New beardie not eating!!

[Edroberts86]

My new beardie isn't eating and being lazy in the tank. I got Xena on August 8th from Petsmart (wasn't going to get one from there but Xena ran up to the glass and it was a done deal). When I got her I got the zoomed bearded dragon 20gallon kit. Found out that pretty much everything in the kit is junk. I only kept the heat light (repti spot), the cage and the food bowls. She is just over 5 inches. She didn't eat the first two days but started eating the 3rd and 4 th day I had her but has stopped eating agin. I have tried feeding crickets, fluker's juvenile buffet, dandelion greens, apples and some cantaloupe. I put repti calcium on everything (food wise). I have been giving her baths every other day after having her for two days. She poops about once a day and maybe twice once. The poop has been small since I got her but she had a good size poop yesterday. Then it went back to small. It isn't dry or extra wet.im

The heat light is repti spot 100w.

The uvb light is reptisun 10.0, 18 in 15w. The fixture has a reflector and is currently out side the screen and 6-7 inches from Xena when she is in basking area and about 10-12 when she is not( I did this because the reflector supposedly doubles the output and the screen cuts it in half). Got the repti sun 10.0 yesterday, had a zilla slimline desert for 2 days before that. I had the reptisun 5.0 compact for 2 days before I got the zilla.

The temps are 100-112 in the basking area and 80-85 in the cool area. Temps taken with digital thermometer with probe. I just leave the probe laying flat on the basking area. At night tank gets down to about 70.

The substrate is slate tile.

Oh and also the lights are on a timer and the uvb and spot are on from 7 am- 8 pm. I don't use an inferred.

I might just be over reacting but rather be safe than sorry. I just want to know what I can try or if it is time for her first vet visit already. If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it. Also I realize she will out grow the tank in the next couple months but i want to build a custom enclosure for her that I will start on in a couple if weeks.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry you got off to a rough start with your lighting, a lot of people do though.
You are now using the Reptisun 10 tube bulb, correct & how far is it from her?
What type of basking light are you using, a bright white light or a colored light?
What wattage is it?
A 20 gallon holds heat well so I would recommend decreasing the wattage to get the basking to a 95-105 range with a cooler end of around 78-82 or so. Xena could be getting too hot & not thermoregulating well enough.
Also, they do take a little bit of time for full adjustment of a new home too so you can take that into consideration also.
How are her colors?

Tracie

 

[Brezzy99]

You haven't had her for long, so it could be relocation stress. Does she have stress marks on her belly? Keep offering her live food twice a day and greens, even if she doesn't eat it. You could also try some different live feeders like dubia roaches or phoenix worms. Most little ones can't resist dubia or phoenix worms.

 

[Edroberts86]

I am using the reptisun 10.0 and it is 6-7 inches from her basking log. The heat light I'm using is the repti basking spot light 100w. It is just bright white light I don't use the inferred. Her colors are orange outside of tank, but when basking she turns darker (color of a normal beardie). I don't know what morph she is and was just labeled as a fancy. I will try and get the temp down some more around the 95-105. And see if that helps.

She does have some stress marks/ circles on her belly. I will order her some roaches today which can take up to two days for them to arrive. Until then I will stay with the crickets and the greens.

Thanks for the replies and ideas.

 

[Edroberts86]

The room xena was in would flux on temp a good bit. I have moved her to a room that keeps a constant temp and her tank is steady at 101.5-102 in the basking spot and 75-80 in the cool side. Moving her stressed her out so just leaving her alone other than feeding. I will keep you posted on her condition.

 

[Edroberts86]

So I got an azurite thermometer today. My zoomed digital with probe was off by 10 degrees. Fixed the temps. Xena had a little bit of turkey baby food hopefully she bounces back from my major blunder and doesn't hate me.

 

[Brezzy99]

It's crazy how different thermometers get different temperatures. Did she enjoy the baby food?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Terrific, so it was your digital probe that was off?
That would do it, when the temperatures are off by that much it makes a huge difference.
How is Xena doing today?
Hopefully once her stress is reduced, her appetite will improve for you.

Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[Edroberts86]

xena is doing better she sat up today which was a good sign. she was laying flat for the past 2 days. She didn't care to much for the baby food but i put it on her nose and it bugged her enough that she licked it off. I tried to feed her crickets before i gave her the baby food just to see. Also her colors have come back amazing she is back to her happy orange self. Im pretty sure she will be a lot better in the next couple of days. Im just kinda mad that the zoomed was off that much. If it wasn't for this forum i wouldn't have looked into a different thermometer or even had the slightest clue. Thanks so much for your help and ideas on how to help my little Xena. Its amazing how attached i am to the little bugger after 8 days. She has cost me an arm and a leg through trial and error, but she is worth it. she is keeping her eyes closed a lot but i think it might be because of the heat or she might be ready to shed. there is no discharge or anything but since i changed the temps she is much happier, her eyes are open more and she is more alert. I also got a dimmer today and 60w clear house bulb because when i dimmed the repti basking spot light to get the right temps it wasn't very bright. I will keep you posted. Hopefully i can get her to eat a couple crickets tomorrow. Once again thank you for all your help I will update tomorrow to let you know how she is doing.

 

[Edroberts86]

Xena ate 4 crickets so far today which is a major jump from her 0 or 1. She had one this morning, a little turkey food and 3 for lunch I'm going to try to feed her more before bed time. This made me really happy to see her eat and be more interested in her food.

 

[ashleyfergi]

I've been in the same boat as you, except I got lucky and didn't buy the starter kit, I bought everything separate because I had heard the kits were not good. I have had my beardie since Friday (a petsmart beardie). Since then he has had normal BMs but has eaten very little, 5 crickets Friday, 5 Saturday, and about 10 today. I'm hoping it's appetite picks up soon

 

[Edroberts86]

It sounds like it is picking up. I think petsmart only feeds them 5 a day so it will take a while for their stomachs to stretch. Good job not buying the kit. I priced it today and I would of saved about 50 dollars by getting the right stuff and just a tank.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great, it sounds like Xena is doing much better now!
How is her appetite? At least she is starting to eat more again, even if it is just a little bit.
How are the temperatures now, with your new thermometer?
They have a sneaky way of stealing your heart, I completely agree. I am glad you are having a wonderful time with her, she sounds super sweet!
Is she getting ready to shed?

Tracie

 

[Edroberts86]

Hi Tracie,
Her appetite is still hit or miss. Today she only ate one cricket for lunch nothing at breakfast. She is about to shed I think her whole tail is really pale and she is doing the eye popping which is just really creepy. The temps are good. They are about 103-106 in basking area, the dimmer lets me adjust the temps more easily. The cool side is about 78-82. She is super sweet and loves to be held and explore. I cut a hole in the screen on the top of the cage yesterday just the length and width of the reptisun 10.0 linear bulb to see if that will help. I take her out and feed her in a different container because the tiny crickets can get under the tile. Taking her out and putting her in the clear bucket I feed her in seems to freak her out and she just wants out. I'm starting to wonder if this why she isn't eating. Any kind of suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You could just try placing a towel on the floor & feeding her on the open floor, they love that.
Sometimes the bins can bother them.
Also, shedding can definitely affect their appetites, too.
Perfect, those temperatures are fine then, no problem at all. The dimmers work very well for temperature control. Xena is doing just fine, maybe cutting the hole through the screen to help with UVB exposure.
I hope her appetite picks up soon though!
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie