Beadie not moveing much

[Arcangel]

Hello i have a problem my baby dragon is always in the cornor sense the past 3 three weeks he eats and what not but he always in cornors of the tank. The tank is a reptile size 40 my heating is uvb 150 or 175 watt i believe and he gets a saled every other day and he eats three large crickets a day he is about 4in no tail and 6 with hes tail and their is a water dish also in the tank. Any help is welcome

 

[Arcangel]

please help me

 

[AMHaak]

I am going to bump your post so that maybe someone with a little more experience can help you. They will need a little more information about your beardie set up before they can help you.

What type of bulbs are you using?
What is the temp in the tank?
Are you dusting the crickets?
What type of substrate are you using in the tank?
Do you give your beardie baths regularly (is the beardie dehydrated)?


Also on a side note you said that you were feeding your baby 3 large crickets a day? They should be eating a lot more than that. Also how big are these "large" crickets because a beardie that size should be eating medium size crickets.

Anyways I hope someone with a little more experience will be able to help you.

 

[Arcangel]

my temps are 90 durning day non basking spot and about 60 to 70 at night.
the crickets are about 1 inch or so im guessing.
i have never bathed him yet i just got him 3 weeks ago
i calcium spray hes crickets thats all? and i gut load them
my bulb is a solar glo 160w uvb

 

[booberboo]

I would try giving him a bath - that will do him a lot of good. Make sure the water isn't too hot, it should be around 90 degrees.

I agree that he should be eating a lot more than 3 crickets a day. Will he eat more than that if you offer him? I might try putting him in another container with as many crickets as he could want, to get a sense for how many he likes to eat.

More experienced posters will be able to tell you the exact number a dragon that age and size will eat.

Other than that, what is the temperature in the basking spot? In the corner your dragon hides?

I unfortunately can't be of much more help because my adult beardie is doing the same thing lately.

 

[Arcangel]

Well hes basking temp i cant really tell it changes. and i have offered him more he doesnt seem to eat but i will try the containier idea thank you guys btw

 

[Kaiser]

At that age and size, you should feed him as many live staple feeders as he will eat within a ten to fifteen minute time frame. Most bearded dragons will not overeat, and are perfectly capable of knowing when to stop and when they have eaten a full, healthy amount. The time frame is for bearded dragons that may overeat.

Also, I noticed that the crickets you are feeding may be too large for your bearded dragon at this size. You should only be feeding your bearded dragon feeders that are generally no larger than the space between your bearded dragon's eyes; any larger, and you could risk an impaction. If he is not eating much, and/or acting lethargic, he may be impacted or on his way to being impacted.

And yes, what is the temperature of the basking spot? How are you measuring these temperatures (ie. with a stick-on thermometer, digital thermometer with a probe, temp gun, etc.)? Do you have a temperature gradient set up in your enclosure? You need a cool side (approximately 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit), a warm side (approximately 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit), and a basking area within the warm side (approximately a surface temperature of 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit). If your entire enclosure is hitting the 90s, and you do not have a cool side, your bearded dragon may be feeling too hot and may be seeking lower ground, away from the heat source.

This can also lead to dehydration, especially in a bearded dragon as young/small as yours, so how are you hydrating your bearded dragon? I know you mentioned the water dish, but have you actually seen him drink from it or soak in it?

Also, you might want to try changing your UVB bulb to a Reptisun 10.0 tube type bulb, as that has been known to be one of the safest brands and types available, with many good results, including increased activity, appetite, coloration, etc. Not too sure if there are any problems with the Solar Glo, but there's really downside to trying a Reptisun 10.0 if you ever need to replace the Solar Glo after the UVB depletes. Just a suggestion.

 

[shifty43]

From the sounds of it the tank is getting to hot. I have a 40 gal breeder and was using a 75 watt for the basking spot but had to end up getting a dome light with a dimmer switch on it so i could lower or raise the temp as needed. 150w just seems like a lot and with him hiding in the corners he may be trying to get away from the heat. I may have missed it, but how are you taking your temps? Temp gun, digital with probe, or the sticky round guages? The sticky round ones can be off by as much as 20 degrees.

 

[Arcangel]

Well i now have a stick on themo. he does hide in his rept carpet and in his hides and he does poo a lot so i dont think hes inpacted and i now have smaller crickets.

 

[Kaiser]

I agree with shifty43; you may want to decrease the temperatures and create a temperature gradient in your bearded dragon's enclosure. You also should try to invest in one of the thermometers suggested earlier, as shifty43 is correct that the stick-on thermometers can be relatively inaccurate.

And I am glad that he is not impacted, and that you have switched to smaller sized crickets. Hopefully his appetite will pick up with the smaller sized crickets, as he should be eating a lot more than just that. Continue offering him as much as he will eat within a ten to fifteen minute time frame, and he will eat until he is satisfied and full. However, if the number seems low and he will not eat much more than just a few, something may be causing for a lack of appetite, which can result in a lack of energy.

 

[Arcangel]

thank you kasier. One last q how can i reduce the temp with buying a new light im high school student with no money right now? i do have a heater that keeps 80 in my animal room will that work it keep it hot in there durning the day and night. He is still hideing and he didnt want any food today but hes saled.

 

[Kaiser]

Well, let's see here. You need to try to set up a temperature gradient in your enclosure. Since it's a 40 gallon breeder tank, it should be possible to set some fairly distinct gradients. What kind of heat sources do you have already available? Do you just have the Solar Glo as your heat source? If so, 160 watts is relatively high, so you should change to a lower wattage, or change to a different type of UVB bulb (mercury vapor bulbs tend to give off a lot of heat, while most of the tube type UVB bulbs give off relatively lower amounts of heat). The UVB bulb is necessary, and therefore, if you cannot afford to buy a different bulb or a lower wattage, you could try purchasing and using a dimmer (this will let you adjust the heat and light output); however, the issue with this is that because the MVB is your heat and UVB source, you will be decreasing the heat and the UVB output, in which case, you probably do not want to affect the UVB output (unless the UVB output is too strong, than dimming it a bit could work; however, you would need a proper way of making sure it was still putting out adequate amounts of UVB). Another alternative is to utilize a lamp stand of some sort to alter the height of the MVB from the enclosure, which would alter the amount of heat being put directly into the enclosure (the room might warm up a bit, though); however, once again, this causes problems in terms of whether or not the UVB at a certain height would be adequate if changed (the amount of UVB that reaches the bearded dragon is dependent on the distance between the source and the bearded dragon).

Honestly, the best way is to invest in a new type of bulb or a lower wattage. If you are able to change to a new type of bulb, try the Reptisun 10.0 tube type bulb. It should be cheaper than an MVB (the Reptisun 10.0 can be purchased for low to mid 20s, I believe), and releases less heat. You will most likely need to get another heat source, however, but these should be relatively cheap, as you can use common household light bulbs as a heat source in association with the tube type bulb, if necessary. You may have to invest in a specific light fixture for the light bulbs, but it shouldn't be too expensive, and the bulbs themselves are very cheap and come in a number of different wattages, making it easy to switch if you need more or less heat; in fact, just today, I changed my 60 watt bulbs to 40 watt bulbs to deal with the temperature change associated with the new spring season.

Some other ways, though not quite as accurate or reliable, could be to increase air condition within the room, and/or opening windows, if the temperature outside is cooler than it is inside. However, you will have to carefully monitor your bearded dragon's enclosure's temperatures, as these methods of decreasing the heat inside the room are relatively difficult to maintain.

Other than that, unfortunately, I can't really think of any other alternatives. Whatever you decide to do, just remember that a UVB bulb is necessary, and that you need a cool side, a warm side, and a basking spot/area within the warm side (for specific temperatures, see my first post).

 

[Arcangel]

well said. i have a 75 watt clamp light but its uvb is 75 watt uvb light cheap? prob not right now i have no lights except for intill 5 o clock its the only way i can put it the uvb and heat durning the day my heater in that room doesnt seem to be working for my beadie.

 

[Arcangel]

Well today he pounded 7 med/small crickets dusted and i found way so that hes tank not as hot i will have it on intill 7pm and then turn it off.