What’s wrong with my baby beardie?

[Momc3]

I purchased my bearded dragon a little over a week ago. I bought it at Petco. A worker there claims to have a lot of experience with them and helped us buy everything we needed. It’s in a 40 gal tank with tile. It has a power sun uv bulb 100 W from zoo med. Also a under tank heater that’s on all the time. The basking area usually is 107 and where the mat is the tile is around 90. The left side of the tank is usually only 62-69. My house is kept on the cool side anywhere from 61-66. It does not go the the left side of the tank at all. Actually all it does is stay on the top of the basking area and crawls to the the tile at night when the light is off. It seems very nervous and doesn’t want to be handled. It doesn’t run around or do anything but stay in the basking area. He hasn’t really eaten much at all. I figure it was stressed from relocating, but now I’m really worried since it won’t eat. We bought crickets that we dusted with calcium and put him in a smaller bin to eat and he just jumped out. He has only eaten a few after we put them right in front of him. We had meal worms and he ate a few of those a day if we placed them right in front of him, but we learned that they are bad for them so we got rid of them. We bought wax worms a few days ago and on the first day he ate 3. Now for the past 2 days he won’t eat them at all. He still has pooped once a day since we brought him home. What could be the problem? Oh and he’s 12 grams. I have pictures, but I wasn’t sure how to upload them.

 

[Vualk]

when i first brought mine home she seemed very nervous and didnt eat much for around a week or so..

Just keep offering her food and water .. i am no expert but i think she or he whatever you have may be just adjusting..

https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/

 

[EllenD]

Can you post a photo of him, and more importantly of his entire enclosure showing how you have the lights set up?

Sometimes the MVB lights are a bit tricky as far as getting the tank temps correct, that's why I'm not a fan of them at all, as you cannot separate the heat from the UVB light. So on one-hand you have to have his basking spot/platform within a certain distance of the UVB light for the dragon to get adequate UVB/UVA light, but on the other-hand you cannot move just the heat closer or further away to correct the temps, because you'll be moving the UVB too close or too far away. The under-tank heat mats aren't very helpful for Beardies, as they get all of their heat from light above them (desert reptiles get everything from the natural sunlight above them), and as such, if his Cool Side of the tank has an Ambient (air) Temperature that is too cool or too hot, you again can't adjust the MVB light to correct it. (should be between 75-80 degrees max)

A lot of people who use an MVB light also add a strong T5-strength, 10% UVB tube over the basking spot that is within at least 11" of the basking spot/platform, that way they can move the MVB a bit, and they also ensure that the dragon is getting adequate UVB/UVA light at all times.

 

[Momc3]

How do you post pictures?

 

[Momc3]

 

[Momc3]

 

[EllenD]

It's a very nice looking set-up you have for her...What type of thermometer are you using for her?

I'm asking because I want to get her 3 temperature zones straight...you say that her "basking area" is about 107 degrees, but are you reading that on a stick-on thermometer, or is that a reading from either a Gun or a Digital Probe Thermometer? If it's a reading from any type of stick-on thermometer that is located within the Hot Side of her tank, then that's actually the Hot Side Ambient (air) Temperature, which should only be between 88-93 degrees F maximum. The actual Basking Spot Surface Temperature must be measure with either a Gun or a Probe, and it's the Surface Temp that must be between 105-110 degrees F max...So if that 107 is being read on a stick-on thermometer, then that's definitely your problem, as that should read 93 degrees max...

If that isn't it, it may just be that the Powersun MVB isn't providing her enough UVB/UVA light, especially through the mesh lid. This isn't uncommon, that's why some people also add the long, T5 strength UVB tube over the Hot Side of the tank, because it's going to definitely provide enough UVB/UVA light from on top of the mesh lid, as long as it's within about 10-11" of her basking spot...

 

[Momc3]

I am using a gun to read the surface temperature. I am going to go out today and get the T5 strength uvb tube. Since I have the powersun bulb, how do I set up the new bulb?

 

[EllenD]

If you're just going to add a T5 UVB tube, all you need to do is put it over the Hot Side of the tank, right alongside the MVB, as the MVB is what is providing the bright-white basking light and heat to him, and you want the UVB right alongside the basking light, with his basking spot/platform directly underneath both lights so that he gets both at the same time while basking; this is replicating natural sunlight as closely as possible for him. Make sure that his basking spot is within at least 10-11" of the T5 tube, for a T8 tube it has to be within 6", so the T5 makes it much easier, plus it only needs to be replaced once every 12 months, right when the MVB does as well.