hand feeding?

[Alix1378]

ive had my little guy for about a week an this morning he wouldnt eat. after about 20 mins i took the crickets out an just held one in front of his to see if he would eat it. he did. an so far thats the only way ive gotten him to eat them.anything wrong with this or is he just being lazy?
basking area is 115 on his perch 108 on ground
cool down area is 83
last bath-last night
last poo-last night
light-75w zoomed

 

[Embee]

Hand feeding is ok, but ideally, he is able to gather food for himself, and should be "inspired" to do so. I would say there is something going on here that needs to be addressed. Enclosure environment can often have something to do with lack of appetite. Most babes happily snap up 30, up to 100 feeders a day.

You mentioned you have a ZooMed 75w basking light, but what is your UVB light source? Type (compact, coil, tube) and brand (ReptiGlo, ReptiSun)? UVB and appetite stimulation (also, calcium processing, growth, and overall health) are closely linked so this is why I ask. Also, when you did hand feed him, how many crickets did he eat?

Also, you may want to get your temps down just a tick. Basking for a babe or juvie should be more like 105-110, and cool side about 78-80 (ambient temps, 85-90). Too high of temps can cause lethargy (which can lead to lack of appetite), and in smaller dragons dehydration.

So, when you get a moment, take some time to answer my questions and we'll see if we can't figure out what is going on with your dragon.

Thanks,
Em