Small appetite

[VinceG123]

i got my baby bearded dragon on dec 8 so like a couple weeks ago. She wouldn't eat but I expected it due to relocation stress. Then she started eating great. But just recently her appetite was almost completely gone. She would only eat about 1-2 crickets a day. Her temperatures are the right temp with 100 on the hot side and 80-85 on the cooler side. She has mustard greens and chopped carrots available daily and I give her baths 1-2 times a week. She poops daily but it's small poops. I got black soldier fly larvae a couple days ago and I try to feed her both the larvae and crickets but her appetite is still small.
Does anyone know what the deal is?

 

[Mark the Mailman]

How big is your dragon and how big are the crickets? We got our dragon at the end of Nov. (i think she was around 6 weeks old) and before long she was eating 10-20 medium crickets/day along with phoenix and wax worms. I switched her to large crickets and she eats 1 or 2 per feeding now.
I can tell you this too...i know it may not be the best advice but from my limited experience if you mix in wax worms they will start feeding like crazy.

 

[Mark the Mailman]

i got my baby bearded dragon on dec 8 so like a couple weeks ago. She wouldn't eat but I expected it due to relocation stress. Then she started eating great. But just recently her appetite was almost completely gone. She would only eat about 1-2 crickets a day. Her temperatures are the right temp with 100 on the hot side and 80-85 on the cooler side. She has mustard greens and chopped carrots available daily and I give her baths 1-2 times a week. She poops daily but it's small poops. I got black soldier fly larvae a couple days ago and I try to feed her both the larvae and crickets but her appetite is still small.
Does anyone know what the deal is?

Also, get a temp gun and make sure her basking spot is closer to 105° if she's a baby I'm sure some others will have some better help here too

 

[VinceG123]

How big is your dragon and how big are the crickets? We got our dragon at the end of Nov. (i think she was around 6 weeks old) and before long she was eating 10-20 medium crickets/day along with phoenix and wax worms. I switched her to large crickets and she eats 1 or 2 per feeding now.
I can tell you this too...i know it may not be the best advice but from my limited experience if you mix in wax worms they will start feeding like crazy.

I feed my dragon small crickets and small Phoenix worms. She's about 6 inches maybe 7. What size wax worms should I feed her?

 

[VinceG123]

Also, get a temp gun and make sure her basking spot is closer to 105° if she's a baby I'm sure some others will have some better help here too

Yeah her basking spot is between 100 and 105

 

[Hdrydr31]

I feed my dragon small crickets and small Phoenix worms. She's about 6 inches maybe 7. What size wax worms should I feed her?

You are doing just fine with the crickets and phoenix worms that is a good diet.. You can feed waxworms however these are like crack to dragons they are high in fat and they will want them and you may end up with a dragon that holds out for a candy waxworm feeding..
Phoenix worms are fantastic feeders high in calcium so don't dust them with additional calcium..If you're looking for more variety you can add in dubia roaches (fantastic feeder, awesome gutloading bug as they hold food in them for 72 hrs so great feeder) silkworms, small superworms (not a exclusive feeder as they are high in fat) hornworms (great for hydration)

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yeah her basking spot is between 100 and 105

Baby dragons temps can go 105-107 so you can bump that up a bit to see if that helps. Temps can make a big difference even a few degree's
What are you using for UVB?
Can you post a picture of your set-up so we can see if there is anything we see that can be tweaked to help you.

 

[Mark the Mailman]

Ya like Hydrydr31 said the waxworms can be addictive but ours will only bluff like she's not going to eat crickets then chow down the next feeding. Just don't give them all the time but our eats the big ones. They're squishy so they go down easy.

 

[VinceG123]

You are doing just fine with the crickets and phoenix worms that is a good diet.. You can feed waxworms however these are like crack to dragons they are high in fat and they will want them and you may end up with a dragon that holds out for a candy waxworm feeding..
Phoenix worms are fantastic feeders high in calcium so don't dust them with additional calcium..If you're looking for more variety you can add in dubia roaches (fantastic feeder, awesome gutloading bug as they hold food in them for 72 hrs so great feeder) silkworms, small superworms (not a exclusive feeder as they are high in fat) hornworms (great for hydration)

Would it be a good idea to feed silkworms occasionally to make up for the small appetite she has?

 

[VinceG123]

Baby dragons temps can go 105-107 so you can bump that up a bit to see if that helps. Temps can make a big difference even a few degree's
What are you using for UVB?
Can you post a picture of your set-up so we can see if there is anything we see that can be tweaked to help you.

For her UVB I use the reptisun 10.0 uvb mini compact fluorescent tubes. In the picture her temperature is in the 90's but that's because I was just cleaning the tank and I didn't have the heat lamp over her basking spot. But it's always between 100 and 105.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Would it be a good idea to feed silkworms occasionally to make up for the small appetite she has?

Silkworms are a bit of a specific diet needs so if your up fir it they are great. Another very good is dubia they are way easier

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[VinceG123]

For her UVB I use the reptisun 10.0 uvb mini compact fluorescent tubes. In the picture her temperature is in the 90's but that's because I was just cleaning the tank and I didn't have the heat lamp over her basking spot. But it's always between 100 and 105.

Oh nevermind. The thermometer is blocked in the picture haha

 

[VinceG123]

Silkworms are a bit of a specific diet needs so if your up fir it they are great. Another very good is dubia they are way easier

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Another thing is that she never really seems to follow her eating schedule and just tends to eat whenever she feels like it. she always goes down to eat one or two worms or take a bite of her greens. But it's never a lot when she eat.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Ok so with you being new to all of this have you gone thru and read the New Comers thread in the general info section??

Your set up needs some tweaking, are you aware that you will need a bigger tank?
Red or any colored lighting is bad for their eyes and can cause some damage over time to their pupils. For a basking light a white light is reccommended. The UVB is partly good you want your UVB to cover 2/3rds of your tank with some of that overlapping with your basking bulb as they have to have the heat and the UVB to digest and to change minerals and supplements into things like d3 and synthesis of calcium.. You will need to get the Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 long fixture and bulb instead of the compact bulb.. The compact bulbs are only for a very short time as they don't give off enough UVB..

 

[VinceG123]

Ok so with you being new to all of this have you gone thru and read the New Comers thread in the general info section??

Your set up needs some tweaking, are you aware that you will need a bigger tank?
Red or any colored lighting is bad for their eyes and can cause some damage over time to their pupils. For a basking light a white light is reccommended. The UVB is partly good you want your UVB to cover 2/3rds of your tank with some of that overlapping with your basking bulb as they have to have the heat and the UVB to digest and to change minerals and supplements into things like d3 and synthesis of calcium.. You will need to get the Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 long fixture and bulb instead of the compact bulb.. The compact bulbs are only for a very short time as they don't give off enough UVB..

I'll make sure to read that thread as soon as I can. And yes I plan on switching to a 40 maybe 55 gallon tank. I wasn't aware of the whole red light issue I'll make sure to change that. And when I get the bigger tank i already plan on switching to the long fixture bulb. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I'll make sure to read that thread as soon as I can. And yes I plan on switching to a 40 maybe 55 gallon tank. I wasn't aware of the whole red light issue I'll make sure to change that. And when I get the bigger tank i already plan on switching to the long fixture bulb. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.

Ok great that will help you with alot of questions and will be a good resource for you.. When you are considering tanks remember they need floor space more than height.. So many of us go with the 40g breeders because they need the space to turn around without touching the sides and with many dragon's getting 17-22" long...Keep in mind aquariums that are meant for fish are too narrow and a bit too high. As adults they are a bit clumsy and can injure themselves if they fall off a log or hammock if too high..also getting the UVB and heat down to where they are is harder.

 

[VinceG123]

Ok great that will help you with alot of questions and will be a good resource for you.. When you are considering tanks remember they need floor space more than height.. So many of us go with the 40g breeders because they need the space to turn around without touching the sides and with many dragon's getting 17-22" long...Keep in mind aquariums that are meant for fish are too narrow and a bit too high. As adults they are a bit clumsy and can injure themselves if they fall off a log or hammock if too high..also getting the UVB and heat down to where they are is harder.

I'll keep all that in mind. Thanks for the help!

 

[VinceG123]

Ok great that will help you with alot of questions and will be a good resource for you.. When you are considering tanks remember they need floor space more than height.. So many of us go with the 40g breeders because they need the space to turn around without touching the sides and with many dragon's getting 17-22" long...Keep in mind aquariums that are meant for fish are too narrow and a bit too high. As adults they are a bit clumsy and can injure themselves if they fall off a log or hammock if too high..also getting the UVB and heat down to where they are is harder.

Where can I find that thread you talked about?

 

[Hdrydr31]

Where can I find that thread you talked about?

You can get to it several ways 1. click on the link below this comment (in my signature line) or go to the General Care Section and it's at the top.

 

[VinceG123]

You can get to it several ways 1. click on the link below this comment (in my signature line) or go to the General Care Section and it's at the top.

Oh awesome. Thanks.