Baby Beardie black chin and lethargic

[Beardieowner205]

I recently purchased a juvenile Beardie on July 20. We have noticed that he is lethargic and has a black chin. We noticed today that he hasn’t eaten. Any advice would be appreciated. We bought the entire kit that the pet store offered. He has the double UV and heat light and has plenty of water and has been fed meal worms and even one bugs we find around. We always search to make sure it is ok for the Beardie to eat what we feed him. Should I also be feeding him something other than bugs? When I tried to give him some fruit/veggies in the past he didn’t really eat much.

 

[hdochow]

that kit is going to be your problem. they sucker the best of us in with it! the majority of the kit is worthless junk, for beardies anyway. that UVB bulb is not adequate and can cause health problems. you want a long tube bulb and fixture. i'm guessing you have a 20 long tank, so that will need to be upgraded eventually too. for now you want a 24" bulb. i'd get an arcadia pro t-5. but there are a couple of other ones that are good. @KarrieRee will have links for the options for you. you also need to get a couple digital probe thermometers to get accurate temps. temps and lighting can be tricky to get dialed in when you first start out, but once you have them where they need to be you don't have to mess with them much. this is the number one thing to a healthy dragon. they just will not thrive without them. the best you can do right now is forget everything the pet store told you and work with us to get things right.

questions that will be asked are:

• what UVB are you using and where is it placed? how far is it from your basking spot?
• how old is your dragon?
• what temperatures do you have on the cool side, hot side, and basking spot?
• what supplements are you giving and how often?

here's a link for good food options. it is a little outdated though and kale has been found to be a great staple green. depending on age, babies need a lot of bugs, but should still be offered salads daily.

you'll want to find a vet, even if you don't need one right away. here's a link to find reputable ones. if you are in a more remote area, enter a zip code to the closest big city to you. we have to drive 2 hours each way to get to ours, but it is totally worth it.

ok that's enough for now. i know this can be totally overwhelming. I HAVE BEEN THERE and this forum helped me save the life of sir henry of scales. don't give up! we all want what's best for you and your dragon. they are such awesome pets, i mean family members!

 

[J4ckdaw-]

Hello,
First of all, what type of UVB fixture do you have? Coil bulbs of any brand do not provide near enough UVB for a beardie and most other reptiles.

What you need is a tube lamp fixture, either 24w or 39w depending on placement. 24w if it is inside the tank and 39w if it is outside, preferably 12-14% depending on the mesh.

What are your temps? Basking spot for a juvenile should be 95-100f with a cool side of 70-80f. How do you measure these temps? Stick-one and thermo guns can be incorrect.

Preferably, you’d read these with a digital probe thermometer. They provide the most correct readings. What is your humidity? Should be around 29-48%.

After reviewing his diet… I do have some concerns, you said you feed him random bugs you find around? He could have eaten something toxic, what have you fed him?

Also, mealworms should not be fed as a staple bug! They have hard eco-skeletons that are difficult to digest! Has he pooped recently? He may be impacted…

Have you taken him in for a checkup yet? You should do that yearly, most importantly soon after your first purchase to ensure he is in good health! Pet stores such as Petsmart or Petco may sell sickly bearded dragons.

Have a fecal done asap, petstore beardies frequently come parasite ridden (at least, that was my experience). Overall, a vet visit is needed. A young dragon not eating is quite the concern.

Good luck, keep us posted with new updates please!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Yes, as already posted/requested, do try to let us know your overall tank setup & nutrition just so we
can review that with you. If possible, please post some pictures of his tank setup, along with him, so
we can see his physical condition, too.

Tracie

 

[KarrieRee]

2 other good UVB's are a Zoo Med 24" this comes w/ a 5.0 bulb which would be good for the 20 gallon tank it will need to be unobstructed and basking decor directly under it 6-8 inches you will need to upgrade the bulb to the 22" Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb when going to the bigger tank and distance and placement will be different Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO Hood or this one a Sunblaster Nano Tech https://hydrobuilder.com/sunblaster-nanotech-t5-ho-fixture-with-6400k-lamp.html you will need to change the bulb out to the 22" Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb - let us know what your doing so we can get the UVB properly placed for the tank -- salads should be offered every day and most wont eat them w/ out help -- so I would recommend getting some BSFL www.symtonbsf.com they are a small larvae and please dont feed the meal worms for now - please feed either crickets along w/ the BSFL on top of his salads I would recommend getting some dubia roaches as a staple feeder - the BSFL are also a staple feeder and great for babies -- feed as many as you want on the salads first thing in the morning do not dust them but dust the crickets or the roaches w/ the calcium D3 5 x per week ONCE per day lightly coated and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONCE per day lightly coated - your dragon should be eating anywhere from 20-25 crickets per feeding or 10-15 roaches per feeding depending on how many of the BSFL he eats -make sure you order the insects NO bigger than the space between his eyes - if he is a juvenile he should be able to eat the large BSFL- Amazon.com
Rinse your salads before serving that will help w/ hydration since most get that from their greens- anymore questions or help please ask