new owner and new dragon, am I doing something wrong?

[duke11]

Bearded dragons are fairly hardy lizards, so they can go awhile without food, although it's not healthy. I would agree with the others and say squash, waxies, or baby food would be best. If worst comes to worst, you can force feed. Keep an eye on your temps just because your tank is smaller. Duke is eating a little less bugs now for some reason, so I'll leave turnip greens in there and he will eventually eat them when he's hungry. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[TrogdorsKeeper]

Trogdor loves squash, which is great! is it a good idea to mix in rep-cal and herpivite to ensure he is getting what he needs? i am also assuming that the squash leads to some of that runny poop im seein?

 

[crickest]

Yesh to all of your questions. You can mix in the vits and cal he needs. His poo will be less formed and look a lot like baby poop. It may also be a bit smelly.

 

[duke11]

Squash has a lot of water content, so his poops will be more runny.

 

[bigkeyscpp]

For the relocation stress a tight hide he can really get into will make him feel safe. Reptisun for sure is better than zilla. Also you can go hotter in the basking site. Lose the water dish. Get a spray bottle and spray him if he seems dehydrated. I spray mine daily in the morning. They dont need water dishes. Its really messy and just asking for trouble. Don't need the moisture supplement either. They are desert animals from the hottest place on earth. I go up to 130 in my basking site. Get a digi thermometer with a in/out readind and a min/max reading. 75 to 80 in the shade and up to 130 in the sun. The tight hide would be the best thing for the stress.

 

[crickest]

Don't spray him. They don't absorb water through their skin. You can give baths and that helps a lot because they take in water through their vent. I have a water dish because my baby loves to swim. She puts herself into it and splashes around. My other dragon, Spark, will drink from his. If you spray, they don't get any benefit and you risk them getting water in their ears or lungs. That can lead to respiratory infections and ear issues.

 

[crickest]

And the recommended basking temp on this site is 100 - 110, depending on the age of your dragon. They do like it hotter when they are younger.

 

[bigkeyscpp]

I don't spray them so they absorb water through the skin... the mist rolls off their skin and they drink it. recommended temps are like 100 to 110... in my experience my dragons love sitting in really hot basking sites. they both have their own separate 75 gallon enclosures. I would think in a smaller enclosure they could overheat, when they were babies they had 30 gallon tankswith temp over 110 and up to 130 nearly everyday. you won't find this in a book. The only article I have found to support what I do is in the latest issue of Reptiles mag.

 

[bigkeyscpp]

never had an ear infection, never had any disease (oldes it 8 other is 6), never read or heard of that before from misting, but you may very well be right. But couldn't they get ear infections from bathing? and don't yours poop in the water? I have seen many who do and its more work to clean, and very stinky and can lead to disease as well. I think it would be cool to watch them swim. never tried that.

 

[crickest]

Neither of mine have ever pooped in their water. Not in their dishes and not in the bath. It is recommended that if your dragon poops in the water, that you remove it. I've never had that problem.

 

[TrogdorsKeeper]

Trogdor started eating crickets again today, i think about 5 or 6... looks like he's getting adjusted nicely. For the record, Trogdor has bathed, but never pooped in his water.

 

[duke11]

Good to hear that he's settling a little! Duke doesn't always poop in the bath when I want him to. My basking temp is around 105 and Duke still doesn't always sit right in that temperature. I don't think he enjoys very hot temperatures. When I don't bathe him, I give him water through a dropper which works well.

I go up to 130 in my basking site.

I would be careful about that 130 degree basking spot. Your dragon could get very dehydrated and overheated. Keep an eye on your setup for signs of gaping and give him warm baths very often. I'm pretty sure you mentioned you had a cooler area, so that's good in case he wants to escape from the heat.

 

[bigkeyscpp]

oh yeah man.. i check it every day... have an in out and max min thermometer, check and chart with excel everyday, it gets to 130, not all the time but it does and i have witnessed them basking there in the sun, loving it. they have huge 75 gal set ups each and they can get easily from one side to the other, they have never been dehydrated. honestly i think the whole 100 to 110 is not hot enough... when it gets down to only 100 or 105, my dragons are way way less active.

 

[newbdowner]

hi um how long has he been shedding i had this same problem with spike i found out that during there sheding times they dont eat as much this info might not be acuret as i am new myself but its worth it to ask right. ^_^ good luck and i hope ur baby is feeling better soon.

 

[duke11]

That info is true, sometimes beardies eat less when they are in a shed. I just tried squash baby food for Duke and he LOVES the stuff!