New here

[Mushu23]

Hello! I just got a bearded Dragon and his name is Mushu. I actually got him a couple days ago and he's slowly adapting. The first day I got him he ate his dinner and explored his Terrarium. I was surprised that he ate but now he won't eat any of his meals. I know he's a little stressed out but how long will it be before he eats? Each day I try to get him use to me but handling him for a couple of minutes and he goes right back into his tank. He's very calm and likes to be under the heating lamp but not under the UVB lighting. I have the two bulbs on each side of the tank and it's a 55 gallon tank. Will he be alright or should I move one of the bulbs?

 

[SukiLove]

Most of them do experience relocation stress and it could be a while before they really start to eat. As long as he is acting normal then I would give him a few more days to really settle in. Also, bearded dragons regulate pretty much everything through light and heat so it's important to make sure that everything is correct. There are great articles on the side of the page that cover all of the lighting aspects. What kinds of bulbs are you using and how do you take the temperature readings? The UVB should be right next to the heat source, they need both to digest and synthesize vitamin D3. The tube lights are the best for UVB, such as the Reptisun 10.0 or the Arcadia.

Also, are you handling him everyday before feeding him? If so, I would try feeding him first then handling him after he's had a chance to digest his food. Ideally, they should be basking first thing in the morning to warm up and then again after every meal and throughout the day as they need to. I never bother either of mine for at least an hour after meals so they can digest properly.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. If you are using a coil or compact uvb that might be bothering him. I'd switch it out for a reptisun 10.0 tube.

 

[Mushu23]

Thanks for giving me advice! I have a 100w heating bulb and I reptisun uvb tube, it's only 18 in so it only covers half the tank. He's been eating more than he was yesterday and that makes me less worried, but I will try to handle him after he eats. Any other advice you can give me since this is my first bearded dragon?

 

[SukiLove]

You don't need to cover the entire cage with the UVB bulb, it's good to have a gradient. I would say that at some point you would do better to upgrade to the 24" but as long as the tube is near the basking spot you will be okay for now. I guess the best advice I could give is keep doing your research on them, there is always more to learn and new information arriving.

Oh, and I would make sure and offer greens everyday, it will make the transition when they're older a lot easier if they can recognize it as a food source. They may only pick at it a little when young (you didn't mention how old yours was so I'm just assuming it's young) and sometimes not at all, then one day they surprise you and eat everything!

 

[Mushu23]

I totally forgot to post his age! He's about 10 weeks old and I been giving him nectarines and carrots along with mealworms and crickets. I will move his UVB closer to his heating bulb but I'm afraid that his tank is so big that the other side won't get any light. Should I put another heating bulb in the tank?

 

[SukiLove]

I would stick with the crickets and probably stop the mealworms for now. The common consensus on mealworms is that their chitin is too hard for beardies to digest and when the beardies are that young the mealworms can cause impaction due to a kink in their digestive tract. I am of the opinion that carrots are okay for beardies, however, make sure they are shredded really fine as they can also cause issues in the stomach if too big. Here's a link to a really good site to give you some ideas for salads: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html. I would strive for 2 to 3 items from that list per day, I tend to go with 2 types of greens and a squash. Fruits should be given occasionally as they can cause some upset tummies.

As for more light, you can use another bulb at the other end of the tank to keep it all bright, but not necessarily need one that provides a lot of heat. You want to make sure there is a cool side as well so your beardie gets some relief. The halogen flood lamps are relatively cheap and give off bright light, just be sure to get the lowest wattage if temperatures are an issue. I'm going to assume that your 55 gallon is 36" in length? Just be sure to keep an eye on the temperature with a temp gun or a digital probe for accurate readings. When your 100 watt needs replacement, you could try to use a 70-75 watt halogen flood lamp instead. They give off great heat for basking and really good, bright light.

 

[Mushu23]

Thanks for the advice! I will try to do so and I will keep you all updated on how it's going!

 

[SukiLove]

Great! It sounds like Mushu will have a wonderful life! I look forward to hearing all about his adventures.

On a side note, my sister has a bunny named Mushu. :lol:

 

[Mushu23]

How cute! A bunny name Mushu! But I did noticed when I picked him up that it looked like he had dead skin around and inside his nostrils. I tried to get it off but he wouldn't let me. Will it fall off or should I do something?

 

[SukiLove]

That's from shedding, you will see that a lot. I would leave it alone for now and see if he can get it off by himself.