Hello! I recently purchased an approx 2 month old beardie from petsmart, and i just want to make sure that i am on the right track. He wasn't eating well and lethargic as per the staff, but being a vet nurse, I wanted to take him on and give him a chance. Initial weight was 6g, approx 5". They were syringing him grub powder/slurry. I got a basic terarrium starter kit (10 gallon tank, 80 watt daybulb, red bulb for night). It has now been 1.5 weeks, and he has grown to 7.9 g and 5.5". Mixing appetite stimulant powder with the grub slurry, and he eats about 1.5 ml/day now. He refuses to eat on his own, and i worry about his stress level with the syringe feeding. He is scared of baby crickets, won't eat greens or kibbles or soft food. Basking temp is 95-105, cool side is 75-80.
Hello! I recently purchased an approx 2 month old beardie from petsmart, and i just want to make sure that i am on the right track. He wasn't eating well and lethargic as per the staff, but being a vet nurse, I wanted to take him on and give him a chance. Initial weight was 6g, approx 5". They were syringing him grub powder/slurry. I got a basic terarrium starter kit (10 gallon tank, 80 watt daybulb, red bulb for night). It has now been 1.5 weeks, and he has grown to 7.9 g and 5.5". Mixing appetite stimulant powder with the grub slurry, and he eats about 1.5 ml/day now. He refuses to eat on his own, and i worry about his stress level with the syringe feeding. He is scared of baby crickets, won't eat greens or kibbles or soft food. Basking temp is 95-105, cool side is 75-80.
I'm not the person to make rehab care suggestions, but I do know that the red bulb isn't necessary for night... in fact, they really need it full dark at night, and the red bulb can be detrimental in the long run. That might be contributing to the little guy's overall stress level. I'll leave my advice at that, and hope the more veteran posters hop in with care advice.
Oh yes! I should have mentioned, i will be getting rid of that and using a CHE. The day bulb that was provided was a blue 80w bulb, but my basking spot wasn't getting hot enough. I have replaced it with a 125w mercury vapor bulb.
It's good that you replaced the blue basking bulb with an MVB. Which brand are you using? That should (in general) be about 10-12'' above the basking area for proper UVB output. You may want to use a larger enclosure if the temperature gradient doesn't work out with the bulb at that distance since it can be difficult to regulate temps and make a nice gradient with a smaller enclosure. It's good that he is growing a bit and eating some of the slurry. The lighting/heat/uvb exposure is pretty important for his overall wellbeing. Once he gets some strength back then I'd keep trying with the live bugs and try to get him chasing them a bit or eat least eating them if you hand feed/tong feed them. That is a step for later though.
It's good that you replaced the blue basking bulb with an MVB. Which brand are you using? That should (in general) be about 10-12'' above the basking area for proper UVB output. You may want to use a larger enclosure if the temperature gradient doesn't work out with the bulb at that distance since it can be difficult to regulate temps and make a nice gradient with a smaller enclosure. It's good that he is growing a bit and eating some of the slurry. The lighting/heat/uvb exposure is pretty important for his overall wellbeing. Once he gets some strength back then I'd keep trying with the live bugs and try to get him chasing them a bit or eat least eating them if you hand feed/tong feed them. That is a step for later though.
I am currently using a generic brand MVB off Amazon. I was hesitant to invest. With his (hopefully) rapid growth rate, i assume that I'll have to purchase a larger tank soon enough, and with that a new set of bulbs. Any recommendations?