Diet

[packfan74]

OMG, my baby is not eating!! Down to 2-3 superworms every other day. No veggies in a week!! No "duty" in 2 days!! Not really drinking either. Does sun but seems sleepy most of the time, spends most of his time on cooler side of tank in his tree. Does change color from dark to light when out of his tank. Runs short distances with tail up but mostly walks slowly looking for a place to curl up and sleep...likes to do so under my shirt. Have tried short warm soaks, dusting crickets more, and adding more varity to the daily dictionary of greens. Resorted to treats....a/k/a green pepper, clover and wax worms. Hasn't touched them - Nothing is working - not even kisses & hugs!!!

Was told about pumpkin and squash today - will try tomorrow.

Tank temp is about 80-85 daytime and 70-73 dark & covered @ nite. Down about 10 degrees from summer temps. No routine changes, No moves, No tank feature changes, other than to redecorate with existing stuff every two weeks (standard proceedure). Standard weekly tank cleaning - scrub rocks & trees, clean glass, sift sand, etc. Same light source (150 wt heat lamp plus seperate UV tube - all working).

Pet store said he may be in some kind of hibernation - they say their beardies are only eating twice a week in the winter...???

GOOD NEWS - no hard belly, good tail fat - but has not really shed much at all in a month! Am super worried (new parent) - PLEASE HELP.

 

[staylor]

I think it has to do with your temps being low. A 6 month old should have temps around 105*F.
What kind of UVB?
How are you taking the temps?

 

[packfan74]

Tank came with temp strips on each side. Based on them - daytime only gets to about 85 BUT temp directly under lamp on top of rocks seems hotter....possibly 90ish. Summer temps on strip got to 100, but again, that's as high as the strip reads, so its possible it could have been more. BUT then again, he is currently spending most of his time on the cooler side of the tank in his tree.

UVB is a 5.0 15W, 18" by Repti Glo. Basking spot lamp is 100W (not 150 - my bad) by Zoo Med.

Is it possible he is burmating?

 

[staylor]

a 6 month old normally will not burmate.

The stick on strips are not accurate, they can be off by up to 20 degrees. The best way to take the temps is with a probe or temp gun, probes are much cheaper. It could also be the UVB light. the best one is a ReptiSun 10.0. You can replace the bulb and keep the same fixture. I found this site has the best price on the ReptiSun tubes.

I suggest getting a prob thermometer and change out the UVB and see how things go. Those 2 things could make all the difference in the world. I think a fecal check is a good idea too, worms can make them act this way too. But I do not think burmation is what is going on.

 

[packfan74]

Okay - I'll try changing UVB; THANKS.

After tought - tank is next to window which is open in good weather (75 or hotter), open most of last week during the day. Is any of this helping, UV or temp wise? Last Friday was our (Virginia - Prince Willima County) 1st frost, so baby (a/k/a - Henry) hasn't been getting any fresh air since.
He also hasn't been taken into the garden in a week - could he be depressed? He does make a beeline for the window seat everytime he's out in his room - the garden is just below the window.

 

[staylor]

He could be reacting the the reduced amount of UV and another reason for getting a better UV light on him sooner than later. I don't think it is depression I think it is just UV. My 2 start hiding and eating less when it is time to change their bulbs. If yours is used to getting real sun and suddenly it is gone and it does not have a good UV light it could be making him act strange. An 18" is not the ideal length for a UV light but as long as you have it close to the basking site you should be ok. If you have the money I would suggest getting a fixture and a Repti Sun tube that runs the length of the viv.

 

[beardie_love]

Sandra (staylor) made some good suggestions.

Some other suggestions, though...

Down to 2-3 superworms every other day.

Superworms... how long is your beardie? Superworms shouldn't be given unless they are a length of 16".... just to ensure everything passes.

Standard weekly tank cleaning - scrub rocks & trees, clean glass, sift sand, etc.

I would recommend switching out the sand. Impaction risks and all... since your beardie is still a baby. You can use zero impaction risk substrates such as TILE, newspaper, paper towel, etc.

tank is next to window which is open in good weather

Not a good idea as having glass next to a sunny window can act like a magnifying glass causing potential harm from the heat.

 

[staylor]

wow how did I miss those important things...thank you melissa for adding that.

 

[packfan74]

Correction - Henry is about 7.5 months old, not 6 (I've had him 6 months). In total he's about 15" long......have not measured him in a month or so. He's extreemly sweet as he's been handled daily since he arrived - its unusual for him to stop eating crickets completely BUT its not unusual for him to bearly touch his veg. We've been having issues with this since we got him. I've tried just about every green listed and most fruits, seems he really doesn't like any of it much. Only thing he eats well is the cover in my garden (organic, of course) which he prefers to pick himself!

His bedding is not something I really want to change completely due to the fact its helpful in other ways but I will take your suggestion and look for something a little different. Would a finely shredded mulch work? Either pine or hard wood? My pet store recommended nut shells.

The sun Henry gets from the open window is not direct due to hour of the day and location of his tank. But, we do dote on him and take him outside quite often for short adventures in babysitting - which is also something Im learning to do better, cause this is where he got into trouble with bumble bees, stink bugs and a fiesty praying mantis.

I'll go get the 10.0 UV today but I'll probably stay with the 18". The light housing is moveable of course but as a rule, I do keep it straddling his basking rocks - next to his spot lamp. I'll also look for a better temp gage too. Thanks again for all ur help - uv bn very kind!!..

 

[packfan74]

After funny:

FYI to all U newbys out there; like me - dragons (at least mine) don't swim well!!.....matter of fact, mine SANK!!! Word, OMG.

Found this out when I took a bath and invited him in for a warm soak (cause he's having slow poopy issues - thought it might help, it didn't. Don't know who was more freaked out, him or me, cuz da boy CAN'T SWIM - not even doggie!!).

 

[corrine]

His temps should be higher about 100*f. That's probobly why he won't eat. Dragons need the high temps to digest food. If it to cold they won't eat. Wood mulch is not recommended for substrate. If you want to use a particle substrate, then clean sifted play sand is your best bet. As far as the bath, the water should only be shoulder deep so they can still touch the bottom.

 

[packfan74]

sifted super fine white play sand it what I've been using - thanks.

Bath - normally I do put him in the sink w/water only to his mid back but that day I was taking a bath myself and he was with me ( I like to do alot w/him - only short outings though, twice a day), so I though, why not, kill two brids w/one stone, I'll take a bath and Henry can get a little soak at the same time.......not a good experience - I'll stick to the sink from now on, thank you.

 

[staylor]

Dragons should float. They puff their chest out and the extra air makes them float

 

[packfan74]

well honey, he didn't - don't know what to tell ya.

He took a nose dive, managed to almost struggle to the top before I grabbed him....screaming all the while I might add (hestarical really now that I think about it). I tried not to let him know I was in a panic, so I held him just so his head & neck were above the surface - didn't want to add insult to injury by flinging him out of the tub. After a mil-a-second he did attempt to do the snake thing - hands at side, tail back & forth wiggle; or is that an Alligator - I don't know.

Anyhoo, no floating, no puffing......maybe I didn't give it enough time, but baby, I thought I was drowning him!!! I'll never do that again I can promise you! Nobody has more good intentions but at the same time, is so stupid as new parents, LOL.

 

[renich]

It does seem like a lot to learn. But once you get everything in place, caring for your dragon is second nature.

As pointed out, temps are very important for a dragon. They need them to be at the right temp so they can properly digest their food. UV is also essential for the digestion process and producing vitamin d. Change out the bulb, increase your basking bulb, get your temp between 100 and 105F and you will see a hungry dragon who is pooping regularly.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Yup... What everyone has suggested thus far seems to be right in line to me. Joyce, when I give mine bathes in the bathtub, I use a house hold brick ( one for each of my 4) on the bottom of the tub, so they have something to crawl up on... Depth of water needs not be deeper than the shoulders. This is deep enough, should a dragon wish to swim ( and yes, mine tend to dunk down and scare me witless too) they can, or they can just go to the shallow end and plop down soaking...

Hope this helps !
Deep breath ! Smile !
Welcome once again !