hello not the way i want to start posting but need help with my baby

[gmtirrill]

i got my baby dragon on friday the 15th she 1 month and 1 week out of the egg and when she got here she was willing to eat a couple dubia nymphs and a couple baby mealworms ( i know mealworms are not good but i limit what i give her when she gets them). She is in shed legs front and back have shed, tail also its just her body and her head havent. on saturday she ate 4 dubia nymphs and since then nothing i have seen. her temps 111 degree basking and 85 to 88 cool she is in a sectioned off 4o gal breeder with 10.0 uvb floresent light and do offer pinhead crickets but she doesnt seem interested in eatting is this due to her still acclimating to her new home and the fact she is shedding or do i need to be worried? any help will be welcome

 

[Germ]

Mealworms are fine as treats or as an occasional supplement to Crix or roaches. It can take a week to 10 days or more to acclimate to it's new home & environment. It is also in shed, so it is experiencing a double whammy. What you are describing sounds to be quite normal behavior, under it's present circumstance & should not be a cause for worry. I would recommend trying drop the temp a bit on the cool side to 80-85F, removing the partition may help achieve this. There is no need to section off a 40 gal breeder, providing that you don't clutter it trying to fill it up making it hard to find\hunt it's feeders.

Posting pics of your setup would be helpful in pinpointing potential setup issues & other problems.

Good Luck

 

[gmtirrill]

Thank you i will pull the partition and sit and wait for her to shed and become settle on a side note i went through this with my male dragon that i got 2 years ago and did i learn not to be worried no and before i sold him he was weighing 456 gram. i am just out of touch with baby care

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I understand that you have previous experience with beardies. Thought I would throw some good links in here for you though to bring you back up to speed. Hope these help refresh and add to the knowledge you already have of their care

Basic BD Care Sheet-A Place to Start

Bearded Dragon Exclusive Care Library

Bearded Dragon Diet Nutritional Information

Bearded Dragon Co-Habitation-A Good Plan???

How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

Enjoy!!

 

[Pat B]

Welcome to BDF!! I always look at shedding as growing!! Beardies get 'very creative' during a shed....not eating....not pooping...cranky etc etc etc. They are best at worrying their owner!! He will be ok....just takes a little time. Welcome again and come back often!!

 

[gmtirrill]

thanks and darn it i want her to shed so i can see her pretty colors just so you all know she is a orange/red hypo 100% het trans leatherback she was orange out of the egg and i cant take pics until she shed her head and body grrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[Germ]

Patience is definitely a virtue, when it comes to these Beautiful creatures.

 

[gmtirrill]

update: she has started to shed her head and i hope that with out the partition and with her getting closer to finish shedding she will be ready to eat again

 

[Noella]

That's great news! I'm glad she's shedding her head. Mine's shedding her lower body, half her back, her tail, a part of her eye ridge, and the place around her vent. (She's not in a happy mood to say in the least!) I almost forgot, she's growing some new lipstick and lips.

 

[gmtirrill]

update: due to paper not being typed down correctly there was some small crickets hidden under it but with that issue which i will be fixing today i got to witness my baby hunting and eating on her own for the first time in almost 6 days i hope in a day or two her monster appetite will return and i can get her to grow up healthy. i see good luck with this investment animal

 

[gmtirrill]

update 3/24 well she ate 2 or three crickets saturday and darn it i had to go and fix her cage so now the little welp is back to not eatting but i changed the enclosure to have te uvb light in the cage and is exactly 6 to 7 inches away from the perch and 11 inches from the floor of the cage now other then misting and soaking i am not going to mess with it at all and ethier she will come around or not. by the way my temps at basking spot is 111 degrees and the cool end is 80 to 87 this was evalurated by a temp gun on a daily basis. other then the changes i have maid i dont think i can do anything else its up to her now all i will be doing is feeding and soaking other then that well....

 

[Germ]

Here is an FYI, just in case, because most 40 Gal breeders have a full screen top, that does not allow Temp Guns to be accurate.

Infrared Thermometers - Temp Guns

 

[gmtirrill]

ok

 

[gmtirrill]

ok update time: 3/25
this may be a good sign she is running around her cage and glass dancing does this mean she is coming out her funk and is ready to eat me out of house and home or should i be cautious. she is now getting misted and soaked 3 times a day to keep her hydrated and sense i put the uvb in her cage she sit real close to it i am hoping she makes it

 

[Germ]

Soaking 3 times a day is serious overkill, these are desert\scrubland creatures ... not Tadpoles.

Misting/Bathing: A twice weekly misting from head to tail with a fine spray mister of room temperature water helps hydration and shedding. Two or three times a month let your dragon have a bath in chest deep warm water, not too hot. Dragons seem to enjoy soaking and it may help to assist in hydration & clearing of minor impactions or constipation. Dragons will often defecate in the bath water, change the water immediately and run a fresh bath, they will only soil their water once on most occasions. Baths are ideal prior to allowing your dragon out of the enclosure as it helps to prevent "accidents". Do not leave your dragon unattended!

​

Read More: http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/index.php?threads/basic-bd-care-sheet-a-place-to-start.5177/​

​

 

[gmtirrill]

normally you are correct germ but she has been showing signs of dehydration which as you should know is not good for a baby matter a fact it is deadly this is peventative care until her appetite comes back fully and i am doing for that reason. After she is eating like a champ she will be soaked twice a week but until then i can not and will not allow her to get dehydrated. i am sorry if you feel that i am discounting what you are saying i am not but since i will have had her for two weeks this friday and i am trying to do my best for her.

 

[Germ]

Signs of dehydration or not, baths 3 times a day is still overkill & also would be quite stressful on the BD. May be doing more harm than good.

 

[gmtirrill]

Germ, i understand what you are saying and i impreciate it i have cut the soaks down and she is eating a little more each day. but i think i found out what the issue is from out of the egg she started eating crickets as a stable and i notice that she seems to only eat the larger crickets that i put into her cage. before you freak i origionally bought 1/8 inch and some grew to be 1/4inch well the 1/4 inch crick is what she keeps chasing and eating i think after this last shed to her prey items that are to small are beneath her notice and when i measureed between her eyes i found the space to be 1/4 inch to a 1/2 inch space so i am going to try a larger cricket and see if that is the problem. i know the dangers of paralysis so i will be very carefull and watch her closely after she eats the first one. also on the advice of a big breeder down in the states i went back to my origional cage set up and she seems much more calm and less stressed.

 

[gmtirrill]

ok good news i went up to two week small crickets tonight and she ate like five them with me watching and when i got home from work i was only able to take 8 out of her cage i did accidently put twenty in there at 4.30pm before going to work so all in all she ate like twelve and without any show of paralysis so the bigger size may have get started her finicky appetite

 

[Pat B]

Good job....sounds like the little girl is getting her act together....takes time and patience!! and that is so hard to do sometimes. Keep up the good work and keep us posted....