Neglected BD.. help!!

[lucelee]

Hi,
So I recently got a bearded dragon - i have owned many many reptiles before, including a couple BDs. I got it off a lady and she admitted he had been neglected since her and her boyfriend split.

I'm just very stressed and worried about him!

She said he's about 3 years old. He will NOT eat vegetables.. I'm really trying with that, keep offering veggies and I'm hoping eventually he will eat them! - any ideas on how to help/entice him to eat this?!

His tank is 4ft, I am currently looking to get him a 6ft tank ASAP! (This is what he arrived in)

Temp and humidity is all fine in his enclosure!

Now he runs around his vivarium a lot seems like he is "glass surfing"... he will also scratch on the walls of his vivarium... a lot! When this happens i tend to get him out and let him run around/handle him. But as soon as he's back in his enclosure he starts again!!! I'm really worried as searching this it can be literally anything...
I don't suspect any RI, he isn't showing ANY signs of it, apart from "gulping" when near his enclosure/opening his enclosure (maybe being territorial? Or the lack of human contact throughout his life?) But I'm just guessing and was wondering if anyone knew why!?
Could this all be due to his enclosure size as i know this can stress them out! I've tried to add more climbing bits and enrichment items for him so he's not bored too but nothing seems to help! And I don't want to fill it too much when his enclosure is already too small for him.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any idea what I can do because I'm really worrying about him and just want him to be happy!

Also thought it may be helpful to add i have 2 cats, we don't let them interact, but they sit and watch him from the floor, could this also be a reason for him to be stressed? ( we do move the cats when they're doing this )
I'm just looking for help - please be respectful x

 

[Sadie]

Hi,
So I recently got a bearded dragon - i have owned many many reptiles before, including a couple BDs. I got it off a lady and she admitted he had been neglected since her and her boyfriend split.

I'm just very stressed and worried about him!

She said he's about 3 years old. He will NOT eat vegetables.. I'm really trying with that, keep offering veggies and I'm hoping eventually he will eat them! - any ideas on how to help/entice him to eat this?!

His tank is 4ft, I am currently looking to get him a 6ft tank ASAP! (This is what he arrived in)

Temp and humidity is all fine in his enclosure!

Now he runs around his vivarium a lot seems like he is "glass surfing"... he will also scratch on the walls of his vivarium... a lot! When this happens i tend to get him out and let him run around/handle him. But as soon as he's back in his enclosure he starts again!!! I'm really worried as searching this it can be literally anything...
I don't suspect any RI, he isn't showing ANY signs of it, apart from "gulping" when near his enclosure/opening his enclosure (maybe being territorial? Or the lack of human contact throughout his life?) But I'm just guessing and was wondering if anyone knew why!?
Could this all be due to his enclosure size as i know this can stress them out! I've tried to add more climbing bits and enrichment items for him so he's not bored too but nothing seems to help! And I don't want to fill it too much when his enclosure is already too small for him.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any idea what I can do because I'm really worrying about him and just want him to be happy!

Also thought it may be helpful to add i have 2 cats, we don't let them interact, but they sit and watch him from the floor, could this also be a reason for him to be stressed? ( we do move the cats when they're doing this )
I'm just looking for help - please be respectful x

Ok what are the temps in the tank? How are you getting them? Digital probe thermometer or a stick on? Digital probes best for surface basking temps-- 95-100 ambient around 100 --- UVB ? Is it a coil or long tube fixture? How old and where is it at? The 4 ft tank is a 4x2x2?? Lets start there to get temps out of the way for glass surfing- hes male? Could be just his hormones but we want to rule out the temps first- also there are NO colored bulbs right? For getting him to eat his vegies what are you feeding for those and what kind of insects and how often? He should only be getting insects 2-3 times per week - crickets roaches BSFL or silk worms - super meal horn worms are all treat worms -- you can add BSFL to the tops of his salads to lure him to the bowl - I can post websites for those if you like but we need to get the temps and UVB on par so we can rule this out for the glass surfing --

 

[lucelee]

Ok what are the temps in the tank? How are you getting them? Digital probe thermometer or a stick on? Digital probes best for surface basking temps-- 95-100 ambient around 100 --- UVB ? Is it a coil or long tube fixture? How old and where is it at? The 4 ft tank is a 4x2x2?? Lets start there to get temps out of the way for glass surfing- hes male? Could be just his hormones but we want to rule out the temps first- also there are NO colored bulbs right? For getting him to eat his vegies what are you feeding for those and what kind of insects and how often? He should only be getting insects 2-3 times per week - crickets roaches BSFL or silk worms - super meal horn worms are all treat worms -- you can add BSFL to the tops of his salads to lure him to the bowl - I can post websites for those if you like but we need to get the temps and UVB on par so we can rule this out for the glass surfing --

Hi! Thank you for your reply the basking side is at 43c and the cool side 27c.. we use the ones that stick to the vivarium- will get a probe for better temps knowing this though!
The UVB is a long tube fixture however I'm not sure how old the tube is that they brought with him! It's pretty much in the middle of the enclosure length ways.
And yes correct with the measurements of 4x2x2. We do not have ANY coloured bulbs just the normal basking and UVB light.
Vegies I've tried bell peppers, kale, carrots, cucumber, snap peas, celery... I could go on!
We currently have him on morio worms as was told these are his favourite but noticed you haven't listed these!!! So should I be using others?
Now I know that they're diet is mainly veggies but because he's not eating them I'm panicking and don't want him to starve.. so I've been offering them every 2 days if he hasn't touched his veggies

 

[lucelee]

Hi! Thank you for your reply the basking side is at 43c and the cool side 27c.. we use the ones that stick to the vivarium- will get a probe for better temps knowing this though!
The UVB is a long tube fixture however I'm not sure how old the tube is that they brought with him! It's pretty much in the middle of the enclosure length ways.
And yes correct with the measurements of 4x2x2. We do not have ANY coloured bulbs just the normal basking and UVB light.
Vegies I've tried bell peppers, kale, carrots, cucumber, snap peas, celery... I could go on!
We currently have him on morio worms as was told these are his favourite but noticed you haven't listed these!!! So should I be using others?
Now I know that they're diet is mainly veggies but because he's not eating them I'm panicking and don't want him to starve.. so I've been offering them every 2 days if he hasn't touched his veggies

Just to add on incase, the basking lamp I'd 60 W 230 V - not sure on the UVB light

 

[lucelee]

Ok what are the temps in the tank? How are you getting them? Digital probe thermometer or a stick on? Digital probes best for surface basking temps-- 95-100 ambient around 100 --- UVB ? Is it a coil or long tube fixture? How old and where is it at? The 4 ft tank is a 4x2x2?? Lets start there to get temps out of the way for glass surfing- hes male? Could be just his hormones but we want to rule out the temps first- also there are NO colored bulbs right? For getting him to eat his vegies what are you feeding for those and what kind of insects and how often? He should only be getting insects 2-3 times per week - crickets roaches BSFL or silk worms - super meal horn worms are all treat worms -- you can add BSFL to the tops of his salads to lure him to the bowl - I can post websites for those if you like but we need to get the temps and UVB on par so we can rule this out for the glass surfing --

Oh my god! So I've made a mistake here.. it seems the cool side is at 43.. the other is a hydrometer .. I've moved the thermometer thing to the basking side (as I'm going to use the probe anyways ) its currently sitting at 80... so his vivarium is too hot!?

 

[lucelee]

Oh my god! So I've made a mistake here.. it seems the cool side is at 43.. the other is a hydrometer .. I've moved the thermometer thing to the basking side (as I'm going to use the probe anyways ) its currently sitting at 80... so his vivarium is too hot!?

I'm sorry my brain isn't braining because I'm getting stressed!! It is 80 F not C which i was panicking about !!! I'm so sorry for all these replies haha, I'm just really worrying about him. So it's around 42c his basking side give or take.. x

 

[Sadie]

Oh my god! So I've made a mistake here.. it seems the cool side is at 43.. the other is a hydrometer .. I've moved the thermometer thing to the basking side (as I'm going to use the probe anyways ) its currently sitting at 80... so his vivarium is too hot!?

No you want 100 F ambient temp that can be taken w/ your stick on on the hot side- basing surface 95-100 F -- cool side 80 ish F during the day time - temps at night cool and dark 65-75 F -- please look on the bulb of the UVB its going to tell you the brand and the bulb look toward the bottom of the writing look for T 5 or T 8 -- if your getting 43 on the cool side that is 109 F too hot for cool side of the tank - what is the hydrometer telling you? Is that a stick on or a probe one? We need to get your temps in check here -- and I will give you more info for your UVB when you tell me brand and bulb your using - here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale info its out dated and a good staple http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
the morio worms are super worms which are treat worms and not a staple insect feeder - your basically feeding him candy -- you need to get either some BSFL which are small larvae also known as calci worms phoenix worms - crickets or dubia roaches or silk worms - I recommend dubia roaches -- your better to get them on line search insect feeders for bearded dragons where you are at - pet stores are going to be expensive for those feeders -

 

[lucelee]

No you want 100 F ambient temp that can be taken w/ your stick on on the hot side- basing surface 95-100 F -- cool side 80 ish F during the day time - temps at night cool and dark 65-75 F -- please look on the bulb of the UVB its going to tell you the brand and the bulb look toward the bottom of the writing look for T 5 or T 8 -- if your getting 43 on the cool side that is 109 F too hot for cool side of the tank - what is the hydrometer telling you? Is that a stick on or a probe one? We need to get your temps in check here -- and I will give you more info for your UVB when you tell me brand and bulb your using - here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale info its out dated and a good staple http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
the morio worms are super worms which are treat worms and not a staple insect feeder - your basically feeding him candy -- you need to get either some BSFL which are small larvae also known as calci worms phoenix worms - crickets or dubia roaches or silk worms - I recommend dubia roaches -- your better to get them on line search insect feeders for bearded dragons where you are at - pet stores are going to be expensive for those feeders -

Thank you so much for your help! I did make a mistake though, the hot side is just over 40c (100f) and the cool is at 23 c.. hydrometer is between 40 and 50. I was reading Fahrenheit as celsius!!
As for the worms I had no idea!!! Ill defo get some dubias right away.
The light just says d3 reptiles 6% uvb t5.

 

[Sadie]

Thank you so much for your help! I did make a mistake though, the hot side is just over 40c (100f) and the cool is at 23 c.. hydrometer is between 40 and 50. I was reading Fahrenheit as celsius!!
As for the worms I had no idea!!! Ill defo get some dubias right away.
The light just says d3 reptiles 6% uvb t5.

Replace that 6% bulb w/ a 12% bulb please -- is the UVB in the tank?

 

[lucelee]

Replace that 6% bulb w/ a 12% bulb please -- is the UVB in the tank?

Okay. I can grab that tomorrow! And yes, just had to take it out to see as it was facing upwards so I could see unless I take it out

 

[lucelee]

Could this then be the reason he is glass surfing?
I'll get the uvb light changed tomorrow. Is the temps right at 42/43c basking and 23c cool side? X
Sorry again for the questions, really want him to be okay

 

[Sadie]

Could this then be the reason he is glass surfing?
I'll get the uvb light changed tomorrow. Is the temps right at 42/43c basking and 23c cool side? X
Sorry again for the questions, really want him to be okay

You have a good brand and bulb for UVB it just needs to be the 12% 24 watt for adequate UVB - where is it placed? Inside the tank or top of screen? This does make a difference not in the glass surfing but adequate amount of rays he needs - the temps for a adult dragon I would get to 95-100 F its running a little warm for surface basking temps but you want that digital probe thermometer to tell you - it does not need to stay in the spot where he sits to bask but long enough to get the temp then you can use some two sided tape or velcro and stick the reader on the side of the tank and wrap the wire around it when not is use spot check every couple of weeks - I would bump the cool side of the tank to around 80ish during the day - what wattage of bulb are you using for basking? I have a 4x2x2 tank and I have one 100 watt bulb sitting in the middle of the tank top of screen for a second basking area and it keeps my cool side around the low 80's and the middle of the tank in the 90's

 

[Littlefoxx]

Hi,
So I recently got a bearded dragon - i have owned many many reptiles before, including a couple BDs. I got it off a lady and she admitted he had been neglected since her and her boyfriend split.

I'm just very stressed and worried about him!

She said he's about 3 years old. He will NOT eat vegetables.. I'm really trying with that, keep offering veggies and I'm hoping eventually he will eat them! - any ideas on how to help/entice him to eat this?!

His tank is 4ft, I am currently looking to get him a 6ft tank ASAP! (This is what he arrived in)

Temp and humidity is all fine in his enclosure!

Now he runs around his vivarium a lot seems like he is "glass surfing"... he will also scratch on the walls of his vivarium... a lot! When this happens i tend to get him out and let him run around/handle him. But as soon as he's back in his enclosure he starts again!!! I'm really worried as searching this it can be literally anything...
I don't suspect any RI, he isn't showing ANY signs of it, apart from "gulping" when near his enclosure/opening his enclosure (maybe being territorial? Or the lack of human contact throughout his life?) But I'm just guessing and was wondering if anyone knew why!?
Could this all be due to his enclosure size as i know this can stress them out! I've tried to add more climbing bits and enrichment items for him so he's not bored too but nothing seems to help! And I don't want to fill it too much when his enclosure is already too small for him.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any idea what I can do because I'm really worrying about him and just want him to be happy!

Also thought it may be helpful to add i have 2 cats, we don't let them interact, but they sit and watch him from the floor, could this also be a reason for him to be stressed? ( we do move the cats when they're doing this )
I'm just looking for help - please be respectful x

Im still new to keeping dragons so I cant really help with much, Miss Sadie is great though! Helped me a ton with my new guy. As for the cats, mine is on a ledge thats not super far off the ground. I have two dogs and a cat. Cat likes to sit on the grate, doesnt seem to bother my guy. The dogs sit right in front of his tank all the time and stare at him, it never seems to bother him at all. He just basks, goes to get food and jumps around and ignores them. Maybe yours is nervous of the cat but just thought I would share that mine done seem to make mine nervous.

 

[Musicmanslady]

The most important thing for them is the heating and UVB. What kind UVB do you use? You want either a Reptisun T5 24" tube light for UVB with a 10.0 bulb (they sell them at Petsmart but some kits come with a 5.0 bulb..for a 4 foot tank you need a 10.0 bulb, sold seperately..just pop out the 5.0 bulb and put in a 10.0. Sometimes the kits come with a 10.0 bulb now, just read the box to be sure), or you can use an Arcadia 12% for UVB. I dont use the Arcadia so dont know much about them, maybe @Sadie can weigh in on those. For heating, the wattage of your bulb will be determined by the temp of your basking spot, measured with a digital probe thermometer. We can tell you how to use the probe if you need..they are available at petsmart too. There is a lot of other info but dont want to overwhelm you, please post any questions you have about setup. A 4 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot tank is fine, you can go bigger (not taller), but its not a necessity.

 

[Liz_Dragon]

Hi,
So I recently got a bearded dragon - i have owned many many reptiles before, including a couple BDs. I got it off a lady and she admitted he had been neglected since her and her boyfriend split.

I'm just very stressed and worried about him!

She said he's about 3 years old. He will NOT eat vegetables.. I'm really trying with that, keep offering veggies and I'm hoping eventually he will eat them! - any ideas on how to help/entice him to eat this?!

His tank is 4ft, I am currently looking to get him a 6ft tank ASAP! (This is what he arrived in)

Temp and humidity is all fine in his enclosure!

Now he runs around his vivarium a lot seems like he is "glass surfing"... he will also scratch on the walls of his vivarium... a lot! When this happens i tend to get him out and let him run around/handle him. But as soon as he's back in his enclosure he starts again!!! I'm really worried as searching this it can be literally anything...
I don't suspect any RI, he isn't showing ANY signs of it, apart from "gulping" when near his enclosure/opening his enclosure (maybe being territorial? Or the lack of human contact throughout his life?) But I'm just guessing and was wondering if anyone knew why!?
Could this all be due to his enclosure size as i know this can stress them out! I've tried to add more climbing bits and enrichment items for him so he's not bored too but nothing seems to help! And I don't want to fill it too much when his enclosure is already too small for him.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any idea what I can do because I'm really worrying about him and just want him to be happy!

Also thought it may be helpful to add i have 2 cats, we don't let them interact, but they sit and watch him from the floor, could this also be a reason for him to be stressed? ( we do move the cats when they're doing this )
I'm just looking for help - please be respectful x

Hello!
Good on you for taking in a neglected animal!
As always, all of Sadie’s suggestions are spot on but I do have a couple thoughts.
Regarding the veggies…
Do you know if the previous owner ever gave him veggies? He may not even know what they are.
When our beardie wasn’t eating her veggies (I swear she was depressed when my son went away to school) I cut squash to look like worms and it worked!
Also, similar to parenting, I bought her super worms as a treat and she wasn’t as interested in her roaches for a while after.
Regarding the surfing….
My gut tells me the tank size is stressful for him, especially if he calms when you take him out. Also, is it an interesting environment? (For lack of a better word). Does he have a place to climb, a change of scenery, or something to go into like a cave or log?

If I were in your shoes, the first thing I would do is get the bigger tank with the appropriate uvb light and make sure there are two quality thermometers, one for each side.
Good luck to you!
Do you have any photos of the sweet fella?

 

[Liz_Dragon]

Hello!
Good on you for taking in a neglected animal!
As always, all of Sadie’s suggestions are spot on but I do have a couple thoughts.
Regarding the veggies…
Do you know if the previous owner ever gave him veggies? He may not even know what they are.
When our beardie wasn’t eating her veggies (I swear she was depressed when my son went away to school) I cut squash to look like worms and it worked!
Also, similar to parenting, I bought her super worms as a treat and she wasn’t as interested in her roaches for a while after.
Regarding the surfing….
My gut tells me the tank size is stressful for him, especially if he calms when you take him out. Also, is it an interesting environment? (For lack of a better word). Does he have a place to climb, a change of scenery, or something to go into like a cave or log?

If I were in your shoes, the first thing I would do is get the bigger tank with the appropriate uvb light and make sure there are two quality thermometers, one for each side.
Good luck to you!
Do you have any photos of the sweet fella?

I had a thought as I was feeding Lucy this morning. I put hash marks in the squash as their tongues can’t grab them as easily.
I also gave her (at a vet’s suggestion) canned pumpkin when she seemed constipated (too many mealworms oops) and she LOVED it. It’s not a forever food though. More of a stepping stone to get her back to eating well.
Also, are you trying different greens? There are some on the good for them list that Lucy will not touch.
Hope this helps without being preachy.