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
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