Baby beardie help stressed Mom!!!

[DebbieKelowna]

I got my beardie 2 weeks ago from Petsmart they said he was a couple months but I think more around 3 or 4 months.The tank set up is zoo med 20 gal tank kit. I did not use the sand that came with it I am using paper towel. I set up the basking light that is 100 watt and reptisun 5.0 UVB . I got some decore stuff to add like basking areas and caves. The temp by his basking site was around 110. Everything was good he was eating lots of crickets twice a day, some veggies and even pellets. I gave him a bath every other day and he would drink the water. All his poops were solid not too runny.
After researching I realized that I should be putting the digital thermometer on the actual basking site to check temp. When I did this the temp shot up to over 120 and the basking spot was so hot I couldn't even touch it. So I got a 75 watt basking spot lamp and the temp was still high. So I got a lamp stand to raise the heat lamp and was able to get it to 110. So all the temps seemed better but now my baby beardie is not eating and does not seem the same. Did I stress him out with all the changes? Could he be dehydrated because it was so hot for over a week? Should I just leave him alone for a while? Not too sure if I'm worrying for nothing or what I should do. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Taterbug]

How long has he not been eating? If its a just a couple days he could just be put off by all the fuss and change. It sounds like the change was after you adjusted things?

I'm glad to hear your got your setup sorted out. It sounds like he was actually doing quite well at the higher temp, was he using the hot spot? Some folks keep their dragons with a hot spot of around 120, as well as cooler basking options. That alone (unless it was crazy hot and the thermometer just stops at 120) shouldn't be a huge problem.

Do you offer a water dish? You can give him one on the cool side, and you can also drip water on his nose (with a dropper or spray bottle - if you use a spray bottle you just want little dribble drops) if you are concerned about hydration.

Are you able to keep the correct cool side temp in that tank?

 

[dynaMOna]

Sorry to hear your fella is not doing well. Maybe the previous poster is spot on, and he's just put off by the recent changes. I'm very new myself, and don't have practical experience, however I've been doing a ton of research on juveniles, and found that people say they like higher temps. Even up in the 120 degree range.

My little guy spends time in his 122 degree spot quite a bit. I hope your guy goes back to his regular eating and such. They seem to be pretty tough creatures.

 

[Nicadorra]

Maybe try the ReptiSun 10.0 rather than the 5.0? I am new as well so can't give an overly experienced answer - just after reading this site a lot they seem to steer people to the 10.0 so the Beardies get enough UVB. What do the more experienced keepers think? Could this be a factor?

 

[DebbieKelowna]

Yesterday he did have some crickets maybe 4. Today nothing I put crickets in but he didn't want to have anything to do with them. He was doing really good with the basking spot so hot and spent a lot of time there....maybe not on the hottest spot but near it. Do you think I should put everything back to how I had it? Should I keep the basking lamp 75 watt or put the 100 watt back in ? Also how far should the light be from the basking area? I did have it pretty close then I got the lamp stand and had it about 10 inches away. Now I took out the one basking rock and moved another that is lower on the ground and have the light back on the screen. Ughhhhh I think I'm driving myself crazy with worry lol that I should have left well enough alone. His poop has been runny he just went on the paper towel it is solid but paper towel is wet. I just put a couple crickets in to see if he would eat them....he seems to have energy and running around but so far not wanting to eat. Maybe it's the crickets? Too big? Doesn't like the taste ? If I gut load the crickets with something he doesn't like would that turn him off?
I give him regular baths and I drip the water that he licks off.

 

[DebbieKelowna]

Cool side is around 80.

 

[Taterbug]

The light may be part of it, generally the higher strength 10.0 linear florescent is recommended. I can't say for certain 5.0 isn't enough, the but coil types don't have the same effective area as the tubes. Someone else will have to chime in on that. For sure you will want that bulb mounted inside the tank, so there is nothing obstructing it. It should be 6-8" from him if its the T8 type.

As for distance. The light should be as far as it needs for the temps. The UVB bulb is the one that has a distance limit.

The crickets should be smaller than the space between his eyes. If they are too small he may not think they are worth eating though. Wet poops are fine, you just don't want runny ones.

If its just been since you changed things you can leave them and see if he comes back around. You can also try upping the temps back higher, if it seems like he liked them. As long as he has some options and the cool side stays reasonable, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[DebbieKelowna]

He did eat a couple wax worms so I guess that is good.....he's like my granddaughter only wants candy no veggies lol I will just leave the crickets in the tank and see what he does. Hopefully he eats them.

 

[Taterbug]

If you leave them in consider to leave them in a glass bowl they can't hop out of. At the least leave some chunks of carrot for them to eat. If they get too hungry they may try to snack on your dragon.

 

[DebbieKelowna]

I would never leave them in over night. Should I put them in a glass bowl during the day too? He was eating them from a little cup I had them in so I didn't have to worry about them in the tank. I think I will order some Phoenix worms they sound better than crickets.

 

[Taterbug]

I wasn't sure your plan, so I just wanted to throw that out there. Some times folks just want to dump all the crickets in and walk off.

It's up to you, a little dish may keep them out where he can see them. Cricket might hop out. I use a dish for roaches when I won't be home in time to do live food. If they run off and hide he may not know they are there.

He may still be settling in to his new life. :3 it's a lot if changes for your little one, first a new home, then a big remodel.

 

[DebbieKelowna]

It's now day two of no interest in crickets. I noticed this batch of crickets I got most are bigger than the ones I was getting so not too sure if that was an issue. So I picked out a few small ones and put them in a glass bowl so hopefully they will be eaten when I get home from work. I'm also going to get another batch of crickets that are smaller. Do you think that what you feed the crickets would turn them off from eating ? I gut load with cricket gel and veggies....I did add a little crushed up dog food this time so not sure if that's an issue. I also ordered some Phoenix worms to see if he would like those but unfortunately it was really expensive to order so I don't think I could afford those on a reg bases....almost $30 for 150 ( the shipping was more than the worms ) . This is almost as stressful as having a sick child. How long can he go without eating much? Maybe I'll get some different veggies for him to see if he will start eating that.

 

[Taterbug]

How big is he? Pets stores are notorious for not having any idea about age.
A healthy juvenile dragon can safely go for a couple days of not eating. Of course it's best to find out why. If it's not husbandry related, hopefully his appetite perks up. Some dragons have a couple weeks of "relocation stress" where the new dragon doesn't want to eat. That on top of changing his habitat may have been a little overwhelming.

Hopefully he like the worms, they are pretty expensive. Once his appetite comes back he should be eating quite a lot.

I'm not sure honestly if the bugs taste changes to the dragon. I've wondered the same myself. Id skip the kibble, I don't think it would put the dragon of the crickets but it's not a great food. It's better to use veggies and/or a good cricket chow to gut load them. There are even a few recipes to make it your self from grains and meals. Food for other animals may not be as good, and part of the goal is to raise calcium levels and make the insects as nutritious as possible. The thought is feed the crickets what you want the dragon to eat.

When you run out of the cricket gel, pick up a baggy of polymer water crystals. You'll get practically a lifetime supply for the price of one or two jars of that premade gel.

Good luck hopefully he has eaten the crickets you left him.

 

[Nicadorra]

Where do you get polymer water gel? Any suggestions on type of store ?

 

[Taterbug]

Probably a garden center would sell them. I got mine on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-100831-Storing-Crystals-12-Ounce/dp/B0042YYVYG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395701422&sr=8-3&keywords=Polymer+water+crystals