Baby bearded dragon about 10-14weeks old, not moving much

[Calanthe The Beardy]

Hey all! I bought my first reptile and enclosure about 3 weeks ago I’ve had her home now for 3 weeks the first few days she was up basking and enjoying her log and following that she was moving around a little bit more at night surfing the glass to see what I was doing as my pc was across the room so I’m guessing she didn’t like the lights, I’ve started to notice though about after a week of my baby beardie being home she hasn’t moved much and sits in her cool side hide all day, just has her eyes closed and doesn’t do much, she has eaten a few crickets and mealworms over the time I have had her but as of the last few days she hasn’t touched any of them, I haven’t really seen her drink any of her water either I refill her water twice a day and change over her worms 2 times a day aswell to prevent them going bad, my temps on the warm side currently measuring from the substrate are between 31-36c and on the cool side about 27-29c I’m just wondering what I’ve done wrong for her to not move around much? I’ve currently seen her poop twice in 3 weeks, I’ve not bathed her yet as I was told not to handle her much while she settles into a new enclosure (4ftx2ftx2ft) I have a uvb tube and I have a ceramic heater and a purple heat lamp that displays almost zero light even to my eyes, so just wanted to get some thoughts on what I’ve done wrong and could improve thanks!!

 

[Sadie]

Hey all! I bought my first reptile and enclosure about 3 weeks ago I’ve had her home now for 3 weeks the first few days she was up basking and enjoying her log and following that she was moving around a little bit more at night surfing the glass to see what I was doing as my pc was across the room so I’m guessing she didn’t like the lights, I’ve started to notice though about after a week of my baby beardie being home she hasn’t moved much and sits in her cool side hide all day, just has her eyes closed and doesn’t do much, she has eaten a few crickets and mealworms over the time I have had her but as of the last few days she hasn’t touched any of them, I haven’t really seen her drink any of her water either I refill her water twice a day and change over her worms 2 times a day aswell to prevent them going bad, my temps on the warm side currently measuring from the substrate are between 31-36c and on the cool side about 27-29c I’m just wondering what I’ve done wrong for her to not move around much? I’ve currently seen her poop twice in 3 weeks, I’ve not bathed her yet as I was told not to handle her much while she settles into a new enclosure (4ftx2ftx2ft) I have a uvb tube and I have a ceramic heater and a purple heat lamp that displays almost zero light even to my eyes, so just wanted to get some thoughts on what I’ve done wrong and could improve thanks!!

Basking temps and UVB are the most important things in the tank -- please get rid of the purple light -- they cause all kinds of issues w/ the eyes and keep them up at night -- dragons like cool and dark ---- nothing below 65F and above 75F at nite stick ons are ok for temps like that but you MUST have a digital probe thermometer to get accurate basking temps -- 105-110 F-- next the long tube fixture is a brand and bulb ? Is there a reflector on the UVB fixture? Distance and placement is crucial for the UVB ---- please NO more meal worms they can cause impaction in babies -- salads need to be fed every day and rinse before serving she will get moisture from them --- get some morio worms and use them as lures to the salad bowl - since she has totaly quit eating there is a issue --- once you get your UVB and basking temps in order along w/ NO purple light I am hoping this is going to fix the issue -- but those MUST be fixed - before she will start eating again -- http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

Thank you Sadie! The uvb is bolted in the room of the enclosure as it was premade before I bought it from a reptile store it sits about 4inches from the top of the enclosure and it’s a 2ft high enclosure, so to sum up your advice nighttime temps need to be turned down? (24c?) I’m from australia so I’m not a genius when it comes to (F) temps, sorry! About feeding, as I’m from australia what would be the best salad to feed my baby bearded dragon?, I will have to look up and see if I can find any morio worms if they are in aus! I will have a look at the nutrition link you sent me tomorrow as it is quite late for me here! Thanks heaps! Eagerly waiting your reply!

 

[Sadie]

Hey all! I bought my first reptile and enclosure about 3 weeks ago I’ve had her home now for 3 weeks the first few days she was up basking and enjoying her log and following that she was moving around a little bit more at night surfing the glass to see what I was doing as my pc was across the room so I’m guessing she didn’t like the lights, I’ve started to notice though about after a week of my baby beardie being home she hasn’t moved much and sits in her cool side hide all day, just has her eyes closed and doesn’t do much, she has eaten a few crickets and mealworms over the time I have had her but as of the last few days she hasn’t touched any of them, I haven’t really seen her drink any of her water either I refill her water twice a day and change over her worms 2 times a day aswell to prevent them going bad, my temps on the warm side currently measuring from the substrate are between 31-36c and on the cool side about 27-29c I’m just wondering what I’ve done wrong for her to not move around much? I’ve currently seen her poop twice in 3 weeks, I’ve not bathed her yet as I was told not to handle her much while she settles into a new enclosure (4ftx2ftx2ft) I have a uvb tube and I have a ceramic heater and a purple heat lamp that displays almost zero light even to my eyes, so just wanted to get some thoughts on what I’ve done wrong and could improve thanks!!

Thank you Sadie! The uvb is bolted in the room of the enclosure as it was premade before I bought it from a reptile store it sits about 4inches from the top of the enclosure and it’s a 2ft high enclosure, so to sum up your advice nighttime temps need to be turned down? (24c?) I’m from australia so I’m not a genius when it comes to (F) temps, sorry! About feeding, as I’m from australia what would be the best salad to feed my baby bearded dragon?, I will have to look up and see if I can find any morio worms if they are in aus! I will have a look at the nutrition link you sent me tomorrow as it is quite late for me here! Thanks heaps! Eagerly waiting your reply!

Morio worms are BSFL phoenix worms or calci worms -- they are small DO NOT dust them and order medium for now -- I need the bulb brand and what bulb look on the bulb it will tell you T 5 or T 8 -- you want a Arcadia 12% which is a T 5 bulb for your tank w/a fixture w/ reflector -- yes 24C is good and below to 19C -- nothing below that -- this is crucial

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

Morio worms are BSFL phoenix worms or calci worms -- they are small DO NOT dust them and order medium for now -- I need the bulb brand and what bulb look on the bulb it will tell you T 5 or T 8 -- you want a Arcadia 12% which is a T 5 bulb for your tank w/a fixture w/ reflector -- yes 24C is good and below to 19C -- nothing below that -- this is crucial

Hey Sadie! I will post my bulbs and wattage and stuff tomorrow! I’m just about to rest up for the night I will provide them the moment I get up tomorrow! Thanks!

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

Hey Sadie! My uvb tube is a 18w, 12%uvb Arcadia brand it doesn’t tell me what T it is but I’m assuming it’s the exact tube your advising me to use,! This is her setup at the moment, cool side sitting around 26c and then warm side on the substrate floor level is about 32-34c

 

[Sadie]

Hey Sadie! My uvb tube is a 18w, 12%uvb Arcadia brand it doesn’t tell me what T it is but I’m assuming it’s the exact tube your advising me to use,! This is her setup at the moment, cool side sitting around 26c and then warm side on the substrate floor level is about 32-34c View attachment 29368

Please get a reflector for that UVB fixture ASAP-- https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/arcadia-t8-fluorescent-reflectors/ see if this is the correct one I dont know how long your UVB is but it looks like a 24" fixture --- take your probe place where the dragon sits for basking wait 10 minutes get the temp -- please get rid of the loose substrate --- it harbors bacteria and can cause impaction --- you can get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner from your local home improvement store cut to the size of the tank clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50-- insects will not be able to get underneath --- when you get the reflector please adjust your UVB or get a piece of basking decor directly underneath 6-8 inches -- as of now hes getting NO UVB --- this fixture is too high and the rays are going all over that tank - the reflector will direct the rays downward which is what he needs

 

[Sadie]

Is this a uvb tube is a 18w, or a 18 " ?

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

Is this a uvb tube is a 18w, or a 18 " ?

It’s an 18wattage 24” uvb tube, 12%, sorry for the late reply, I honestly haven’t been so scared about her until this morning, I haven’t seen her move for about 2-3 days now and all she did was have her eyes closed in her cool side hide, I tried softly rubbing my finger up and down her back and she didn’t seem to move a muscle, I picked her up to make sure she was still alive and to my surprise after I moved her to the warm side she ran straight under her log to hide again, I am going to pick up some BSFL(black solider fly larvae) today from the local reptile store and see if she eats that instead, but as of the last 2 days she hasn’t eaten a single thing, I’ve not seen her poop either, not seen her drink any water, Would it be a good idea to give her a warm bath today at all? Or should I just leave her to hide, as you said maybe she has impaction from the mealworms, and just needs a little help with some warm water, what would the reflector do in terms of uvb, I’m only a very new owner so I’m trying to get an understanding of the difference between where the tube is now and what a reflector would change! Thanks!

 

[Sadie]

It’s an 18wattage 24” uvb tube, 12%, sorry for the late reply, I honestly haven’t been so scared about her until this morning, I haven’t seen her move for about 2-3 days now and all she did was have her eyes closed in her cool side hide, I tried softly rubbing my finger up and down her back and she didn’t seem to move a muscle, I picked her up to make sure she was still alive and to my surprise after I moved her to the warm side she ran straight under her log to hide again, I am going to pick up some BSFL(black solider fly larvae) today from the local reptile store and see if she eats that instead, but as of the last 2 days she hasn’t eaten a single thing, I’ve not seen her poop either, not seen her drink any water, Would it be a good idea to give her a warm bath today at all? Or should I just leave her to hide, as you said maybe she has impaction from the mealworms, and just needs a little help with some warm water, what would the reflector do in terms of uvb, I’m only a very new owner so I’m trying to get an understanding of the difference between where the tube is now and what a reflector would change! Thanks!

The reflector is going to change everything --- please get it ASAP--- your dragon is getting NO UVB -- this is the reason for the behavior ---- I am wondering if that is a T 5 the 18 watt when I looked it up on this website it says 15 watt for a T 8 this is what came up https://www.amazon.com/Arcadia-D3-12-UVB-Bulb/dp/B07WDLX6VD
The reason I am asking is the bulbs have certain distance they need to be so a T 8 is 6-8 and the T 5 is 12-15 -- I am going to ask someone who would know -- you need to keep her hydrated either by bathing or dropping water on the nose or syringe I recommend the dropping water on the nose --- but she wont eat till the lighting is corrected --- I will check back w/ the distance thing

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

The reflector is going to change everything --- please get it ASAP--- your dragon is getting NO UVB -- this is the reason for the behavior ---- I am wondering if that is a T 5 the 18 watt when I looked it up on this website it says 15 watt for a T 8 this is what came up https://www.amazon.com/Arcadia-D3-12-UVB-Bulb/dp/B07WDLX6VD
The reason I am asking is the bulbs have certain distance they need to be so a T 8 is 6-8 and the T 5 is 12-15 -- I am going to ask someone who would know -- you need to keep her hydrated either by bathing or dropping water on the nose or syringe I recommend the dropping water on the nose --- but she wont eat till the lighting is corrected --- I will check back w/ the distance thing

Ahhh okay awesome! Thanks for the info! I will try giving her a bath when I’m home in the next few hours and see what she does, I’ll try pick up a reflector aswell while I’m out and see if that helps with uvb!

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

Ahhh okay awesome! Thanks for the info! I will try giving her a bath when I’m home in the next few hours and see what she does, I’ll try pick up a reflector aswell while I’m out and see if that helps with uvb!

If this info helps its a D3 reptile lamp 12% UVB, 24” length dunno what T it is though I can’t find it on the box, the only thing I can see is D3!

 

[Sadie]

If this info helps its a D3 reptile lamp 12% UVB, 24” length dunno what T it is though I can’t find it on the box, the only thing I can see is D3!

I have asked and the bulb is a good one but the fixture MUST have a reflector-- look on top of box or post a pic of it

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

I have asked and the bulb is a good one but the fixture MUST have a reflector-- look on top of box or post a pic of it

 

[Calanthe The Beardy]

I’ve attached a photo of the box!

 

[Sadie]

I’ve attached a photo of the box!

Desert - Arcadia Reptile

D3+ Desert High 12% UV-B content to support desert reptile species synthesis of vitamin D3 A full spectrum fluorescent lamp designed to simulate, as closely as possible, the spectrum of natural sunlight. This includes UV-A and high levels of UV-B. High light output. Long life, 12 month lifespan...

www.arcadiareptile.com

Scroll down and its a T 8 --- so you want your distance 6-8 inches -- and the bulb needs to be replaced in 6 months I recommend a month prior to -- in the mean time please get a reflector on the fixture w/ appropriate distance and then watch the behavior please

RFD3P18

18W

600mm / 24″

T8 Fluorescent Lamp – Diameter Ø26mm