My Beardie won't eat...

[Smeg_head_no1]

I got my bearded dragon at the end of November and was doing really well till the last 2 weeks he wasn't eating at all and was only awake for about a hour in the morning and just went back to his rock and was asleep for the rest of the day. I started offering him some baby food from a syringe that I just place on the tip of his nose and he does accept it and is now staying awake all day so it has helped. But he still wind eat on his own. Live food or his veggies. The temp at the hot end of the tank is 30-32 degrees and the cool side is 25 degrees. He has a UVB tube light and he is in a 4ft enclosure. I recently put desert and in his enclosure but that was after he stopped eating. I also give him a warm bath every couple of days to keep him hydrated as he doesn't drink from his dish either. What else could I try to help him start eating again?

 

[WatfordOleary17]

Keep offering his salad everyday even if hes not eating it maybe change it up a bit to make it more apealing. When mine refuse to eat I try tempting them with pheonix worms and sun beetle larvae ( cant spell there actual name) has he only just moved into his bigger viv?

 

[river-7]

Just leave him be and he will eat when he's ready. It seems all beardies are being a little fussy right now-My own were doing the same thing[3] and now after a few days all are eating again. I guess they are just like us if we don't feel like eating. good Luck and keep us posted.river-7

 

[Smeg_head_no1]

He has pretty much been in it the whole time, I got told to put a tub into the 4 foot tank for a couple of weeks under is lights in the 4ft tank. And I did that, I have read everywhere I can about bd illnesses and it is not any of them :/ but I did have 2 bd's could it be because his mate is missing from the tank? And he is noticing the difference?

 

[Germ]

To start with, your basking spot is not anywhere near warm enough, Basking temp for a Juvenile should be around 43-44C (110F), the cool side should also be bumped up to 27-30C (80-85F). Improper temps will definitely affect their appetites. Basking Temps must be measured directly at the basking spot. Photos of your setup showing the lighting configuration in respect to the enclosure itself & as much info on your husbandry as possible would be a great help to anyone to give more accurate help\advice.

If you recently separated the 2 dragons, you have changed it's environment, this also could very well be affecting it's appetite as it may need to go through a week to 10 day acclimation period.

A tub of what? did you put into it's enclosure?

Good Luck

 

[Smeg_head_no1]

Hi the basking spot temp is just over 100 degrees, I have a 150watt heat light.

And the tub I used was a storage run without the lid obviously which was roughly half the size of the tank in the side with the heat light with the rock shown in the picture so he could climb to his heat source and UVB light

And here is a picture of my set up

Thank you for you time and helping me

And it's been about 4 weeks since the two dragons were separated

Thanks again

i mean 100F

 

[Germ]

The basking temp should be raised to 110F (43-44C). I would suggest that you try to rig up some tin foil or something as a reflector behind the UVB bulb. Your enclosure is quite tall, this would help extend the effective range of your UVB bulb. If that black\purple bulb is your heat source, I also suggest that you change to a white or clear bulb, BDs thrive on Bright, White Light. If you are using that as a night light, I don't recommend using one at all. Night heat is only required if your night temps drop below the Mid to Low 60s F (16-17C), then a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter - Heat with no light emitted) on an inline dimmer or thermostat should be used to supplement night heat, set to just take the edge off, mid 60sF - 70F. BDs should be allowed to cool at night, slows their metabolism down, for a good night rest. Night Lights of ANY color will bother most BD's sleep.

What are the dimensions of that enclosure?

Good Luck

 

[Smeg_head_no1]

It is 4ft long 1ft deep and 3ft high. Thanks for the idea on the foil will try that and as soon as I get a chance to get down the reptile shop I will grab a clear one. The heat is connected to a day nigh thermostat but doesn't turn on at all of a night as the temp doesn't drop low enough. So besides raising the basking spot temp everything else is fine? Thanks again for your help

 

[Germ]

You do not have to use a bulb from the reptile\pet shop for heat. They are highly over priced & do not work any better than a regular type (incandescent, flood, spot, halogen - a few examples) bulb bought at a hardware store, generally for much less than half the price. ANY white or clear bulb of sufficient wattage to provide the required temps will do the job very well. Personally, I use Philips Halogen (NOT Halogena) Floods in all my enclosures, that I purchase at Home Depot. The Brand doesn't matter much, just that I have found the Philips to last longer for me.

A 3' tall enclosure is not really recommended, makes heating, providing the proper heat gradient & required UVB coverage very difficult. BDs are terrestrial creatures, not really arboreal. The only area that your BD will be receiving any effective UVB will be at the very top portion of the tall rock or whatever that is. I really suggest raising the furniture or dropping the UVB fixture. A 10.0 UVB bulb only has a maximum effective range of 20" from a NEW unfiltered bulb, this distance dissipates\shortens rather quickly as the bulb ages & is why they must regularly be replaced. Another option would be to use a good quality MVB (Mercury Vapor Bulb) specifically designed to put out UVB, a 160W Power Sun for example, they are designed for larger\taller enclosures where their minimum safe distances can be managed, like yours. They provide heat & UVB, although at the minimum safe distance (18") recommended by most manufacturers, an additional heat source may be required to provide the required temps.

You will also find that digital thermometers with a remote Probe\Sensor that can be attached\placed directly on the surface where you want to measure the temps, will give you much more accurate readings than the type you are using in the pic.

Good Luck

 

[Smeg_head_no1]

Thought I would share the wonderful news that Ziggy is now eating on his own and going really well we brought him a plastic busking rock that is flat with a larger section for him to sit under his lights and it has seemed to do the trick although he still won't eat his greens, do you have any ideas on getting him to eat them? I have tried a wide range of thing from carrot, peas, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts down to the different fruits they can have sometimes. Although the crickets eat all of these things before he eats them. Thanks in advance

 

[Pat B]

My Spike doesn't eat greens either even though I offer them every day!! Why?? I guess he just doesn't like them. A lot of owners will feed greens first and then the feeders. Never worked for me. I am going to try peas and carrots from a can tomorrow. You might try green beans. Good luck!!

 

[Smeg_head_no1]

Yeah I have tried that also, let me know how that works out for you

And I have tried beans I guess we just have fussy dragons lol

 

[Ozzie&Dino]

I could not figure out why Dino was not eating and sleeping alot since his stool was negative of any parasites. Come to find out after speaking with a long time breeder my Dino was trying to Brumate so now all his lights and heat are off and his habitat is covered for at least a month was recommended

 

[Lemonpie]

I always hand-feed mine a few pieces whenever I introduce new foods. If you feed worms or roaches you can mix them into the greens and your dragon will likely end up with greens in his mouth and have to eat them that way My guy wasn't a huge fan at first but is insisting on eating more greens as he gets older on his own.

 

[Pat B]

Dino went into brumation?? Make sure he still has air flow. I covered only 1/2 of Spikes tank. Does he seem OK to you?

 

[Ozzie&Dino]

Yeah Pat I knew he kept trying to sleep and when I spoke to the breeder that I am getting the female from she told me that he was trying to go into Brumation and for me to make sure he was empty and turn all lights and heat off and cover his habitat ( I covered half) I have checked on him and weighed him for the last 3 days and he has not lost any weight and woke up when I weighed him and I gave him some water and he drank it and then I put him back on his hammock and he went back to sleep. I did offer him some Pheonix worms but he just ignored them and fell back to sleep so I took them out. So Dino went into Brumation at 8 months old. Sigh