Baby beardie will not eat please help!

[ash91ley]

It's hard to tell from the photo what I'm exactly looking at. Is the screen lifted and the UVB in the gap?
That may be able to help with the UVB aspect, but I would make sure he has enough heat as well. It looks like you re-arranged the decor to be closer to the lighting which should help!

Do you know the temperature of his basking spot? The white light bulb should help a lot as well. I know pet stores can give some really mixed information because each lizard has different needs

Thank you, yes I placed it in the gap so there would be no filter and then placed the white light above it. I will move a thermometer over there to see what temp reads. They were both reading 80ish before the move. Ahhh

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

This is my youngest's enclosure. The heat dome is on top of the screen above the brightly lit branch and the UVB is mounted inside using flower twine (like long twist ties) but my fixture is different than yours for the UVB.

I handle my dragons hours per day, but considering it sounds like you just got yours I would let him settle in a little before handling too often. He needs to adjust to one thing at a time and it may overwhelm him

 

[ash91ley]

Nice! I love your set up. Can you tell me what kind of uvb light that is it doesnt look like you have the bulky black part also are the ties coming down from screen? Or how did you attach it inside like that? Also I must say he/she is super cute and so big! I can't wait for mine to thrive, poor guy... Also do you use a red bulb at night? I need to get a timer for sure I usually jusy adjust the lights when I get up in the mornings and when its dark.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

The bulbs I have are:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0009YHSWK

and the fixtures are under cabinet fixtures:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004WA4D/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I removed the plastic protector over the bulb to make sure the UVB was not being filtered out. I used flower twine to go through between the bulb and fixture and then through the screen, twisted uptop.

I'll beat CooperDragon to it and recommend this if you are able to afford it:
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

I am planning to upgrade to this soon. The T5 bulb has a much higher UVB output and is basically the best on the market

 

[kyleena29]

Is your bulb the T8 or the T5. I'm thinking you have the T8 which he needs to be able to get within 6" to. The T5 he needs to be within 12"

He also needs his basking spot to be 110-115. He won't digest if it's not warm enough. You should get a tree decor or branch so he has options to get closer.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

Right off the bat I'd say if your temps were reading 80 that that may likely be the biggest cause for the lack of appetite, in addition to relocation stress.

My youngest I got just under 2 months old and he wouldn't eat for a week after I got him. I used repti-boost to get him some nutrition and attempt to boost his appetite. His temps were always where they needed to be, so a lot of his issue was relocation. He eats like a fatty now.

He may be in the same house but the dragon doesn't know that, so he went from pet store, to new house, to new room, none of which he can connect the dots for. I'd bump up those temps, get him maybe a higher climbing fixture, and let him settle in. Changing his tank decor could also stress him out, so if you're planning to move things/change things I'd do it as soon as you can to let him start getting settled as soon as possible

 

[ash91ley]

The bulbs I have are:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0009YHSWK

and the fixtures are under cabinet fixtures:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004WA4D/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I removed the plastic protector over the bulb to make sure the UVB was not being filtered out. I used flower twine to go through between the bulb and fixture and then through the screen, twisted uptop.

I'll beat CooperDragon to it and recommend this if you are able to afford it:
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

I am planning to upgrade to this soon. The T5 bulb has a much higher UVB output and is basically the best on the market

Thank you so much! I will be getting and installing these as well as getting him a branch. I really appreciate it.

 

[ash91ley]

Right off the bat I'd say if your temps were reading 80 that that may likely be the biggest cause for the lack of appetite, in addition to relocation stress.

My youngest I got just under 2 months old and he wouldn't eat for a week after I got him. I used repti-boost to get him some nutrition and attempt to boost his appetite. His temps were always where they needed to be, so a lot of his issue was relocation. He eats like a fatty now.

He may be in the same house but the dragon doesn't know that, so he went from pet store, to new house, to new room, none of which he can connect the dots for. I'd bump up those temps, get him maybe a higher climbing fixture, and let him settle in. Changing his tank decor could also stress him out, so if you're planning to move things/change things I'd do it as soon as you can to let him start getting settled as soon as possible

Thank you so much, I will do all these changes at once so it won't be so much on him and will definitely get him a branch. Im not sure how else to boost temps though as I have the maximum amount of lights that the tank will hold on top. But I will say he was warmer in the living room away from the window they would normally read and stay around 90.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

It's no problem! That's why we're here
The large branch/climbing fixture I have is one available at Petco/Petsmart, but if you have some trees/branches outside that can support his weight and work, you could also bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 mins or so. My oldest has a stick I found outside and added when he was a baby. Just snapped it to the length I needed, baked it to kill off bacteria, and put it in. Used to be his favorite, but now he has a hammock/bridge and he loves that more.

Both mine have this, but my youngest just uses it for pooping :roll:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XWWW4FC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

Right off the bat I'd say if your temps were reading 80 that that may likely be the biggest cause for the lack of appetite, in addition to relocation stress.

My youngest I got just under 2 months old and he wouldn't eat for a week after I got him. I used repti-boost to get him some nutrition and attempt to boost his appetite. His temps were always where they needed to be, so a lot of his issue was relocation. He eats like a fatty now.

He may be in the same house but the dragon doesn't know that, so he went from pet store, to new house, to new room, none of which he can connect the dots for. I'd bump up those temps, get him maybe a higher climbing fixture, and let him settle in. Changing his tank decor could also stress him out, so if you're planning to move things/change things I'd do it as soon as you can to let him start getting settled as soon as possible

Thank you so much, I will do all these changes at once so it won't be so much on him and will definitely get him a branch. Im not sure how else to boost temps though as I have the maximum amount of lights that the tank will hold on top. But I will say he was warmer in the living room away from the window they would normally read and stay around 90.

The window is a very good point. Being in the window could mess with his temperatures, so I'm unsure if you want to reconsider his placement (poor guy moving around so much)

From going from a chilly winter to a toasty summer, your little guy can go from too cold to too warm depending on the day and it would be more difficult to maintain the correct temp

 

[kyleena29]

I would try a 75 watt hallogen bulb and try that out. You might have to try different watts. You can buy a new dome lamp that can handle higher wattage. Home depot and other hardware stores carry these cheaper than the pet store. Just make sure it has a ceramic base.

 

[ash91ley]

You guys he ate!!!!!!!! Within just these last couple of hours of having him closer to uvb and lights he actually ate! And his eyes have been open. I am so happy and now I know what I need to do! I made the kids some lunch and then thought id try to give him a wax worm bc I need to get some more crickets and sure enough he ate it.

 

[kyleena29]

That's great! Just make sure that he can bask at 110 because his food could rot in his stomach and might deter him from eating again. Here is a link with a list of foods. The ones highlighted in green are good staples to give all the time.

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

Glad to hear it!!
Just some minor tweaks can make a huge improvement

If you needed any insect staple suggestions, I saw you had mentioned him eating a mealworm earlier in your post. As cheap as it is to get sooo many of them, they're unfortunately not a great option. I fed my oldest a bunch of those, myself, before finding out they're hard to digest due to the chitin (exoskeleton)

I find the best deals on feeders are online (in the US) and not local, but it depends on your local resources honestly.
As odd as it may seem to receive a box in the mail full of bugs, most shippers are really good about live delivery and will only ship Mon/Tues to avoid having them sit in the post office over a Sunday

 

[ash91ley]

Temps are already rising to 95ish so I will definitely keep watch on that and make sure it's hot enough. The humidity is kinda high though in the 50s anything I can do about that?