I'm worried about my beardie!! Please help.

[clynnp]

I'm worried about Charlie, my juvinile Bearded Dragon Lizard. Lately, he's been eating fewer and fewer crickets. He won't touch any of the food I give him. He has been less active. When I go into the terrarium to take things in and out, he seems skittish. He's been shedding and I'm not sure if this is a usual thing during that time. I've been trying to give him more space.
Last night, I put him in a smaller, separate container to see if he would eat but he had no interest and seemed uncomfortable. I gave his terrarium a full cleaning. I then gave him a warm bath and he seemed upset at first but then he started drinking the water and swimming around. I put him back in his terrarium to dry off. He rubbed up against some things and I'm guessing he was trying to help his shedding.
This morning when I woke up and the lights turned on, his body looked really skinny and he looked really uncomfortable. He almost looked unhealthy but I'm not sure exactly what it looks like when a bearded dragon is unhealthy. Maybe I'm just nervous and he just looked skinny because of the way he was laying. His excrement looks really runny which makes me nervous.


what he looked like when I woke up

I decided to try misting him with warm water a little more often to try and make him more comfortable and he seemed to like it. He wiggled up and down his ramp trying to shed more. He seems more comfortable but I'm still worried.


what he looked like after his misting

He still hasn't eaten anything today. My family keeps saying that it looks like he's growing but I don't think he is. I actually don't know if my Charlie is a boy or girl. Does anyone have any advice the can share with me??

Background: I got my Bearded Dragon Lizard the first week in December. He was happy, active, and loved to be held. The first two days he was in his new habitat, he was reluctant to eat. I tried feeding him some baby bananas in his dish but he wasn't interested. Then I put a little on a plastic spoon and held it up to him and he licked it off. After that, he started eating crickets and and just a little bit of greens. I also provide pellet food, fruit, and vegetables daily even though he ignores it. He goes crazy for the crickets. Sometimes he'll eat some mealworms. I dust his live food with calcium dust. He loves to bask. I never see him with his mouth hanging open because it's too hot. I've also never seen him drink from his water dish but I know that isn't unusual. When he gets his baths, he drinks well then. He also licks his nose and around him while I mist him.


when I first got him

Terrarium: 40 gallon ZooMed terrarium with a split screen top. I wouldn't be able to afford to keep upgrading the habitat with his growth.
Heating and Lighting:
Day and Night- I was having trouble keeping temperatures high enough during the day and night so I added a 75w infrared bulb so it could be used for both day and night. It corrected the temperature problem that the cool room was creating.
Day- ReptiSun 10.0 Compact Fluorescent UVA/UVB and Repti Basking Spot Lamp (100w) housed in a dual dome. The basking area measures at 96° F. The cool side of the terrarium measures at 81° F. The lights are on a timer and remains on for 12 hours a day.
Night- 100w infrared spot bulb kept on for 12 hours by timer when the day lights are off. The nighttime temperature measures at about 73° F.
Thermometers: They are thermometer/hygrometer combos. One is on the warm side hung at the height of the basking spot. The other on the cool side. Both have been checked for accuracy.
Humidity: The terrarium usually stays between 30-35%... I try to do my best keeping it humid.
Substrate: Reptile carpet. After cleaning, I put paper towel in so I can let reptile carpet dry fully before putting it back in.
Decor: (going from left to right) Flat stacking stones arranged in the back left corner. A ramp coming down from the back wall to the front. It is made higher by putting a bark arch hide at the bottom. There is a gnarled driftwood climb made of resin next to the ramp. The water dish is in the front right. The food dish is in the back. There is a background cling on the outside of the back terrarium wall.


inside terrarium setup

 

[CooperDragon]

It is common for them to lose their appetites and act strangely during a shed, but I think there may be some other factors at work. I have a few suggestions for you. First, I would get a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a probe. That will allow you to get much more accurate readings of the basking surfaces. You'll want to get the basking spot to 100-110 with some areas around it in the 90s. The cool side should be about 75-85 during the day. This gradient will allow him to self regulate his temperatures. Another thing I would do is get rid of the compact fluorescent bulb. Those don't provide the proper distribution of UVB and can be harmful. I suggest getting a tube style UVB light and mounting it 6-8'' above the basking spot. Everything else looks good so far. I'd try making those changes if you can and see if he starts to improve.

 

[clynnp]

Thank you for the suggestions! I've been looking into the tube style UVB. I don't quite have that much money so I'm trying work with this. I've borrowed my friends gun to check the basking spot. I'm having difficulty getting that temp up.

 

[CooperDragon]

I would consider that a priority upgrade when you have enough spare money. A few things you can do to increase the basking spot temperature - raise/lower the basking spot and the light. If you don't have the light hanging from a stand, then it may be easier to move the basking spot a little higher (not closer than 6'' or so from the light though). I've found that with a tank that size, a basking light of 150w does the job nicely at around 18''. You can also use a 90w PAR38 halogen flood light. They are a bit cheaper and also do a nice job. I just picked up a two pack at Target for just under $20 tonight.

 

[clynnp]

I've been setting aside money weekly. It's tough being a student lol I forgot that I had gotten a bigger hide a little while back. I'm gonna try and use that to get the basking spot higher. The fixture sits on top of the screen. The reason an upgrade is so expensive is that on top of the new setup for the tube UVB, I'd have to get a new dome for my basking light. I'm running out of room on top of my terrarium and I'm not sure how I'd even fit the the tube UVB on.
I'm having trouble getting him to eat any fruits, veggies, or greens. Any suggestions?

 

[Tonja]

I would turn off the UVB for a few days and see if that helps. Those compacts cause all kinds of problems. By turning it off it may help but he will need a new tube style uvb as soon as you can possibly get one. Turning it off for a few days wont hurt him and will give him a rest. If you are in an area where it is warm you can take him outside for 20 to 30 mins for sunshine and uvb.

 

[clynnp]

I would turn off the UVB for a few days and see if that helps. Those compacts cause all kinds of problems. By turning it off it may help but he will need a new tube style uvb as soon as you can possibly get one. Turning it off for a few days wont hurt him and will give him a rest. If you are in an area where it is warm you can take him outside for 20 to 30 mins for sunshine and uvb.

I'll give that a shot. Wish it was warm here! It's currently about 8° and ready to snow

 

[AHBD]

Hi there......a few suggestions to get the heat up. One is to wrap a heavy towel or small blanket around 3 sides of the tank and tape it with duct tape. That will boost your temps. for sure. If you need new domes for lights, get them at Home Depot, Lowe's Agway or Tractor Supply. They carry the aluminum [ make sure it's the one with ceramic socket, not plastic ] The aluminum domes are way better than the black ones for projecting heat. Also, I would leave the UVB for now....it's far away enough that it won't burn his eyes, especially through the screen, and he does need the small amount of UVB that it puts out. And althoughhe's a bit lanky, he looks very healthy and keep offering as many crickets as he'll eat 2-3X a day....it sounds like he has a good appetite. Stay away from mealworms , especially if his temps. are on the low side because mealies are harder to digest.

 

[clynnp]

Hi there......a few suggestions to get the heat up. One is to wrap a heavy towel or small blanket around 3 sides of the tank and tape it with duct tape. That will boost your temps. for sure. If you need new domes for lights, get them at Home Depot, Lowe's Agway or Tractor Supply. They carry the aluminum [ make sure it's the one with ceramic socket, not plastic ] The aluminum domes are way better than the black ones for projecting heat. Also, I would leave the UVB for now....it's far away enough that it won't burn his eyes, especially through the screen, and he does need the small amount of UVB that it puts out. And althoughhe's a bit lanky, he looks very healthy and keep offering as many crickets as he'll eat 2-3X a day....it sounds like he has a good appetite. Stay away from mealworms , especially if his temps. are on the low side because mealies are harder to digest.

I'll look into the fixtures. His appetite is actually very low. I only saw him eat one cricket yesterday. None today. Almost like it wasn't what he wanted or just didn't feel like it. He still moves around. I've seen him look at crickets walk by and ignore them. A few times I've had bigger crickets come with my small and he went crazy for them but they say it isn't safe. I would really like to see if I can get him to eat greens, veggies, and fruit at some point. Do you know of any particular kinds that may have smell or taste that they really seem to like? Are there any other worm or "meat" that is easier on digestion that May interest him?

 

[AHBD]

Try some Phoenix worms....they are nutritios and babies usually love them. If you can only get mealworms, cut them in half for him so there's less chance of impaction. Superworms will be much too large, so don't even try them. As far as veggies. lots of babies turn up their noses at them. I trained my babies to eat them by finely shredding the greens and then dropping small amounts in near the beardie....the movement may attract him to eat some.

 

[clynnp]

Where can I get hornworms?

 

[CooperDragon]

I've gotten them from here http://www.lindasgonebuggie.com

 

[AHBD]

I get mine from Linda as well. Only problem is they are super expensive for the amount and price of shipping. Linda sells Phoenix worms, too but I'm not sure how you can get anything shipped in this freezing weather...there will probably be no guarantee on live arrival. Maybe next week. Just see if any local pet stores carry them [ and check the container to see that they are alive before you buy them ] or just keep trying the crickets.

 

[CooperDragon]

^ yes, that's the rub with trying to ship in such cold temperatures. If you have any reptile specialty stores in the area they may have more selection of feeders than a more general pet store, but it's still worth looking around locally until the weather warms up.

 

[clynnp]

I was able to get the ReptiSun 10.0 and the the ReptiSun Terrarium Hood with a late Christmas present gift card. I'm just trying to figure out how to mount the hood inside... Will I have to get another fixture for the bulb?