bearded dragon stressed

[lionthebeardeddragon]

my bearded dragon is about 15 months old, a little small for his age but i’m concerned about his overall well-being. he’s not eating nearly enough locusts, barely any and he is able to see them as the ones i put in don’t always hide. he doesn’t always eat his salad either, but will eat waxworms when i give them to him for a treat. he seems pretty lethargic in general, always wanting to be in his hide. not sleeping necessarily, just being in his hide. he barely basks anymore. his enclosures temperature is at around 30 C, and he has a 12% T5 UVB light with a reflective hood. he becomes notably less stressed when out of the tank, so i make sure to take him out at least twice a day, but if it’s around six o’clock or later, he will look for a place to curl up in my room. sometimes he will do this regardless of the time. i’m thinking about switching up the locusts for dubia roaches to see if he eats them more. he’s also had trouble with brumation, as he was attempting to do it at a very young age. any help would be appreciated.

 

[Sadie]

my bearded dragon is about 15 months old, a little small for his age but i’m concerned about his overall well-being. he’s not eating nearly enough locusts, barely any and he is able to see them as the ones i put in don’t always hide. he doesn’t always eat his salad either, but will eat waxworms when i give them to him for a treat. he seems pretty lethargic in general, always wanting to be in his hide. not sleeping necessarily, just being in his hide. he barely basks anymore. his enclosures temperature is at around 30 C, and he has a 12% T5 UVB light with a reflective hood. he becomes notably less stressed when out of the tank, so i make sure to take him out at least twice a day, but if it’s around six o’clock or later, he will look for a place to curl up in my room. sometimes he will do this regardless of the time. i’m thinking about switching up the locusts for dubia roaches to see if he eats them more. he’s also had trouble with brumation, as he was attempting to do it at a very young age. any help would be appreciated.

Where is the placement of the UVB? Inside the tank or top of screen ? This is crucial for the rays getting to him-- the 30C is basking temp or overall tank temp? And how are you getting that temp? the 30C is more for cool side of the tank you want 35-38 C for basking temps --

 

[lionthebeardeddragon]

Where is the placement of the UVB? Inside the tank or top of screen ? This is crucial for the rays getting to him-- the 30C is basking temp or overall tank temp? And how are you getting that temp? the 30C is more for cool side of the tank you want 35-38 C for basking temps --

his UVB lamp covers the entire length of the tank, and around 30-31 C basking temp, which i recorded using a probe thermometer. i’ll look into basking temps in more detail though, you are probably right about it being too low.

 

[Sadie]

his UVB lamp covers the entire length of the tank, and around 30-31 C basking temp, which i recorded using a probe thermometer. i’ll look into basking temps in more detail though, you are probably right about it being too low.

You need 3 temps in the tank 95-100 F 90's middle of tank and 80's during the day --- the stress marks are coming from not high enough heat and maybe UVB depending on where it is ---- those two things I just mentioned are the TWO MOST important things in that tank -- they control the over all health and behavior of the dragon - w/ out proper temps digestion cannot start and w/ out proper UVB and placement he wont be able to absorb/ synthesize the calcium hes getting --- the distance for that UVB should be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor inside the tank -- if there is a screen and its on top it MUST BE a wide hole type other wise the UVB rays are being blocked 30% --

 

[lionthebeardeddragon]

You need 3 temps in the tank 95-100 F 90's middle of tank and 80's during the day --- the stress marks are coming from not high enough heat and maybe UVB depending on where it is ---- those two things I just mentioned are the TWO MOST important things in that tank -- they control the over all health and behavior of the dragon - w/ out proper temps digestion cannot start and w/ out proper UVB and placement he wont be able to absorb/ synthesize the calcium hes getting --- the distance for that UVB should be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor inside the tank -- if there is a screen and its on top it MUST BE a wide hole type other wise the UVB rays are being blocked 30% -

You need 3 temps in the tank 95-100 F 90's middle of tank and 80's during the day --- the stress marks are coming from not high enough heat and maybe UVB depending on where it is ---- those two things I just mentioned are the TWO MOST important things in that tank -- they control the over all health and behavior of the dragon - w/ out proper temps digestion cannot start and w/ out proper UVB and placement he wont be able to absorb/ synthesize the calcium hes getting --- the distance for that UVB should be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor inside the tank -- if there is a screen and its on top it MUST BE a wide hole type other wise the UVB rays are being blocked 30% --

alright thank you. quick question, if the temperature wasn’t high enough wouldn’t he try to bask more? because he isn’t basking in general, at least not that i’ve seen of him.

 

[Sadie]

alright thank you. quick question, if the temperature wasn’t high enough wouldn’t he try to bask more? because he isn’t basking in general, at least not that i’ve seen of him.

Its hard to say but the stress marks could be from not high enough temps--- get it fixed and watch his behavior -- same w/ the UVB --- what have his poops looked like ? Any undigested food? Is he eating?

 

[lionthebeardeddragon]

Its hard to say but the stress marks could be from not high enough temps--- get it fixed and watch his behavior -- same w/ the UVB --- what have his poops looked like ? Any undigested food? Is he eating?

his poops look normal, he does it very two days or so, sometimes a little longer, nothing undigested in there. he does eat, but not as much as i would expect from a growing bearded dragon. i also have replaced his UVB recently so i don’t believe that to be the problem. i can get it tested though.

 

[Sadie]

his poops look normal, he does it very two days or so, sometimes a little longer, nothing undigested in there. he does eat, but not as much as i would expect from a growing bearded dragon. i also have replaced his UVB recently so i don’t believe that to be the problem. i can get it tested though.

Just the correct placement is crucial