9 1/2 week baby doesn't eat

[Littleleno]

We got spike last Saturday st 9 weeks. Since we have had this is what she has eaten

Saturday evening : 10-15 1/4 inch crickets
Sunday: nothing (offered 3 times a day)
Monday: nothing (offered 3 times a day)
Tuesday: morning nothing, late afternoon 5 small crickets, evening nothing
Wednesday: so far nothing

Heat is 105f on rock, 80 on cool side. Reptiglow 10 t8 uvb lap at 12 inches above basking spot.

When do I worry? I know she is probably having relocation stress. It was a stressful 1 1/2 hr drive back to our house. She's alert, sleeps in her little tree at night. Basks most of the day. She changes her position on her rock to not get in the direct light. She's explored a bit.

I was under the impression based on our last bearded dragon, that they ate 3 times a day, and ate 20-60 crickets a day.

I do have dubia roaches that are breeding. But I don't have an established colony yet to be able to feed from them (they haven't had any babies yet lol)

 

[Littleleno]

I forgot, fresh veggies offered all day. A mix of collard greens, spaghetti squash and cilantro for right now.

She does lick things when she first comes up. (Like we put our hand in to take her out for a feeding and she tastes it. We have also tried dusted and undusted crickets.

 

[CooperDragon]

That sounds pretty good and she sounds alert if she's moving about and licking things which is a good sign. I would move your ReptiGlo closer to the basking area though. 12'' is too far for a T8 to be effective. A T5 would be great at that distance though. I would move your T8 to sit 6-8'' above the basking area to be effective.

 

[Littleleno]

That sounds pretty good and she sounds alert if she's moving about and licking things which is a good sign. I would move your ReptiGlo closer to the basking area though. 12'' is too far for a T8 to be effective. A T5 would be great at that distance though. I would move your T8 to sit 6-8'' above the basking area to be effective.

I asked in the general discussions about cage set up, and the majority agrees at 12" above basking area?

 

[CooperDragon]

12'' is good for a T5 bulb with a reflective fixture but it's too far for a T8. They aren't powerful enough to provide adequate UVB exposure at that distance. Based on test results including some of my own testing the effectiveness of a T8 drops quite a bit beyond about 8''. There is more information available about the output of different bulbs on Taterbug's website https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides

You want the UV Index to be between about 3-6 UVI in the basking area to imitate mid morning and late afternoon sunshine (when they're more apt to bask in their natural habitat). Here are results from a test I did with a T8 and a T5 to show the UVI at different distances below the bulb and off to the sides. It also shows how much a mesh top filters in both cases. It shows that the T8 hits the low end of the recommended range at 6'' while the T5 produces the recommended output between about 12-18'' or so.

 

[Littleleno]

I think the issue was me having a reptiglow vs reptisun? And the reptiglow being stronger and causing issues if placed to close? Do you have any stats for the reptiglow at such close distance? I will purchase reptisun next time so that I don't have this issue! But I need to use this bulb first.

 

[CooperDragon]

I haven't tested the ReptiGlo brand myself. I think the limitation has more to do with the technology (T8 vs T5) rather than the brand. The ReptiGlo is fine to continue using but I recommend keeping it at 6-8'' based on output of other T8 bulbs. If you wish to test the specific output of your bulb you could order a Solarmeter 6.5 which will tell you exactly what the output is at any given distance. They are also useful for determining when it's time to replace your bulb as the output decreases over time.

 

[Littleleno]

Thanks. I might do that. Lots of differing information! Appreciate your help.

Do I continue to offer spike Food 3 times a day like I am?

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah for a little guy I'd offer 2-3 times per day. I'd keep doing that until his growth starts to slow down around a year old then slow down to one bug meal per day then slowly every 2nd and 3rd day as he becomes an adult at around 18-24 months. He should continue to get a daily salad and as he gets older will start eating more salad overall. That's still quite a way down the line though.