New Owner, Beardie Not Eating

[sombra88]

Hi everyone - I am a new beardie owner and my little guy is probably 2-3 months old. He is setup in a 20 gallon viv and the temps on both sides look good, he has a nice night and day setup with adequate UVB lighting. I supply him fresh veggies and insects (not live) daily. Since bring him home 5 days ago I am noticing a few things that worry me:

1. He sleeps alot, what seems to be more than normal, if I pick him up or handle him he eventually seems to "snap out of it" and get some energy, he is very friendly.

2. He does not appear to be eating, I notice very little to none of his food has been moved, do I need to feed him live crickets now?

3. He displays behaviour that concerns me such as scratching at the viv glass or acting a little crazy, he sleeps or stands against it many hours.

4. He seems to have lost a bit of color and is much whiter than normal.

His bowel movements do not seem unusual.

Does anyone have any advice on what might help me to help him?

Thank you

 

[kornel351]

Hey sombra Sounds like ur little guy might be going into a shred and sometimes they get a little picky in eatting when they do it .What type of UVB do u use and what is the basking temperature? What size is the enclosure?

 

[sombra88]

It's a 20 gallon reptile tank. I am not sure what the model of the light is but it's the one designed for the enclosure and bearded dragons. The basking side temperature hovers between 99-100 on the glass but the actual spot is probably 100-105.

He ate some lettuce and seemed okay. He behaves well in the tank. I took him out today and let him explore, he gaped at me and puffed up when I tried to pick him back up, I was a little thrown off but I assume he just didn't want to be put back into the viv or he is not used to me yet.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. It probably is relocation stress. That can last a week or 2. Also lettuce is not good for them. You want to look at beautifuldragons.com and there is a color coded chart. If you have a coil/compact uvb you'll we t to change that for a reptisun 10.0 tube. Those coils cause lethargy, appetite and eye issues. Make sure you have a good thermometer to get the correct temp readings. Temp gun or digital with a wire probe so you know the temps on the basking spot.

 

[sombra88]

He seems to be doing much better. I rearranged his rocks a bit but I also:

1. Started feeding him an increased amount of fresh small crickets
2. Varied his greens

I think diet was the issue. He was not happy with commercial diet or the alternatives to live feeders I offered. While initially I wasn't thrilled with having to feed him small crickets I decided it is the price to pay, I wanted a beardie and while they will eat other diets it is not ideal. To any new owners -- make sure to take this into account. My beardie was fine on other diet (commercial + veggies) but as a juvenile he was not thriving.

It's now been a week and a half since I got him and combined proper diet + rearranging his viv he is now a happy guy. He likes to come out and play and is not too squirmy. He did puff at me once but he is a juvenile so I am not too worried (he did not get aggressive though).

Thanks everyone!

 

[destiny1998]

Glad he's doing better