Why won't my baby beardie bask?

[diamc]

He looks so cute sitting there like that. Good that you returned the Repti-Glo bulb and have a Repti-Sun on the way. When the bulb gets there, it would be a good idea to put the branch or log closer to where the UVB is and also under the basking light so he can get the benefit of both bulbs while in the basking spot.

Great that your neighbor had a 29 gallon available. Yes, much easier to get the right temps in a tank bigger than a 10 gallon. That size tank will hold him for a little while until he is 6 mo or so.

So, did he like going outside? Make sure you use a leash in case he gets scared and tries to run off as they can run VERY quickly.

 

[scipherneo]

i just kept him on my shoulder and lap, he seemed really curious. He's the most curious pet ive ever owned, he went up and sniffed my cat. For some reason though, when my cat sniffed him my cat gagged like he was going to puke and ran. Do beardies have some scent or something that cats dont like?

 

[brittani299]

My cats do that too. Cats have an organ called the Jacobson's organ. It tells them about smells and what the thing is. The cat is just taking in the smell. Snakes also have the same organ. It can keep certain smells. It is pretty interesting.

 

[scipherneo]

Uh, quick question. I got home today and Sebastion was laying in my shirt in his tank (where he was when i woke him up this morning by turning his lights on). He felt a little cold, and was in the same area that he woke up in this morning. I picked him up and put him in his basking light, now he's just laying there basking. I read somewhere once that beardies sleep about 12 hours a day, is that true? I think I went to bed and turned his lights off last night at 11pm-12am, and i got home today at 1pm and he looked like he had just gotten around to getting up.

 

[Spoony]

You should have the lights on a schedule. They need 12-14 hours of daylight and the rest is utter darkness. You kept his lights on way too long.

 

[diamc]

It's true, babies need a lot of sleep so he may be overtired. What are you getting for a basking temp now on the rock after waiting about an hr? Are you using the 150 watt bulb or the 50 watt?

 

[scipherneo]

I'm still using the 150, and I temp'd it at 97 where he basks. The 150 is giving me a really good heat gradient right now though, so I'm going to go out in about an hour and go find/buy something that he can climb up on to get closer to the light if he wants to get hotter. The UVB should be here tomorrow as long as all goes well with USPS, as should my phoenix worms

 

[diamc]

Good idea going to look for something that he can climb on to get him closer. He will need to be within 6 to 8" of the Repti-Sun bulb so you might want to bare that in mind. And, the basking light should be right alongside the UVB so he can get the benefit of both bulbs at the same time. Let us know how you make out.

 

[scipherneo]

How the setup looks now, he basked on the little log i put in there for a little bit, but got hot after 20 minutes and crawled down to that piece of log he's on in the picture. Temping everything right now, but he seems to like that spot a lot.

 

[diamc]

You might want to look for something with branches so he can move around and adjust his temps as he needs to. Any idea what the temp is of the big chuck of wood on the bottom?

If you found those in your yard, make sure you baked them to kill off any ants or other bugs that might be in or on them. It's amazing how many little critters can burrow down inside a piece of wood that was outside.

Make sure the distance will be correct under the UVB when you have it in place as he will need to be under the basking bulb and within 6 to 8" if the UVB at the same time.

 

[scipherneo]

I actually got the wood from a nature reserve nearby, i let it sit in boiling water for awhile. Funnily enough, he's actually back down on his rock for some reason. He really likes basking there, he just ate some crickets and went back to that rock and flattened out and started basking.

 

[scipherneo]

uh oh. just got home from school, and went to give Sebastion his first (of two) feedings for the day - he won't eat any of his crickets. He ate a bunch yesterday, like 25ish in a sitting which is unusual for him, he ate a bunch of salad too. He also hasn't pooped yesterday or today - he pooped everyday before that. I'm going to look at changing out his 150w bulb for something that gets the temps hotter where he likes to bask, since the temps are still coming up low at like 90-95, i think it might be the brand of bulb.

EDIT: I put him in an empty ten gallon tank (except for some repti-carpet) and put a couple crickets in there, he seemed to eat them fine, albeit a little slower and less greedily than he usually does.

 

[brittani299]

How is everything today?

 

[scipherneo]

Great, his poops sometimes are everyday, sometimes every other day. He's starting to shed (I'll put a pic below) And i've gotten his viv rearranged and new things added so now he has some shade on the cool side, and he now has a basking spot closer to the light that temps at 110. I'm using a 150w basking bulb (i returned my original 150w one that was coated with neodynium, this one gets hotter), the bulb works great in my 29 gallon tank I have him in right now. He's been eating a decent amount of veggies and crickets, I have 100 phoenix worms coming in the mail tomorrow, and then 700 reptiworms the day after. He's a pretty happy little guy right now, his stress marks have all but disappeared since I got him.

 

[brittani299]

Very good