Hes not eating... =\

[dustin2524]

Okay i just got my beardie yesterday and he only ate one mealworm and would not eat another thing, i was told hes probably a little under 2 months. Considering it was the first day i had him I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but today he still wont eat anything. I have 4 crickets in his tank with him (the tank is about only 20 gal and I'm getting a bigger one very soon. With only one light on, the temperatures remained at 82 so i tried turning them both on. The hottest in one place was 108 and another area stayed around 80. The crickets kept hiding a lott so i removed most of the objects i had in there and now he just sits perched on a log, mostly staring at me. The crickets go for him and he just flicks them off, they are not real tiny, but they are under the size between his eyes. I put in shredded carrots and the crickets are almost finished with them (they obviously weren't intended for them but i figured someone should probably eat them). What do I doo? is it possible that the crickets are too big? They definitely are not baby crickets.

 

[egg 80]

hows it goin dustin2524, welcome to the forum, the tank yo got is ok for the size and age of the beardie until bigger and older is it a glass tank if so try covering 3 of the side will make your beardie feel more secure.
right as yo only got your beardie yesterday he may have what is called as relocation stress he may be over it in a few days or even a few weeks but all you can do is try not to handle him unless you really have to while he gets his bearings of where he is and his surroundings, like i said if tank is glass cover 3 of the sides to make him feel secure, you can also try adding to the tank a peice of clothing with your scent on to get him used to your smell.
due to relo stress he will be off his food the only advice i can say is keep offering him crix and what he doesnt eat remove as crix will attack your beardie and cause alot of damage to all the soft areas of the beardies skin, thecrix you offer your beardie should be no bigger the the gap between the beardies eyes, you temps are ok for day time temps.
a few questions for you
what uvb light are you using?
what substrate do you use?
how many crix are you offering daily and how many times a day?
where did you buy him from as if bought from a store then 9-10 times they give you wrong info
i was gonna post a link to the forums caresheet but i cant seem to get the link to work so RENEE could you post the caresheet link please.
any questions no matter how stupid or trivial you think they are please do ask as we all have had to as will help us help you asap, there is a mandatory part of this forum bein pics are a must lol.
we are a friendly bunch and there are alot of very experianced people from all over the world on here so just fire away with your questions,
again welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy your time on here.
paul

 

[dustin2524]

what uvb light are you using?
what substrate do you use?
how many crix are you offering daily and how many times a day?
where did you buy him from as if bought from a store then 9-10 times they give you wrong info
i was gonna post a link to the forums caresheet but i cant seem to get the link to work so RENEE could you post the caresheet link please.
any questions no matter how stupid or trivial you think they are please do ask as we all have had to as will help us help you asap, there is a mandatory part of this forum bein pics are a must lol.
we are a friendly bunch and there are alot of very experianced people from all over the world on here so just fire away with your questions,
again welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy your time on here.
paul

repitsun 10.0
just turf
he wont eat ANY crickets, whether i offer him one or five
yea, petsmart, i looked around and they had the only colorful-ish one
i know someone here told me mealworms are not good for him but just for the hell of it i tried it again and he ate another one, so the onlyyy thing he will eat is mealworms, he wont touch crickets or vegetables.

 

[egg 80]

uvb is spot on, and i take it the turf is astro turf.
try not to feed him to many mealworms as the hard shell is hard for them to digest and can lead to impaction, the problem with the crix ive no clue but you could try changing the staple to either locusts or roaches i tend to try and alternate between crix and locusts would love to try roaches but they so hard to get hold of over here if you wanna find out more about roaches zebraflavences (janie) is the person to ask, is he going to toilet, as for the greens now alot of us have trouble getting our beardies to eat greens but you could try putting some freshly shed morios under the salad this will make the salad move and seem more interesting and when hes picking the morios out 9-10 times will take some greens with it just a little tip that seems to work for the non green eaters lol, as your beardie is young you should be offering fresh greens daily
and as many crix he will take in 15 mins at least twice a day, do you dust your crix now i have a funny beardie that will only eat dusted crix if i dont dust them he wont go near them,give it a go you never know
paul

 

[dustin2524]

and as many crix he will take in 15 mins at least twice a day, do you dust your crix now i have a funny beardie that will only eat dusted crix if i dont dust them he wont go near them,give it a go you never know
paul

I tried dusting them and not, he doesnt even really look at either of them.

 

[staylor]

I just went through this with my new baby. It is most likely relocation stress. Mine did not eat for 3 days. Make sure you are not leaving the crickets in for more then 15 minuets at a time. If he does not eat them take them out and offer them again later but never leave them in for long, they bit the beardie and hurt him. I also found that my beardie was dehydrated and after soaking him he ate a couple of crickets. Also do not handle him for a couple of weeks other then what is needed for caring for him. There are many more things that need to be considered too. I am far from an expert on beardies. The more experienced people will have a few questions for you to help you figure out if it is stress and they are all very wonderful and helpful. They have been helping me with my little guy for a couple of weeks now and have helped me to nurse him back to health.

I will go ahead and knock out some of the most general basic but important question:
how are you getting your temperature readings? stick on, gun or prob thermometer? The stick on thermometers can be off by as much as 20F degree.

 

[corrine]

You can try mixing mango, strawberry, or raspberry into his salad. Mine love just about anything red. What size crickets are you feeding him? The crickets should be as close in length as the distance between your dragons eyes.

 

[lexi]

Mealworms are a BIG no-no for babie beardies and controversial for adults! Please don't feed him any more mealworms - I know that PetSmart does and that may be one of the reasons he isn't eating... mealworms cause intestinal impaction in young beardies. Your little one could already be part way (or all the way) impacted from having had mealworms while at the pet store.

I don't mean to scare you, but if you keep feeding him those you're probably going to kill him. The other reason he may not be eating is simply relocation stress... beardies hate change. Has he pooped yet since you've had him? Have you given him a bath? Babies should have a bath (20 minutes in 95 F- 99 F degree water) every day to stay hydrated. They absorb the water through their skin and vent, so it's very important.

 

[zebraflavencs]

I'd like to second that suggestion for relocation stress.. for you, take a big breath.. relaaaaaaaaaaaaaax.. honest.. he'll start eating, and then you'll be fussing about all the insects you'll need to keep up with his appetite.
If you need to know about roaches.. I'm your girl.
Pm me if you want the low down on these awesome feeders.
Janie