Baby Juvie not eating and black line under chin!

[Nuka042]

I'm a new bearded dragon owner, I got my baby Juvie 5 days ago. I read through the forums and spoke with the breader about the stress marks he would have due to the relocation stress, however yesterday the lines on his belly completely disappeared. The one thing that is concerning me is the black line on his chin that hasn't disappeared or faded in the slightest bit. I don't know if this is a serious health concern or he's going to have a black beard when he gets older (btw his name is Roku).

As for his eating, Roku hasn't eaten at all today. This is alarming me because he's had a pretty healthy appetite since we got him and all of a sudden today he just doesn't want to eat. I keep offering him his food at the usual times but he just looks at the food with disgust (we feed him crickets for his live meals along with sliced carrots, apples, watermelon, and kale for the salad portion). I don't know if he's sick or because last night the tank was too hot for him (it was around 80 degrees last night- we switched to the lower wattage bulb immediately to help cool the tank down) or if it was because he ate a lot yesterday (it was his first time eating bigger crickets).

He's going to the bathroom everyday, same consistency (brown, moist, solid, free of parasites), so I don't know what to rule out. Please help!

Picture of his black line on his chin.

 

[volvotech]

My leatherback is approximately the same size and also has a similar "line." Your baby might be getting ready to shed, based on that picture. Do you have any others? Beardies often reject food when they are preparing to shed, so that could be affecting his appetite.

Also, my sub-adult male Beardie has a good bit of black under his neck. Normally, his neck only turns completely black when he's stressed, but, if you look closely between the scales, his always shows a little bit of black. My guess for these little guys is that their necks are so small, the black is more prominent than on an older dragon.

 

[volvotech]

Also, DO NOT cool the tank down from 80 degrees. You're looking for cool side temps in the 80's and hot side temps in the 90's (Fahrenheit, of course). Ideally, Beardies should also have a basking spot with a surface temp of 100-110. If the cage is too cool, that could slow his appetite.

 

[Nuka042]

Thanks so much for the information. But what about night temperatures? Because during the day the cool side is around 80 degrees and the basking spot area ranges from 100-105. I read on another threads that night temperatures should be 68-74.

As for shedding, he is currently shedding (I didn't know shedding could bring upon the black lines).

 

[annieoakley123]

Ok, for babies 80 on the cool side,105/110 on the basking side. THAT is for the DAY time. At night no lower than 65. They need that time to cool down. Id say for a baby 70 at night would be perfect. I had the same concerns with my baby. Also if your house drops lower than 65 get ceramic heat emitter....not a red bulb. Beardies need it to be dark to get a good sleep.

As for the dark area- when they are stressed they get the lines under their belly, but the black beard is more of a defensive coloration. Beardies get them when they are going to fight, breed, or feeling intimidation. Its a defense mechanism. Just let your baby get used to his home in an area that doesn't get much traffic, no sunlight actually hitting inside the cage, no animals lurking around, and where it is quite. He is still getting used to everything and hes a baby so he may feel a bit defenseless.

Other than that he looks healthy. SOmetimes they have their fluctuations with their food. As long as he is still pooping and looking alert and basking on his own then just let him be.

ALSO- MAKE SURE YOUR MEASURING HIS TEMPS WITH A DIGITAL PROBE OR TEMP GUN. ANYTHING ELSE IS NOT ACCURATE

hes very cute btw!

 

[Nuka042]

UPDATE:

Roku is eating today! I got him to munch on some crickets and I left him to eat his salad. The stress lines under his chin returned however he is still shedding on his legs so for now I'm going to keep a watchful eye on him and make sure he's comfortable in his new home. Thanks again everyone

 

[annieoakley123]

Thats great news! I want to see more pics of this cutie

 

[Sherri]

Yes! More pics please!! (lots) LOL Also, in that pic he looks a little like a transluscent...is it just my monitor?

He is adorable!

 

[annieoakley123]

Looks like a trans to me! Where did you get him?

 

[Sashee]

OMG! SO CUTE!!!! And so tiny! Gah! Yoshi wasn't that small when I got him. But he was like, 3 or 4 months old at that point, too.

 

[AHBD]

Cute little colorful guy ! Just wanted to mention that you might want to stick with smaller crickets....he may have had a hard time digesting the larger ones you mentioned, and the next time could be worse. Also, a healthier choice for salads are all greens...turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion greens'. If you live in an area where lawns aren't sprayed with chemicals, you can gather your own dandelion, they love the flower as well. My guys also enjoy green leaf clover and mulberry leaves from my tree,which are high in calcium. The pieces should be very small for a baby, because they can cause impaction as well as large prey items. Fruits are delicious to us, but all that sugar is not good for a dragon. And kale is one of the greens that contains oxalates which binds calcium, keeping it from being absorbed properly, so it shouldn't be used too often. I hope he does well for you!

 

[Nuka042]

He is doing a lot better, still shedding, but eating and being active. We did switch his salad up, no more fruits and got rid of the kale. He's now on collard greens, carrots, and red bell peppers (he seems to love that the most ). And we are gut loading the crickets on the same salad (plus some formula cubes that are high in calcium) to make sure he's getting all the nutrition he needs.

 

[Denduran87]

What a studdly little dude. More pics for sure.