what foods can be syringe fed to a young beardie

[babybaberson1989]

my beardie bob is freakishly small.he is 7 and a half months old and only the size of a lighter.he is about 4.25 grams and snout to vent 5 cm.he is healthy but rarely eats.so,when he looks skinney i syringe feed him mealworms and pumpkin.he isn't intrested in greens.what else can i feed him in a syringe.

 

[NickAVD]

my beardie bob is freakishly small.he is 7 and a half months old and only the size of a lighter.he is about 4.25 grams and snout to vent 5 cm.he is healthy but rarely eats.so,when he looks skinney i syringe feed him mealworms and pumpkin.he isn't intrested in greens.what else can i feed him in a syringe.

Can you tell us about how the lighting and basking area in the terrarium are arranged?
Usually all problems related to nutrition are a consequence of insufficient temperatures or low UVB levels.

 

[Claudiusx]

If he is that small and is 7 months old it is definitely from improper husbandry and diet. That's barely the size that is considered acceptable to sell a newborn hatchling at.

Please go over your setup with us like NickAVD mentioned.

Specifically your basking surface temp and how you are measuring it as well as what you are using for UVB.

There is no reason he shouldn't be eating on his own, and that should be the goal. But, your husbandry is going to need to be proper for him to have the energy to eat on his own.

-Brandon

 

[babybaberson1989]

it is not improper husbandry.i have 8 beardies all of them thriving.all from same clutch.my question was on ideas what else he could eat

 

[Claudiusx]

So you have 8 identical setups for your 8 beardies which are all from the same clutch and only one has failed to grow at all since a hatchling in the span of 7 months? And the other 7 in identical setups are all sub-adult size?

Pardon the bluntness but many of us have been doing this for years if not decades and can tell when something isn't right. We are here to help. I assume since you posted here that you are seeking help and want what is best for your dragon, that's what we want too. The only way that will happen is if you are honest with us so we can help.

Can you post a picture of your setup for this specific dragon? We understand what your question is. But what we are trying to tell you is that this isn't a type of food issue. It's a 'why is the dragon not eating on it's own' issue.

In your profile you state that your enclosure size is 12x10x15. You've been using CM this whole time, if that's the case this enclosure is too small even for a hatchling. If these dimensions are in inches it is still too small.

In your profile you state that your basking bulb is an LED bulb. LED's produce very little heat, if even noticeable heat at all. LED's are not suitable basking bulbs for the simple reason that a basking bulbs main purpose is to produce heat for the basking surface.

Without proper heat, your dragon isn't going to digest any food. IF the dragon is not digesting food any food it eats is not going to be absorbed. If the dragon isn't absorbing nutrients from it's food, it will get sick and be lethargic, and it won't want to eat.

Point being is even if you force feed your dragon the healthiest diet in the world, if he's not able to digest and absorb it, nothing will change.

Husbandry needs to be fixed first for diet to start having a healing affect.

-Brandon

 

[NickAVD]

it is not improper husbandry.i have 8 beardies all of them thriving.all from same clutch.my question was on ideas what else he could eat

Don't be offended by these questions. I'll give you an analogy that will explain why questions have arisen.
Imagine, my son runs up to me and asks: Dad, Dad, where do we keep the paper? I answer - look in the garage, in a minute. Dad, where do we keep the matches? I answer - look in the kitchen. In a minute. Dad, where is the gunpowder? Me - what? What's going on here???
We don't see much of what you do, so we have questions about what's going on and why you need it.

 

[babybaberson1989]

i get it.the enclosure is in inches.it seems huge for him.it is huge for him.how big should it be for a 10 cm baby

 

[babybaberson1989]

and he is now runnig around and eyes open and eating bugs on his own for three days.but no change in size or weight.

 

[NickAVD]

and he is now runnig around and eyes open and eating bugs on his own for three days.but no change in size or weight.

It's good news that he eats bugs.
Offer him greens and salads as a daily diet.
Try not to syringe feed him unless absolutely necessary, because once he gets used to this type of feeding, it will be very difficult to retrain him to eat on his own.
Make sure the temperature in the basking area is 95-105 degrees Fahrenheit, and his UVB is a linear tube lamp 12% and is located 10-12 inches above the basking area.