HI
well, i always wondered when my beardie Blue was little, well, she seemed a little freaked out by crix .... have you thought about trying Pheonix Worms or Repti Worms? The come in small sizes, and they are not threatening at all lol, you can put them in a ceramic shallow dish and they wont get out ... the wiggle, but there is no real "chase" and no jumping, none of that. Plus they are REALLY REALLY nutritious for your beardie. I know you have an older beardie too, so i was wondering if you had ever tried them out? I did with Blue, and she ate SO MUCH better, i think she really had some sort of cricket phobia (i would too! lol) .... you can even order micro supers online from GreatLakes, the website will show you the sizes, the micros are very small and again, if they are in a smooth ceramic dish, they wont be able to get out.
I dont think your are over-reacting at ALL!! Eating is so important, especially for the babies and juvies that need that protein to grow
you are totally worrying for the right reasons. Your little one needs to eat and you love him. I bought Blue when she was under a month old, so i can totally understand what you are going through ... when i would put her in a container to feed her and add some crickets, she would literally freeze up, and sometimes start to back away OR struggle to get out. So then i tried using crix IN the tank, but that wasnt so succesfull either. I kinda quickly explored other feeder options that weren't so "intimidating" to her. And i think it all depends on the beardies personality you know? Some are totally fearless and DEVOUR the crickets even when they are super young and little. Some are overwhelmed. Its just a thought, because your set-up and temps are great for his size, thouht i guess it will time to upgrade soon! (i just updraded from an old 30 gallon to a 4x20x18 and man, she needed it!!!)
since you have expierence, you obviously know what you are doing!
So i dont think the problem lies within the set-up and temps at all, which one thing you can rule out. which is always good.
are you using loose substrate? impaction would be one mroe thought that may come to mind.
There is always the option of using baby food right now, since he is basically not eating at all. And if it doesnt entice him to eat, then you can syringe feed it orally just to get some nutrition, fat, and protein in him that he needs right now. HOPEFULLY with a little more time, continue the warm water soaks, keeping those temps just like have them, and trying some Pheonix, Reptis, MicroSupers, or even the small Butterworms or baby Silkworms (all online) might really work!!!! That is the situation is was in, and all of those feeders quickly became her staples and still are.
Mullberry Farms
Pheonix Worms
Repti Worms
Great Lakes Hornworms (they have much more than hornworms lol ... that is were i get Blue's small supers from)
just google any of those and browse around, check them out.
You could even pick up some small wax worms at hte pet shop to get some "jelly in his belly" for now unitl you can get him one of the feeders mentioned above.
Sounds like a bit more than relocation stress, then again, its not unheard of for them to not eat for the first week .... but you will know in your gut if its something more, and the lethargy is what is concerning. It IS VERY good that he drank out of his
bath, good sign there at least!
Have you had a fecal test done on him? another thought would be that he could have parasites or worms, how is his poop looking?
~Emily
