Day after shedding, seems very lethargic

[AlexandriaNC]

Hi, I got a baby bearded dragon about 11 days ago. The day after i got him, he went through a full body shed and everything seemed okay. Then about 3 days ago he stopped eating as much, only about 5 crickets in a day. And then yesterday he ate 20 crickets in the morning and none again the rest of the day. Today he ate about 15. Yesterday he started shedding his tail skin and seemed to get it all off. Today he seems very lethargic however. He isn't very active and keeps closing his eyes and they seem heavy. Could this be caused by the shed?

His setup is correct, i believe.
He has a reptisun tube uvb light and a backing lamp.
His basking temp is 100 degrees and his cool temp is 80 degrees.
The humidity is 30%

I just want to make sure everything is okay because I got him from Petco.
I care about him a lot already!

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Hello and welcome to the forums!
Sounds like you have the right idea, but it wouldn't hurt to go over your setup a little more in-depth.
Your temperatures should be 105-110 at the basking spot for a younger beardie.
What version of the Reptisun tube light are you using? 10.0 or 5.0? T5 or T8? How far is it from his basking spot?
How are you taking your temperatures and humidity?
How big is your tank? What kind of substrate are you using? What is his poop schedule so far?
You should also upload a picture of him. To post a picture, upload your picture here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/#new
And then when you go to post, press the XIMG button and select your image.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[AlexandriaNC]

I have the 10.0 UVB light. It is a T8 15 watts. It goes over about 3/4 of his tank.
I have the 100w zoo med basking spot lamp.
I have reptile carpet and a 20 gallon tank.
I am plannning on getting a bigger size soon.

He is still pretty small only about 6 inches.
and he poops everyday at least once sometimes twice.

This is Floki
Thanks for your help!

 

[AlexandriaNC]

Oh and I'm using the dial thermometer and humidity gauges.
one on each side of the tank.
I know they're not the best and I'll get a better one as soon as i can.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

No problem, though I don't feel I have helped too much just yet. :lol:
Yeah, I was just about to say you didn't mention it. I would suggest you get an Infrared thermometer, a gun thermometer, or a probe thermometer. Here is a good couple of thermometers.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CVHIJDK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3M3JJ4NVYW19F&coliid=I19ARAMXQVBOKA&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018CK1IU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Its very likely your temperatures are too hot or too cold in the basking spot. I would suggest getting a dimmer as well so that you can control the temperature better.
It sounds like your temps might actually be too high. With a tank that size, and a bulb with that high of wattage, your beardie might be getting more heat than necessary! Are you in a colder environment?
Good looking guy, isn't he!

 

[AlexandriaNC]

Thanks for the links.
I live in Idaho so it is pretty cold here right now.
A lot of the time the thermometer i have says 90-105ish
and the cool side always says 80-85
And it drops to 65-70 at night.


I was just curious about the shed?
If it can cause him to be so tired today?


I think he is

 

[Rampagingraptor]

The thing is that not only are those dials on the side inaccurate, they also don't portray the temp of the basking spot. It can be off by 20F easily! If it is showing 105, I highly suspect that your temps are too high in the tank. I would try raising it a little higher so that he doesn't get fried. Offer him some places to hide from the heat as well.
How far away is the UVB from his basking spot?
And yeah, it can cause them to be tired and irritated sometimes (imagine if your skin was coming off slowly!), but it can also be a sign of worse things, so I just want to be sure everything is alright.

 

[AlexandriaNC]

His UVB is a couple of inches from his basking spot.

I also have a rock that he can go under and a hide on his cool side.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

I still suggest raising the lamp higher if possible. There is no way that
That UVB is really close! Is it going through anything, like mesh or glass? If not, you should try to increase the distance from the UVB to about 6".

 

[AlexandriaNC]

Haha sorry i was thinking distance as in lengthwise.
It's about 7 or 8 inches from his basking spot.
my bad. haha
Here's his set up.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

You have a nice looking setup!
Be careful he doesn't try to eat any of that fauna if it is plastic. Your beardie probably will try and fail and then avoid it afterwards, but just make sure he can't get any pieces small enough that he can eat an swallow.
Also, I would get a better thermometer asap. Sorry I am hammering this home so much, but I really think this might be an issue right now.
You should also try to get a better humidity gauge, as these have been known to be highly ineffective as well.
How often and how much do you feed him each day? Where do you get your feeders from?
I just realize, I don't think I ever heard the name of your dragon! Have you decided on one yet? How long is he?

 

[AlexandriaNC]

His name if Floki
He's about 6 inches i think.
I will get better thermometers.
He hasn't eaten any of the fauna.
He does like sleeping in it however

I feed him 3 times a day.
He eats small crickets.
anywhere from 20-50 a day.
I got them from reptilefood.com

I also offer acorn squash, collard greens, and prickly pears everyday but besides a few bites the first couple of days, he doesn't touch this.

 

[AlexandriaNC]

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Those pictures are adorable! You should post them in the strange sleeping positions thread. Couldn't tell you where it is off the back of my hand, though. Would have to look for it.
Very intriguing name. Is it based off anything?
sounds like you have your feedings about right. I would also suggest you look into dubia roaches, phoenix worms (BSF larvae), and silk worms as feeders. Dubia roaches are my personal favorite, and they are much better than crickets in that you don't have as much smell, sounds, and they live longer. Some good sites to order from include http://www.dubiaroaches.com, http://www.phoenixworm.com, and http://www.ABDragons.com. I have used all of them, and they are all good sites.
Sounds about right for the veggies. :lol: Obviously, still offer them even if he doesn't eat them yet. It does still encourage them to eat it later on.

 

[AlexandriaNC]

It is off of the tv show Vikings

If I find it, i definitely will.
Okay, ill look into the other feeders.
Especially if they're easier than crickets

I'll keep an eye on him.
Hopefully it is just the shed making him sleepy.

I just want him happy and healthy.
Thanks for all of your help.