Baby Beardie is Crazy and we need help :(

[rhondau]

We got Max middle of July they said he was about 2 months old. He is growing great he eats 12-20 crickets a day and will eat greens out of my hand. When we first got him he liked us holding him, then he started getting jumpy, likes to run like he is trying to get away (this is outside of his tank and it is scary cause he is so little and we have 4 cats) Now he runs away from me when I try to pick him up, he has tried to bite me once and today he was hissing at me with his mouth wide open....Is he turning bad? He used to love to have my daughter hold him, he would sit still and enjoy the petting. But now he hates everyone. temps never go below 75 in the tank and his basking spot is usually around 105 he goes to the bathroom everyday, he has 2 places to hide however doesn't use them and he is in a 40 gallon tank so he has plenty of room. I try to hold him a couple of times a day to get him use to me, but now that he jumps and run I wont let the kids hold him...any suggestions? Again he is probably about 4-5 months old

 

[catUK]

Sorry that your having a bad time with him. It could be that he's hungry- 12-20 crickets per day is not enough for a baby / juvie. They should be fed 2-3 times per day, as much as they can eat in a 10-15 min period in one sitting. This can mean they eat up to 100 crickets per day. It is normal for a baby to be so jumpy- mine didn't settle down until she was 7 months old or so. Are you using a UVB?

 

[rhondau]

Yes we are using a UVB. Do you think that I should feed him more...the pet store looks at me Crazy when i tell them he is eating 20 medium sized crickets a day! Like he shouldnt eat that many everyday...I gave him some large because it seemed like he was swallowing the medium whole...should I stay with medium and just feed him a couple times a day? Thanks so much for your help!

 

[catUK]

Yes we are using a UVB. Do you think that I should feed him more...the pet store looks at me Crazy when i tell them he is eating 20 medium sized crickets a day! Like he shouldnt eat that many everyday...I gave him some large because it seemed like he was swallowing the medium whole...should I stay with medium and just feed him a couple times a day? Thanks so much for your help!

Unfortunately pet stores don't always know what they're talking about- i got wrong advice when i first got my beardie. Feed crickets that are no bigger than the space between his eyes (any bigger can cause impaction)- i would say prob medium for a 4 month old and feed 2 times a day. Babies and juvies tend not to overeat so don't worry, you wont be overfeeding him. have you tried reptiworms? you can get them online- i used to leave mine in a little glass bowl for my beardie to pick at during the day 9although they were usually gone in one go). Reptiworms are naturally high in calcium so don't need dusted. See if feeding more helps his behaviour...if not, we'll try and help sort out what the problem is.

Just double checking, what UVB are you using and how old is it?

 

[rhondau]

thanks for the response...i am using the reptisun 10.0 but I wonder if I have it in the right spot. I read somewhere it should be closer to one end of the tank and then the basking spot where the long uvb light doesn't sit...maybe that is not right. I have the uvb hanging off the glass in the back but to the far right should I put it more in the center? He only goes to the other side of the tank to poop, yeah he has a special spot, and to catch the occaisional stray cricket. he is always under the basking light that is not right in front of the UVB... I fed him lots of crickets today, too many to count, he ate them all. He just let me hold him without acting to sketchy....I just hope we can get to a point where his owner can hold him...the 7 year old :roll:

 

[catUK]

thanks for the response...i am using the reptisun 10.0 but I wonder if I have it in the right spot. I read somewhere it should be closer to one end of the tank and then the basking spot where the long uvb light doesn't sit...maybe that is not right. I have the uvb hanging off the glass in the back but to the far right should I put it more in the center? He only goes to the other side of the tank to poop, yeah he has a special spot, and to catch the occaisional stray cricket. he is always under the basking light that is not right in front of the UVB... I fed him lots of crickets today, too many to count, he ate them all. He just let me hold him without acting to sketchy....I just hope we can get to a point where his owner can hold him...the 7 year old :roll:

Yeah id move it closer to center or alongside basking spot where he spends most of his time and within 6-8 inches of him. My beardie was very jumpy when i first got her (she was 4 months). I though she would never settle but after 3 months of handling her and her running away, she decided to cuddle up to me. She is now 15 months and loves lying on the sofa cuddled up to me. Yours is still young and at that explorative stage- he will settle down eventually.

 

[rhondau]

thanks for the response...i am using the reptisun 10.0 but I wonder if I have it in the right spot. I read somewhere it should be closer to one end of the tank and then the basking spot where the long uvb light doesn't sit...maybe that is not right. I have the uvb hanging off the glass in the back but to the far right should I put it more in the center? He only goes to the other side of the tank to poop, yeah he has a special spot, and to catch the occaisional stray cricket. he is always under the basking light that is not right in front of the UVB... I fed him lots of crickets today, too many to count, he ate them all. He just let me hold him without acting to sketchy....I just hope we can get to a point where his owner can hold him...the 7 year old :roll:

Yeah id move it closer to center or alongside basking spot where he spends most of his time and within 6-8 inches of him. My beardie was very jumpy when i first got her (she was 4 months). I though she would never settle but after 3 months of handling her and her running away, she decided to cuddle up to me. She is now 15 months and loves lying on the sofa cuddled up to me. Yours is still young and at that explorative stage- he will settle down eventually.

Wow, so I should def lower it too because it is right at the top! Thanks for the tips!

 

[catUK]

Your welcome, hope everything works out well

 

[reddragon087]

Reptiworms are awesome if you have a picky eater. My Loki was very picky when
I first got her, she refused to eat crickets, refused to eat her salads I made her.
When I got the reptiworms I put about 30 or so in there, had to go to work, couple
hours later I got a text they were all gone, she goes nuts over them and they are
actually cheaper than crickets.

 

[rhondau]

Reptiworms are awesome if you have a picky eater. My Loki was very picky when
I first got her, she refused to eat crickets, refused to eat her salads I made her.
When I got the reptiworms I put about 30 or so in there, had to go to work, couple
hours later I got a text they were all gone, she goes nuts over them and they are
actually cheaper than crickets.

Would you mix the reptiworms with the salad, because max will only eat about 3 pieces of greens from my hand a day, he wont touch the bowl of greens at all... Where is the best place to buy these from?