Trouble with getting my baby beardie to eat.

[Bihelical]

I understand that this is a common question and I have searched for similar threads prior to registering to ask my question. Despite making changes with my setup the appetite issues are persisting and I would really appreciate some help so that my little one will be healthy and happy. I also understand that I have written a lot, and again I really appreciate any time spent reading it all and any advice provided.

I got a ~4 week old baby beaded dragon early in December making her ~8 weeks old now. I currently have her housed in a tank with dimensions 30" x 12" and 12 " tall. She ate sparingly for a week (I assume due to relocation stress), but quickly gained a larger appetite. She would eat 20-30 small crickets a day (fed 2-3x a day). One feeding per day dusted with a calcium supplement (no phosphorous, but with D3) and 2x a week with Zoo med's reptivite. She will not eat green's/veggies out of a dish but she will eat some out of my hand. So I can usually get her to eat some very finely chopped up collard greens or very finely zested bits of butternut squash, but not much. She gets a bath 2-3x a week and I give her a quick/small misting once a day. Anyways, about 2 or so weeks ago she had a massive drop in appetite and interest in her crickets. She will eat maybe 3-4 crickets MAX a day if any at all. I can still get her to eat a small bit of greens/squash out of my hand and I have been giving her baby food (squash mostly and a little bit of chicken) via eye dropper. Edit: I felt that it may be important to note that she does initially display interest in crickets but quickly acts like they don't exist after eating a few or even after a few failed attempts.

For heating and lighting info, her basking temp is between 105-110ºF (although she prefers the top of her hot side hiding log which hovers at 104ºF) and cool side during the day tends to range from 86-89ºF. Temps verified via digital probe and infrared temp gun. The heat lamp uses a flood light I bought at home depot which is 65 watt and provides nice bright light. I can't remember all the details but I know I checked it against recommended bulbs here before purchasing to make sure it was a suitable one. I also have a repti-sun 10.0 UVB 18" bulb for the tank. Substrate is simply paper towels. Prior to her coming home I sanitized the tank and all tank furniture using a solution of heavily diluted bleach (diluted as recommended from this site). I also made sure no more bleach was present after rinsing and drying.

Some more info on her. She is between 5"-6" long from nose to tail-tip. She does display stress marks. Sometimes very dark and other times barely noticeable, but they show to some degree at almost all times since she lost her appetite. She has remained active and attentive throughout. She has had a few moments where she acted a bit lethargic but perked up when I tried to hand feed her. She does follow me with her eyes attentively and climbs around on her various cage furniture.

I'm not sure if this is relevant info, but just in case. I do own 2 cats and both of them display a high level of interest. The baby's tank is elevated quite high and it is not possible for the cats to get on top of or next to the cage at all. I have even taped a paper towel to the only side the cats could even have a chance of looking in through.

I apologize if this was the incorrect forum (seemed the best fit as it is a feeding question) and again greatly appreciate any help/advice. Also here are some pictures of the tank setup.

http://i.imgur.com/H8hU4dc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OrZmJ7s.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gZQjxn5.jpg

And 2 of her now.

http://i.imgur.com/nKVymim.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IlrOLqh.jpg

 

[Luthien]

Does she tend to shy away from the glass of her tank at times or bite at it?

Don't worry too much if she doesn't eat her greens or fruit, most young beardies (like young kids) don't like veggies She will eat more of them as she grows older, continue to offer them to her though.

When you put the crickets/any other source of protein in her tank does she chase them then give up after not being able to catch them?

 

[Bihelical]

I have seen her shy away from the glass a few times but never try to bite it. She also has given mild chase and tends to give up rather easily after not catching them.

 

[Luthien]

Since she does shy away from the glass that tells me that she's seeing her own reflection in it and she's getting stressed about "the other dragon". Try getting back drops for your Viv and putting them on the back and sides so only the front is glass, that could solve your stress marks.

Another thing you can try is freeze dried food instead of live. My beardie was like that when she was small as well and lost alot of weight. Someone on here mentioned freeze dried and I haven't had any trouble since. With freeze dried you'll have to get calcium powder though. Unless you try what I've gone with, it's called Natural Zone, Bites for Bearded Dragons. It has all they need in it including calcium, Amino Acids, Proteins, Vitamins, and Minerals.

 

[Bihelical]

Thanks for the advice, gonna try taping paper towels around most of the exterior to reduce reflection. I was able to get her to eat about 6 crickets this morning by placing each one in a plastic cup and lowering it into her cage. The goal of this was to let her only deal with 1 at a time and make it easier for her to catch. This worked fairly well, but 2 did get out of the cup at which point she instantly lost interest, but still ate two more out of the tipped over cup after the escaped 2. I will look into that brand of beardie food, thanks again!

 

[Esther19]

You might also want to try live repti-worms, aka phoenix worms. They are a good staple feeder that will stay in a dish while moving around. They would not be as intimidating as a cricket, and easier to catch.

 

[sweetpea1981]

Yeah my guys love their phoenix worms! They are easy for bearded dragons that don't like to hunt much, which my guys don't.

 

[Bihelical]

With the paper towels up she seems to not have the problems with reflections stressing her out. I am not sure if it is from the elimination of the possible reflection stress or my figuring out a way to feed her that works for her but her appetite has skyrocketed! Taking down ~20 crickets per feeding no problem. I think she just might be the world's worst beardie in regards to hunting and running down prey :lol: . I noticed that if I toss one small cricket in her food dish (when emptied and clean) she grabs it no prob then looks up at me waiting for the next one. However, if one jumps out it might as well not exist to her. Apparently, my baby beardie prefers her food handed to her or given on a platter :roll: . Since I also have an adult male beardie and I hate crickets I have recently started up a dubia colony. The baby absolutely loves the fact that the little nymphs can't get out of the dish and gobbles them up and the adult is now less keen on crickets after I gave him just one to see how he would take to it. I intend to purchase a large order of small nymphs for my baby so I can let my colony get established.

Thanks again to everyone for their advice. My little one is doing great now and I look forward to watching her get big and spoiled .

 

[rafa2k]

My beardy also waited for his crickets to be "hand delivered" when I first got him. I used to have to place them on his hammock while he was laying in it for him to eat. That all changed when I switched to dubia roaches. Now he sees the plastic baggie come out and he pops up. I can place the dish on the complete opposite side of the tank, as soon as he sees the baggie near the bowl he RUNS over to it. He loves those dubias.