HELP - Inexperience Beardie owner WORRIED --- UPDATED W/PICT

[zach2mama]

Hi, I am new to this forum as well as new to the world of reptiles. We purchased Zach 2 1/2 weeks ago from PetsMart for my son however, I fell in love with him and find him to be the most fascinating animal I have ever had the pleasure of owning. Therefore, by default he is my pet. The problem is that I am very concerned about him lately. He does not seem to want to eat, he has not eliminated in 3 days, and he sleeps all of the time.

I have had a problem with feeding since the day he came to live with us. He did eat greens and some apples the first couple of days but he would not touch the Crickets in a Can that we purchased for him. Finally one day I was able to hand feed him 5 crickets but after that he refused to eat veggies and would only rarely eat a cricket. Out of desperation I bought him some live mini crickets and when I introduced them to him, he promptly ate 24 of them. It was very exciting to watch him hunt them and see him so lively. But since that day (3 days ago) he avoids the crickets even when they are crawling all over him and does not touch his greens. He has not eliminated in 2 days and he was very regular (every morning at 7:30am ) before that.

He also seems to only want to sleep lately. I figured that daylight savings time screwed up his internal clock but it seems to be getting worse instead of better.

I give him baths every Sunday, replace his water every day, mist his living space 1 time a day (aiming at the plants and his logs), drop water on his nose everyday (he used to love this), add fresh greens every morning (and add the calcium powder once or twice a week) and lately have been putting only 2-3 live baby crickets in his living space once in the morning and once in the evening. He has no interest in the crickets and actually they run all over him and bite him but he is not even bothered by it. I attempt to take the crickets out after 15 minutes but usually have to smash them (kill them) because I can't catch these suckers.

His lights are fine and temperatures in his basking and other spots are normal and have stayed that way since the time we set up his aquarium, he has plenty of hiding areas, humidity is where it is supposed to be and I am resisting the urge to hold him. What am I doing wrong!!! I love this little guy and I want him to thrive but afraid I may be smothering him with love instead of doing what is best for him.

Please let me know how to be a better mama!!!!

 

[Rocco]

First question:

What substrate do you have him on?

If you just bought him I'm going to assume he is a small guy still, and that being said it is VERY easy for smaller Beardies to get impacted if they have ANY kind of small, loose sand as the substrate. Sand, Crshed walnut shells, anything like that is potentially very bad for small beardies. Paper towels are the way to go until you tile the floor of the viv.

So... what substrate do you have for him?

 

[zach2mama]

We have him in sand that was recommended by the pet store. He does dig a lot so I was hesitant to change him to a reptile carpet. He digs a burrow (depression) every night that he sleeps in so was worried that he would be too traumatized by a change.

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
First of all dont panic, beardies do take a little while to adjust, this could just be it.

Canned crix arent the best idea. Anything canned or frozen means it loses alot of its natural goodness. They might be more convenient, but you really need to give them good fresh food when they are growing. On top of that most beardies wont eat live feeders... unless they are live!

About the actual feeding. Its best when offering crix to feed your dragon outside the viv. With babys this is simple enough, just find a large tub/casserole dish/sink to feed him in.
This is so that you set up a routine so your baby knows its time to eat, and also it means your not going to have crickets hiding in the viv or crawling onto him and upsetting him.
Pop him in the tub in the morning and offer him his crix. Let him chase and eat until he's had his fill then put him back in his tank or give him a cuddle. Do this again in the late afternoon/early evening. He might not start eating straight away as it may take him a couple of days to get used to the idea that when you go into the box its time for crix. You can offer your greens to him first thing and leave them in the tank if you prefere.

Greens wise can I ask what you are offering him? Beardies can be very fussy and do often wage war against veggies.


PS. about the digging: Beardies often dig because theyre seeking security to sleep in. if you offer him a hide this would probably stop the digging and make him a little happier. a hide is just an enclosed space. ie. under a log or platform. you can also make him one yourself out of a shoebox. if your interested let me know and i'll post a pic.

 

[LJean]

My young dragon poos 2-3 times a day, depending on how many times I feed him.
Have you tried giving him a bath a few times a day? This will help keep him hydrated and may help him poo.
What are the temps on the basking spot?
Do you keep the crickets in the tank with him when he is not eating?

 

[zach2mama]

As far as greens, I have been feeding him mustard, collards, and kale over the last two weeks as well as some red pepper (small pieces) carrot shavings and some minced apples, which he seems to like.

I am not leaving crickets in over night -- its hard to get them out but if I can't catch them live I do kill them so they do not hurt my baby Zach. I agree on the canned crickets and will only buy him live crickets now (that was my husband's idea but as you guessed he is not as love as I am).

I have provided him with rocks, logs, plant attached to a log and a hollowed out log for his hides. He usually sleeps under one of those once he moves the sand. I heard that I can make him a hide out of a toilet/paper towel roll. Is this correct/

I will give him a bath tonight since he seems to enjoy them and will also take your suggestion and feed him the crickets in another environment. Stupid question - can't the crickets jump out of the bathtub?

Thanks for all your help. My family thinks I am nuts for being so concerned about Zach!! Glad I now have people who understand this love.

 

[LJean]

I wish my dragons would eat their greens!

Bathing more often may help if it is impaction. You definately want to get him to poo. You can also try some unsweetened applesauce dripped on his nose, or some canned pumpkin (not the pie filling). He may start eating again once he has a good bowel movement.

All the attention can stress them a bit when they are babies. But I am sure he will get used to it.

 

[LJean]

Oh, crickets have trouble will slippery sides. I fed Calypso in a ten gallon tank and the crickets couldn't get out. It's easier than trying to catch any leftovers, LOL

 

[beardie parents]

My smallest girl didn't poop or eat much for at least 3 days. I would soak him every day for close to 30 minutes. He could be going through a little bit of relocation stress. I've been told that only lasts for 2 weeks. My beardies didn't have much relocation stress. I have read that some beardies stress for weeks when you change the location of their water dish (for instance) but mine don't seem to mind that much.

 

[zach2mama]

Thank you all for your suggestions, I will try to give him a bath tomorrow. Still no poo but he/she did eat a little bit of greens today and was OK with me picking him up. I tried the suggestion of putting him in a separate enclosure with the crickets and he panicked and was not at all comfortable so I removed him from the enclosure. I had to crush another cricket since Zach freaks out if they are around him. My husband thinks I am neurotic but I really do not want anything to happen to him/her. Thanks again and so glad I joined.

 

[Ethelia]

I have provided him with rocks, logs, plant attached to a log and a hollowed out log for his hides. He usually sleeps under one of those once he moves the sand. I heard that I can make him a hide out of a toilet/paper towel roll. Is this correct/

Hi there,
I made Dexter a 'makeshift' hide whilst I try (and fail a few times) to build her one from wood. All you need to do is get a shoebox and cut a small door into it. Inside you can add a section of towel/flannel if you like. I did because my dragon loves soft surfaces and dragons do like to feel surrounded and safe whislt they sleep.

As you can see it takes 5 minutes to make!
Build her one and pop her inside/half inside on the first night as she might be too much of a fraidy cat to explore it herself.
Dex took to hers like an alcoholic to a good scotch. She also stopped digging and seems happier.

 

[zach2mama]

I like the idea of this hide and will try to make Zach one as soon as I get home. I will just have to remove some of his other toys so it will fit I noticed this morning when I gave him his bath, that he really enjoyed me wrapping him in a soft towel to dry off. Unfortunately, the bath did not stimulate him to poo. I found what looked like a very small poo, but could not be sure since it was some what buried.

I did change around his enclosure the other day after his bath. Do you think this might have freaked him out? I was planning to clean his enclosure this weekend and put in some new substrate but afraid this might do more damage than good.

Thank you to everyone for your advice and comments. Think I am going to enjoy this site a lot over (hopefully) the next 5-6 years.

 

[Ethelia]

No problem.
Beardies can be grumpy if we mess with their vivs, but the grump usually subsides after a day or too.
Sounds like your beardie might like a snuggle box then.
Let us know how the hide goes.

 

[zach2mama]

I made Zach a hide today - you were right it took 5 minutes. Zach has not attempted to get acquainted with his "Zach Shack" yet although he did fall asleep right next to it. Thanks for the advice.

I am also going to replace the sand with tile and reptile carpet this weekend to see if that helps him some. Still no bowel movements after two warm baths and a belly massage. I tried a little bit of applesauce (really just the juice) and he seemed to enjoy it; however, he still did not touch a cricket. I did attempt to feed him one that I had subdued and he acted like he wanted to eat it but then got really spooked and ran from it. Is there another type of food/insect I can try? Is it possible that he just doesn't like crickets or could the crickets be too agressive for him?

I think I am becoming neurotic about his health and my family thinks I am nuts. However, I was rewarded tonight with a snuggle after his bath and he did not want to leave my hand when I was putting him back in his enclosure, so at least we are in the trust mode.

I am sure I will post many more times because all the information I have received is overwhelming. I don't even know when he is supposed to shed and/or how long it takes. What is age are they when they start to shed. One day I came home and he had a grayish color to him and i worried about that; however, maybe it was just a precursor to shedding.

As you can tell I need a lot of help . . . . . . :study:

 

[diamc]

I can tell that this beardie is loved lots already. :love5:

To help slow the crickets down, you can place a couple in a ziploc bag, place in the frig for a few minutes to slow them down, then try feeding them. Another thing that helps is removing the back legs, that way they don't jump. Have you tried handfeeding the crickets, if not, that may also help. good luck.