal with and this price is about half of what you would pay at a petstore. Make sure that you don't get a Repti-Glo 10.0 fluorescent bulb though as there have also been issues with that bulb.

I posted a picture of the digital thermometer with probe end that I bought for about $12.00. It's extremely important to get accurate temp readings especially for a baby, I can't stress that enough.

 

[jmeinking]

This is the new set up i just made today for him. its a 20 gal. long with the 75 watt zoo med bascking spot light, the fluorescent light is an 18 inch, 15 watt ESU reptile super UV it produces 3%+ UVB and 7%+ UVA. im using newspaper as the substrate.

when i put him in i noticed about 20 minutes later he seemed more active and more alert. he seems to like the smaller set up better. im wondering if u should move the 1/2 log to the cool end and leave the rock in the middle.


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[diamc]

Your beardie is so tiny & cute. :love5: Unfortunately, the ESU light is not a good one. It emits virtually no usable UVB light at all. You can use it as a regular flourescent to brighten up the tank with though, but you do need to get the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb so he can get some good UVB exposure. If you have your receipt you should be able to take it back or use it for now and order this one which is so much better: http://www.petmountain.com/product/bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-high-output-uvb-bulb.html In the meantime, the UVB should be placed on the screen behind the basking bulb so that he can get UVB and heat at the same time while in his basking area because where he is sitting now, he's not getting any benefit from it at all. The UVB should be within 6 inches from him when he is basking, so according to the picture, it looks like you will need to put something like bricks under his basking area to raise it higher.

What are the basking & cool side temps? Were you able either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with long wire & probe end? Those are the only 2 ways to get an accurate reading and any type of stick-on thermometer can be as much as 20 degrees off. You need a basking area for a baby about 105 to 110 (but no higher) and a cool side of about 80 degrees so he can thermoregulate properly. The cool side of the tank looks a little dark, so depending on the temp there, you could use a 25 watt household lightbulb on that side or a coil (non-UVB) standard household bulb if the temp is within range there already and that will help brighten up that side.

Are you using calcium and vitamin supplements, if so, how often?