Not eating enough??

[moonshadow116]

Hello my fellow bearded dragon lovers! I recently got a new dragon baby and am starting to get concerned because I don't think he eats enough. He was shipped to me on June 16th so its been about ten days, could it still be from relocation stress? He will only eat about 6-8 crickets a day, and maybe a silkworm or two but that's it, and I know that isn't enough. He is currently 6 inches long and in a 40 gallon tank with a Reptisun 10.0 for UVB and a heat lamp for basking. I take the temperatures with two digital thermometers with probes (between 98 and 102 under the basking site, and about 78 on the cool side). I have been tweaking the tank quite a bit since he arrived, switching out lights and substrate and whatnot so he's definitely been through a lot of changes in the past 10 days. I've also considered that the problem could be my Reptisun because I bought it a year ago, but haven't used it until now, does anyone know if sitting around in a box for a year means the UVB output isn't what it should be anymore? I did have a bearded dragon before this one (who I sadly lost in a tragic accident in April ) and I vaguely remember having this issue with him too at first, but I don't remember how or why it cleared up. And well, I'm paranoid and love my new baby already and want to help him Has anyone else experienced this with a new beardie? Any advice you all have is much appreciated

 

[Embee]

Hello my fellow bearded dragon lovers! I recently got a new dragon baby and am starting to get concerned because I don't think he eats enough. He was shipped to me on June 16th so its been about ten days, could it still be from relocation stress? He will only eat about 6-8 crickets a day, and maybe a silkworm or two but that's it, and I know that isn't enough. He is currently 6 inches long and in a 40 gallon tank with a Reptisun 10.0 for UVB and a heat lamp for basking. I take the temperatures with two digital thermometers with probes (between 98 and 102 under the basking site, and about 78 on the cool side). I have been tweaking the tank quite a bit since he arrived, switching out lights and substrate and whatnot so he's definitely been through a lot of changes in the past 10 days. I've also considered that the problem could be my Reptisun because I bought it a year ago, but haven't used it until now, does anyone know if sitting around in a box for a year means the UVB output isn't what it should be anymore? I did have a bearded dragon before this one (who I sadly lost in a tragic accident in April ) and I vaguely remember having this issue with him too at first, but I don't remember how or why it cleared up. And well, I'm paranoid and love my new baby already and want to help him Has anyone else experienced this with a new beardie? Any advice you all have is much appreciated

Hi,

Well, first I would ask just to make sure, is your ReptiSun 10.0 a TUBE (rather than a compact or coil)? As to the age of the light, I don't know if there is a shelf life on them but I imagine there very well might be. I do wonder if that is your issue as UVB certainly plays a staring role in appetite stimulation. Of course, he's new and in a new place and relocation stress, tinkering with the tank, could be part of the issue as well. How close is he to the UVB? For a ReptiSun 10.0 TUBE, best to have him 5-6 inches from the bulb, for optimum exposure and calcium processing.

Aside from that, I would suggest getting the basking temps up, more to 105-110. Young beardies need the higher temps to digestion thoroughly and properly. Also, are you bathing? Could he be perhaps dehydrated? A good 15-20 minutes soak in baby warm water up to shoulders might be helpful.

I'm so sorry for the beardie you lost, and hope your dear one there gets up to eating well soon.

The best,
Em

 

[moonshadow116]

Hi Em! Thanks for your reply. To answer your question, yes my Reptisun is a tube rather than a coil and my little guy (whose name is Ripple, after my boyfriend's favorite Grateful Dead song :roll: lol) generally hangs out about six inches away from it. I bathe him a lot, probably about 5 times a week so I don't think he is dehydrated. I didn't realize that his temps should be a little higher though and am definitely going to buy a new bulb and see if I can straighten that out, thanks for the suggestion! I've gotten him up to eating more like 25 crickets a day for the last two days so that's good, I'm hoping to get him even higher. One last question though, I noticed that his color is always dark when he's in his tank but he lightens up immediately when I take him out...he started doing that right after I switched from paper towels to tile in his tank. Any ideas on why this is? These little guys sure are confusing sometimes...good thing they're so cute!

 

[Embee]

Hi Em! Thanks for your reply. To answer your question, yes my Reptisun is a tube rather than a coil and my little guy (whose name is Ripple, after my boyfriend's favorite Grateful Dead song :roll: lol) generally hangs out about six inches away from it. I bathe him a lot, probably about 5 times a week so I don't think he is dehydrated. I didn't realize that his temps should be a little higher though and am definitely going to buy a new bulb and see if I can straighten that out, thanks for the suggestion! I've gotten him up to eating more like 25 crickets a day for the last two days so that's good, I'm hoping to get him even higher. One last question though, I noticed that his color is always dark when he's in his tank but he lightens up immediately when I take him out...he started doing that right after I switched from paper towels to tile in his tank. Any ideas on why this is? These little guys sure are confusing sometimes...good thing they're so cute!

Sounds like things are looking up on the feeders. Great news! Thanks for humoring me on the enclosure questions. I believe with the temps up a tick, things will be perfect. In time, he'll be eating so much, your pocketbook will feel lighter!

As to your question, it's hard to say. I have noticed our girl changing colors in all sort environments, especially when she was younger/skinnier. They say that with dragons, color is mainly attributed to temperature which I'm sure is true to a large extent, but I remember a similar color changing when she was a little one... in the viv, darker (esp. if she was perched on her vine which was a very dark color), out of the viv she would lighten up, and being that room temps were always lower than viv temps... I do wonder if it had something to do with the colors in and out of the viv, and also her mood. ???

Now that she is older, longer and fatter, I don't see near the color changing as when she was younger. I know with better fat stores, she retains heat much better which could certainly have something to do with it. She is almost always bright white underneath and her colors always glowing (except when her skin is preparing to shed). Occasionally she will darken in the viv, when she is sad and cranky, say if I haven't taken her out of the viv for a good bit or if she's getting ready to shed and is feeling uncomfortable.

Hope that helps a bit... clear as mud, eh? :wink:

Em