Does my 2 month old dragon have a chance?

[jameswgsxr]

I recently homed 2 baby dragons when they were about 3 weeks old. My aunt had a couple dragons that decided to mate and these were the result. I put them both in a 10 gallon tank and they were both thriving, but over the course of last week I noticed one has out grown the other. I've then started noticing Alduin ( my sickly baby ) eating less and less and becoming very dark. He also seemed to have a narcolepsy issue at hand as well. So with all of those issues combined I've been closely monitoring him. He is letting my other baby bask on him so I chalked that up to him just being the submissive one but started looking online for more information about his seemingly sick ways. I've come to the conclusion they needed to be separated immediately, so I went and got alduin his own 10 gallon setup. Its been 4 days with him being isolated and stocked with the opportunity to eat fresh veggies, live pin heads, mealworms, and the juvenile buffet blend pellets. He hasnt touched any of the food, he just sits with shallow breaths and closed eyes, although he has had his color back since i removed him from his dominant brother. I know its not my lights or setup causing his sickness. My question is has anyone experienced this and come out with a victorious outcome? Does alduin stand a chance and with him not growing at all this past 2 weeks will he always be stunted? I'm sorry for the long post but I love this little guy and hope he survives. Only thing I can do that seems to help is lay his tiny body on my bare chest and have contact with him while I'm home, he turns bright yellows and green when I do. Thanks for any advice.

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor little guy. It does sound like he was dominated out of resources in the other tank. I'm glad you separated them. If he doesn't start eating on his own soon, you may want to pick up some carnivore care and try dropping some on his nose to try and get him to eat it a little at a time. That may help get his energy back up a bit.

 

[Brezzy99]

Your setup needs to change. It's impossible to get the gradient temps needed in a 10g tank. As Cooper stated, carnivore care may help. If your temps are off it could cause loss of appetite. What type of lighting are you using?

 

[jameswgsxr]

Yeah that makes sense about the temps in a 10 gallon, I use a reptisun 10.0 and a 100w infared basking bulb. My basking side temp stay at a steady 110 degrees. Cool side is about 85-90. I have the same setup for my other dragon and he is content, eating great, growing and has beautiful colors.

 

[Brezzy99]

Since the dominant dragon is thriving it may take some time for the other to catch up. Making sure he has the right lighting and temps will help him. How are you taking the temps? The cool side is a bit warm.

 

[dolcedragon]

I think it's great that you're doing your research and that you separated them. Does he have a chance? Yes, but when they are so young it's good to remember you can do almost everything right and still lose them.

My Harlee had her growth stunted, but other than being a few inches shorter than your average dragon, she is healthy and happy going strong at nine years old. I hope Alduin makes it. Maybe hand-feeding can help?

 

[jameswgsxr]

Thanks for the good spirits, it helps with my hope issues. I am using two thermometers/hydrometers although they are cheap 12 dollar zoomed brands. One on each side of the tank. I believe I can play with the lights some to adjust the heat just a little which I will do. I have tried, out of desperation, to pry his mouth open and feed him blended veggies with calcium through a 3ml syringe but I reluctantly gave up because I felt it was too aggressive with him being so small and what I think too fragile.

 

[CooperDragon]

I wouldn't try to pry his mouth open as that could cause damage as you said. Just a drop on the nose may be enough to get him to lick some. It will take a long time to feed this way though so patience is key.
You mentioned a basking light that is infrared. Is that the only source of heat? I suggest using a bright white light for a basking heat source as the combination of bright white light and UVB light is closer to natural outdoor lighting. I reserve the infrared bulbs for nighttime heat if needed since they don't give off visible light which can disturb their sleep. A reptile basking bulb or a halogen flood light would work nicely for that. You may need to adjust the height of the bulb to get the correct temperatures. It will take a bit of trial and error.

 

[jameswgsxr]

I will try the bright white basking bulbs, I'm using the infrared bulb and leaving it on 24/7 since my house is kept at 70. Is that necessary?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is he doing this evening?
Try to keep the cooler end around a range of 78-82 with a basking of 95-105 since he is in a smaller tank. Keeping the temperatures on the cooler end too high can cause heat stress.
Do you have any pictures of him & the tank setup?
At night instead of an infrared bulb, try a ceramic heat emitter so it doesn't disturb his sleep. The bright white basking bulb is for daytime use. If your house stays around 70 you don't necessarily need any nighttime heating right now.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie