Juvenile not eating

[ZeroAnkoku]

Hey guys so as stated in my introduction post I recently bought a bearded dragon juvenile from my local pet shop. He's been with me for roughly 3 weeks. At first he was eating crickets and super worms fairly well, but recently he's not been eating as much. He ended up only eating about.4 wax worms yesterday. I've tried greens, fruit and wax worms. I do have smaller Dubia roaches arriving along with some BSLF as well. He is currently shedding and most of it seems to have fallen off, except on his head and tail. I've been giving him warm baths daily to aid in the process. He may also be a bit stressed due to me changing his enclosure a bit. It was very barren so j ended up purchasing a piece of dry wood, some smooth rocks and fake plant decor to aid with a more natural environment. I also found a small fountain for water that runs on batteries so it does not have a loud motor and was hoping it would stimulate his thirst for drinking. I will post picture of what his enclosure was like before and now. I guess I'm just worried he's not eating as much as before. Is this normal with maybe the new enclosure add-ons and shedding? Any help is greatly appreciated. One more thing to note is I did end up mounting the T5 inside the tank above the enclosure. I have it strapped to the top of the lid.

 

[MrSpectrum]

Is this normal with maybe the new enclosure add-ons and shedding?

Yup and yup. Shedding can make them... cranky & uncomfortable.

BDs really don't need to drink much if at all; they get all they need from their feeder insects and greens/vegetables. Mine has never taken a drink in the 5 months I've has him, and he's fine. He excretes substantial amounts of excess water every time he drops a stinky.

Watch your humidity with the fountain; they can raise it a lot. If it goes/stays over 60%, I'd take the fountain out. I'd be surprised if he drinks from it anyway, and he may use it for a toilet. :roll:

 

[ZeroAnkoku]

Is this normal with maybe the new enclosure add-ons and shedding?

Yup and yup. Shedding can make them... cranky & uncomfortable.

BDs really don't need to drink much if at all; they get all they need from their feeder insects and greens/vegetables. Mine has never taken a drink in the 5 months I've has him, and he's fine. He excretes substantial amounts of excess water every time he drops a stinky.

Watch your humidity with the fountain; they can raise it a lot. If it goes/stays over 60%, I'd take the fountain out. I'd be surprised if he drinks from it anyway, and he may use it for a toilet. :roll:

Sounds good! I'll go ahead and remove it if the humidity gets too high. I guess I'm just concerned given how much I know juveniles are supposed to eat. I have been cleaning his stool and it looks normal alongside with the urate. I've also attached pictures of his enclosure let me know if there are any changes I may need to potentially make.

 

[MrSpectrum]

I've also attached pictures of his enclosure let me know if there are any changes I may need to potentially make.

I think those URLs were too long for the editor.
Try the User Image Uploader on the horizontal tool bar above. Should be self-explanatory. :wink:

 

[ZeroAnkoku]

I've also attached pictures of his enclosure let me know if there are any changes I may need to potentially make.

I think those URLs were too long for the editor.
Try the User Image Uploader on the horizontal tool bar above. Should be self-explanatory. :wink:

Oops sorry! I was going to do it through imgur but did not have the chance hopefully this is better!

 

[MrSpectrum]

It looks pretty darn good to me. Large tile floor, digital probes, insulation, basking & UVB placed right (can't tell the strength of the UVB. Is that a T5 10.0?) Looks like you've done your homework--should have a happy lizard.

 

[ZeroAnkoku]

It looks pretty darn good to me. Large tile floor, digital probes, insulation, basking & UVB placed right (can't tell the strength of the UVB. Is that a T5 10.0?) Looks like you've done your homework--should have a happy lizard.

Awesome thanks a lot for that! Yes it is a 10.0 T5 tube. I'm hoping that I have everything set up correctly in that way I can make Bruni happier. How long do the stress/relocation hunger strikes typically last? He did eat a little today, but not on par with the amount a juvenile should be eating..

 

[DragonPete]

It looks pretty darn good to me. Large tile floor, digital probes, insulation, basking & UVB placed right (can't tell the strength of the UVB. Is that a T5 10.0?) Looks like you've done your homework--should have a happy lizard.

Awesome thanks a lot for that! Yes it is a 10.0 T5 tube. I'm hoping that I have everything set up correctly in that way I can make Bruni happier. How long do the stress/relocation hunger strikes typically last? He did eat a little today, but not on par with the amount a juvenile should be eating..

Hi hon! You said he's doing some shedding, that makes them grumpy and off their food. You seem to have everything looking good, lights and temps right and feeding proper diet. ?
I've heard relocation stress can go from several days to several weeks, add that to shed, may be a while till he gets to normal. ? I wouldn't worry much, looks like you have a good handle on everything. ? Lucky Dragon!! ?
-Dee

 

[MrSpectrum]

I'm hoping that I have everything set up correctly in that way I can make Bruni happier.

I don't know that reptiles are capable of complex emotions like "happy". Lack of stress symptoms, docile temperament, and healthy habits (eating, basking, exploring, & pooping, etc.) are good indications of good husbandry. I think your setup is fine--better than many/most at this point.

How long do the stress/relocation hunger strikes typically last? He did eat a little today, but not on par with the amount a juvenile should be eating..

Mine (when he gets stress marks) typically last an hour to a day. Relocation stress lasted 2 days, IIRC. Shedding stress lasts as long as the shed is bothering him (several days).

These guys are individuals, so it depends on the dragon. Some shorter--some longer. Likewise some take longer to dissipate their stress marks, and some remain permanent (albeit usually lighter) even after stress is gone, but those are not typical.

I don't think you need worry at this point. Give him a little time, and don't telegraph your stress to him.