baby beardie not eating

[galipeau03]

I have possibly the smallest beardie I have ever seen. I bought the tiniest crickets I could find and pellet food for baby beardies. It seems completely alert I just can't get him to eat!

 

[Embee]

Hi,

I'm sorry your dragon isn't eating.

Can you provide some information on your enclosure set up? In particular:

What is the age/size of your beardie? How long have you had him/her?

What size tank?

UVB source? Type (coil, compact, tube, MVB) and Brand (ReptiGlo, ReptiSun, ZooMed, etc.)?

What are you using to heat the tank (basking, household bulb), wattage of bulb?

What are the temps in the tank looking like: basking, mid, and cool side?

Substrate?

That should get us started...

Thanks,
Em

 

[herpfreak]

Of recent, I have been saying this to everyone with beardies not eating.

Get a fecal test done!

I just found out that Budo is loaded with parasites... and all this time I thought he was brumating.

 

[galipeau03]

He is about 4 inches long, I have him in a 125 gallon tank that is split in half, reptisun 10.0 uvb strip, 100 watt basking bulb, repticarpet as a substrate, basking side of tank is 102 and cooler side is about 85. I got him 2 days ago.

 

[herpfreak]

Sounds good.

The fact that you got him a few days ago could be the root of the problem. Most beardies are stressed out by a new home and need five days or so to adjust before taking food.

 

[Embee]

He is about 4 inches long, I have him in a 125 gallon tank that is split in half, reptisun 10.0 uvb strip, 100 watt basking bulb, repticarpet as a substrate, basking side of tank is 102 and cooler side is about 85. I got him 2 days ago.

Indeed, sound good, and as herpfreak suggested, you're probably just seeing the result of relocation stress, but I do have a question as to temps: when you say "basking side" of the tank, are you referring to the temps directly on the basking spot/area where beardie basks? Are you placing a thermometer sensor probe directly under the basking heat lamp, or gauging temps just on that "side" of the enclosure? If it's the latter, then you won't be able to get a clear picture of what is going on for beardie directly on the basking surface. If the temps are 102 just on that "side" of the tank, chances are the temps on the basking spot are much higher, possibly too high. Could be just your choice of words I realize, but I always like to make sure. Are you using a digital with probe thermometer, then? Something to remember also then is when placing the probe on the basking spot to gauge temps, do leave it for 45 minutes before reading temp.

Only other thing I might suggest is to try to get a slightly more "rangy" temp gradient. Babies need a fairly high basking temp (105-110) for proper and complete digestion, and cool side could be more like 80.

Babies can be "very particular with their needs" (Diane, the moderator's wise words :wink: ), and temps are one of those things that can definitely effect appetite. Too high, and they can become dehydrated or otherwise ill, too low and they are unable to digest properly, so it's important to get them as close to perfect as possible.

The best,
Em

 

[Embee]

can anyone give me some good suggestions on what to eat for my baby dragon? ive only had him 3 days and he doesnt have a very good appetite!

I too have a baby bearded dragon not eating. I got him 4 days ago and he was eating regularly Thu, Fri, Sat, and Sun morning but last night he paid the crickets no mind and the same thing this morning.

Hi,

I'm sorry your dragons aren't eating well. For more personal assistance, you both might consider starting your own threads.

When a dragon isn't eating well, there can be any number of reasons for it. The most common culprit tends to be husbandry (tank set up), in particular, the UVB source, heat source, and tank temps. With that, it would be wise to go over your tank set up just to be sure, rule anything out there. If you refer to the second post in this thread, you will find a short list of questions that should help get things started. I highly recommend that you each initiate a thread of your own (feeding or health forums would be best), detailing the lack of appetite issue along with the answers to those questions... it can be a big help to someone responding to know the answers to those questions up front. And with your own threads, your beardie will get the individual care and attention she/he deserves. :mrgreen:

In the meantime, here is a link to a wonderful resource food list for dragons (do's and don'ts): http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Thanks!
Em