Baby Beardie won't eat/dark spot above his eye

[matthewdecesare]

Hi i'm new to BD.org but so far I'm loving all the good information provided.

Unfortunately I'm having some issues with my new baby beardie. I've had him for about a week, he's 6 weeks old, around 6 inches long. I initially had him set up in a 40 gallon viv with some rocks, driftwood, cave ect. One spot basking light, temps between 103-107, and about 85 on the cool end, 18" 10.0 reptisun. Needless to say I was taking him out to feed him so crickets werent loose in his cage. He didn't respond to that and wouldn't eat.

Then I started letting crickets loose in the cage, he probably would eat between 3-9 crickets in a day. Then i decided to move him to a much smaller tank, a little 5 gallon so i can keep an eye on him and he'll have an easier time catching the crickets, still to no avail. I offer him fresh greens everyday (finely chopped collard greens, bok choy, green beans, snow peas, and sqaush) i've never witnessed him touch them. I've just read so much about babies eating like 50 crickets a day!

I'm just really concerned and don't want to screw this up! Other than that he seems alert, very skittish when I go to handle him (i figure that might have something to do with the eating so I try to handle him as little as possible, although he will calm down pretty quickly and fall asleep in my hand). Also he has this dark spot on his face, maybe a piece of shed? I'm not really sure, I just really need some help!

Heres a couple pictures of the dark spot above his right eye...

 

[AHBD]

Hi Matthew....what a cute little baby ! So, if he's only been with you a week, he's still having relocation stress. Some beardies just don't eat much right away. You might try putting a few crickets in a jar or other container [ with a pinch of calcium powder to lightly coat them ] and shake them up enough to cripple them slightly, that way they are easier for him to catch and may hold his attention as they wobble about. Don't bother taking him out of the tank....just do a few crix at a time while he's in his tank....if he isn't interested, take one and smash it so the guts come out the back and rub it lightlt on his nose. This works quite well to get them interested in the taste of food again. You can also try chicke/turkey squash baby food. As for the knick on his eye, it's pretty small to see what it is, it may be a minor nip from when the breeder housed the hatchlings together, or from a cricket left in the tank, but more likely a sibling. After many sheds it may fade nearly imperceptibly. How are you hydrating ? You can use an eyedropper to drip water on his snout, or a spray bottle to spray a very gentle stream on his nose....just small drops. Some people bath their babies in about an inch of lukewarm water, but the baths must be short + supervised. Hopefully your little one will get his appetite back soon ! They don't all eat huge amounts right away, just give it some time and see how he does.

 

[Tonja]

Have you tried taking a q-tip with warm water on it and scrubbing that spot lightly to see if you can remove it. Babies generally arent that interested in greens so dont get to concerned over that. Be sure that after he eats you remove any crickets left in his tank, they can bite and nibble on your baby. GIve him as many crickets < no bigger than the space between his eyes> as he will eat in 10 - 15 mins and remove the rest. Try feeding him 2-3 times a day. Also one feeding a day for 5 days crickets dusted with calcium and 2 day one feeding per those 2 days with a multivitamin. Also if hes shedding they will tend to go off their food for a bit as its uncomfortable for them to shed so warm baths can help that. you can try to hand feed him or with feeding tongs..dance the live prey in front of his face and see if he will take it. If you feel hes not eating as he should try chicken babyfood with squash..just mix it with a bit of calcium and drip it on the end of his nose and see if he will lick it off. Also have you had a fecal done on him for parasites, parasites can make them not want to eat or gain weight, it can even cause weight loss. Parasites are not an uncommon problem. Hope some of this helps.

 

[vampy]

Are you managing to keep his temps stable in the 5 gallon?

Given you're only had him a week and he's been in 2 different tanks in that time, then it's not a surprise he's not eating that much, the poor baby is just stressed at all the changes. If you can get him the right temps and UV in the small tank, leave him in there until he's a bit more settled, if not I'd put him back in the bigger viv, just without all the 'stuff'. Just a basking spot at the warm end and something to sit on at the cool end, then it's less overwhelming for him and there are fewer places for crickets to hide. My babies refused to eat outside their tanks when they were that age, and are still fussy about doing so now, a few weeks later, so I just have to deal with putting them in a few at a time and hoping they get them all, then removing any leftovers when they are done.

Another trick for the crickets is to put them in the fridge for 5 minutes before you feed him. This will slow them down to make them easier for him to catch, and you can put them into the bowl with his veggies, and hopefully he'll accidentally grab some greens when going for a cricket and realise that greens are yummy!

Don't worry too much though, he doesn't look hugely small for his age or anything, and in another week or so he should be properly settled in and ready to eat you out of house and home.

 

[matthewdecesare]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses!

So this put me a little more at ease and I will just keep working with him and try some of this advice and see how it goes.

Yeah I figured the spot may just be a nip from the other hatchlings he was housed with, he's had it since day one, I noticed it on the way home from the breeder. I'm going to try to give him a quick bath tonight, or should I just wait?

As far as the temps in the smaller tank they are about the same as the big tank with the UV tube going across the entire back. Also does it matter what time the lights go on as long as they are on for 12-14 hours, like can they sense daytime even though its dark in the room I have him in? I have them set up on a timer to come on at 9:00am.

I'm also considering switching to phoenix worms... i'm really not a big fan of crickets and looking for something a little easier to manage... thoughts?

 

[bren]

I recommend dubia roaches. They are a wonderful protein source, and the nymphs are perfect-sized for baby beardies. They also won't try and bite the beardie if left in the habitat. They are also very economical: if you get your own started colony (small) they will propagate & give you zillions to feed off without costing $$$.

The wound over his eye does look like either a juvi nip or even a cricket bite.