meet Santa

[snbuckeye]

This is my sons new baby, Santa. hes about 6-7 weeks old, I call him a he but it could be a she. I have no idea. Santa is 6 inches long. We havent had him a week yet and hes not eating now. its been like that for about 2 days now. Could he be stressed? Im really worried about him not eating.

 

[crypticdragons]

Sounds like relocation stress which can last a week to 4 or more. I still would like to go over your setup just to see how things are.
Whats the ambient temp in the cage?
Basking site temp?
What are you using to take these Temps?
What type of UV light are you using (IE coil compact, tube flourescent, MVB)?
What brand UV light are you using?
What is the substrate in the tank?
Have yall been handling him (its best to handle as little as possible for the first week or so after arrival)?
What have yall been feeding him (IE types of veggies and types of insects and size of insects)?

 

[egg 80]

welcome to the forum great lookin little guy/ gal you got there its usually relocation stress but could also be his/ her enviroment, how old is s/he? you can usually tell the sex by holding them on the palm of your hand and lift the tail to 90 degrees 2 bumps =male, 1 or no bumps =female usually anyway but doesnt show up so well on young beardies males also have bigger pores on the back of their rear legs but this is not proven way of sexing them be careful when you lift the tail not to break it lol sounds harsh but it happens as the tail is very fragile so young anyway good luck with your little guy/gal and i hope it all goes well for you
paul

 

[snbuckeye]

I will go and check out the temps. I do know last time I looked at the basking temp it was 101. I will also have to go figure out the bulbs. My husband bought the Zilla kit (tank, lights, etc) so Im assuming that the lights are zilla brand? do they make them. I will look. I offer him fresh veggies everyday and we have been dusting crickets. he might eat 2 or 3 in a day and still no veggies. (I offer collard greens, little clintro and finely cut carrots with the pellets that came with the kit, soaked in water to soften them up.
We could be handling him too much. My son will hold him when he gets home from school for a little bit and I will take him out for a bath and maybe to hold him a time or 2. I will def. cut that down for now. Poor guy Im prolly freaking him out!

oh just a funny little story. I had some crickets in a plastic bin getting ready to dust them and my dog put his face into the bin, and you know dogs like to smell things. Well he snorted one right up his nose! poor dog was making horrible sounds and snorting noises. I dont think he will do that again.

 

[renich]

Santa is adorable!

Poor doggy! A bit funny, but a bit freaky. I'm getting the willies just thinking about it.

Anyway, Brian's questions are important to help us see if there are any possible setup issues....soooo many people (me included) have been given wrong advice from a pet store. Your answers will help us determine if we have possible relo stress or incorrect environment issues.

 

[crypticdragons]

http://www.zilla-rules.com/products/deluxe-bearded-dragon-kit.htm
if that is the kit you are talking about then there is a lot wrong. The substrate it comes with is alfalfa meal which is not good for a baby dragon or any dragon in my opinion. YOu need some type of Non-particle substrate. At that age news paper or paper towel would work the best as its easy to replace when soiled with poop. Also the kit does not come with UV lights which dragons need. Best light for that tank is a 18" ReptiSun 10.0 found here http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html. Also that kit comes with stick on type thermometers which are often as much as 20degrees off. You need a digital probe thermometer or a tempgun which is a infrared thermometer. The digital probe therm you can find at walmart rather cheaply.

 

[snbuckeye]

yup that would be the kit. I did take out the pellet bedding and put down newspaper. I will go get a good therometer this week.
I know the basking light didnt have a thing written on it so I dont know what it is or how much. Another light on the other side does say 40 watt and the name zilla on it. I didnt even look at the middle (small) one. Ok so Im going to have to have my husband explain what hes done so I understand more.
Santa did eat about 3 crickets yesterday (just assuming one didnt hide under the paper--I checked BUT they are some sneaky little buggers. And he is pooping!
Thanks so much for all your help! And Im sure Im going to need a lot more!

 

[crypticdragons]

Yeah that kit does not come with a UV light that is appropriate for dragons. You need the ReptiSun 10.0 or a ReptiGLo 8.0 (not the ReptiGlo 10.0 i know confusing) and it has to be a tube flourescent not compact or coil. Without this there will be health issues down the road that will be detrimental to the dragon and your pocket book lol.

 

[snbuckeye]

Thank you soooo much! I will be going out and finding this bulb! Little guy sure does need it!