Why won’t my bearded Dragon eat?

[Jp A]

I have had my bearded dragon for about 3 days now and he refuses to eat crickets or meal worms, but he will eat the parsley I have in one of his bowls/plate. I try to feed three times a day ( 3 meal worms 2crickets every meal) but he won’t eat them.

 

[KarrieRee]

I have had my bearded dragon for about 3 days now and he refuses to eat crickets or meal worms, but he will eat the parsley I have in one of his bowls/plate. I try to feed three times a day ( 3 meal worms 2crickets every meal) but he won’t eat them.

How old is the dragon? What are his surface basking temps and how are you getting them? NO stick ons please -- what is the UVB your using coil or a long tube fixture? These are all critical for the dragons health and getting him to eat -- they do go thru relocation stress but we need to make sure the tank is in par w/ the husbandry

 

[Jp A]

How old is the dragon? What are his surface basking temps and how are you getting them? NO stick ons please -- what is the UVB your using coil or a long tube fixture? These are all critical for the dragons health and getting him to eat -- they do go thru relocation stress but we need to make sure the tank is in par w/ the husbandry

We didn’t get an exact date he was hatched I don’t have stick ons ( I use a probe) and the basking temp is really low 90’s I need to get them up but I don’t know how I should. The UVB being used is a long tube. Its not centered because the heat light doubles as a UVB light. Also I have another heat light I put on the tank to try and get the temp up but haven't really seen a change. Current temp is 91 in basking area.

 

[KarrieRee]

We didn’t get an exact date he was hatched I don’t have stick ons ( I use a probe) and the basking temp is really low 90’s I need to get them up but I don’t know how I should. The UVB being used is a long tube. Its not centered because the heat light doubles as a UVB light. Also I have another heat light I put on the tank to try and get the temp up but haven't really seen a change. Current temp is 91 in basking area.

Ok please post a pic of the tank and lighting so I can better see what is going on -- we need to get the surface basking temps up and I need the name of the UVB bulb your using brand and bulb - the heat light is a MVB which serves as a UVB and basking bulb- brand and bulb please -- pic of the dragon so I can see possible age --- where did you get the dragon?

 

[Jp A]

Ok please post a pic of the tank and lighting so I can better see what is going on -- we need to get the surface basking temps up and I need the name of the UVB bulb your using brand and bulb - the heat light is a MVB which serves as a UVB and basking bulb- brand and bulb please -- pic of the dragon so I can see possible age --- where did you get the dragon?

I got him from pet smart which I know isn't the best place to get one, but I will get those pic in one second.

 

[Jp A]

That’s the supplies and the tank the things on the top right/right corner of the tank is the probe.

 

[KarrieRee]

That’s the supplies and the tank the things on the top right/right corner of the tank is the probe.

Ok great setup---- hes about 4 months I am guessing -- so 90 is the surface basking temp? We need to get it up to 105-110-- where is the PowerSun? I dont see it -- where is the spot where he sits for basking? Please take that probe and place it on the spot where he basks - the temp your getting is ambient temp we want the temp where hes sitting for basking- has he been sitting under the UVB on that decor piece you have under it ?

 

[Jp A]

He mainly bask on the rock that he was on in the tank picture and the basking light is right over it. This is kind of a different question but how should I be cleaning his poop off of the decorations should I be taking them out and washing them or should I just take a paper towel and grab it.

 

[KarrieRee]

He mainly bask on the rock that he was on in the tank picture and the basking light is right over it. This is kind of a different question but how should I be cleaning his poop off of the decorations should I be taking them out and washing them or should I just take a paper towel and grab it.

Place the probe on the spot where hes sitting to get the surface basking temp -- 10 min or so --- mix up a spray bottle of vinegar / water 50/50 or little stronger w/ vinegar - clean the decor w/ that - also get some disinfectant like F 10 SC found on Amazon or Ebay its a vet disinfectant kills about everything - you can also get some Rescue vet disinfectant or some Wipe Out this is cheaper but I use F 10 - tank should be disinfected at least once a month a good cleaning - I would change the substrate out to some textured NON adhesive shelf liner cut to the size of the tank --- when you upgrade the tank to a 120 gallon which is recommended you can get a black mat that Zen habitat sells cut to the size of the tank -- they are nice mats

Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/One-Step-Disinfectant-Cleaner-Deodorizer-Squeeze/dp/B01LY3JI7T/ref=sr_1_13?crid=JC0HQR4FWM5G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Nfk2EJMNPsBRUTNqwLhkQFJOaYi2W56RbPGaZF_Xbbq3nxwDH9jVRTY2JvIMaETALSRObyzMyfaKx1MS1tuzEcdEOtLYZW0dSl3rN-6WRItXJbHjWpRq8v7dbH926qw_QQEhHeVbbDKBliK57t2YwBz08cdv0Is2miiKuKpOAHaZTxF1sg2ExF1uK6bfubM4dY91j9Y21mmUO8vQwWEc0zcDnB2ooQl3DIvGtlQuBTHTzc0DVavh5ejZQ_ELn_2pWhgYCsRG3zXOP0bEB9rmWsaMePTvVA3bQu5wYEkgSmw.agBwbNI3ZpLlnrZklyRqIO2C6ucEfSUOAfari2oIiak&dib_tag=se&keywords=f+10+veterinary+disinfectant&qid=1710605783&sprefix=F+10+%2Caps%2C247&sr=8-13

 

[Jp A]

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Place the probe on the spot where hes sitting to get the surface basking temp -- 10 min or so --- mix up a spray bottle of vinegar / water 50/50 or little stronger w/ vinegar - clean the decor w/ that - also get some disinfectant like F 10 found on Amazon or Ebay its a vet disinfectant kills about everything - you can also get some Rescue vet disinfectant or some Wipe Out this is cheaper but I use F 10 - tank should be disinfected at least once a month a good cleaning - I would change the substrate out to some textured NON adhesive shelf liner cut to the size of the tank --- when you upgrade the tank to a 120 gallon which is recommended you can get a black mat that Zen habitat sells cut to the size of the tank -- they are nice mats --

Ok so now should there be any reason why he is not eating. Should I be taking him out of the tank to eat or should I leave him in the tank or anything like that.

 

[KarrieRee]

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Ok so now should there be any reason why he is not eating. Should I be taking him out of the tank to eat or should I leave him in the tank or anything like that.

No leave him in the tank --- hes going thru relocation stress and his eating is going to be off --- as long as your surface basking temps are good and good UVB he should be eating something -- please NO meal worms --- they are too hard on their stomachs now - when he gets older like close to a year those will be fine -- feed him his crickets and salad every day - I would get some BSFL www.symtonbsf.com order large and bowl like this or similar to keep them in these are great salad bowls https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
drop them in front of him on his salads feed like 20 25 at a time if he really likes them he will gobble them down and they will come out undigested so the smaller amount at a time -- are you dusting the crickets / calcium D3 and a vitamin w/ beta carotene?

 

[Jp A]

No leave him in the tank --- hes going thru relocation stress and his eating is going to be off --- as long as your surface basking temps are good and good UVB he should be eating something -- please NO meal worms --- they are too hard on their stomachs now - when he gets older like close to a year those will be fine -- feed him his crickets and salad every day - I would get some BSFL www.symtonbsf.com order large and bowl like this or similar to keep them in these are great salad bowls https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
drop them in front of him on his salads feed like 20 25 at a time if he really likes them he will gobble them down and they will come out undigested so the smaller amount at a time -- are you dusting the crickets / calcium D3 and a vitamin w/ beta carotene

I got the stuff that they recommended for the bearded dragons its this stuff called "repti calcium" it says it contains vitamin D3 and calcium. Also the temp is now 97.9, is that good?

 

[KarrieRee]

I got the stuff that they recommended for the bearded dragons its this stuff called "repti calcium" it says it contains vitamin D3 and calcium. Also the temp is now 97.9, is that good?

Better but we are aiming for 105-110-- as he acclimates and adjust to his surroundings his appetite will increase -- he should be eating 20-25 crickets at a time please dust them lightly coated ONCE per day 5 x per week w/ the D3 and 2 times per week w/ a vitamin w/ beta carotene - he should be eating 2- 3 times per day of protein - you want him eating some salads even if only a couple of bites ---- Nutrition Content ignore the kale info its outdated and a good staple feeder--no more parsley please its a calcium binder - it can be fed but sparingly --

 

[Jp A]

Better but we are aiming for 105-110-- as he acclimates and adjust to his surroundings his appetite will increase -- he should be eating 20-25 crickets at a time please dust them lightly coated ONCE per day 5 x per week w/ the D3 and 2 times per week w/ a vitamin w/ beta carotene - he should be eating 2- 3 times per day of protein - you want him eating some salads even if only a couple of bites ---- Nutrition Content ignore the kale info its outdated and a good staple feeder--no more parsley please its a calcium binder - it can be fed but sparingly --

So what other greens should I try to give him.

 

[KarrieRee]

So what other greens should I try to give him.

I posted a nutrition site in my above post look at that and it will help you