new as baby Beardie owner and new to this site

[newmommybeardie]

Hello im new to this site and new as a Bearded Dragon mom. I got my baby Beardie on Tuesday night around 7:00 pm the owner said bedtime is at 8:00pm. So i put her under heat lamp as it was cold outside wheni brought her home. The next morning (Wendsay) at 9:00ish i feed her some greens (which she didnt eat at all) so i fed her crickets which she ate 15-20 of them. (i guess she was hungrey). The owner says she will eat only 10 at each meal time. Well she wouldnt eat anything else on Wendsday and wont eat anything today (Thursday). I gave her some greens, some Juvi pellet food and crickets and she still wont eat. I dont know what to do. Am i sapose to leave the crickets in her tank till she eats them or take them out.? Am i doing anything wrong or need to change anything.? PLEASE HELP i dont want to lose my new baby girl.

 

[bumblebee]

Hi, welcome to the forum It is completely normal for new beardies to go through relocation stress for the first few days. Don't be surprised if it takes her a week or so to adjust.

How old is she? How often are you offering the crickets and how big are they? You should take out any uneaten crickets after about 15 minutes, otherwise they can bother your beardie and even bite her. What are the temperatures on the cool side and on the basking spot?

 

[ClydesGirl]

Let me try to go in order here. You said something about putting her under a heat lamp when you got her home at 7:00pm. Did you still turn it off at 8:00 as her previous owner had been doing? What schedule do you have your lights on now? What kind of temps are you getting for basking and on the cool side?

What kind of lighting are you using? Is the "heat lamp" a clear bulb or colored? Are you using any sort of UVB lighting as well?

How old is your beardie? You call her a "baby", so I would assume she is still quite young? Growing beardies should be eating WAY more than 10 crickets a day! You should only be feeding her crickets smaller than the space between her eyes, so if she really is a baby, then they should be quite small. You should feed her as many as she will eat in 15 minutes twice a day. Remove any uneaten crickets after the 15 minutes. Leaving crickets in there with her is a bad idea. They will poop and die in there, so it's unsanitary. Plus they can even bite her while she's sleeping!

She's probably going through some relocation stress from the move. It is perfectly normal for beardies to eat less when they are stressed. Once she's more settled in, if she's still not eating, then it's time to start worrying. In the mean time, it's critical that you get all of her lighting and temps set up correctly, so let us know what you are using.

 

[newmommybeardie]

Hi, welcome to the forum It is completely normal for new beardies to go through relocation stress for the first few days. Don't be surprised if it takes her a week or so to adjust.

How old is she? How often are you offering the crickets and how big are they? You should take out any uneaten crickets after about 15 minutes, otherwise they can bother your beardie and even bite her. What are the temperatures on the cool side and on the basking spot?

Oh ok but i dont understand WHY did she eat 15-20 crickets the next morning after i got her but wont eat now.? She will be 3 months old on Sept, 15th. I have offered her crickets 2 times a day and greens 1 time a day and just offered her for the first time some Juvi Bearded Dragon food and no luck. Ok the cool side is 85 F And the basking spot is at 37.1 C. I was told from the 2 woman that shes not eating because shes shedding and because shes getting ready for semi hybernation. Is this true.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

The semi hibernation would not be true, as they dont start that until they are a year old or so. Shedding can put a young one off it's food though.

Another tip. If your tank is glass, try covering 3 sides with paper. This will give her 1 side to get used to instead of all 4.

 

[newmommybeardie]

The semi hibernation would not be true, as they dont start that until they are a year old or so. Shedding can put a young one off it's food though.

Another tip. If your tank is glass, try covering 3 sides with paper. This will give her 1 side to get used to instead of all 4.

Well i didnt think that would be true with babys as they need all they can get just like other animal babies. How long does it take to finish shedding and how often do Beardies shed.? i have covered the back and the left side with desert background i ran out and am getting another piece soon the wall is on the side that has no background. Thank you for your help

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

Baby dragons shed quite a lot, as they grow super quickly! It can take a few days or a few weeks for them to shed, it really varies.

Its still likely to be relocation stress, so hopefully she will get adjusted in a few days

 

[Burra]

I know this was already asked, but it wasn't answered. What type of uvb are you using? Is the heat light colored or clear? Are you turning it off at night? What is the night temperature in the viv?

Also, are you supplementing/dusting food with calcium? How often? The same with vitamins.

If you can get Phoenix Worms or reptiworms, I'd try them. Not only are they nutritious, they are soft bodied so there's no risk of impaction, they are small, and they wiggle a lot which gets your beardie's attention but don't run away fast like crickets.

 

[sweetiepie9]

UVB light is crucial for babies to absorb the sunshine they need to grow & digest their food. The basking spot should be 105F, not 99F as it is right now, babies need hotter basking also to digest their food & grow. Shedding can be difficult for them because that means they're growing out of their skin & it gets tight & hot, so giving her a bath is a great idea. Just put some water (just under her armpits) with a facecloth on the bottom, in a small container, and let her soak. Babies also get dehydrated quickly, so need to have a good 15 min soak so absorb water. Once all these things are done, she'll feel better & will probably start eating, too. Relocation stress is just what beardies go through when they change their enviornment, as you get to know your baby better you'll notice that she likes everything to be the same all the time, same routine, etc. They're sticklers for wanting nothing to change in their environment. I have 5 male adult beardies & have been raising beardies for 6 years & have learned all these things as I've gone along, so know that these things are very important. The best tube UVB is a Reptsun 10.0, if you're using a tube Reptiglo, that's not good for beardies, made for geckos. So that is the reason we're asking these questions, mainly to make sure she has the right environment to grow well. I know you already love your baby, so please see if all of these things are being done. Also the calcium supplement/vitamin & mineral supplements are also important. There is alot to get right with dragons, but once all this is ok, it's amazing how well they do. What to do with the supplements? You need to dust one meal of crickets daily with the calcium 5 times per week (shake them up in a bag), then 2 times per week with the vitamin/mineral supplement. I've always used Rep-cal without phospherous & with VitD for the calcium and Flukers min/vit, all to help with digestion. The vit/min supplement is to make sure she gets enough of both, as it's hard to feed crickets to give her what she needs. Also greens aren't always eaten by babies, the crickets are most important as she needs the constant protein to grow. Anyway, I know it's alot to take in, but it's really all necessary for your baby to be healthy.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Having a beardie & getting all this right is overwhelming at first, but once it's all sorted it's amazing how your baby will respond!
Take care
Deb

 

[mark6180]

clydesgirl and others on this site are telling me my repti glo 5.0 is no good and to get a repti glo 8.0 or 10.0 and that will be ok is this not right then . does it have to be reptisun or arcadia??? thankyou

 

[mark6180]

and what wattage ihave 2 8 week olds in a 3ft viv temps seem bang on with the repti glo 5.0 wont higher make it to hot in there..???

 

[newmommybeardie]

Baby dragons shed quite a lot, as they grow super quickly! It can take a few days or a few weeks for them to shed, it really varies.

Its still likely to be relocation stress, so hopefully she will get adjusted in a few days

THank you very much for the info that helps me alot so now i dont have to worry as much. (Im usually a huge worry wort when it come to my animals). Thanks again.

 

[newmommybeardie]

I know this was already asked, but it wasn't answered. What type of uvb are you using? Is the heat light colored or clear? Are you turning it off at night? What is the night temperature in the viv?

Also, are you supplementing/dusting food with calcium? How often? The same with vitamins.

If you can get Phoenix Worms or reptiworms, I'd try them. Not only are they nutritious, they are soft bodied so there's no risk of impaction, they are small, and they wiggle a lot which gets your beardie's attention but don't run away fast like crickets.

I did answer what type of UVB etc i was using but i guess it didnt post. But im using 2x Exo Terra Repti Glo Desert Terrarium Lamp 15 Watt 18"10.0 UVB. The heat is clear. Yes i turn it on at 9:00 am and off at 9 :00 pm. What side do you want to know about for night cool side or the Basking side. Yes i put the 1/4 inch crickets in a container and shake them with Calcium with D3 and i sprinkle Vitamins on her greens. But i think im going to have to sprinkle both Cal/vitamins on her crickets as shes not eating her greens. isnt Phoenix and reptiworms to big for her. But i will check in on them and see wether my LPS can get them. Thank you for the help and info. I need all the help i can get. . Oh what do you think about taken her out of her tank and putting her in another conainer to feed her crickets as the little buggers (crickets) hide in and under her tank decor. I read it somewere that it was a good idea.

 

[ClydesGirl]

clydesgirl and others on this site are telling me my repti glo 5.0 is no good and to get a repti glo 8.0 or 10.0 and that will be ok is this not right then . does it have to be reptisun or arcadia??? thankyou

I did not tell you that a repti glo 8.0 or 10.0 would be good. You need a ReptiSUN (SUN not glo) 10.0 or an Arcadia 12%. I and others have said this several times in the other thread.

 

[newmommybeardie]

UVB light is crucial for babies to absorb the sunshine they need to grow & digest their food. The basking spot should be 105F, not 99F as it is right now, babies need hotter basking also to digest their food & grow. Shedding can be difficult for them because that means they're growing out of their skin & it gets tight & hot, so giving her a bath is a great idea. Just put some water (just under her armpits) with a facecloth on the bottom, in a small container, and let her soak. Babies also get dehydrated quickly, so need to have a good 15 min soak so absorb water. Once all these things are done, she'll feel better & will probably start eating, too. Relocation stress is just what beardies go through when they change their enviornment, as you get to know your baby better you'll notice that she likes everything to be the same all the time, same routine, etc. They're sticklers for wanting nothing to change in their environment. I have 5 male adult beardies & have been raising beardies for 6 years & have learned all these things as I've gone along, so know that these things are very important. The best tube UVB is a Reptsun 10.0, if you're using a tube Reptiglo, that's not good for beardies, made for geckos. So that is the reason we're asking these questions, mainly to make sure she has the right environment to grow well. I know you already love your baby, so please see if all of these things are being done. Also the calcium supplement/vitamin & mineral supplements are also important. There is alot to get right with dragons, but once all this is ok, it's amazing how well they do. What to do with the supplements? You need to dust one meal of crickets daily with the calcium 5 times per week (shake them up in a bag), then 2 times per week with the vitamin/mineral supplement. I've always used Rep-cal without phospherous & with VitD for the calcium and Flukers min/vit, all to help with digestion. The vit/min supplement is to make sure she gets enough of both, as it's hard to feed crickets to give her what she needs. Also greens aren't always eaten by babies, the crickets are most important as she needs the constant protein to grow. Anyway, I know it's alot to take in, but it's really all necessary for your baby to be healthy.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Having a beardie & getting all this right is overwhelming at first, but once it's all sorted it's amazing how your baby will respond!
Take care
Deb

Yes i know UVB is very important i have 2 18" Repti Glo. I know it should be at 40-43 C or 100-115 F i was useing 100 Watt but seen it wasent giving me the right temp i needed so i went out and got a 50 Watt to see if that would bring it to what i needed i figured if i got a higher Wattage it would be to high. How aften should i give her a bath.? Thank you very much for your help and i sure will ask for help or questions as i need to. It sure is overwelming but i wouldnt have it any other way as i always want the best for my pests as i have enough of them lol its a Zoo here and my Beardie is the newest baby i have. Thank you very much Deb for all your help and info.
Take care Sharon