4-5 Month Beardie not eating and has not shed for 2 month

[Leo123]

Hi folks i got my first beardie 3 month ago, when i first brought him home he was great always energetic and he ate very well, he had his first shed within 2-3 weeks which he shed no problem and still ate the same amount 20-40 crix a day. Over the last 3 weeks or so he has started not eating very well as in maybe 1-2 crix a day or 2 locusts a day but sometimes he would eat nothing, if i offer waxworms he would eat them all day but not too good for him as a staple, i know i can purchase silkworms and pheonix worms but i live in the uk and they are not sold local in pet shops i will be ordering some next week and hope he likes them as much as the waxworms as he is starting to worry me although he is still active.
When i first brought him home he was in a very small tank maybe 18-20'' length and 10-12'' width i never really put much thought into temperatures n such when i first got him home i just bought a basking light (not sure if it was 40-60-100w bulb) and a repti-glo 10 tube, his light did blow after 1-2 month and i put a household bulb untill i got the basking bulb a week or so later which the store recommended a 40w bulb he had that for a few days and wasn't eating much and became very lazy lying around most of the day. I went back to the pet store and opted for the 100w bulb, took that home and he seemed a bit happier but still very lazy and not eating so well.

A couple of weeks ago i got him a 3ft tank, thermometer (digital with probe) and an arcadia 6% uvb tube with a reflector (tube runs full length of tank) as i see the Repti-glo lights are not upto much, he is alot happier in a bigger enviroment his basking side is 100-105f he basks on a hammock (60w basking bulb, he must have been really hot with the 100w bulb in the small tank ) middle 80-85f and the cool end is 70-75f he can get within 6-10'' from his ivb tube.
He is offered green everyday and i try feeding him crickets or locusts everyday 2-3 times a day if he hasnt ate in a couple of days i give him a couple of waxworms to give him calcium (5 times a weeks 1 feeding)and vitamins (at weekends) , regular baths 2-3 times a weeks and misted 2-3 times a day.

His substrate is newspaper.

Any more questions i haven't already answered please ask

Any help would be helpfull

Tam

 

[stanley01]

you should email drache and get his advice cos hes a vet good luck

 

[zebraflavencs]

lol Drache is female... Well now here is my advice... for what it is worth...
First for a 4-5 month old, your basking temps should be 105-110*F. You should be using a thermometer with a probe, digi if you can find them... well worth the investment.
The Arcadia is an excellent tube ! The baby should be within 6-8" of said tube, and the basking bulb ( you can actually use a house hold bulb, by the way... save you some quid there !) should be placed where the dragon can have both tube and basking at the same place.
Janie.

 

[Leo123]

Hi Jane, Thanks very much for the reply ive seen youve been very helpfull to alot of people on many posts. I have a digital thermometer with a probe very accurate and i have a 60w basking bulb i also have 40w energy saving bulb which lights up the cold end of his tank to keep it bright it bearly gives off any heat and only uses 9w in electricity.

Ive been monitoring his basking spot for the past few days it ranges between 104-109, he can sit on his cactus and have uvb exposure (6-8'') and under his basking spot (6-8" from bulb) i have a reflector on the uvb as its 10-12'' from his basking spot do you think the reflector will put out the uvb on that spot?

Is it normal for him not to have shed in 2 month?

Whilst feeding him ive tried leaving the crickets in a tub to make it easier to catch them but he doesn't seem interested, ive also let the cricks run around but he still doesn't give chase ive seen him try and catch a couple but after his first attempt he just leaves them. He would eat waxworms all day but he only gets them for a treat or if he hasn't ate for a few days and ive tried locusts he would eat 1-3 a day but seemed to get borded with them aswell, im going to order silkworms next week as its a good staple and im sure he would love them just as much as the waxworms, Im going to feed him in his old tank this morning its alot smaller and he was used to eating in it.

Wish me luck, i'll let you know how i get on

Thanks again

 

[stanley01]

hi thomas this is callum u have to nswer some of these questions that drache gave me this is what he said to ur post



You are using the Arcadia 6% tube bulb for him? Did you take the Reptiglo 10 flourescent tube bulb out yet? If not, I recommend doing so. That particular bulb right now, has been causing some issues with their eyes & overall health. It puts out low wavelength UVB emissions which can be hazardous to them.
The basking light, is it a bright white light? The basking light needs to be placed directly beside the UVB tube bulb on one end of the tank.
The Arcadia D3 12% flourescent tube bulb is a stronger bulb so if you could find that it would probably help him out a lot more.
How long ago did you switch out the 100 watt bulb to the 60 watt bulb? Sometimes when they get too hot, they lose their appetite for several days & just don't eat. Have you tried giving him some oral fluids to help out with his hydration status? Try some water mixed with pedialyte a few times per day to see if that helps.
How do his eyes look, are they sunken in any, or are they bright & elevated?
Since you are using a digital probe, your temps should be fine at the 100-105, no problem. You could safely bump up the cool end temps to around 78-82 or so, as long as it doesn't raise the ambient temps too much. If it does, then just leave the temps where they are at on the cool end. The overall ambient temps should only be around 85 but no higher.
Good luck ordering the silkworms & phoenix worms over there in the UK. I hear it is a little hard to get some of those things.
Let me know how things are going.

Tracie
The tank size is great! He must love all of that space.

 

[Leo123]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I took the reptiglo out as soon as i got the arcadia, they only had the 6% in stock at the time and i wanted to get the reptiglo out asap so i went with the arcadia 6%. I have a reflector on the basking side will that not push out 12%?. Will the 6% do for now with the reflector.

It is a bright white light which sits at one end of his tank and the uvb runs the full length of his tank. I switched the 100w to the 60w around 2 weeks ago.

I don't really think he's dehydrated i give him water and mist him 2-3 times a day, he gets a bath 2-3 times a week.

I fed him in his old tank this morning and he ate 3-4 cricks like he was 6 weeks aold again slowly creeping up on them the pouncing on the lol.

Thanks again

 

[zebraflavencs]

Cheers ! No the 6% won't be bumped up to a 12% by using the reflector, I do have a web site you can order the 12% off, if you would like. Your temps are fine, and I agree with Tracie, just leave him a bit more time to get adjusted.
Silks and Phoenix worms make great if pricey staples. You can also find dubia roaches, which are also a wonderful staple, and if you get enough, you can breed them for a long term supply for really cheap.
I personally breed 4 kinds of roaches for my boys.. Monsters all of em .
Just keep us posted !
Here is the link for the 12%:
http://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/arcadia-d3-reptile-tube-12-353-p.asp
Live foods:
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/
Hope this helps out !
Janie

 

[Leo123]

Hi Folks! i fed him again this morning he ate 3 crix and a waxworm, doesn't sound like alot but its good enough
for me, he might be getting used to his new enclosure.

Jane thanks for the info on the 12% Arcadia i will purchase one next month, do you think he will be ok with the 6% for now?

I have uploaded a few pics for you's too have a look at the wee man and his enclosure.

The bulb on the left is the basking buld and the bulb on the right which gives off no heat atall
is a 9w energy saving bulb lights up his enclosure nicely

 

[stanley01]

janie the reflector gives off double of the uv light look it up on the internet and youll see that it gives off double wavelentghs