Settling Behaviour - Not Eating

[BuzzL1ghtbeer]

Hi All

I have recently purchased a 7 month old beardie and in the 2 days I have had him he has only eaten 2 locusts and a small handful of greens. Is this normal practice as he settles in. He hasn't yet done a poo either.

He is currently in a 5ft viv, I have checked all the temps and they seem all fine. He does a lot of bobbing too.

How long should I give him before I get concerned he ain't eating. I have checked his belly for impaction and all feels well there.

Cos it's my first time having a beardie am I just being paranoid and just need to give him time to settle in?

Thanks

Pete

 

[peera]

Not eating for up to 2 weeks after a relocation (even changing cages, much less an entire household) is perfectly normal. IMHO, it can be offset by frequent handling before and after bringing them home (It's a little late for the before part for you, but it's a thought to file away. I handled all of mine as much as possible before I brought them home and none of them have ever suffered relocation stress.) Just give him some time, try offering him a variety of greens in case he just doesn't like what you're offering (although don't take it to heart if he rejects it right now, just try it again after he's started eating) and crickets for 15 minutes 2x a day, and sometime in the next 2 weeks expect him to start eating you out of house and home. You should also take into consideration that you brought home a baby right on the edge of puberty, and they tend to be a bit more stubborn and bratty than your average beardie.

 

[BuzzL1ghtbeer]

Thanks for your advice, I was told from previous keeper that the greens I am giving him are his favourite so I just assume he is settling in still. He tends to like basking as normal but just not eating much.

Not eating for up to 2 weeks after a relocation (even changing cages, much less an entire household) is perfectly normal. IMHO, it can be offset by frequent handling before and after bringing them home (It's a little late for the before part for you, but it's a thought to file away. I handled all of mine as much as possible before I brought them home and none of them have ever suffered relocation stress.) Just give him some time, try offering him a variety of greens in case he just doesn't like what you're offering (although don't take it to heart if he rejects it right now, just try it again after he's started eating) and crickets for 15 minutes 2x a day, and sometime in the next 2 weeks expect him to start eating you out of house and home. You should also take into consideration that you brought home a baby right on the edge of puberty, and they tend to be a bit more stubborn and bratty than your average beardie.

 

[peera]

Also, after glancing at your intro thread, I have 2 pieces of advice-
Lose the red light. They need bright white light during the day and no light at night. A regular household bulb or floodlight will do for white light and heat, no need to spend pet store prices on a reptile bulb as long as you have a UVB... in a big tank, I'd also consider an MVB so he can get light/heat/UVB all from one bulb. Temps at night can safely drop to the low 60's. If you're managing to get colder than that, get a ceramic heat emittor... It's like a light bulb that only gives off heat, not light.
He looks a bit dehydrated in the picture- he shouldn't be wrinkly. At his age, a bath 3x a week is a good idea. Baby warm water, at least covering his vent (where the poop comes out), and max up to his shoulders (If you bathe in a tub you can go a little deeper on one end if he likes swimming).
Also, now that I've seen your edit, previous keepers will say things like that, but it doesn't hurt to try them on other greens... they might just never have bothered to try anything else once it was established they kind of like what was being given to them. I was assured my middle girl LOVED greens, but it turns out the only green she loves is romaine, which isn't good for her. Getting her to eat salad with good greens in it is a constant battle.

 

[BuzzL1ghtbeer]

Again, thanks for you advice. I have 2 bulbs in the viv, I have a daylight spot basking bulb which is on a 12 hour timer but I only use the red bulb which is on a dimming stat to maintain heat during the night as it can get quite cold here in the UK during winter. Below are some more pics of my viv as it gets more complete. Just also note that he cannot touch the white bulb from where he is unless he is taking up olympic sports.

I was thinking of giving him a bath tonight so I will see how that goes

Also, after glancing at your intro thread, I have 2 pieces of advice-
Lose the red light. They need bright white light during the day and no light at night. A regular household bulb or floodlight will do for white light and heat, no need to spend pet store prices on a reptile bulb as long as you have a UVB... in a big tank, I'd also consider an MVB so he can get light/heat/UVB all from one bulb. Temps at night can safely drop to the low 60's. If you're managing to get colder than that, get a ceramic heat emittor... It's like a light bulb that only gives off heat, not light.
He looks a bit dehydrated in the picture- he shouldn't be wrinkly. At his age, a bath 3x a week is a good idea. Baby warm water, at least covering his vent (where the poop comes out), and max up to his shoulders (If you bathe in a tub you can go a little deeper on one end if he likes swimming).
Also, now that I've seen your edit, previous keepers will say things like that, but it doesn't hurt to try them on other greens... they might just never have bothered to try anything else once it was established they kind of like what was being given to them. I was assured my middle girl LOVED greens, but it turns out the only green she loves is romaine, which isn't good for her. Getting her to eat salad with good greens in it is a constant battle.

 

[Ethelia]

Hello there,
Peera has already given you some great advice.
Id just like to reasure you that she is pointing you in the right direction and you do need to ditch the red light.
It disturbs their sleep and leads to a restless and cranky dragon.
Trust me, ive been down this road myself.
Im in the UK as well and I appriciate the concern over our ever changing weather.
You need to get yourself a ceramic heat emitter for that thermostat controlled socket.
The CHE will warm up your viv without emitting any light at night.

There is however a serious issue here.
You only appear to have one basking bulb, which is not an MVB.
A basking bulb isnot sufficient for a bearded dragon. They need UVB light from a specialised bulb to produce calcium internally.
UVB is essental for your dragons health.

Your choices are:
A. keeping the basking bulb and adding a strip UVB bulb
B. changing your bulb for an MVB

Option A.
The only three bulbs which are any good whatsoever are:
Repti-sun 10
Arcadia
JBL Reptil-sun
You want a strip bulb, not a coil or compact under any circumstances as these are harmful to dragons.
You can pick these up online fairly cheaply, most UK stores tend to stock Repti-Glo bulbs which have been proven to harm dragons eyes.

Option B.
An MVB is a basking bulb and UVB bulb all in one.
However for an MVB your dragon must be a minimum of 12" away from the light at all times, so it depends on your tank size.
Also its not advised to use them for a tank which is smaller than a 40gal.
MVB wise your choices are (in order of excellence)
MegaRay
T-Rex Active UV
Powersun

Which ever option you choose you do need to get it bought/ordered immediately.


Whilst you have your shopping list out you will want to add a digital thermometre with a probe to the list.
This is the only accurate way to measure the temperatures in your viv.
Happy healthy dragons need a basking temperature of 95-105 and a cool side of 70-85.
Because of our fluctuating weather we need to keep a constant eye on our dragons temps.
You can pick one up online for cheapsies.
I got my ExoTerra one for £6.

Holly

 

[BuzzL1ghtbeer]

Id just like to reasure you that she is pointing you in the right direction and you do need to ditch the red light.
It disturbs their sleep and leads to a restless and cranky dragon.

I have been informed the red bulb i am using is an infrared bulb and dragons cannot see infrared light so I don't think it affects his sleep in any way. He is always in the same spot when I get up in the moning.


There is however a serious issue here.
You only appear to have one basking bulb, which is not an MVB.
A basking bulb isnot sufficient for a bearded dragon. They need UVB light from a specialised bulb to produce calcium internally.
UVB is essental for your dragons health.

Again, don't mean this sound nasty in any way but if you look at my pic again above you will see that there is a 4ft UVB strip bulb in the viv which is that far away from where he is basking.

Your choices are:
A. keeping the basking bulb and adding a strip UVB bulb
B. changing your bulb for an MVB

 

[peera]

The info that dragons can't see red light is old. It's been proven since that dragons can, indeed, see it. Maybe not with their eyes (I really can't recall, pregnancy seems to have robbed me of half my brain cells), but with the "third eye" light sensor on top of their head (It looks like a little bubble in their scales). They never get to go into a full, deep sleep because the red light keeps a portion of their brain up all night. The slightest noise should NOT be able to wake them up, their sleep should be almost like hibernation. My oldest was kept on a red light at night for many years, and it kept him awake and crabby because he was disturbed every time someone came into his room (and I and his previous owners are horrible, horrible night owls). Since getting him off it, he's a much happier dragon, and I can be in the same room as him without waking him up.

 

[Ethelia]

Again, don't mean this sound nasty in any way but if you look at my pic again above you will see that there is a 4ft UVB strip bulb in the viv which is that far away from where he is basking.

I do appologise, but as you said you only had two bulbs I thought the light at the back was a flash from the camera.
I wasnt trying to insinuate your stupidity. Lack of UVB lighting is the main problem when people join this site, so if its not mentioned you do tend to presume the worst

Again i agree with Peera.
The old "oh its infrared" line that the sellers use isnt at all correct for the reasons Peera has mentioned.

We arent criticising you. There is alot of absolutely rubbish information out their on bearded dragons, even info that stores swear by.

You're new dragon looks beautiful.
I hope that we see more pictures soon.

Holly

 

[BuzzL1ghtbeer]

I am grateful for all the all the advice I get as I am new to having beardie's. It is always good to hear advice from people with experience. I am currently in the process of getting a ceramic bulb. I gave him a bath lastnight for the first time but he didn't seem to keen on the idea. He tried to jump out of the bath. How long are you meant the leave them in the bath for to allow him to absorb water. I only kept him in for no more than 5 minutes.

What is your opinion on Nutrodol?

Thanks

Pete

You're new dragon looks beautiful.
I hope that we see more pictures soon.

Holly[/quote]

 

[BuzzL1ghtbeer]

He is another recent picture of Buzz, again if anyone notices anything that might not look right then please let me know as still new to beardie's.

 

[Ethelia]

Bath wise some dragons love it and will swim and swim and swin.... and some dragons hate it.
Dex would spend her bath time bearding me in a rage.
Like so hehe:

There are things you can do to relax your dragon more in the bath.
Ruben would do nothing but scrabble and try and get out of the bath until I put a rock in with him.
Now he will happpily float for hours:

You can also put a dishcloth down into the tub to give them something to grip on.
It helps stop the panic of a slippery surface.

Dragons need 10-15 minutes in the water to feel the benefits.
3 times a week will be plenty aswell.
I do it daily as my dragons will only poop in the bath.

Holly

 

[peera]

Looks like a gorgeous healthy boy to me!
Baths need to be 10-20 minutes to allow them to absorb properly and loosen any dirt that's stuck to them. The first 5 minutes usually are the hardest, after that they *usually* calm down for a while... I like to give baths in the tub so they have plenty of room and it's to deep to climb out of, otherwise the entire experience can turn into a power struggle as they climb out and you put them back in. Miss Priss is always convinced she's done after 10 minutes, so I get a lot of evil glares and bearded, but it's better your dragon thinks you're mean for a while than staying dehydrated. You can play with the temps a little to find out if any options make him like them better, just remember not to put them in any temperature you wouldn't put a baby in.

 

[BuzzL1ghtbeer]

I will give him another bath tonight and leave him in a bit longer. I did notice we was a little more active after his bath so maybe after a bit longer he might even surprise me and start eating some food. Here's another pic for you. hehe

 

[Ethelia]

:love10: :love10: :love10: