New Beardie Problems

[delfiend]

Alright guys, so even though my new little bearded dragon Freddy is absolutely perfect, I'm having a few issues.
(viewtopic.php?f=44&t=196370)

1.) My UVB lamp is constantly buzzing

It's just a quiet hum/buzz sound, but it's definitely noticeable. I know it's the ballast, and that my lamp fixture is older than the hills (brother's had it for a few years, and he bought it used) and I need to replace it.
Where can I find a 30" long fixture that holds a 24" UVB tube light? I've searched but I can't find any anywhere.


2.) Freddy's still got stress marks

I know it's only been 1 day since he got shipped to me, but I wish I knew what the cause of the stress marks are. He sits on the log and thermoregulates, he eats a few mouthfuls of greens, he waves his arm at nothing in particular, he dashes across the cage for little to no reason (perhaps a stray cricket?).
I'm worried it's the humming/buzzing light fixture that's giving him stress marks, but of course I don't know in the slightest.


3.) Crickets are nasty little evil spawns!

Freddy's having trouble catching crickets. I tried in his cage with just a few crickets running around, and he caught a couple, but then he just lost interest. Later in the day I moved him to a small box (18" x 18") lined with paper towels, with a mini heat lamp attached for warmth, and I placed in in there with a few crickets as well. He did better at catching them (with a lot of herding the crickets from my part), but after about 6 or so he lost interest in eating again.
I'm guessing it's normal since it was his first day in his new home, but I'm still a worried mother here.
How long should his poor eating habits continue before I should start to get worried? I've got some dubia getting shipped in and I'm eager for the God-send to arrive at my door. No more climbing, jumping, chirping, or toe-nibbling!

 

[Mistyck]

You can go to walmart/home depot/ace hardware and buy a fluorescent tube light fixture for under the cabinet and use that. They're normally $8-$15 depending on size...We bought ours at walmart, and they house the 24" bulb perfectly.

He's stressed because he just got there 1 day ago...He was in transit for a day, and is in a totally new environment. It might very well take him 2 weeks to adjust, and lose the stress marks.

You can always put the crickets in a bag, and stick them in the freezer for about 5 minutes then feed them to him. It slows them down, and allows the beardie to catch them. Though he really should be chasing the live prey himself, without help.

He needs to settle into his environment before you get worried. 1 day isn't long enough to get worried over anything. Once he's over his relocation stress, he should perk up.

 

[delfiend]

Thanks. I know I'll feel 200% better when I replace the light fixture. Then I'm confident that there's nothing wrong with his environment and that his stress is purely from relocation.

His eating habits (or lack thereof) only bugs me because of how many crickets I've read little beardies can scarf in a day. I mean 9 crickets is not nearly 50 or 100. Thanks for the tip of freezing them. I think what I'll try today is not lining the box with paper towels (the crickets were hiding under them yesterday) and dumping them in one at a time, that way Freddy can focus on one prey at a time as opposed to have four or five running around to choose from.

 

[Mistyck]

His eating habits (or lack thereof) only bugs me because of how many crickets I've read little beardies can scarf in a day. I mean 9 crickets is not nearly 50 or 100. Thanks for the tip of freezing them. I think what I'll try today is not lining the box with paper towels (the crickets were hiding under them yesterday) and dumping them in one at a time, that way Freddy can focus on one prey at a time as opposed to have four or five running around to choose from.

He's not eating that amount because he just got there. Once he is settled he will eat more.

 

[delfiend]

Alright. Thanks again.

I implemented my new feeding technique and it worked splendidly. Dropping in one cricket at a time, Freddy was able to catch them all in no time flat. Of course, after a good number of crickets (6-8 or so), he simply stopped hunting. He watched the last cricket I dumped in as it ran around the perimeter and right past Freddy several times, but Freddy didn't bother to catch him. He actually ran over closer to me, tried to eat one of the green presents that is part of the pattern of the box, and looked right at me as if to say "I'm done now." I picked him up and held him by his log, and he climbed off himself as opposed to me having to pry him off as usually have to.

I'm happy he has some food in his belly and I'm sure he is too. He was chasing imaginary crickets with morning.

 

[delfiend]

So I bought a new light fixture and was able to mount it on the inside of the tank. Score!!



Also, Freddy is starting to eat a lot more, or at least he did tonight. Usually he only eat about 5-8 crickets/dubia when I feed him, even when I put in more. But tonight he ate all the crickets I had dumped into a bag, which was in the teen digits. I'll keep feeding him crickets, as they climb up in the paper towel rolls I put in the box and it's easy for me to pick one up and shake the crickets into a bag without them jumping out of the bag. But dubia roaches are by far his favorite!

 

[Coley54]

Sounds like Freddy is starting to get more settled. My Drac didn't eat like a normal baby beardie for almost 3 weeks. He eats like a champ now though!! Good luck with Freddy!

 

[jacody]

forget a bag.. try using a small reusable plastic/tupperware container to pour/dust them in.. much simpler than a bag plus it has a lid you just snap on and shake.. that will slow them down also..