HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bearded Dragon not eating!

[mazais]

I have 2 juvenile bearded dragons, and one of them is not eating. 4 days ago i upgraded their tank to a 40 gallon, and now one of them is not eating. I have a 150 watt basking bulb, and a repti-glo 10.0 tube bulb. I also have alfalfa meal bedding. I have a basking branch and a hide for them. the temps are about 95-100 f on warm side, and 70-80 f on cool side. HE DOESNT HAVE IMPACTION! he pooped ALOT yesterday. HEs been not eating for 3 days now. But he ate 2 mealworms on the first day, 1 yesterday, and nothing yet today. He acts normally. I feed them mealworms, crickets, and spring greens. Also, i dust insects with calcuim without d3 every other day. PLEASE HELP!!! Oh, and im going to answer any other setup questions later, i have to go to school, so dont expect any answers from me until 3!

 

[drakedragon]

I have 2 juvenile bearded dragons, and one of them is not eating. 4 days ago i upgraded their tank to a 40 gallon, and now one of them is not eating. I have a 150 watt basking bulb, and a repti-glo 10.0 tube bulb. I also have alfalfa meal bedding. I have a basking branch and a hide for them. the temps are about 95-100 f on warm side, and 70-80 f on cool side. HE DOESNT HAVE IMPACTION! he pooped ALOT yesterday. HEs been not eating for 3 days now. But he ate 2 mealworms on the first day, 1 yesterday, and nothing yet today. He acts normally. I feed them mealworms, crickets, and spring greens. Also, i dust insects with calcuim without d3 every other day. PLEASE HELP!!! Oh, and im going to answer any other setup questions later, i have to go to school, so dont expect any answers from me until 3!

ok you really should change the substrate. just because he isnt impacted now doesnt mean he never will be.
change the repti glo for a repti sun uvb light, rept glo lights have been known to cause eye problems in bearded dragons
also separate them. its never a good idea to house multiple dragons together as one will always get more food, heat ect.
you should raise the basking temp to around 105
chances are he is stressed from being moved to another tank. (i mean who doesnt get stressed when they move house)

 

[mazais]

YES! I FOUND SOME TIME!!! oh, and i forgot to say... on the first day i moved him he DID eat, he ate 7 crickets, and 5 mealworms. Thats ALOT for him, since he usually eats about 5, or 6 mealworms a day. (the other one eats the same amount.) Also, bef4 moving he ate 9 mealworms... maybe he just ate too much and isnt hungry? :? P.S. I already ordered repti-sun 10.0 tube, it should come by saturday!

 

[w0554096]

If you could answer these questions, it will help us out.

How old is your dragon?
How long have you had your dragon?
How long is your dragon?
What is the sex of your dragon?
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB, and where is the UVB bulb located?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb?
Di you have any type of night time heat source (ceramic heat emitter, colored bulb, etc)?
How long are lights on each day?
What are the basking temps?
What is the cool side temp?
What is the night time temp?
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
How many live feeders do you offer at time?
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Do you bathe your dragon? How often?
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?

However, as the previous poster said, you really should seperate them, and purchase a new UVB light. Also, mealworms are not a good feeder for beardies. They can easily impact them, and nutritionally they don't offer much. If your dragons are over 16 inches, superworms would be a much better alternative for them, and they don't cost that much more than mealies.
You should also change the substrate out asap. Newspaper, non adhesive shelf liner and slate tile are all cheap easy and safe alternatives.

 

[mazais]

my beardie just ate 2 mealworms, and he'll eat mMYore soon too, because he usaully gets hungry at about 5 pm. I ordered a new uvb light (repti-sun 10.0) already. I cant give any insects but mealworms, super worms, but my beardies are too small for them (8 1/2 inches long) and crickets, which, since im only 14, and the closest petstore is 45 minutes away by car, and is impossible to get to by subway, or public transport, the most convienient insects are mealworms. Ive had them for 7 months, and the substrate and mealworms have never done anything like impaction, and thy are used to them and the substrate. Plus, they have food bowls and a seperate feeding tank for crickets. They can come 7 inches up to the uvb light. The uvb lights are on 11 hours a day, and their red heat basking bulb is on 24/7.

 

[w0554096]

I would reccomend not using a red basking bulb for day time. It does not provide enough light for their pupils to constrict efficiently to protect their eyes from the UVB. At night you shouldn't have any lights on. Beardies are really sensitive to light, and it will disrupt their sleep. If your temperatures stay above 65 degrees, you don't need any night time heat source. If they do drop below 65, you'll need to get a ceramic heat emitter. It produces heat but no light.

As for feeders, have you tried pheonix worms?
You can order them online in bulk cheaper than you could buy them in a pet store, and they're much better for your beardies than mealworms. You could also look into micro supers. They're more nutritious than mealworms, though there is still a bit of an impaction risk at that size. Pheonix worms or silk worms would be your best option.

Are you giving your dragons any salads? If so, what do you give them for salads?
What type of thermometer are you using to measure your temperatures?
Could you please clarify; are your dragons 7 months old or 7 weeks old?

How long is each dragon?
Do you use any calcium supplements and/ vitamen supplements?

As far as the substrate goes, beardies are very heardy animals. Just because nothing has happend yet, doesn't negate the fact that the alfalfa meal poses a risk to their health. It is good that they have a seperate feeding tank, however beardies lick their surroundings constantly, and therefore ingest alot their substrate if it is loose.

 

[mazais]

Ive had them for seven months, and they where probably 1 or 2 months old when i got them. They are about 6,or 7 inches long. They have a well... im not sure how my thermometer is called but its a half humidity gauge and half thermometer. its not a probe therm or a stick on, but i think its pretty acurate I feed them spring greens, sometimes lettuce, and occasionally cucombers. I give them strawberries sometimes too, ill also try giving them blueberries soon.

 

[w0554096]

If your dragons are 8-9 months old and only 7inches or so, they are very undersized. Are you measure them from snout to vent, or snout to tip of the tail?
Is this something like the thermometer you have?
http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=363&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=1&SearchContext=YTo3OntzOjg6IlNlYXJjaElEIjtzOjE6IjEiO3M6MTA6IkRhdGFiYXNlSUQiO3M6MToiMiI7czo3OiJLZXl3b3JkIjtzOjI2OiJIZWF0aW5nL1RoZXJtb3N0YXRzL0dhdWdlcyI7czoxNToiUHJvZHVjdENhdGVnb3J5IjtzOjc6IkhlYXRpbmciO3M6NzoiSGVhZGluZyI7czo5OiJUZXJyYXJpdW0iO3M6ODoiU2VhcmNoX3giO3M6MToiMCI7czo4OiJTZWFyY2hfeSI7czoxOiIwIjt9

If it is, then these are very innacurate.
You need something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-1522-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B001H1LTME/ref=pd_sim_sbs_lg_1

Or this:
http://www.amazon.ca/HDE-Temperature-Infrared-Thermometer-Laser/dp/B002YE3FS4

Obviously those exact models aren't necessary, but either type of thermometer is sufficent.

 

[mazais]

sorry! i was wrong they are 8 1/2 inches long. and do you now, in petstores like petco and petsmart, how old are the beardies usually when they get them/sell them? Because they might of been younger, i just dont really remember how long they where, but they prob grew about 3 inches since i got them.

 

[w0554096]

They are usually 1-2 months old depending on the pet store, and between 4-6 inches. Post petsmart beard are 6-7 inches.
At 8-9 months old, they should be alot bigger.
Can you posts some pictures?

 

[mazais]

ok, i'll post pics later, after school.

 

[mazais]

i actually bought them in the end of september,(September 26) so they are 7-8 months old! sorry. :mrgreen:

 

[w0554096]

Even for 7-8 months old, that is very small. Every beardie grows at different rates, but unless stunted, I've never seen any stay that small. It's possible they could be rankin dragons. Pictures when you get home from school will help.

 

[mazais]

yay! i can take pictures! to see the pics, go to; anitasmazbalts.weebly.com

 

[w0554096]

Rankins look pretty much just like beardies, but they're small. Full grown they generally only get to around 12 inches or so.
As I've said, your dragons could be stunted. This occurs fairly frequently with cohabitation as well as other determining factors, though as I've said I haven't seen beardies quite that stunted before.
Perhaps someone with more experience will chime in.