New Beardie Won't Eat PLEASE HELP

[annieCastanon]

I got Flynn a little over a week ago from Carolina classic dragons, he's 3-4 months old 9 1/2 inches and he hasn't eating since i've brought him home. He just got over a shed but he still doesn't seem to have any interest in eating. He is in a 40 gallon tank with a reptisun 10.0 uvb and a zoomed 100w basking bulb. his cool end of the tank is at 84 and the hottest point of his basking spot is at 112. I've closed off 3 sides of the enclosure to help him adapt a little better. I soak him every other day for about 6 min and he sometimes lowers his head to have a drink. I've been offering phoenix worms since i've read they are higher in calcium than crickets,but he just looks at them and continues basking. it's been almost two weeks ! How long can he go without eating?!! The worms are there for the taking, he won't starve himself will he? when i take him out of his tank he is plenty active and alert. It's the not eating that seems to be the only problem. Am i doing something wrong? The phoenix worms are super squirmy so he has definitely taken notice of them moving around but he just looks at them. I've tried crickets dusted with calcium but he wouldn't go after them. When I was trying the crickets i made sure they weren't too big but still nothing. I took him to the vet and he said he was a good color and weight but he didn't test for parasites.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Your setup sounds good to me, do you have any pictures we could see?
What type of thermometer are you using, a digital probe, a temp gun or a stick on type?
It can sometimes take them several weeks to settle in from being relocated. That's good you did cover several sides of the tank to help him calm down more. A 40 gallon tank is a good sized home for him, too.
Are you trying to feed him inside of his tank or out of his tank in a smaller feeding bin?
The shedding probably did decrease his appetite for awhile, but I would think he should start to eat better by now.
The Reptisun 10 tube bulb, how far away is that placed from him & is it directly beside the basking light?
The Phoenix worms should be well loved by him so keep offering them to him. Have you tried offering any greens/veggies too just to see if he will eat them? You could also try hand feeding him if you haven't already.

Tracie

 

[kingofnobbys]

Can I ask what your feeding schedule is like ?

The lighting schedule (hours on/off per day) ?

I suggest obtaining some alternative feeders such as silkworms (also very nutritious and very rare for a hungry beardie to turn it's nose up a nice big juicy slow moving silkworm , at her age I think she'll handle medium silkworms (1.5" - 2" long , maybe 4 - 6 per feed), and maybe some medium sized crickets , as it could be that she doesn't like or doesn't recognise the BSF lavae as food.

I'll also add that IMO it's quite OK to assist feed a young beardie who is stubbornly refusing the live insects offered , not only does it guarantee it gets the insect protein and dietary calcium it needs, but it's also a great excuse for some quality lizard time and a great way to form a strong bond with your lizard.

 

[annieCastanon]

the lights are on a timer to go on at 7:00am and turn off at 7:00pm. Everyday I offer the phoenix worms at around 9:30 to give him time to warm up and I leave them in all day and take them out once the lights go off. the Reptisun 10.0 UVB is right next to the basking lamp but neither of the lights are inside of the tank, both sit ontop of the wire cover. I measure the temp with a temp gun