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Eats but doesn't bask?

Reggietron

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Hello. I have a few questions about my beardie, Lizzy. He stopped basking under the heat lamp about two weeks ago but otherwise seems pretty happy. I've read a lot about beardies who stop basking and also stop eating and start hiding a lot, but Lizzy is a good eater and never hides. But whereas he used to go bask on the rock under the heat lamp after eating, now he just goes back to sitting on his log on the cool side of the tank. Any idea what might be going on?

Some details:

- I've had Lizzy for about five months. He's about 17" long.
- His tank is 20-30 gallons
- The tank has reptile carpet, not sand
- The basking side of the tank is 110 degrees
- The cool end of the tank is 82 degrees
- When he stopped basking on his rock cave I thought maybe he was too warm, since he'd gotten bigger and was now closer to the light, so I replaced the rock cave with a few flat slaps of rock.
- I gave him a bath today and he pooped just fine
- I used to feed him tons and tons of crickets, but now that he's a little bigger I've been feeding him crickets in the morning and veggies in the evening (from what I've read, maybe I should still be feeding him a ton of crickets? how many crickets should a 17" beardie eat per day?)

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
 

mxw0rld

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
940
The first thing I would do is get that basking temperature down! That is way too high and probably the reason why he has stopped basking. Try 95-100F

The other thing is he really needs a bigger enclosure if he is that long. A 20 gallon is great to start with. I've got my baby in a 20 gallon but yours is almost adult size and they need the room to be able to turn around and walk. I've seen adults that size to be honest.

Do you know how old he is? How much he weighs?

When you say tons of crickets what do you mean? Hundreds or thousands?
 

RaeAnn

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
859
Yup, I would bring those temps down a little. I just went through the same issue. My girl outgrew her baby temps and no longer wanted to bask but everything else was A Ok. I brought my temps down a little and she's back to her old self :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Reggietron

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Great, thanks so much. I checked the pet store and couldn't find a fixture to hang the lamp, but they have a pretty good sale on a vivarium that is larger than Lizzy's current tank. If I get the vivarium and put a tree branch on the hot side, then he should be able to climb up and down and bask at whatever temp he likes, right?
 

mxw0rld

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
940
You can get a lower watt bulb or go online to drsfosterandsmith.com they have what you need to hang the lights.
 

RaeAnn

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
859
Great, thanks so much. I checked the pet store and couldn't find a fixture to hang the lamp, but they have a pretty good sale on a vivarium that is larger than Lizzy's current tank. If I get the vivarium and put a tree branch on the hot side, then he should be able to climb up and down and bask at whatever temp he likes, right?

If your getting a bigger Viv try the bulb you are using now. A larger area may bring those temps down just enough. Wait a few hours and take the temps and if they are still a pinch too high than just go down to the next wattage bulb.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Reggietron

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
I just remembered, I actually tried a lower wattage bulb and it didn't make a difference. Hm... maybe I didn't give him enough time to discover that the warm end of the tank wasn't so hot anymore? I'll try switching bulbs again, until I set up the vivarium. And I'm just measuring the temperature with a temperature gauge that sits at the bottom of the tank under the heat lamp. Should I be using a temperature gun?
 

mxw0rld

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
940
I just remembered, I actually tried a lower wattage bulb and it didn't make a difference. Hm... maybe I didn't give him enough time to discover that the warm end of the tank wasn't so hot anymore? I'll try switching bulbs again, until I set up the vivarium. And I'm just measuring the temperature with a temperature gauge that sits at the bottom of the tank under the heat lamp. Should I be using a temperature gun?


Yes! You need a temp gun!! That is the only way to tell for sure. Those gauges are always off a bit. Plus with a temp gun you can aim it right where they sit.

You need to give it a few hours after you change the bulb to see if he goes and basks with the lower bulb.
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
Messages
9,390
Location
Chicago
A 20 gallon tank isn't giving you the temp gradient that you need. He is probably almost as long as the tank is. The minimum for an adult dragon is a 40 gallon breeder tank. You need to get a new tank and lower your basking temp to 95-100 degrees. Make sure the tank is dropping in temp at night (no lower than 65 degrees). Getting a temp gun is great because you can get a more accurate reading. The analog gauges are highly inaccurate.
 

Reggietron

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Thanks so much for the info. I changed to the lower watt bulb and he started basking again. I'm planning to get a temp gun and I'll put together the vivarium as soon as I can get someone to help me carry it into the apartment.
 

mxw0rld

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
940
Thanks so much for the info. I changed to the lower watt bulb and he started basking again. I'm planning to get a temp gun and I'll put together the vivarium as soon as I can get someone to help me carry it into the apartment.

I'm so happy he's basking again! Yay!!! Woo hoo!! That's great news!!

Thanks for the update! Keep us posted on how he's doing!!
 

Reggietron

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
I set up Lizzy's larger tank with a log so that he can climb closer/further from the heat source and he basks all the time now! The first time he basked he took a *very* large poop, so I'm hoping he'll poop a little more regularly now that he spends time warming up.
 

mxw0rld

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
940
I set up Lizzy's larger tank with a log so that he can climb closer/further from the heat source and he basks all the time now! The first time he basked he took a *very* large poop, so I'm hoping he'll poop a little more regularly now that he spends time warming up.

That's great to hear! I'm so glad he's basking now!
 

Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Staff member
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
5,574
Glad to hear that he's doing better now..
 
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