Is my beardie ok?! Please help.

[clynnp]

I'm worried about Charlie, my juvinile Bearded Dragon Lizard. Lately, he's been eating fewer and fewer crickets. He won't touch any of the food I give him. He has been less active. When I go into the terrarium to take things in and out, he seems skittish. He's been shedding and I'm not sure if this is a usual thing during that time. I've been trying to give him more space.
Last night, I put him in a smaller, separate container to see if he would eat but he had no interest and seemed uncomfortable. I gave his terrarium a full cleaning. I then gave him a warm bath and he seemed upset at first but then he started drinking the water and swimming around. I put him back in his terrarium to dry off. He rubbed up against some things and I'm guessing he was trying to help his shedding.
This morning when I woke up and the lights turned on, his body looked really skinny and he looked really uncomfortable. He almost looked unhealthy but I'm not sure exactly what it looks like when a bearded dragon is unhealthy. Maybe I'm just nervous and he just looked skinny because of the way he was laying. His excrement looks really runny which makes me nervous.


what he looked like when I woke up

I decided to try misting him with warm water a little more often to try and make him more comfortable and he seemed to like it. He wiggled up and down his ramp trying to shed more. He seems more comfortable but I'm still worried.


what he looked like after his misting

He still hasn't eaten anything today. My family keeps saying that it looks like he's growing but I don't think he is. I actually don't know if my Charlie is a boy or girl. Does anyone have any advice the can share with me??

Background: I got my Bearded Dragon Lizard the first week in December. He was happy, active, and loved to be held. The first two days he was in his new habitat, he was reluctant to eat. I tried feeding him some baby bananas in his dish but he wasn't interested. Then I put a little on a plastic spoon and held it up to him and he licked it off. After that, he started eating crickets and and just a little bit of greens. I also provide pellet food, fruit, and vegetables daily even though he ignores it. He goes crazy for the crickets. Sometimes he'll eat some mealworms. I dust his live food with calcium dust. He loves to bask. I never see him with his mouth hanging open because it's too hot. I've also never seen him drink from his water dish but I know that isn't unusual. When he gets his baths, he drinks well then. He also licks his nose and around him while I mist him.


when I first got him

Terrarium: 40 gallon ZooMed terrarium with a split screen top. I wouldn't be able to afford to keep upgrading the habitat with his growth.
Heating and Lighting:
Day and Night- I was having trouble keeping temperatures high enough during the day and night so I added a 75w infrared bulb so it could be used for both day and night. It corrected the temperature problem that the cool room was creating.
Day- ReptiSun 10.0 Compact Fluorescent UVA/UVB and Repti Basking Spot Lamp (100w) housed in a dual dome. The basking area measures at 96° F. The cool side of the terrarium measures at 81° F. The lights are on a timer and remains on for 12 hours a day.
Night- 100w infrared spot bulb kept on for 12 hours by timer when the day lights are off. The nighttime temperature measures at about 73° F.
Thermometers: They are thermometer/hygrometer combos. One is on the warm side hung at the height of the basking spot. The other on the cool side. Both have been checked for accuracy.
Humidity: The terrarium usually stays between 30-35%... I try to do my best keeping it at the right humidity.
Substrate: Reptile carpet. After cleaning, I put paper towel in so I can let reptile carpet dry fully before putting it back in.
Decor: (going from left to right) Flat stacking stones arranged in the back left corner. A ramp coming down from the back wall to the front. It is made higher by putting a bark arch hide at the bottom. There is a gnarled driftwood climb made of resin next to the ramp. The water dish is in the front right. The food dish is in the back. There is a background cling on the outside of the back terrarium wall.


inside terrarium setup

 

[rob.kolm]

It may be the infrared light. If it lets off any visible light he can see it and it can be disturbing his sleep. How cold does the enclosure get at night? If it is in the mid 60s he will be fine. If not replace the infrared with a ceramic bulb that lets off no visible light.

 

[PatsyB]

It's possible he's not getting enough UVB. Compact fluorescent bulbs aren't the best for bearded dragons. You want a UVB that is going to cover at least 2/3 of the tank. A tube style bulb like a T5 would be better. You want the basking area of the tank to be 105-110 degrees during the day. How are you measuring your temps? I would also invest in a ceramic heat emitter for the night if your temps get below 65 degrees. Any light over their head can disrupt their sleep. They see more spectrum of light than we do so even though we don't think it's a lot of light it could be to them.

 

[clynnp]

It may be the infrared light. If it lets off any visible light he can see it and it can be disturbing his sleep. How cold does the enclosure get at night? If it is in the mid 60s he will be fine. If not replace the infrared with a ceramic bulb that lets off no visible light.

Before I was using timers, if he wanted to sleep and the regular lights were on, he'd put his head in his hide. I'd switch to the infrared lights and I'd see him come out and sleep in the the open so I'm thinking the purple infrared lights don't bother him. My bedroom is usually in the 50's.

 

[clynnp]

It's possible he's not getting enough UVB. Compact fluorescent bulbs aren't the best for bearded dragons. You want a UVB that is going to cover at least 2/3 of the tank. A tube style bulb like a T5 would be better. You want the basking area of the tank to be 105-110 degrees during the day. How are you measuring your temps? I would also invest in a ceramic heat emitter for the night if your temps get below 65 degrees. Any light over their head can disrupt their sleep. They see more spectrum of light than we do so even though we don't think it's a lot of light it could be to them.

I've been looking into getting the tube light but I don't have the money to convert everything right now. On top of the new setup for the tube UVB, I'd have to get a new dome for my basking light. I'm running out of room on top of my terrarium and I'm not sure how I'd even fit the the tube UVB on. I've been trying to get my basking temp up. I got a new taller hide on sale for $5 so hopefully I can use it to raise the height of my basking spot. I've been measuring the basking spot by taking my digital thermometer off the wall and putting it on the basking spot. People have suggested a temperature gun and a thermometer with a probe. What do you think? At night, my bedroom can get into the lower end of the 50's. Before I was using timers, if he wanted to sleep and the regular lights were on, he'd put his head in his hide. I'd switch to the infrared lights and I'd see him come out and sleep in the the open so I'm thinking the purple infrared lights don't bother him. What do you think?

 

[clynnp]

Any ideas on how to get him interested in greens, fruits, and vegetables?

 

[PatsyB]

I like the temperature probes with the digital display. I have two, one taped to the cool side of the the other attached to the top of the basking spot. It's nice to be able to just look at the display especially when I check on them at night.

Little ones don't always take to salad right away. Keep offering it and eventually he will eat some.

 

[SkyAndMojo]

Mojo and Sky my two bearded dragons had babies. And i kept the temperatures a lot higher then that.
Day basking : 105-110
Cool side 90-95
I use the all in one basking bulb the zoo med power sun.
And the ceramic
Night i used a ceramic heat emitter to keep it 90 plus.

I gave the babies an electrolyte too it. And i found to get them interested in drinking water i bought one of those fake fish that swim circles it created an interest in the water dish.

You should also note that bearded dragons go through bermentation in the winter.
Signs
liking the cool side or the tank.
Not eating.
Sleeping often.
Slight loss of color.
But you shouldn't see weight loss.

I also found having a indoor garden for them to walk through helps them eat veggies.

The sometimes annoying thing is they will eat what they want to eat and when.
My adult female, sky, prefers vegetables and fruit and doesn't eat very much of it but will eat it daily.
But will eat a worm every three days or so.
My male will eat one worm a day but might not eat veg or fruit.

I also find the more i let them out the more they want to eat.
So he night just need exercise

 

[jarich]

Are crickets the only live food you are offering?

 

[clynnp]

I was offering crickets and mealworms but started withholding mealworms for fear of impaction. I've tried to get other live food but nobody wants to ship to me because it's been bellow freezing since the day after Christmas.

 

[PatsyB]

I was offering crickets and mealworms but started withholding mealworms for fear of impaction. I've tried to get other live food but nobody wants to ship to me because it's been bellow freezing since the day after Christmas.

This is the hard part of owning a lizard. My first winter I was like a crack addict looking to score! I went to every pet store I could think of trying to get enough crickets, nobody was getting deliveries. I actually need some crickets right now, hoping that the weatherman is right and it's going to be in the 30's next week so they can be shipped! try getting some calci-worms from the pet store, small super worms, night crawlers. These are things that they usually have available. Also, keep an eye on the weather forecast, the first sign of a "heatwave" order what you can online.