New Owner, Need Help!

[pacothedragon]

I have just bought a juvenile bearded dragon from Petsmart 4 days ago. I have a few concerns...
1. He seems to only eat about three crickets a dat.
2. He is always basking. Never comes down.
3. He sometimes has his eyes closed.

Some things about him
1. I have all three bulbs needed for his health. The basking spot stays warm, however, I need a digital thermometer.
2. He has adequate supply of food and veggies.
3. He has a water source and I spray him twice a day.
4. He is shedding currently.
5. I give him daily soaks for his shedding in warm water.

Please Help.

 

[jayz83]

I'm new also but it took my guy bout 5 days to adjust starting to eat more and more seems like after I put a desert scene around the sides and back seemed to help and changing the 5.0 coil bulb to a 10.0 reptisun tube seemed to get more activity from him!!! Temps I have 109 in hot 84 in cool, I use reptile carpet pick up poop right after they poop, humidity should be around 30-35%,I've got a hideout In cool spot and a tree branch with holes to give him a place to chill out of the heat in the hot spot,2 dishes except I put mine in the hot side to bring up the humidity they seem to like it better there ne way to play in!!! Hope this helps

 

[jayz83]

I keep my greens in the cool side water in the hot side also.if ur pet smart is like mine they keep there temps at 80 with basking spot not to metion 6 of them in a 2by2 tank which I wouldn't think would be healthy for the little guys

 

[mustang611]

I am a new dragon owner, my guy is 5 mo old now. He seems to eat less when he sheds, then his appetite revs up after he's done. Also, 4 days isn't a very long time. Give him a few more days to get comfortable in his new space. It took mine a few weeks before he turned into the eating machine I read about in the book! Make sure the food is the right size. I would put my dragon on the floor of the cage and drop 1-2 crickets right in front of him so he didn't have to chase his food. I did this until he stopped eating. As long as he eats, poops, baskes; I would say he is fine. Closing his eyes occasionally is OK too. Mine usually only closes 1 eye at a time. You could try to hand fee him. If he opens his mouth in an aggresive gesture, toss the food in.

The digital scan thermometer is great. It measures the temperature in the precise spot you point it at, which is important since the domes focus the heat and the air thermometers only measure the general heat in the enclosure. I wasted my money on the air temp therms, to my regret.

 

[Lurhstaap]

Well, first of all, it's very common for them to go off their feed when shedding, and when they've recently come into a new environment. So I wouldn't worry much about the low appetite just yet. If it doesn't improve within a week or two you may want to have its poop tested for parasites, but even that is still within the possible time period for relocation stress. Some dragons take longer to get over it than others.

Also, what do you mean "all three bulbs"? As far as I know a beardie really only needs two bulbs -- a UVB bulb such as the Reptisun 10.0 or the Arcadia 12%, and a basking bulb, which can be any clear household bulb provided it produces the right amount of heat. If your home does not go below about 70 degrees at night, you don't need any kind of night bulb or night heat at all. If it does get below that, the best thing to use is a ceramic heat emitter rather than any kind of night light or night bulb. Contrary to what the people at the pet store may tell you, beardies can see color, and therefore red nightlights and blacklights are both inappropriate for them. They can see the light just as much as you can.

How often does he have his eyes closed? It's normal for them to nap or doze a bit while basking but if he's keeping his eyes closed a lot then it's possible his eyes are being burned by your UVB bulb if you're not using one of the two brands I mentioned above. ALL other brands are generally inappropriate for beardies, unfortunately, and some can even cause damage to them.

If he is constantly basking and never wants to come down, your cage might be too cold for him. Or else he might simply be feeling overwhelmed by his new surroundings and just wanting to hang out where it feels warmest and safest right now.

Also if you are giving him daily soaks there is no need to mist him in addition to that. Dragons are desert animals and do not need to be kept moist. Bathing is good for them, but they do not need misting. Some people choose to mist INSTEAD of bathing, but I prefer bathing, personally. You should give him soaks even when he is not shedding, though they can be every other day if you wish. I give mine daily soaks because they both prefer to poo in the bath, and it's much easier to clean up there than in their viv or anywhere else they might go, so I encourage this by bathing them every day first thing in the morning after their initial warm-up bask.

 

[pacothedragon]

Thanks for the help everybody. I currently have a reptisun 5.0 because that was all my local per store had. I will lay off the moisture as well. Hopefully his appetite comes back soon

 

[Lurhstaap]

Reptisun is a good brand, but the 5.0 is not strong enough for a dragon. You will need to order the Reptisun 10.0 online or try to find it locally. Honestly I recommend buying it online even if it is available locally because you will almost always get a better price online, even factoring in shipping. The 5.0 will suffice until you can get the 10.0, but you will need to get the new one ASAP! After about two weeks your dragon WILL begin to suffer health consequences from the lack of proper UVB.

 

[pacothedragon]

I just bought a Reptisun 10 bulb so it should fix his droziness

 

[Spikey92]

Unfortunately the repti sun bulb is NOT the recommended one.You need the TUBE.Try to exchange the bulb for the tube. I myself made the mistake of getting the bulb first and it caused eye issues very quick After removing it and getting the tube everything went back to normal and Spikey got even more active etc.
If your Beardie continues closing his eye just turn the uvb light off until you get the repti sun 10 tube.A few days without uvb wont harm him.

 

[Lurhstaap]

Well, now, hold on -- "bulb" could refer to the tube. Both the tube and the compact are 'bulbs'. They may have in fact gotten the tube and are simply referring to it as a 'bulb'. (Also, FWIW, I am using the compacts right now and I have found that increasing the distance between the lamp and the basking spot has corrected any problems which might have occurred. My setup is very unusual though which may also have an impact. In any event I have had no problems with them. I still would recommend the tube over the compact just because so many other people have had trouble with it though.)