Help Baby Bearded will not Eat

[Rdnadbor]

Looking for some help with my new bearded. He/she is about 8 inches long probably between 6-8 weeks I am guessing. I got him 4 days ago from PetSmart for my 10 year old children. He appears healthy, alert, clear eyes. HE has not pooped as of yet though. I did try baths but no results thus far. He has only eaten a few small cut leaves of collard greens and 1 quarter inch cricket. Does not seem interested in going after food. Seems to spend most time perched on log/stick near basking area which with temp gun is between 100-110F. remainder of enclosure is about 80-85. Is it that he could be in stress from the move, any ideas?? Should I switch foods, try some superworms or roaches rather then crickets? What do you guys think. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Lou Lou15]

It's probably just the stress of the move. Some take as long as a week or more to get fully comfortable with everything new and eating regularly. Sounds like you're doing everything right! Good luck with the new baby beardie! [emoji173]️

 

[Rdnadbor]

Do you think trying a different protein source other then crickets should be tried??

 

[Lou Lou15]

If it were me I'd wait it out just a little bit prolly finish the week and if still not eating then yeah changing food source might have something to do with it. But I've read and been told that they will not starve themselves. If they're hungry enough they'll eat what's in front of them.

 

[Tessa]

My Sosa is probably a bit younger than your little guy/girl. It took him about 3 days to begin eating. Something I tried with him was to make sure he's awake, then give him a quick warm bath, and then I put him in a smaller enclosure with some crickets and he gobbled them right up! He is still learning how to hunt

 

[Hdrydr31]

Welcome to the forum!! It sounds like your little one is just getting settled to it's new digs... Not sure how much you've read up on but here's the basics.. offering a variety of bugs is always a good thing to do. As babies and up to young juvies they should be eating 80% bugs for protein and 20% salads of greens/veggies/fruit..Once sub adults and up that will switch to 80% salads and 20% bugs. This may vary from dragon to dragon.. There are alot of good resources on diets if you would like to check out. the space between their eyes is what they can typically fit in their mouths..
http://greathousefarm.com/Greathouse-Reptile-Nutrition-List.pdf
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Crickets, dubia roaches, superworms, butterworms, waxworms, silkworms, hornworms are all good, some are treats as they are high in fats...
making sure your basking, UVB lighting are all good, night time heat and no lights at night are all things to look at to make sure those are not bothering s/he.
Making sure your dragon is on safe substrate (some pet stores keep them on sand which can cause impaction issues) repti carpet, paper towels, contact paper are safe.

Hope that helps!

 

[Rdnadbor]

Regarding superworms for a guy inly 7 inches or so can you cut the superworms in half? Or maybe some redworms that are smaller cut in half?? Small dubias i heard would be ok.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Regarding superworms for a guy inly 7 inches or so can you cut the superworms in half? Or maybe some redworms that are smaller cut in half?? Small dubias i heard would be ok.

Izzy started eating supers awhile back and if all else fails your dragon may bite it in half while attacking it.. they do have teeth of sorts kinda like shark teeth ( just not as sharp) they are pretty juicy but may wriggle around long enough for eating. You'll be surprised just how much they can take in! lol