bearded dragon is not growing..HELP!

[vanderbeck29]

we bought our baby bearded dragon from petsmart around the end of february 2012. we have had him roughly 5 months so i believe he must be 6 months or older. in the first couple months he was eating/ shedding and having bowel movements often. we had no worries and thought he was becoming a healthy adult beardie. roughly about a month and half later he stopped shedding as often, woudnt eat his regular meals in full and wasnt going to the bathroom as often. our beardie now has to be force feed, hasnt shed in at least a month, probably longer, and rarely wants to use the bathroom, even after a warm soak. he also sleeps and lays in the same spot all day usually away from the basking lamp on the cool side. i would say he is roughly 6-7 inches including the tail. any advice/knowledge would be greatly apperciated. thank you

 

[Mediabandit]

If you coulsd answer these questions then it would give us a little more info to go on and possibly be able to help you out.

What size tank do you have him in?
What substrate do you have him on?
What brand and model of UVB bulb are you using?
What are the temps on the basking spot and the cool side?
How are you measuring the temps?
What are you feeding him?
How often do you offer him said food?
How often do you bathe him?

 

[vanderbeck29]

when we bought him we also purchased a bearded dragon kit which we are still using includes
10 gallon tank
carpet
light was purchased at petsmart
we have a digital therm. 85-95 degrees on basking and 70s on cool side
we feed him mealworms and fruit and veggies which are allowed in a beardies diet like dark greens carrots apples squash, etc. cut up finely
we feed him at least twice a day( if he will eat) and leave a mixture of veggies and fruit in bowl
also change water at least twice a day and its purified and mist occasionally with purified water (2-3x week)
i bathe him usually once a week

 

[Mediabandit]

Ok, what type of UVB light is it? A reptisun, reptiglo, coil, compact or fluroescent?
He should not be eating mealworms by the way. At his age he should be eating anywhere from 50-100 crickets a day each Beardie is a little different.
Do you dust with calcium and multi vitamin?
Also it will be time to upgrade the tank size pretty soon.

 

[vanderbeck29]

he hasnt grown more than an inch since we bought him which is why we havent increased tank size
we do dust with calcium powder
the light is 50 watt and i think compact its in a dome

 

[Mediabandit]

The first thing you will need to do is change the UVB to a fluorescent Reptisun bulb, the compact and coil bulbs are known to casue issues with your beardie. And start giving him either crickets or dubia roaches instead of the mealworms, make sure they are no bigger then the space between his eyes.

 

[Catalyst]

light was purchased at petsmart
we have a digital therm. 85-95 degrees on basking and 70s on cool side
we feed him mealworms and fruit and veggies which are allowed in a beardies diet like dark greens carrots apples squash, etc. cut up finely
we feed him at least twice a day( if he will eat) and leave a mixture of veggies and fruit in bowl
also change water at least twice a day and its purified and mist occasionally with purified water (2-3x week)
i bathe him usually once a week

Your temperatures should be bumped up a bit - the basking spot for a young dragon should be in the 100-110 range.

Mealworms aren't a good idea for a small dragon - the shell on them can block them up. You're better off going with crickets (no longer than the space between your dragon's eyes), dubias, or something like pheonix worms. Of those, crickets are the most inexpensive option.

Its a good idea to mist a young dragon several times a day and bathe them several times a week to ensure that they stay well hydrated. Does he drink from his water bowl?

What brand is your UBV light? Compacts (the ones that look like energy saver bulbs) in general aren't good for dragons (unless things have changed recently) - the consensus seems to be that it is best to go with the flourescent Reptisun 10.0 tube light or I believe the Mega ray bulbs were also good but tricker to work with since they put out both heat and UVB and can be too strong for smaller tanks.

 

[vanderbeck29]

the bulb may make a difference but he still doesnt want to eat and i think a cock roach would be bigger than him. compared to other users pic of their beardies at 6months to my beardie he looks like a baby still. i think he should be bigger based on how others look

 

[vanderbeck29]

i would just like to know if this is common or if hes sick? this is our first time owning a beardie and im sure our care is not perfect because it takes time and knowledge before you get it right. but i do believe his living and care conditions are well. thank you everyone so far who has responded. im just worried.

 

[twinmommy]

Incorrect husbandry can cause Beardies not to want to eat. Here are the things he needs to grow and thrive.
1-get a 40 gallon tank. This is the minimum size most members will recommend here. You can't get a proper temp gradient in a 10 gallon.
2- UVB : Repti-sun 10.0 flourescent tube. Yes, the wrong UVB will cause problems with babies, including poor appetite.
3- basking temp around 105. Babies like it hotter and they need this to digest their food. Using a digital probe thermometer on the basking spot is good. A cool side of 70s is fine.
4- avoid mealworms due to risk of impaction. Stick with small crickets, dubia, and soft bodied worms. Beautiful dragons has a great website with a list of Beardie approved foods. Nothing bigger than space between eyes. And are you dusting the feeders with calcium /vitamins? I forgot if you said that or not.
5-hydration :bathe 2-3 x per week for 15-20 min. They don't need a water dish in their viv as most won't drink from it. It will only raise the humidity which will cause other health issues. Misting is Ok but unless he is drinking the drops from his nose when you do it, it's pointless. They absorb water thru their vent not thru their skin.
Babies can be very difficult to care for. And if he is sick it will be hard to get him well with improper husbandry.

Anyone is welcome to chime in here! I just tried to hit the most important things!