Baby Sleeping a lot eating very little

[Tallsteve77]

Hi all, I brought home my little berdie on Wednesday and today Saturday I am a bit concerned as he is not eating as much as a baby should(based on my research). I did leave him alone the first three days and didn't pick him up not to stress him any more. I know the move from the petstore to home is an adjustment and stressful for them. He sleeps all day and has only waking up when I move him to show him the crickets. The cold side is 85 and the basking side is 104. He is in a 40 gallon tank with Reptilite Calcium Substrate. I have a zoo med t8 for Uvb and Zilla Halogen Mini Dome with a 50 watts bulb. He is not eating any greens and has only had two crickets today which all have been covered with calcium D3. I have given drops of water, and He has gone to the bathroom everyday but worried this is not normal behavior. Any thoughts ??? Suggestions ??? Thanks!!

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. The fact that he's sleeping during the day concerns me. I'm sure part of the reason he's not eating is relocation stress. Is his basking bulb bright white? How are you taking the temps? I'd get that subtrate out ASAP. That calcium sand will turn into concrete when digested. Also close is the uvb? Is there any plastic over the bulb? If its on top of the screen then most of the uvb rays are getting blocked. It needs to be mounted in the tank. Can you post a picture?

 

[Tallsteve77]

The basking bulb is not bright white its yellowish. I am taking the temp two way with a Thermo meter gun and a Exo Terra digital thermometer.

The UVB bulb is across the entire tank. Here is the picture of how it looks.

 

[destiny1998]

If that basking light is coated with neodymium that really bothers them. Also the uvb should be 6 to 8 inches a way. I'd lower it. I use command hooks to hang mine in the tank. I'd also get a brighter watt basking bulb. I have 3 40 gallon and need a 75 watt halogen flood bulb. As for subtrate babies get impacted very easily. Most people on here use tiles. You can also use non adhesive shelf liner, paper towels.

 

[Tallsteve77]

What do you mean the UVB needs to be 6-8 inches away? The zoo med hood is the length of the tank if not bigger. I am removing the sand now and putting in paper towels. I am going to replace the basking lamp tomorrow with a regular one instead of the mini one I have . Thanks for your help!

 

[destiny1998]

I mean the t8 uvb bulbs don't give off that strong of rays. T5 do they can be 8 to 12 inches a way and your beardie will get very good rays. The t8s are good but not as strong. So therefore you want it closer so your beardie gets the proper amount of rays. That's why I mounted mine in the tank with command hooks. You're welcome. He's a handsome little guy

 

[Tallsteve77]

I wanted to update you on some of the things i have done since your suggestions. I have removed the sand and replaced it with reptile carpet. I also gave him a water bath for 15 min just in case he is dehydrated. I changed the halogen mini dome to a deep dome lamp 75watts. While doing this i decided to look at the UBV bulb and noticed it was a Zilla tropical 25 bulb. I did some research and found out right away this is not the proper lighting for the size tank i have. I went to the local petstore and purchased a Reptisun 10 uvb and installed it . This bulb will reach up to 20 inch from the surface of the lamp. He is not fully out of it but i have noticed he is a lot more active than the last two days . I am hoping a couple more hrs of him on this new UVB will have him start eating. I will update you on any new developments. Thanks!

 

[CooperDragon]

Those changes should help out quite a bit! Based on my testing, the T8 ReptiSun 10.0 with reflector has it's best output at 6-8'' above the basking surface with nothing between the bulb and basking area (plastic, mesh top, etc). It has MUCH better output than the tropical bulb however and will be a great improvement.

 

[destiny1998]

Yay !! So glad he's improving

 

[Tallsteve77]

Update: woke up very active this morning. He pooped and ate one cricket and a small bite of kale. He is now sleeping so I hope he is getting better. Still eating very little and very sleepy . Do you think he could still be suffering from impaction even if he is popping?

 

[CooperDragon]

Probably not impaction but it can take some time to adjust and respond to environmental changes so I'd just wait a bit and see how he responds after a few more days or maybe a week.

 

[Tallsteve77]

Thanks again guys ..He seems to be doing much better as he ate more crickets tonight. I agree that it might be him still adjusting to his new home.

 

[SevzLight]

If you live near a lowes or a home depot, find the dimensions of the inside of your tank and buy ceramic tiles and get them cut to the measurements. Trust me, I did this, and was able to get rid of reptile carpet forever. It's easy to clean and they file their own nails! Reptile carpet got too nasty for me after awhile! Xd

 

[Tallsteve77]

Thank you Sevzlight that is exactly what I will be doing after speaking with Cooperdragon. He gave me the same advise and is my weekend project for this coming weekend. Thanks again all! Spyro seems to be doing good and adjusting to his new home!