Baby beardie won’t eat!

[Vicky1234]

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend and I recently got a baby beardie and he is not eating. He’s probably about 8 weeks old. He barely eats maybe a worm or two a day and won’t eat veggies or crickets. It’s been about a week now that we’ve had him and I was reading it takes them time to get used to the new enclosure. But I was wondering if there is anything we can do and if we should be getting worried. We also live in Canada and we are scared he may be going into brumation. He stayed on the cool side of his enclosure all day and just ate two small worms. Every time we try feeding him he tries to run away, not sure why. And when I was trying to take him out of his cage just now he seemed mad, opening his mouth constantly but no black beard.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. He's too young to burmate. There most likely is a issue with his set up. Can you give a rundown of it? Or post a picture?

 

[Sizzle]

Definitely post what your set up is. My beardie took a few weeks to fully get over relocation stress, it really depends on the beardie. As far as brumation goes... that generally happens at around 8 months, not 8 weeks, so there is no risk of that right now. Another thing is during relocation stress timeframe, it is recommended that you do not handle your beardie very much as this can add more stress. I know it's hard but after a couple weeks of first owning him, you will be able to handle him as much as you want.

One more thing... I also live in Canada, and the temps in my terrarium were getting lower than they should (around 61 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure the temps don't drop below 65 degrees. You can accomplish this with a Ceramic heat emitter.

 

[Vicky1234]

Definitely post what your set up is. My beardie took a few weeks to fully get over relocation stress, it really depends on the beardie. As far as brumation goes... that generally happens at around 8 months, not 8 weeks, so there is no risk of that right now. Another thing is during relocation stress timeframe, it is recommended that you do not handle your beardie very much as this can add more stress. I know it's hard but after a couple weeks of first owning him, you will be able to handle him as much as you want.

One more thing... I also live in Canada, and the temps in my terrarium were getting lower than they should (around 61 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure the temps don't drop below 65 degrees. You can accomplish this with a Ceramic heat emitter.

Hello! Thanks so much for the information, this is really helpful. He was actually a bit better today and ate a bunch of crickets which is great! I am attaching some photos of his enclosure below, please let me know what you think. We have a white board in the middle because we read babies sometimes get aggitated when the cage is too big. Then we have the log on the right where he likes to bask and he goes on the left hand side if he gets too hot. Then he has a rock, water and a food dish (no food in it in the photo though). He also had a hammock but he pooped on it so it’s not there but we usually keep it on the right hand side as well.

Any suggestions on improvement would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[Vicky1234]

Hi. He's too young to burmate. There most likely is a issue with his set up. Can you give a rundown of it? Or post a picture?

Thanks!! I added some photos in the other reply. Would love to hear your thoughts!

 

[Vicky1234]

Definitely post what your set up is. My beardie took a few weeks to fully get over relocation stress, it really depends on the beardie. As far as brumation goes... that generally happens at around 8 months, not 8 weeks, so there is no risk of that right now. Another thing is during relocation stress timeframe, it is recommended that you do not handle your beardie very much as this can add more stress. I know it's hard but after a couple weeks of first owning him, you will be able to handle him as much as you want.

One more thing... I also live in Canada, and the temps in my terrarium were getting lower than they should (around 61 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure the temps don't drop below 65 degrees. You can accomplish this with a Ceramic heat emitter.

And also sorry forgot to mention- we have the reptile carpet at the bottom but we put paper towels and sand paper on it (the sand paper helps with his nails). Also, there are some shells on the right (just for decoration).

 

[Sizzle]

Definitely post what your set up is. My beardie took a few weeks to fully get over relocation stress, it really depends on the beardie. As far as brumation goes... that generally happens at around 8 months, not 8 weeks, so there is no risk of that right now. Another thing is during relocation stress timeframe, it is recommended that you do not handle your beardie very much as this can add more stress. I know it's hard but after a couple weeks of first owning him, you will be able to handle him as much as you want.

One more thing... I also live in Canada, and the temps in my terrarium were getting lower than they should (around 61 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure the temps don't drop below 65 degrees. You can accomplish this with a Ceramic heat emitter.

And also sorry forgot to mention- we have the reptile carpet at the bottom but we put paper towels and sand paper on it (the sand paper helps with his nails). Also, there are some shells on the right (just for decoration).

It might be because I am currently on my phone but I cannot tell if you have a UVB light from the pictures. If not, that is priority number 1. Without UVB beardies are at risk for developing Metabolic Bone Disease. I recommend the Reptisun 10.0 t5 bulb as it has had the best results for beardies. Otherwise as long as the temps are correct the setup looks fine. Keep in mind regular thermometers are very inaccurate. It is recommended you get a probe thermometer or a temp gun for more accurate readings.

Good to hear your beardie has eaten today. I am very familiar with the stress that comes from being a worried owner.

 

[Vicky1234]

Definitely post what your set up is. My beardie took a few weeks to fully get over relocation stress, it really depends on the beardie. As far as brumation goes... that generally happens at around 8 months, not 8 weeks, so there is no risk of that right now. Another thing is during relocation stress timeframe, it is recommended that you do not handle your beardie very much as this can add more stress. I know it's hard but after a couple weeks of first owning him, you will be able to handle him as much as you want.

One more thing... I also live in Canada, and the temps in my terrarium were getting lower than they should (around 61 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure the temps don't drop below 65 degrees. You can accomplish this with a Ceramic heat emitter.

And also sorry forgot to mention- we have the reptile carpet at the bottom but we put paper towels and sand paper on it (the sand paper helps with his nails). Also, there are some shells on the right (just for decoration).

It might be because I am currently on my phone but I cannot tell if you have a UVB light from the pictures. If not, that is priority number 1. Without UVB beardies are at risk for developing Metabolic Bone Disease. I recommend the Reptisun 10.0 t5 bulb as it has had the best results for beardies. Otherwise as long as the temps are correct the setup looks fine. Keep in mind regular thermometers are very inaccurate. It is recommended you get a probe thermometer or a temp gun for more accurate readings.

Good to hear your beardie has eaten today. I am very familiar with the stress that comes from being a worried owner.

Hi! Yes we have a UVB light that came with the cage and also got a red light for the night so it doesn’t get too cold. I’ll go buy a temp gun ASAP, thanks for the tips!

 

[Sizzle]

Definitely post what your set up is. My beardie took a few weeks to fully get over relocation stress, it really depends on the beardie. As far as brumation goes... that generally happens at around 8 months, not 8 weeks, so there is no risk of that right now. Another thing is during relocation stress timeframe, it is recommended that you do not handle your beardie very much as this can add more stress. I know it's hard but after a couple weeks of first owning him, you will be able to handle him as much as you want.

One more thing... I also live in Canada, and the temps in my terrarium were getting lower than they should (around 61 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure the temps don't drop below 65 degrees. You can accomplish this with a Ceramic heat emitter.

And also sorry forgot to mention- we have the reptile carpet at the bottom but we put paper towels and sand paper on it (the sand paper helps with his nails). Also, there are some shells on the right (just for decoration).

It might be because I am currently on my phone but I cannot tell if you have a UVB light from the pictures. If not, that is priority number 1. Without UVB beardies are at risk for developing Metabolic Bone Disease. I recommend the Reptisun 10.0 t5 bulb as it has had the best results for beardies. Otherwise as long as the temps are correct the setup looks fine. Keep in mind regular thermometers are very inaccurate. It is recommended you get a probe thermometer or a temp gun for more accurate readings.

Good to hear your beardie has eaten today. I am very familiar with the stress that comes from being a worried owner.

Hi! Yes we have a UVB light that came with the cage and also got a red light for the night so it doesn’t get too cold. I’ll go buy a temp gun ASAP, thanks for the tips!

Is it a coil bulb or a tube bulb? Some coil bulbs have been known to cause blindness/eye strain on beardies though some people use them without any issue. If you have a coil bulb and notice your beardie is closing his eyes a lot, that can be the cause.

 

[JessPets]

Hello! Please do not get a red light!! If you have already purchased it, just return it. Unless the temps drop below 65f, you won't need a night heat source at all. If it does, get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter).
UV is SUPER important. I think you have the tube kind, but I'm not 100% sure. What brand is it?

Also, they can be in a large cage, my 6 in baby started in a 4x2x2 with zero problems. Just make sure they are able to find their food.

 

[Beardeddtagonlover]

Forget 65f at night get your temps to 75 just because that is what happens in the wild does not mean so in captivity.

 

[JessPets]

Actually, I wouldn't really recommend using a CHE if your temps are above 65f, as it can heat up the enclosure too much, and isn't necessary unless you have, say, a sick beardie

 

[Beardeddtagonlover]

you are right Jess its fine to use a che but not without a thermostat even a 40 watter can heat up quite a bit 75 for night time i say is very good just because beardies can tolerate lower temps does not mean is ok to do it.

 

[Drache613]

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