Juvenile Bearded Dragon Won't Eat and Rests Most of the Day

[YoursTruly]

Diamc thank you so much! You guys are the best here, ya know that? I'll check on the bulb and as far as the probe, I leave it in there for a LONG time to get temps at each spot.

The UVB is a bulb but it is A long U shape, not a coil.

Where would I get those probiotics?

 

[Rankins]

Hope they eyes get better, glad you got rid of the black light.

 

[diamc]

Oh, so the UVB isn't a strip fluorescent so it must be a compact bulb. Does it look like this?

If so, those are very hard on the eyes too so that could very well be the problem. We don't recommend using a coil OR compact bulb because they can both cause eyes issues and are too strong in the beginning, decline very rapidly which doesn't prevent metabolic bone disease.

Your local petstore should have the Benebac gel for reptiles & birds. Soy yogurt (non-dairy) should be available at your grocery store or health food store. If you want to read about other probiotics, you can find info here: www.bugdelite.com

Please be sure to keep us updated.

 

[YoursTruly]

Yes that is exactly what bulb we have. So if I could walk into a Petco or Petsmart tomorrow, what bulb setup would you suggest? If I got a UVB tube, how would I do a basking light? And what UVB tube would you suggest? I will post viv pics in the AM as I just got home and he is out cold at the moment!

 

[diamc]

Once I see the pics tomorrow, I will be more than happy to offer suggestions for you.

 

[JessPets]

Yes that is exactly what bulb we have. So if I could walk into a Petco or Petsmart tomorrow, what bulb setup would you suggest? If I got a UVB tube, how would I do a basking light? And what UVB tube would you suggest? I will post viv pics in the AM as I just got home and he is out cold at the moment!

So, I honestly wouldn't buy from a pet store, because they will probably be wayyyyyy more expensive than buying online. Try lightyourreptiles or even Amazon

 

[YoursTruly]

Good morning! I'm pleased to report that Thane ate 4 small crickets and a couple greens this morning. He also ate most of his medicine. His eyes are open more and he seems to be more active. We watched him actually chase down the crickets! Yay!

I ordered samples of dubias last night as well as a viv background. The light pink towel is the closest thing to sand color that we have that will cut down on the reflections in the glass. It also helps insulate a bit because his tank is up against an outer wall. But here's his current setup. The bulbs from L to R are basking (the day blue one I changed it back to yesterday), UVB, and night black.

 

[YoursTruly]

So, I honestly wouldn't buy from a pet store, because they will probably be wayyyyyy more expensive than buying online. Try lightyourreptiles or even Amazon

I appreciate it but I'm willing to forego the extra cost to get a better bulb sooner.

 

[YoursTruly]

Any thoughts, diamc?

 

[diamc]

Sorry for the delay, I only just signed in here.

So happy to hear that he ate & chased down crickets today as well as his eyes being open more. Were you able to dust the crickets with calcium too?

Since you're using a 20 gallon tank, a High Output T5 bulb would be too close to him on top of the tank. Hopefully you would be able to find the Repti-SUN 10.8 T8 at a petstore. Unfortunately, some don't carry them. A T8 is a bigger diameter bulb than the T5, thought I would mention that. Here's a picture of what you want to look for:

For the hood, I would recommend using a strip light type like this as it will help disperse more UVB rays versus getting the type Walmart would sell but they're not gonna be cheap at a petstore although it will help your beardie out more:

This T8 hood should be placed inside of the tank right alongside along the back wall and pointing down. The placement should allow your beardie to be able to sit on his basking log & get the rays of the UVB as well as the heat of the basking bulb at the same time. The UVB should be within 6 to 8" of your beardie while on his basking log. Hope I explained that clearly enough.

Your little guy in the picture is very far way from the compact UVB so not really getting any rays from it, that would affect his total growth and wouldn't allow for proper absorption of the calcium. I would get a longer branch that he can climb up on, they love to climb.

If you have any other questions, let us know.

 

[YoursTruly]

Thanks for the response! I will be at the store tomorrow picking up a Reptisun UVB tube. If he isn't high up then wouldn't the T5 bulb be okay? I will however, be getting a hammock for him very soon. I plan on putting it in the corner near the half log so he can use that to climb up to it. Yes I dusted the crickets with calcium and he gobbled them right up! He didn't eat any more of them this evening, but we did get him to eat some formula. What do you think about the hammock placement?

 

[diamc]

The reason you need to use so much heat is because he is so far away from the heat bulbs so if you decide to get a hammock, that would raise him higher to the heat bulbs & UVB so you should even be able to use less wattage.

The T5's have a minimum distance of 12" to your beardie while in the basking spot so a good thing to keep in mind when going UVB shopping. The hammocks aren't a good conductor of heat but having them completely adjustable is a great option and the little beardies love them. The placement in the corner near the half log would be fine. Since you plan on placing it like that, you would want the hood holding the UVB along the back & the heat bulb in the front so he can get the benefit of both bulbs at the same time. Hopefully the petstore would carry the T5's as well as the special hoods they need. Hope you can find all you need.

Great that he got calcium dusted crickets AND some formula too. Does he willingly lick the formula off his nose? If not, you could try adding a little squash or green bean babyfood to it to make it more tasty. Oh, would be a good idea to look for the Benebac gel for reptiles & birds while you're at the petstore too.

 

[YoursTruly]

What's Benebac?

Another thing I should mention is that he seems to have a few eye crusties. I know this is probably because of the UVB issues.

Just to clarify, I want the T5 or T8 bulb?

 

[diamc]

Benebac is the probiotic we mentioned he should be on because of the antibiotics.

If he has a crusty eye discharge, it would be a good idea to turn the compact UVB off for a few days to give his eyes a chance to heal. If they're not any better by tomorrow night, let me know & I can make some suggestions for rinsing his eyes.

If you want the high output bulb, have at least 12" distance to him from the top, then you could get the T5 and hood for that particular bulb. If you don't, you would need the T8 and can mount it inside of his tank within 6 to 8" of him when he's basking for the best exposure. You will need a different hood for this slightly larger tube than the T5.

 

[YoursTruly]

Okay so T5 goes outside the tank and T8 goes inside it as far as distances. Got it! Thank you! I just want to get it right as these bulbs and hoods are pretty pricey. I will stop by the store tomorrow to see what I can find, then update you!