ok so i have had my beardie for about a month now. Ive been feeding him mealworms because thats what petco told me to do. i recently read online that mealworms are horrible for him so i switched over to crickets. He has eaten one maybe two this entire week and whenever i try and feed him more he just closes his eyes. He has turned from his regular baige to 100 percent black except for his stripes. im giving him a bath right now because i read that that helps if hes impacted but still hes eaten barley anything this week. my temps have been 80 degrees. if anyone can also list exactly what bulbs i need so i dont have to trust petco anymore that would be helpful. he seems really sick and im not sure if hes gonna die or not but i could use urgant help. thank you
Need urgant help fast
- Thread starter MAX4286
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Im sorry for Beardie isnt doing well :/
Try to give him some canned unspiced pumpkin,vegetable oil or baby food prunes. That should help with his impaction.And keep bathing him in warm water.
You need to raise the basking temperature to about 105-111 fahrenheit,as beardies need the high temp to digest their food properly. The "cool site" of the tank should be around 80.
You need to get a digital thermometer with probe. You can get those at walmart or home depot for like 10 dollars. This is important as you absolutely need to know the temps.
You also need a uvb light mounted inside te cage. It has to be either a repti sun 10 tube or Arcadia 12% . No compact/coil or repti glos etc.
Also what substrate is your beardie on?
Try to give him some canned unspiced pumpkin,vegetable oil or baby food prunes. That should help with his impaction.And keep bathing him in warm water.
You need to raise the basking temperature to about 105-111 fahrenheit,as beardies need the high temp to digest their food properly. The "cool site" of the tank should be around 80.
You need to get a digital thermometer with probe. You can get those at walmart or home depot for like 10 dollars. This is important as you absolutely need to know the temps.
You also need a uvb light mounted inside te cage. It has to be either a repti sun 10 tube or Arcadia 12% . No compact/coil or repti glos etc.
Also what substrate is your beardie on?
Offer him some baby food. When exactly was the last time he ate something? Drop some vegetable oil on his snout and see if he licks it or if he wants some canned unspiced pumpkin. The baby food prunes always work for Spikey. She actually licks it of my finger like nom nomnom. You need to make him poop. Once everything is out of his system hell start eating again.
But please get a digital thermometer with probe,meassure the basking spot and if its not at least 102 you gotta raise the temp as thats important for the proper digestion
But please get a digital thermometer with probe,meassure the basking spot and if its not at least 102 you gotta raise the temp as thats important for the proper digestion
daner923
Gray-bearded Member
I am a bit busy atm to type out a detailed list of questions and answers, so some of this may be redundant, but this is a list of things I put together that you need for a new set up. Given that you care for your guy as Petco told you, you might as well review it and fix things as necessary.
a) tank - you could start with a 20 gallon long, but your baby will need a 40 gallon breeder quickly, so might as well just start with that. If he is intimidated by that, you can partition it with some cardboard or something temporarily.
b) substrate of your choice (but nothing loose) - I would highly suggest slate tile. It is very similar to their natural habitat, is cheap, easy to clean, keeps muscles toned and nails trim. Other options are reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, and paper towel/newspaper. Your call really.
c) basking spot (rock or log, either from outside and sanitized, or bought)
d) hide (don't use this for the first couple weeks so your baby doesn't hide instead of bask and acclimate)
e) other tank furniture (a log, a fake tree, vines, fake plant... whatever you want. Just browse the pet store)
f) basking light (whatever wattage gets you to the right temps (105-115F basking spot, aiming for 110F). You can use either a clear household bulb or a basking light from a pet store. Just make sure the bulb is not colored or coated.)
g) basking light clamp lamp fixture
h) 3M command hooks
i) under cabinet fluorescent fixture (I got mine at Walmart - I had a heavier one from Lowes, but it kept falling)
j) ReptiSun 10.0 tube
k) Digital thermometer with probe (at least 1, and they should have a hygrometer built in to measure humidity) and/or temp gun
l) a food bowl for salad, and another for worms/roaches (no water bowl - they don't need a water bowl, and it will just raise the humidity. Just be sure to give baths. Do not feed mealworms a bearded dragon, but you can put phoenix worms, silkworms, dubia roaches, waxworms [treat], butterworms [treat], or hornworms [treat] in a bowl. Crickets will not stay in a bowl)
m) If the tank gets below 65F, another dome fixture and a ceramic heat emitter (do not use a red light)
n) (Optional, but really really useful) a power strip with built in timers for lights.
o) supplements - you will need a calcium with D3 powder to be used 5 days a week, one feeding each day for a baby. As an adult, this goes down to 3 feedings a week. You will also need a multivitamin powder. Use this two days a week, one feeding each day for a baby. As an adult, this will drop to 1 feeding a week. I use Rep-Cal and HerptiVite, but other options work as well.
p) If your ambient temperatures are not high enough, you may need an additional light fixture and a lower wattage household bulb to bring up the coolside temp and add extra light.
My other suggestions would be to look into starting a dubia roach colony. If not, find good, reliable sources either at stores or online for crickets and other feeders. Also, spend some time to locate a good herp vet in case of emergencies. Also, be ready to buy a LOT of bugs. Most babies eat upwards of 50 crickets or other feeders a day.
a) tank - you could start with a 20 gallon long, but your baby will need a 40 gallon breeder quickly, so might as well just start with that. If he is intimidated by that, you can partition it with some cardboard or something temporarily.
b) substrate of your choice (but nothing loose) - I would highly suggest slate tile. It is very similar to their natural habitat, is cheap, easy to clean, keeps muscles toned and nails trim. Other options are reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, and paper towel/newspaper. Your call really.
c) basking spot (rock or log, either from outside and sanitized, or bought)
d) hide (don't use this for the first couple weeks so your baby doesn't hide instead of bask and acclimate)
e) other tank furniture (a log, a fake tree, vines, fake plant... whatever you want. Just browse the pet store)
f) basking light (whatever wattage gets you to the right temps (105-115F basking spot, aiming for 110F). You can use either a clear household bulb or a basking light from a pet store. Just make sure the bulb is not colored or coated.)
g) basking light clamp lamp fixture
h) 3M command hooks
i) under cabinet fluorescent fixture (I got mine at Walmart - I had a heavier one from Lowes, but it kept falling)
j) ReptiSun 10.0 tube
k) Digital thermometer with probe (at least 1, and they should have a hygrometer built in to measure humidity) and/or temp gun
l) a food bowl for salad, and another for worms/roaches (no water bowl - they don't need a water bowl, and it will just raise the humidity. Just be sure to give baths. Do not feed mealworms a bearded dragon, but you can put phoenix worms, silkworms, dubia roaches, waxworms [treat], butterworms [treat], or hornworms [treat] in a bowl. Crickets will not stay in a bowl)
m) If the tank gets below 65F, another dome fixture and a ceramic heat emitter (do not use a red light)
n) (Optional, but really really useful) a power strip with built in timers for lights.
o) supplements - you will need a calcium with D3 powder to be used 5 days a week, one feeding each day for a baby. As an adult, this goes down to 3 feedings a week. You will also need a multivitamin powder. Use this two days a week, one feeding each day for a baby. As an adult, this will drop to 1 feeding a week. I use Rep-Cal and HerptiVite, but other options work as well.
p) If your ambient temperatures are not high enough, you may need an additional light fixture and a lower wattage household bulb to bring up the coolside temp and add extra light.
My other suggestions would be to look into starting a dubia roach colony. If not, find good, reliable sources either at stores or online for crickets and other feeders. Also, spend some time to locate a good herp vet in case of emergencies. Also, be ready to buy a LOT of bugs. Most babies eat upwards of 50 crickets or other feeders a day.
Youre very welcome. Ill keep my fingers crossed that hell be better soon.
Depends on the dragon. But if he doesnt lick if of you can get a small syringe and kinda force feed him :/ i dont like that so try to get some in him without a syringe. You can also try to put some around his snout and see if he will eventually lick it of.
Depends on the dragon. But if he doesnt lick if of you can get a small syringe and kinda force feed him :/ i dont like that so try to get some in him without a syringe. You can also try to put some around his snout and see if he will eventually lick it of.
You could try some baby food. A favorite of my beardies is a mixture of turkey and squash. They also really liked squash by itself. You can add a little water to thin it if needed. Then use a syringe (the one's without a needle) and dab a little on his snout. They usually lick it off, but if not, I lick my top lip a few times to show them what to do. 
You can also add a pinch of calcium or vitamin powder to the baby food as well.
Is it warm enough outside to take your beardie outside for a little bit of basking in the sun? You definitely need to get that Reptisun tube for his UVB bulb right away , and any bright white bulb including a household bulb will do for basking and heat, but you will need to measure the temp at the basking site. Personally I like to just
get the Zoomed basking bulbs in 75 and 100 watts. I use the 100 when it's cooler and the 75 when it is warmer. I have a 40 gal enclosure. If yours is smaller or larger you might have to choose a different watt bulb to get the basking temperature into the correct range.
My beardies never liked crickets much, so I used alternatives such as dubias, Phoenix worms, butter worms, small superworms, horn worms etc. I have even gone so far as to clip the head off a superworm and squeeze a little on to my beardies snout. You could try squashing a cricket and smearing a little on his snout.
Your little guy really needs to be warm enough and have a UVB/UVA source in order to properly digest his food, so please get those issues corrected right away. I am really glad that you stopped feeding the mealworms as they provide very little nutrition and can cause impaction.
Wendy
You can also add a pinch of calcium or vitamin powder to the baby food as well.Is it warm enough outside to take your beardie outside for a little bit of basking in the sun? You definitely need to get that Reptisun tube for his UVB bulb right away , and any bright white bulb including a household bulb will do for basking and heat, but you will need to measure the temp at the basking site. Personally I like to just
get the Zoomed basking bulbs in 75 and 100 watts. I use the 100 when it's cooler and the 75 when it is warmer. I have a 40 gal enclosure. If yours is smaller or larger you might have to choose a different watt bulb to get the basking temperature into the correct range.
My beardies never liked crickets much, so I used alternatives such as dubias, Phoenix worms, butter worms, small superworms, horn worms etc. I have even gone so far as to clip the head off a superworm and squeeze a little on to my beardies snout. You could try squashing a cricket and smearing a little on his snout.
Your little guy really needs to be warm enough and have a UVB/UVA source in order to properly digest his food, so please get those issues corrected right away. I am really glad that you stopped feeding the mealworms as they provide very little nutrition and can cause impaction.
Wendy
The Zoo Med basking bulbs are sold at Petco as Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamps. Those are what I use.
http://www.petco.com/product/4969/Zoo-Med-Repti-Basking-Spot-Lamps.aspx
Wendy
Whoops you said UVB, and I was thinking heat. Zoo Med makes the Reptisun tubes, but I have found them more at Petsmart rather then Petco, but you could order them online and get better prices. Petco typically carries Zilla bulbs, but don't get those.
The only thing I could find on the Petco site is a Powersun which is a mvb which provides heat and light and uvb in one. They usually come in 100 watt and 160 watt sizes, but the mvb seems to put out a little less heat than a comparable basking bulb ie the 100 watt puts off heat closer to a 75 watt basking bulb. A 160 would be too hot as it is meant for larger cages.
http://www.petco.com/product/4969/Zoo-Med-Repti-Basking-Spot-Lamps.aspx
Wendy
Whoops you said UVB, and I was thinking heat. Zoo Med makes the Reptisun tubes, but I have found them more at Petsmart rather then Petco, but you could order them online and get better prices. Petco typically carries Zilla bulbs, but don't get those.
The only thing I could find on the Petco site is a Powersun which is a mvb which provides heat and light and uvb in one. They usually come in 100 watt and 160 watt sizes, but the mvb seems to put out a little less heat than a comparable basking bulb ie the 100 watt puts off heat closer to a 75 watt basking bulb. A 160 would be too hot as it is meant for larger cages.
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