Hi! I just recently got my first baby beardie, I had done research but apparently not enough. The people at PetSmart lead me in some wrong directions and i need advice. Okay so to start out i got the tank for christmas and my parents got me a 40 gallon, which we found out was too big so for the first day or two i had him his tank wasn’t hot enough. Also the worker at petsmart told me it was okay to feed him mealworms i fed him about 3 then discovered that is an absolute no. i was very worried but he did poop and it looked normal. He had been very lazy sluggish i assume cause the worms and not right temperature. The first day I had him he ate all his crickets then i couldn’t get him too anymore. I’m guessing he is just very stressed from the worms and temperature and a new environment. Basically now I have the correct diet and temp but he’s still timid on eating ): does anyone have any tips????
12/27/2018 update:
Put him in a feeder with someone crickets for feeding but he showed no interest at all left him to feed for like 10-15 and he didn't eat anything On a good notes though, he LOVES his greens, he eats them as soon as I put them in his tank. He also got in his water dish for the first time last night and soaked in there for a little bit!
Well congrats on your new beardie! What's his/her name Also, can you describe the type of tank setup you have? Light types, substrate, etc.? When I got my new baby from a reptile store, it took a little over a week for her to eat and get a good routine going. My baby was in a 55 gallon, tall not long, and she had problems adapting. Just make sure they have things to climb down on if you have a hammock or high basking area of some sort. Mine has no issues jumping off of me onto the floor and I'm 5'4", so they're brave little things. I'm a fairly new owner myself. I've only had my beardie for almost a year, but I'm sure other owners will chime on in as well.
my tank is 40 gallons long, Haven’t had time to get a hammock yet, but he has a big basking rock that is also a hideaway and his food dish on the left side then his water dish on the other side with another hideaway. I have a 150 watt basking lamp and a tube UV. I have reptile carpet down cause I know sand causes trouble. Since switching to a 100 watt to 150 watt he’s been way more active moving around thanks god! I actually just placed some mustard and collard greens in his tank and he ate a few little leaves!! I think he may just be adjusting but i’ve onky had him for 3 days and he’s my first so i’m just trying to do everything good and make him comfortable!
That sounds like a pretty good setup. What kind of UV tube do you have? Also, do you have a hygrometer as well as a thermometer in the tank? The hygrometer measures both temp and humidity. I didn't know the importance of this until 5 months in or so of my new beardie. The humidity should be between 30-40 for a comfortable environment. Since you've only had him for 3 days, I'm sure it really is him getting used to the terrarium and setup you have. Let him settle in for a couple of weeks and then you'll really be able to understand and get a grasp on his particular behavior. Do you have a pic of the terrarium?