sleepy baby bearded dragon

[kayster24x1]

I bought a baby bearded dragon couple months ago and when I brought him home he was playful and enjoyed eating mixed greens but the past couple days he was been sleepy. I have given him a bath and he is drinking water but not sure now why he is sleepy all the time. Could this be him about to get ready to shed?

 

[CooperDragon]

It's quite possible the shed has him down. I'd monitor his weight and keep offering water and food and see if he starts to perk up a bit as the shed progresses. What do you have for a temperature gradient and UVB source in his enclosure?

 

[kayster24x1]

His cage is at 85 degrees and I have been giving him daily baths that he likes to drink but he wont take any food. I keep offering him his greens but he wont take any food.

 

[CooperDragon]

That sounds a bit low which may be affecting his appetite and health. For a baby, I suggest having a basking area between about 100-110 with some areas around that in the 90s. The cool side of the tank should be around 75-80 or so during the day. There should also be a source of UVB light over the basking area. It's important to get accurate temperature readings using an IR temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe. You can adjust the temperatures by raising/lowering the basking light or the basking site depending on what your setup will allow for. I've found it helpful to use an adjustable lamp stand to raise/lower the basking light to get the correct temps, or to use a lamp dimmer to control the output of the bulb.

 

[kayster24x1]

I have a lamp stand for my dragons. My dragon that I am having trouble with is a couple months old and does have a reptisun 10 but everytime I make his cage hotter than 85 be will hide under his cave

 

[kayster24x1]

I changed his heating temperature and it's hotter in his cage but he won't eat but he is still sleepy but will open his eyes when you go near his cage. I am wondering if he don't just like his cage because I took him out to see if we would play and he climbed all over me then he goes in his cage and goes to sleep

 

[CooperDragon]

It's good that he's active when he's out of his cage. Can you post some photos of the setup? I'll be glad to review it and see if anything stands out as a possible issue.

 

[kayster24x1]

I'm sorry my phone will not let me take any pictures but I have a 18 inch long reptisun 10.0. I have white shelf liner for the flooring and a cave to hide in but he just stays on top of it and a 75 Watt household bulb and I have all sides of the cage covered the sides of the tank with Christmas wrapping paper

 

[CooperDragon]

How far above the basking area do you have the ReptiSun 10? Is there any mesh top or plastic between the bulb and the basking site? The 18'' bulbs have an optimal output at about 6-8'' when used with a reflective fixture.