PLEASEEE HELP!!!!! I think my baby beardie is dying!!!

[Drache613]

Hello,

It sounds like he is doing a lot better now, that is terrific. Congratulations on getting him to turn a
corner, bless him, he has a great chance. That is excellent you got him trained to drink from a water
dish, so few actually will do that.
Did he finish his shedding yet?
Be sure to keep us updated on his progress as well as pictures, too. I hope he is eating well & continues
to improve!

Tracie

 

[MushuMiami]

That's great news. Glad he got a couple crickets in him. The protein should make him feel better and hopefully lead to more eating. The shedding definitely messes with their appetites. I've found Beebz seems most affected the day or two leading up to actually shedding, but i don't know if that's typical or a Beebz thing.

I'm jealous you managed to teach him to drink from a bowl! The most Beebz has done is lay in the water, and rarely enough that I'm not even sure he does it on purpose. Don't be surprised if he starts taking less water once he's caught up on hydration. Especially if you manage to get him to eat any veggies. They don't always drink a ton. Definitely keep offering though. He'll let you know when he's done by letting it drip off him and giving you a sour look. At least this is Beebz response to most of my offerings of water on his snout.

Glad he pooped! As mentioned you shouldn't expect a lot as he hasn't eaten a lot. You don't have to totally give up on the mealworms. I would offer higher protein feeders first though. super worms have tougher chiten than mealworms but less of it. They are lower in fat than mealworms but still have enough that you want to make sure he gets something with more protein regularly. It's also totally fine if you're done with mealworms, there are only so many different insects you can reasonably keep on hand. Find the ones that work for you and your Dragon.

Personally I feed the protein first (normally either BSFL or Dubia, though Beebz loves crickets on the occasions i have them) and offer 1-3 superworms at the end of each feeding. This is a small amount compared to the protein feeders he eats. Then he gets 1 hornworm, which he will literally run across the enclosure and bang his nose against the glass for if I let him see the container before i get it out.

This is just an example, and I may be overfeeding. Sadly there are no FDA guidelines for dragon macros so I do the research and do the best I can .

Glad your guy is eating again and hope you have good luck with the new feeders you have on the way!

Thank you so much, I can’t thank this group enough for helping me out!

Yesterday he pretty much refused to eat any crickets or meal worms and I was starting to get worried again. But thankfully our feeders arrived 4pm yesterday (they were suppose to get here Saturday) and I started him off the with the horn worm which he absolutely LOVED lol he took no time at all to devour that things. Is it ok to maybe give him 2 or 3 every few days? I only gave him 1 because I wasn’t sure. I also gave him a few BSFL, he was pretty skeptical at first but I kept offering him 1 every 20mins and he ate about 6. I offered the BSFL again today for breakfast and he ate about 7 and then another 6 for lunch so it’s safe to say he loves them. I just hope he doesn’t refuse them like the crickets. But it looks like his appetite is starting to return now.

He has been pooping everyday except today but he has been super active the last couple of days and almost took off on us when we let him out the tank lol. I will still continue to offer him water at least once daily just to make sure he’s hydrated.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you so much, I can’t thank this group enough for helping me out!

Yesterday he pretty much refused to eat any crickets or meal worms and I was starting to get worried again. But thankfully our feeders arrived 4pm yesterday (they were suppose to get here Saturday) and I started him off the with the horn worm which he absolutely LOVED lol he took no time at all to devour that things. Is it ok to maybe give him 2 or 3 every few days? I only gave him 1 because I wasn’t sure. I also gave him a few BSFL, he was pretty skeptical at first but I kept offering him 1 every 20mins and he ate about 6. I offered the BSFL again today for breakfast and he ate about 7 and then another 6 for lunch so it’s safe to say he loves them. I just hope he doesn’t refuse them like the crickets. But it looks like his appetite is starting to return now.

He has been pooping everyday except today but he has been super active the last couple of days and almost took off on us when we let him out the tank lol. I will still continue to offer him water at least once daily just to make sure he’s hydrated.

Put the BSFL on his salads around 20 -25 at a time -- if hes refusing crickets he isnt a cricket guy-- I would get him some dubia roaches -- www.dubiaroaches.com go by the chart on the website for size - feed no bigger than the space between his eyes--- feed 1-2 horn worms -- they usually grow pretty fast and we dont want them to out grow him

 

[xp29]

The hornworms will grow insanely fast, feed them off quickly. Be advised they can cause VERY watery poops though, and they are addictive for the beardies.

 

[Lyrebird.Rainwing]

I'm so glad your beardie is starting to get well again!
Swordtail wishes you the best of luck!

 

[Axil]

Thank you so much, I can’t thank this group enough for helping me out!

Yesterday he pretty much refused to eat any crickets or meal worms and I was starting to get worried again. But thankfully our feeders arrived 4pm yesterday (they were suppose to get here Saturday) and I started him off the with the horn worm which he absolutely LOVED lol he took no time at all to devour that things. Is it ok to maybe give him 2 or 3 every few days? I only gave him 1 because I wasn’t sure. I also gave him a few BSFL, he was pretty skeptical at first but I kept offering him 1 every 20mins and he ate about 6. I offered the BSFL again today for breakfast and he ate about 7 and then another 6 for lunch so it’s safe to say he loves them. I just hope he doesn’t refuse them like the crickets. But it looks like his appetite is starting to return now.

He has been pooping everyday except today but he has been super active the last couple of days and almost took off on us when we let him out the tank lol. I will still continue to offer him water at least once daily just to make sure he’s hydrated.

So glad to hear good news, I'd been thinking about you guys, hoping all was well.

I agree he can have a hornworm or two once or twice a day. Cut him back if his poo turns to mush, or if he starts refusing his other bugs. I give one after each feeding when I have them, (we're almost out and Beebz is going to riot) and haven't had either issue personally.

I also hope the BFSL stick and he doesn't end up refusing like the crickets. It would be good if he got at least one other staple feeder he likes. I know Dubai aren't legal in Florida or I'd recommend them.

Others have mentioned Discoid roaches should be available there and might be worth a look. I've never fed silkworms but hear good things about them also. Not entirely sure what sizes they come in, might be too big.

I would invest in a kitchen scale to track his weight. It should be going up weekly at this age. Tracking it will let you know he's getting enough to eat.

Also not sure if I already asked but do you hand feed? It sounds like he's comfortable with you the way you're able to give him water.

For whatever reason the first week or so Beebz ate almost exclusively out of my hand, with the bug pinched between my thumb and index finger like I was putting a quarter In a gumball machine. Now I make him go get his own bugs most of the time 'cause he can be a lazy thing.

 

[xp29]

The silkworms start at the same size as hornworms and get just as big, they grow a little slower though, i have been told putting them under uvb makes them grow faster but i haven't tested it yet. They are a great staple feeder.

 

[KarrieRee]

Luna roaches in Florida sell discoid they are like dubias

 

[Cuttlefishh]

Glad to hear hes coming around a bit ! I can confirm my girl Charlie was a picky eater too in her young days she wouldn't touch a single cricket but would then eat woodie roaches and BSFL. She then stopped eating woodies for some time and would only eat BSFL for awhile. Now as an adult she will literally eat anything they all have unique preferences I suppose.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I hope he is continuing to improve for you. Is his appetite doing well also?
He has come a long way, too. Just experiment with different foods until you find a good
combination for him.

Tracie

 

[MushuMiami]

Hello,

I hope he is continuing to improve for you. Is his appetite doing well also?
He has come a long way, too. Just experiment with different foods until you find a good
combination for him.

Tracie

Yes! He’s been doing awesome, his appetite is 110% right now lol he gets super excited when he sees food now. So far the BSFL and hornworms are his favorite and he’ll eat 1 or 2 super worms every few days. He has come a long way and continues to thrive. Thank you for checking on us.

 

[MushuMiami]

Glad to hear hes coming around a bit ! I can confirm my girl Charlie was a picky eater too in her young days she wouldn't touch a single cricket but would then eat woodie roaches and BSFL. She then stopped eating woodies for some time and would only eat BSFL for awhile. Now as an adult she will literally eat anything they all have unique preferences I suppose.

This sounds exactly like Mushu lol, he’s a super picky eater but I’m so happy we were able to find good staple feeders that he likes. He also will not touch crickets he refuses to move from his decor once he sees them lol, so I will no longer buy them.

 

[MushuMiami]

So glad to hear good news, I'd been thinking about you guys, hoping all was well.

I agree he can have a hornworm or two once or twice a day. Cut him back if his poo turns to mush, or if he starts refusing his other bugs. I give one after each feeding when I have them, (we're almost out and Beebz is going to riot) and haven't had either issue personally.

I also hope the BFSL stick and he doesn't end up refusing like the crickets. It would be good if he got at least one other staple feeder he likes. I know Dubai aren't legal in Florida or I'd recommend them.

Others have mentioned Discoid roaches should be available there and might be worth a look. I've never fed silkworms but hear good things about them also. Not entirely sure what sizes they come in, might be too big.

I would invest in a kitchen scale to track his weight. It should be going up weekly at this age. Tracking it will let you know he's getting enough to eat.

Also not sure if I already asked but do you hand feed? It sounds like he's comfortable with you the way you're able to give him water.

For whatever reason the first week or so Beebz ate almost exclusively out of my hand, with the bug pinched between my thumb and index finger like I was putting a quarter In a gumball machine. Now I make him go get his own bugs most of the time 'cause he can be a lazy thing.

He will only drink water from the dropper but he never liked being hand fed, I tried doing that when we first got him but he always preferred when we put his food right in front of him in his tank (probably because he was weak) but now he eats from his food bowl and I mix the BSFL and worms in with his greens. He absolutely loves horn worms but I did cut back on them because his poop did turn to mush so he gets 1 everyday. He gave him 2 the last few days because they have started growing super big, he has two more left but I think they are now way to big for him.
Awesome idea, I’ll invest in a kitchen scale to track his weight. Right now he looks so much healthier and definitely looks so much bigger now and super active.

 

[KarrieRee]

He will only drink water from the dropper but he never liked being hand fed, I tried doing that when we first got him but he always preferred when we put his food right in front of him in his tank (probably because he was weak) but now he eats from his food bowl and I mix the BSFL and worms in with his greens. He absolutely loves horn worms but I did cut back on them because his poop did turn to mush so he gets 1 everyday. He gave him 2 the last few days because they have started growing super big, he has two more left but I think they are now way to big for him.
Awesome idea, I’ll invest in a kitchen scale to track his weight. Right now he looks so much healthier and definitely looks so much bigger now and super active.

Cut he horn worms in half

 

[Axil]

He will only drink water from the dropper but he never liked being hand fed, I tried doing that when we first got him but he always preferred when we put his food right in front of him in his tank (probably because he was weak) but now he eats from his food bowl and I mix the BSFL and worms in with his greens. He absolutely loves horn worms but I did cut back on them because his poop did turn to mush so he gets 1 everyday. He gave him 2 the last few days because they have started growing super big, he has two more left but I think they are now way to big for him.
Awesome idea, I’ll invest in a kitchen scale to track his weight. Right now he looks so much healthier and definitely looks so much bigger now and super active.

Sounds like he's really doing well, and has figured out the routine. Glad he's excited to go get his food now.

Enjoy his "cute little baby" days, they grow so fast when they are eating well!