baby beardie NOT a big eater?

[Bucks121]

so ive owned my beardie for about 2 months now and when i got him he was around a month old im guessing i got him from a local pet store...

hes 7 inches head tip to tail tip

since i got him he didnt seem like a big eater the most i seen him eat in one feeding was 7 crickets that were a fair size and then he will pick at food the rest of the day

he will not eat any kind of veggies or fruit
he usually always eats everyday i dust with calcium powder 5 times a week one feeding a day and vitamin powder 2 times a week 1 time a day

i just changed his light set up around hes got a 22" reptisun 10.0 in his viv and can get approx 6 inches close to it he has a 150W halogen flood light for heat (sounds big but it clips on the tank weird and doesnt produce as much heat as u think) its aimed at his basking spot which is usually around 104F
hes also got another light 50W halogen flood pointed at the opposite side just for light
his cold side is usually 77-86F


the past 3 or so days he hasnt eaten as much as he did before which i think wasnt enough to begin with. hes ate like 1 or 2 crickets that i left running around with him nd he eventually ate he usually eats from hand or by tongs but recent for about 3 days wont (my son tried to get him the other day i think he got scared i since lock the cage so my son who just learned how to slide the door cannot open it) maybe he is scared of us now? or maybe hes adjusting to the new lights

hes pooping but not basking much lately more running around in his viv then anything
seen him waving at his shadow also

he shed prob about 3-4 weeks ago but today i noticed his belly and legs are shedding
i give him baths every couple days and sometimes over paranoid about dehydration ill give him water with a syringe

i feed crickets and some mealworms not many just a few to try to fatten him a bit



sorry for the long post any help is appreciated

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

What uvb bulb did you have before? I see you just upgraded to the reptisun, which is great. How long have you been using the reptisun?

Lastly, what are you using to measure your temps. Your temps sound good, but that is dependent on what you are using to measure them.

I would stop with the mealworms. Try some different bugs like dubias, BSFL varieties, silkworms, and butterworms. Those would all be much better choices than mealworms.

-Brandon

 

[Bucks121]

i was using a 125w solarglo before i changed it after reading the reptisun was better because i noticed my beardie was closing the eye that seemed to face the light alot because i think he had to get to close to it
it was above his screen top so it blocked uvb so its why i switched to reptisun and mounted it inside today is the second day i had the reptisun however his appetite dropped the day before i got it

i use a small infared temp thing that u point and hold the button and it reads the temps usually hold it about 2 inches away from the spot i want to test

also i cant get dubias because im in canada and noone admits they have some its always my friend this or that but they magicly are all gone when u ask for some lol

my local petstore basically only stocks crickets,meals,supers,and horn worms ive seen butterworms once but they only had 100 and were 50% dead... been cold lately -38 not sure if anything could be shipped to me also i dont want to waste on shipping if hes not even got eat most of it since he seems to not eat much i started a colony of supers for when hes the 16" size but until then ill lay off the mealworms after he finishes this small tub i dont know what else to feed him he doesnt eat much i always read about babys eating a ton but he seems the opposite but always has big droppings

 

[Claudiusx]

Well if you just recently switched to the reptisun, it could take a week or two before the good effects of it start to manifest; or the bad effects of the previous to diminish.

Either way, it sounds like your tank is finally pretty good now, so it is just a waiting game.

Do you think he might be impacted? You mentioned he has poo'd regularly so that is probably not the case.

Just keep offering food, and hopefully the reptisun will kick in soon.

Keep us updated on any progress, or lack of progress and we can go from there.

-Brandon

 

[Bucks121]

he poos everyday doesnt seem to be an issue he went today and yesterday fairly sized one

do you think hes an under eater?

 

[Claudiusx]

Well, as long as he is pooing, that is a good sign.

Some dragons take awhile to grow into their appetites. And a key factor in the number they eat is the size of the feeder. If you are feeding pretty big insects, of course he will eat less than if they were smaller sized.

As long as he seems to be healthy, and living under healthy conditions, which sounds like he is now, I wouldn't worry too much.

Like I said in another thread, healthy dragons make healthy beardie slaves. :mrgreen:
So as long as he seems healthy and active, I wouldn't worry too much.

-Brandon

 

[Bucks121]

thanks for the help much appreciated

 

[Claudiusx]

Not a problem.

Keep us updated if you can.

-Brandon