****URGENT****Baby Bearded Dragon Help

[eeaston16]

backstory --
I planned on getting a bearded dragon a couple of days ago so i went to the store (yes, i had the tank set up and researched as much as i could. no impulse buy, i promise) and the lady (a family friend of ours) asked if i could take this baby they got in since the others ones, that were 5 times his size, were rude to him and stole his food a lot. She asked me that because she trusted that i knew what i was doing. i took him in.

He didn't eat for the first couple of days, as expected. but he has these wrinkles on him, obviously in need of more food and water in him. I then googled what i should do since he was dehydrated and very, very lethargic. I found out about Pedialyte (sorry if spelt wrong.) baths and baby food. Today, i got him some squash baby food and clear Pedialyte and gave him a pedialyte and water bath. then i mixed water (filtered), baby food, and Pedialyte then put it in a syringe and rubbed his throat very gently and when he opened his mouth squirted some in.

now to the point, fianally, should i add some of the calcium powder to his liquid food, so he gets some calcium? and any other tips?

Also, he hasn't pooed in four days. should i try rubbing his belly the next bath?

he does have a water dish in his home, he sits in it sometimes during the day. He is weird.

Also, I promise that I'm not like those others on the page. i do love animals and care so much about this little dude. i do already have another tank set up for him when he grows. I spent two months straight re searching about BD's, but nothing prepared me enough for this little dude and how he would be so much smaller than planned.


more tips to help out.

he is smaller than my female palm (i did some research he is probably only a month old and shouldn't of been selled to the store yet)

name is rou

in a 10 gallon tank, correct temperature for basking side and cool side.

no sand, sand is horrible, i have reptile carpet.

a great UVB light, promise.

he is very active when he wants to be, just doens't eat.

yes, i have tried crickets, mealworms (just one since they are bad), and pheniox worms. he only opened his mouth for the syringe.

yes he is names after Roube, the leo and stitch character that made sandwhiches the whole show.

 

[kingofnobbys]

backstory --
I planned on getting a bearded dragon a couple of days ago so i went to the store (yes, i had the tank set up and researched as much as i could. no impulse buy, i promise) and the lady (a family friend of ours) asked if i could take this baby they got in since the others ones, that were 5 times his size, were rude to him and stole his food a lot. She asked me that because she trusted that i knew what i was doing. i took him in. <<< NOT BEING RUDE TO HIM/HER, BUT BULLYING HIM/HER AND DOMINATING HER --- SHE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PLACED IN A TANK WITH LARGER BEARDIES ,there was a very strong risk that she would be killed by them and even eaten by them or at least savaged severely by them (looking toes/ fingers, hands/feet , even legs / arms and big part of the tail....

The poor little hatchling has been traumatized and starved if the live insect proteins and dietary calcium it needed while in the shop.

But that's over now and now he is needing to adjust to a new situation, to being housed by him self , and new people and new suroundings and a new lighting and feeding schedule and new foods - very stressful for him, and it's not uncommon for the new beardie to under a period where it's unsettled and off it's food and of being stressed - this often lasts for several days. BUT THEY DO adjust and soon are back to eating and being more relaxed and inquisitive - so don't loose heart, he will likely be eating you out of house and home with the live bugs and he'll likely have you trained in very short order.

He didn't eat for the first couple of days, as expected. but he has these wrinkles on him, obviously in need of more food and water in him. I then googled what i should do since he was dehydrated and very, very lethargic. I found out about Pedialyte (sorry if spelt wrong.) baths and baby food. Today, i got him some squash baby food and clear Pedialyte and gave him a pedialyte and water bath. then i mixed water (filtered), baby food, and Pedialyte then put it in a syringe and rubbed his throat very gently and when he opened his mouth squirted some in.
<<<< Pedialyte bathes wont hurt him , but contrary to the old wife's tails, it wont hydrate him unless he actually drinks some while in the bath, the only way to hydrate a beardie are via his mouth.
If he likes his bath , continue them , but don't overdo it, beardies only need a bath if
>> they have soiled themselves
>> they are too hot
>> they a impacted (helps with tummy rubbing to get the plumbing unblocked)
>> they have open injuries that require bathing in dilute Betadiene solution (but be careful to prevent him from drinking).

A good way to hydrate a beardie is to deposit drops of water on it's nose , and when these flow to his mouth if he's thirsty he''ll drink them.

In the main beardies will sit in their water dish to either deposit a poo there (they soon discover submerged poos don't smell as much) or to thermoregulate. Few beardies will recognize standing water as something to drink, some do, but most rarely drink from the water dish.
If beardie is eating plenty of live bugs and fresh greens and veg he'll get nearly all the hydration he needs.
Hence it's probably a good idea to remove the water dish as they do contribute to tank humidity as the water gets warmed by the basking lamp and the warm air circulating in the tank.

now to the point, fianally, should i add some of the calcium powder to his liquid food, so he gets some calcium? and any other tips?
<<<< I think he really needs you to be persist about offering live insects to him, if he as young I as I think he is from your description, he needs AT LEAST TWO / THREE' IS BETTER LIVE INSECT MEALS PER DAY.
>>> choices are
>>>> BSF maggots (excellent staple !)
>>>> silkworms (a 4 week old beardie will handle small = 1.5" size silkworms) another excellent feeder insect
>>>> smallish (about 1/3 size) crickets who have been calcium enriched by gutloading with calcium rich greens and are dusted lightly in calcium powder
>>>> similar sized roaches or locasts , gutloaded and dusted.
If he refuses to catch his bugs you may need to resort to hand/force feeding the bugs to him (at least to get him in the mood to eat) or to use BugPie and give this by feeder syringe.



Also, he hasn't pooed in four days. should i try rubbing his belly the next bath? <<< no or very little SOLID food = no poo.

he does have a water dish in his home, he sits in it sometimes during the day. He is weird.

Also, I promise that I'm not like those others on the page. i do love animals and care so much about this little dude. i do already have another tank set up for him when he grows. I spent two months straight re searching about BD's, but nothing prepared me enough for this little dude and how he would be so much smaller than planned.


more tips to help out.

he is smaller than my female palm (i did some research he is probably only a month old and shouldn't of been selled to the store yet)

name is rou

in a 10 gallon tank, correct temperature for basking side and cool side. <<< 10 G is very small even for little hatchling, he'll do better in a 100L (25G) tank , will be easier to get a thermal gradient and will do him for his first year or so.

no sand, sand is horrible, i have reptile carpet.

a great UVB light, promise.

he is very active when he wants to be, just doens't eat.

yes, i have tried crickets, mealworms (just one since they are bad), and pheniox worms. he only opened his mouth for the syringe.

yes he is names after Roube, the leo and stitch character that made sandwhiches the whole show.

Please give a very thorough run down on his set up

UV
type (compact coiled, T8 , T5 or MVB, %UVB rating, wattage , mesh or screen between him and UV ?
distance to basking spot ?

basking
type and colour ?

Temps
daytime - at basking spot , in warm zone , in cool zone ?
nighttime ?

does he have a hide ?

When are his lights & heat turned on ? off ?

Feeding schedule ?

photos of setup , something might stick out as needing changing .

Are you monitoring his weight ? how much did he weigh on adoption, how much is he now ?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Roube is a cute name.
Do you have any pictures of him & the tank setup?
Which UVB light/type & brand do you use?
Since you haven't had him long, he is probably experiencing relocation stress which will affect appetite & behavior in most.
Do you measure the temperatures with a digital probe or temp gun?
That's great he is eating the squash baby food, he should like it. You can definitely mix the calcium powder in with his food daily also. Keep trying with the phoenix/calcium worms & small crickets. You can get a plastic bin to feed him in also, to see if that works also.
Do you happen to remember if he was on sand in the pet store? If so, he could be impacted. You could add some sugar free applesauce to the squash to help out in case he is a little impacted.
It sounds like you are doing everything correctly. Give him some time to fully adjust.
As suggested, continue with baths, especially if he drinks that will help along with dropping extra drops of water onto his nose, too.
What are the temperatures measuring in the tank? It's hard maintaining them in the 10 gallon tanks.
I would take the water dish out at night, so that he can't fall asleep in it & drown overnight.

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[eeaston16]

He does drink from his baths, and i do take out the water dish at night.

with how small he is the ten gallon is actually really big for him. the temp is 100 on the basking side and 80 on the cooler side.

repisun 10.0

He hasn't been accepting live food, that's why i am giving him liquids. I need him to stay hydrated.

Thank you, i will do a update post on him in a couple of weeks. I'll title is 'update on roue'