WEAK DRAGON NEED HELP

[chameleon7]

My new dragon is weak hardly eats and is almost impossible to hold as he is absolutely lighting quick and is terrified of me!!!! I feel so bad i rushed into getting another dwarf bearded dragon called Pedro (Pogona minor) because they supposedly go together better than Cenrtals (Pogona Vitticeps), realized size would be a problem, Carlos my Adult was too big so had to put Pedro in the spare enclosure which had no lights at first but after a couple of days i managed to get a heat bulb but i can't buy another uvb bulb as i'm out of money and the electricity bill would be too high if i got one, he had no uvb for a couple of days at a time because i had to keep swapping Carlos and Pedro so Pedro got at least some uvb, which created more problems as i kept having to forcefully grab Pedro, the first couple of times i held him he jut sat there shocked but now he is terrified of me so moving him is an issue, Pedro is now currently in Carlos's tank and Carlos in Pedro's. The uvb in Carlos's tank inst that good i believe as its on top of mesh (wasn't a problem previously as Carlos spent half the day in the outside enclosure every few days and was fine for a year with the uvb on top of mesh even when we didn't have the outdoor enclosure) so the only uvb Pedro is getting is apparently filtered (Pedro would escape the outdoor enclosure as he would most likely squeeze through a crack plus i wouldn't want to stress him out any more) so any suggestions of how to get the uvb underneath the mesh would be helpful. About a week ago Pedro started eating out of tweezers which he previously didn't do but now he just sits wherever i put him last in his enclosure unless i scare by him by accident then he scatters to the corner of his tank, i put some leaves where the uvb is so he can hide and be secure under the uvb, but he never basks unless i put him under the globe, then he just stays there, now when i feed him i have to put the cricket right in front of his face and he slowly opens his mouth and grabs it without even moving he then sits there with the cricket in his mouth and Waite's till i leave then slowly chomps it, sorry for the essay but my new dragon is weak, won't move and is terrified of me, i can't even hold him please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It sounds like he has had too much stress which is really affecting him.
Are they both males, too, correct? That could also be bothering him, if he is able to see the other male.
How often are you changing the bulbs back & forth? Which UVB brand are you using?
Are you located in Australia or the US or UK?

Please post a picture of the tank setup & of your dragon, too. Also, what are the basking temperatures in the tank for him?

Tracie

 

[chameleon7]

they are both females but the names stuck :lol: I have wasted a lot of money on temp readers, haven't measured properly but plan to buy a good one on eBay if you have some suggestions, i will try get some photo's soon, for the other issue with him being scared of me do you have any suggestions to tame her, Carlos (adult dragon) is kind of tame I've had him for a year and a bit but would like to get to the next level with her too, she will sleep on at night but in the day time she will not just sit on my shoulder/chill she just tries to climb to the highest point or away from me, she is not scared of me though she is completely comfortable with me just always runs away, wondering if pogona minor are just more skittish as they are smaller? or is it just because they are naturally tree lovers? although people i talk to who own the same type can sit outside with there pogona minor and not worry about them escaping, Thanks for the help!

 

[chameleon7]

Oh and i do change my uvb every six months and heat lamp every 4 months.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You could try hand feeding the female who is more skittish to see if you are able to get her tamed down some. Have you found a favorite food she likes?
The Accurite digital probe thermometers are one of the better brands. You can get them from Amazon also.
I am not real familiar with pogona minors, but they are smaller. Some of the pogona species do like to climb more than the others. Are you in Australia?
Definitely post pictures when you can of them & of their setups, too.
I think eventually Pedro will come around but some take longer to warm up than others. Are they both eating pretty well though?

Tracie

 

[chameleon7]

well Carlos will eat anything that moves her fav food is silkworms and meal worms (before i knew they were bad) she really likes worms, pedro isn't that interested in her food havent tried offering veggies or fruit yet tho only crickets had her for a month, should i try the occasional meal worm as a treat for taming and as a appetite booster as i would have to order silkworms in the mail, but can get mealies locally, the pet shop used to supply silk worms and yes i live in western Australia, the only place you can own a p minor but i saw LLL reptiles post a vid on youtube and they managed to get some somehow :?: Thanks for the replies by the way :mrgreen:

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That's good Carlos eats well then. Hopefully Pedro will start to eat more also.
That would be fine to give a few mealworms & waxworms as a treat during the week.
I bet it is hard to find silkworms there!
Wow, western Australia, are there a lot of Pogona minors there? If LLL Reptile got some, they either had old stock or they imported them somehow.

Let us know how they are both doing.

Tracie

 

[chameleon7]

Yeah pogona minors are real close to my area, they live down at one of the local beaches, haven't seen a wild one tho but lots of my freinds send me pictures of the ones they see, btw with meal worms do you still think its okay because carlos has only done three poops in the last month and a half and pedro is only six months old, hes only like 25 cm long, also would recommend king worms (think they are same as super worms?) i thought about it once but wasn't sure carlos is about 33 cm long, do would they be too big, i know that they can eat big silkworms and it doesn't matter but what about the king worms?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your dragon doing?
The mealworms are ok, but shouldn't be fed daily. The superworms are good, but be careful if your dragon is under 16 inches because they could cause impactions. You should be able to find baby superworms which would be fine. Silkworms are great if you can find them, or crickets & roaches, too.

Tracie

 

[chameleon7]

ugh im struggling with pedro he wont bask or go under uvb unless i physically put him there, then he just goes straight back to the corner of the tank and hides :x he is eating tho but wont chase the crickets or go after them, i try to make her kind of put in effort to get them (i tweezer feed which she has finally gotten used too) she just sits there and makes me put the cricket in front of her face.
Carlos is fine though she has been getting out in the sun for a 2-3 hours everyday and is looking healthier than ever, idk what ill do in winter tho, (shes in the tank with no uvb bulb) she pooped yesterday which is good, think thats 4 or 5 poops in 2 months :? keep forgetting to put up photos will have to use my phone and find the time :roll:

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is Pedro doing today, have you been able to get her basking or not?
Which UVB light are you using for her now?
If she is eating but not basking much, she may have just decided to slow down some for the season. She should pick back up soon, though but you could try to get a fecal done on her to be sure that she doesn't have worms/parasites.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie

 

[chameleon7]

hm, i highly doubt she has parasites. she has slightly moved like 20cm away from the corner of the enclosure when i got home, i have a feeling she is just really stressed as i tried handle her and introduce her to my other female carlos too quickly (i plan to eventually put them together) yes ik about bullying but i heard dwarfs are more compatible that centrals.but ive had her for over a month now so would she till be stressed? any way pedro's tank is in the living room as well so there is lots of traffic, wondering if she is getting stressed from that also, for uvb i have a reptile one, 10.0 reptiglo t8, its on top of mesh and is accessible from about 10-15cm away. my other beardie seemed to do fine with the uvb on top of mesh. is their a way i can get it on the inside of the tank without it getting too close and causing eye damage? :?: Thanks so much for the help.