New Beardie owner a bit worried

[Commissaar]

Just got my beardie from a local pet store. (had her under a week.) Did not know the sex but think she is female. I'm not sure how old she is, she's about 13 inches across, which is apparently around 5 or 6 months. I'm a bit worried that she doesnt eat that much - she eats crickets and some locusts that are smaller than the space between her eyes but only eats around 15-20 a day, she gets 3 meal opportunities where she can eat as many as she wants, but sometimes she totally ignores the crickets... it's like sometimes she will run over to one behind her, but ignore the one sat in front of her... it is a little concerning. I can't get her to eat fruit either, even though I've tried a variety. I've tried squash, apples, and peppers, all cut into small chunks. She sometimes licks them but won't eat them.

Here are my specs -
Substrate - exo terra desert reptile mat type thing (no sand)
Heating - hot side, 38-40C, cool side, 33-35C night, 29C
For heat I use an exo terra all in one bulb (she basks under this as it has the uv rays as well), and a ceramic bulb at night. She also has a heating rock that I have controlled by a thermostat and the thermometers are digital, not the stick on ones. The heating rock is around 42 C and she likes to sit on it. I've also ordered a T5 lamp for more uv rays as I know the compact lamp is probably not enough. She also has some plants and things to play around with. She seems active and doesn't mind being held, and her poop seems fine. I just feel like she isn't eating enough and am worried! I'm seeing the vet for a check up this monday and might bring along a fecal sample? She had stress marks the first few days but these have gone down, however the bottom of her beard seems a bit dark? I'm not sure if it's normal or if she's just naturally a bit dark down there. Her tail is also gradually blacker as it gets on, and she often 'winks' at me, closing one eye and then opening the other. I'm worried she might have some sort of issue with her eyes. Humidity is rather low - my humidity detector is in the mail, as is the T5. Does the 15-20 a day sound about right, with no fruit and veg? I've ordered some phoenix worms to put in her dish so hopefully she will like those. I also dust the crickets with calcium and vitamin power, calcium powder 2 parts, 1 part vitamin mix. I'm so anxious I'm not doing anything right and am anxious that the temperatures of my terrarium might be wrong! Please give me your advice on getting her to eat! I want her to grow big and strong as the tank she was in at the pet store was small and I'm worried her growth might be small.

 

[Commissaar]

here are some pictures of her. Does she look healthy for a 4-6 month old?

 

[Ironclaw]

How's she doing now? I would think that she was just having a bit of relocation stress, and she looks very healthy.

 

[EllenD]

I'm very glad that you ordered her a T5 UVB tube, what Brand/wattage/model did you order? Did you order a fixture for it that includes a Reflector inside it? That's very important...

The Exo Terra SolarGlow MVB is basically the one MVB light that is not at all recommended for Desert Reptiles, as most all Dragons that are kept underneath them end-up with a Calcium Deficiency and MBD. The SolarGlow is a great MVB light for Tropical Reptiles, but it just doesn't emit near enough UVB light for a Dragon, that's a very common issue that we see on this forum quite often. The Arcadia MVB and the MegaRay are great MVB lights for a Dragon, and the PowerSun doesn't seem to have too many issues that I've seen with Dragons, but the Exo Terra SolarGlow is a known problem...As such, I'm going to assume that either your Dragon is still suffering from a bit of Relocation Stress, or is not getting enough UVB light from that SolarGlow MVB, or a bit of both.

The other issue you may be having is the distance between your Dragon's basking spot/platform and the SolarGlow MVB...How far, in inches, is the SolarGlow from his Basking Spot?

Honestly, as long as you order either a Reptisun 10.0 T5HO or an Arcadia 12% T5 UVB tube that is at least 22" or longer, and is inside a fixture with a reflector (or you add a clip-on reflector the length of the UVB tube), I would seriously consider ditching the SolarGlow MVB completely and putting in just a regular, bright-white colored Basking Bulb or Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb (par38 type you can buy at any Hardware Store) that is the same wattage as the SolarGlow MVB (as your temperature zones are fine so the wattage is adequate for the tank), making sure that both the T5 UVB tube and the bright white colored Basking Bulb are right alongside each other, both sharing the top of the Hot Side of the tank, with his basking spot/platform positioned directly underneath both lights, so he gets both while basking. This way you are ensuring that the SolarGlow MVB is not causing him any eye issues or bothering him, as this has happened with the SolarGlow MVB too...And trust me, removing the SolarGlow MVB will mean nothing at all, it will be totally and completely unnecessary anyway once you get him under a T5 strength UVB tube, as the T5 Tube will be emitting much, much, much stronger UVB and UVA light than the SolarGlow MVB is, rendering it useless anyway if you add a equal-wattage, bright white colored Basking Bulb.

Also, just an FYI, be sure that your T5 UVB tube is within at least 10-11" of his basking spot/platform, and that you replace it once every 12 months maximum. Again, he'll be much, much happier with the T5 UVB tube and without that SolarGlow MVB...it's a shame because it's a beautiful MVB light, it just doesn't work for Desert Reptiles.