New baby beardie, no energy and wont eat. Help :(

[Squids_Girl]

Hello!

Just got this lil guy/girl Sunday. I had a Beardie as a teenager but kinda forgot most care stuff and had to do some research and re educate myself on their needs. If you see anything off let me know, the cage furnishings will be upgraded.

Husband saw the baby at petco and wanted to save him, i told him i wasnt sure he would make it and i hate to buy from the petstore but he really wanted to save him. He was definitely an inpulse buy. I thought he was impacted (was on cali sand! ) gave him 4 baths and he finally pooped (very hard and had chunks of sand).

He hasnt eaten ANY crickets or salad yet. I got chicken and butternut squash babyfood and did 2 parts chicken / 1 part squash mixed with some calcium d3 and multivitamin and have gotten him to eat that out of a syringe by putting little bits on his nose and squeezing more there ones he goes to lick it off. I held live crickets to his face and salad but he wont touch it. He did lick the babyfood mix off a cricket though any tips?

He moves around when i took him out to hold him and looks around, he swam in his baths too but besides that i dont see him move at all except to sit up and gape or lay down flat in the basking area. Not sure if he is strong enough to climb down so i put him on the floor at night and back up to the basking area in the morning. I work from home and his cage is right beside my workstation so i can keep an eye on him.

Here is the set up so far, i plan to add more and nicer looking furnishings and slate tile flooring soon this was just the bare minimum to bring him home.

40 gal breeder
CHE on rheostats (basking 108F and cool side 83F)
Reptisun 10.0 in T8 hood, placed on top of screen (have coming in the mail a t5 10.0 and t5 hood)
Rep Cal calcium with D3 and Rep Cal Herptivite (repashy plus coming in mail)

Really hoping he will make it, growing very attached already to the sweet little thing

 

[Squids_Girl]

Hello!

Just got this lil guy/girl Sunday. I had a Beardie as a teenager but kinda forgot most care stuff and had to do some research and re educate myself on their needs. If you see anything off let me know, the cage furnishings will be upgraded.

Husband saw the baby at petco and wanted to save him, i told him i wasnt sure he would make it and i hate to buy from the petstore but he really wanted to save him. He was definitely an inpulse buy. I thought he was impacted (was on cali sand! ) gave him 4 baths and he finally pooped (very hard and had chunks of sand).

He hasnt eaten ANY crickets or salad yet. I got chicken and butternut squash babyfood and did 2 parts chicken / 1 part squash mixed with some calcium d3 and multivitamin and have gotten him to eat that out of a syringe by putting little bits on his nose and squeezing more there ones he goes to lick it off. I held live crickets to his face and salad but he wont touch it. He did lick the babyfood mix off a cricket though any tips?

He moves around when i took him out to hold him and looks around, he swam in his baths too but besides that i dont see him move at all except to sit up and gape or lay down flat in the basking area. Not sure if he is strong enough to climb down so i put him on the floor at night and back up to the basking area in the morning. I work from home and his cage is right beside my workstation so i can keep an eye on him.

Here is the set up so far, i plan to add more and nicer looking furnishings and slate tile flooring soon this was just the bare minimum to bring him home.

40 gal breeder
CHE on rheostats (basking 108F and cool side 83F)
Reptisun 10.0 in T8 hood, placed on top of screen (have coming in the mail a t5 10.0 and t5 hood)
Rep Cal calcium with D3 and Rep Cal Herptivite (repashy plus coming in mail)

Really hoping he will make it, growing very attached already to the sweet little thing

 

[Squids_Girl]

Note: He moves when i take him out to hand feed him, he climbed up my hand to my arm and to my shoulder. But in the cage he doesnt move from the perch you can see him on in the pic of his cage. He moves around on top the perch to face a different way and gapes sometimes but wont move when put on the ground and pays no attention to crickets or salad. I dont think its that he cant move but rather wont move to go after food that worries me the most. Since he is a baby and weak from being impacted im worried he will starve. He has pooped like 3 times since the sand poop so i know he is passing the baby food. How long should i keep hand feeding him? Dont want him to have to be hand fed for life and i know they can get spoiled and want to always be hand fed lol

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Awwww cute lil one. So happy you rescued. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to get him back to being happy and healthy.

I had to hand feed my guy baby food veges when he was young as he absolutely refused to eat any salads. I provided fresh salads morning and afternoon even though he wasn't eating them. Then one day outta the blue he started eating his salads without any fuss. Even though I hand fed him baby food for a while, I don't have to hand feed him now. He doesn't require it. I hand feed him bugs occasionally, but only because I want to not because I have to.

I think once he acclimates to his surrounds and gets some strength back he'll hopefully start eating more on his own. Bugs if nothing else. Keep doing what you're doing on getting him to eat, while establishing an eat on your own routine along with it. Keep putting fresh salads in his tank and having bugs handy for small periods of time so he can eat them if he wants. Additionally, finally having the correct husbandry may help him perk back up. Might take a bit of time, but hang in there.

Keep us updated on his progress. We're all rooting for a success story.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Awwww cute lil one. So happy you rescued. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to get him back to being happy and healthy.

I had to hand feed my guy baby food veges when he was young as he absolutely refused to eat any salads. I provided fresh salads morning and afternoon even though he wasn't eating them. Then one day outta the blue he started eating his salads without any fuss. Even though I hand fed him baby food for a while, I don't have to hand feed him now. He doesn't require it. I hand feed him bugs occasionally, but only because I want to not because I have to.

I think once he acclimates to his surrounds and gets some strength back he'll hopefully start eating more on his own. Bugs if nothing else. Keep doing what you're doing on getting him to eat, while establishing an eat on your own routine along with it. Keep putting fresh salads in his tank and having bugs handy for small periods of time so he can eat them if he wants. Additionally, finally having the correct husbandry may help him perk back up. Might take a bit of time, but hang in there.

Keep us updated on his progress. We're all rooting for a success story.

And if all else fails and he's not doing better maybe take him to a reptile vet in your area and screen for parasites and over all health. There may be a medical reason he's not gaining weight and moving around much.

 

[HoomanSlave]

I agree that a reptile vet is a good choice. You can get him checked for calcium levels, parasites, and other health issues, and the vet can also help you get him to a healthy weight.

If you can, move the T8 to the inside of the tank (you can hang it from the screen using velcro strips or zip ties). The T8 is weaker than the T5 and doesn't give off adequate lighting when it is on top of the screen or too far from the dragon.

Consider switching from crickets to black soldier fly larvae (also known as NutriGrubs, Pheonix Worms, Calci-worms, etc.). They are great staples for beardies because they are so high in calcium no calcium dust is necessary. Dubia or discoid roaches are also healthy and have more meat than crickets.

If you have a kitchen scale, check his weight so you know how much he may need to gain.

I hope the poor little guy starts doing better soon!

 

[Squids_Girl]

Awwww cute lil one. So happy you rescued. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to get him back to being happy and healthy.

I had to hand feed my guy baby food veges when he was young as he absolutely refused to eat any salads. I provided fresh salads morning and afternoon even though he wasn't eating them. Then one day outta the blue he started eating his salads without any fuss. Even though I hand fed him baby food for a while, I don't have to hand feed him now. He doesn't require it. I hand feed him bugs occasionally, but only because I want to not because I have to.

I think once he acclimates to his surrounds and gets some strength back he'll hopefully start eating more on his own. Bugs if nothing else. Keep doing what you're doing on getting him to eat, while establishing an eat on your own routine along with it. Keep putting fresh salads in his tank and having bugs handy for small periods of time so he can eat them if he wants. Additionally, finally having the correct husbandry may help him perk back up. Might take a bit of time, but hang in there.

Keep us updated on his progress. We're all rooting for a success story.

He always has a salad in his cage. What all kind of baby food should i feed besides the chicken and butternut squash?

 

[Squids_Girl]

I agree that a reptile vet is a good choice. You can get him checked for calcium levels, parasites, and other health issues, and the vet can also help you get him to a healthy weight.

If you can, move the T8 to the inside of the tank (you can hang it from the screen using velcro strips or zip ties). The T8 is weaker than the T5 and doesn't give off adequate lighting when it is on top of the screen or too far from the dragon.

Consider switching from crickets to black soldier fly larvae (also known as NutriGrubs, Pheonix Worms, Calci-worms, etc.). They are great staples for beardies because they are so high in calcium no calcium dust is necessary. Dubia or discoid roaches are also healthy and have more meat than crickets.

If you have a kitchen scale, check his weight so you know how much he may need to gain.

I hope the poor little guy starts doing better soon!

I couldnt figure how to put it inside the cage which is why i got the T5 I did order some Repashy Grub Pie which the main ingredient is the soldier fly larva. He looks fatter now im just worried because he never runs around in the cage and isnt interested in crickets or salad

 

[Squids_Girl]

And if all else fails and he's not doing better maybe take him to a reptile vet in your area and screen for parasites and over all health. There may be a medical reason he's not gaining weight and moving around much.

If he isnt better within the week i will be taking him in for a fecal but he is getting fatter just not running around like videos i see of other baby beardies

 

[TheLongfellows]

Re posting this in the health section. Cant figure out how to delete it here sorry :/

You’ve got great equipment hood temps and top notch uvb so there’s not much I can say but maybe relocation stress a lot of beardies won’t touch food for a little while after you get them home. Plus the damage some of those pet stores can put on those beardies can take time to get over. You can try and get the uvb hung inside to make sure he’s getting a more sufficient spectrum of uvb to help his appetite and what not. Keep in mind that when he does start eating it’s really easy to over dust your feeders. If he doesn’t start eating soon my next step would be to get some liquid calcium to soak him in too. But I’m sure he will be fine you got a lot of good equipment this is not your first dragon is it?

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

He always has a salad in his cage. What all kind of baby food should i feed besides the chicken and butternut squash?

Excellent on the salad offerings! I fed mine mostly veges as he was getting plenty of protein. Green beans, peas, squash, pumpkin and the like. For treats I'd give him a bit of baby food fruit once/twice a week: apple, banana, peach. I added a little bit of water to it so it wasn't as think and I also added pinches of his calcium once a day and his vitamins once a week. I got the organic kind with no additives.

 

[Squids_Girl]

You’ve got great equipment hood temps and top notch uvb so there’s not much I can say but maybe relocation stress a lot of beardies won’t touch food for a little while after you get them home. Plus the damage some of those pet stores can put on those beardies can take time to get over. You can try and get the uvb hung inside to make sure he’s getting a more sufficient spectrum of uvb to help his appetite and what not. Keep in mind that when he does start eating it’s really easy to over dust your feeders. If he doesn’t start eating soon my next step would be to get some liquid calcium to soak him in too. But I’m sure he will be fine you got a lot of good equipment this is not your first dragon is it?

I had a beardie about 10 years ago but she was healthy when i got her and nevr had any health issues to deal with. Here is a pic from Sunday at petco vs today. He isnt always this light colored but this was right after a bath. Other times he is still darker but not like when we saw him at Petco. Included other pic of normal darker color. His cage is still a work in progress, got his t5 light today in the mail but the hood is still on its way so i cant use it yet any idea what color he will prolly be as an adult? Im guessing brown or black/grey..?

 

[Skybug]

Wow that before and after is shocking, ur definitely taking very very good care of him, good for you for saving em, he looks so gone in thst first pic very sad, his tummy looks very big still, do u think theres more sand in there? If you can give him some watermelon the water and suger in it will help pass things, he’s looking better, dont be afraid to pry open his mouth and force feed him , if hed not taking food , use ur tumb nail start in the very corner of his mouth and gently get him to open, if ur unsure look up a video, i hope ur lil guy bounces back, lets us know please if anything happens.

 

[Skybug]

I rescued my beardie from a petsmart as well, lil guy was glass surfing like crazy we had to bring her home with us , if you can put up a background inside the tank, baby’s dont like seeing their reflections they think something is in there with them, if u can cover the two sides that help too.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

I had a beardie about 10 years ago but she was healthy when i got her and nevr had any health issues to deal with. Here is a pic from Sunday at petco vs today. He isnt always this light colored but this was right after a bath. Other times he is still darker but not like when we saw him at Petco. Included other pic of normal darker color. His cage is still a work in progress, got his t5 light today in the mail but the hood is still on its way so i cant use it yet any idea what color he will prolly be as an adult? Im guessing brown or black/grey..?

Awww, he's adorable. He looks so much better than when you got him. Makes me so mad that they end up in the condition you rescued him from.

Hard to say what color he'll be. My guy went from gray and black for the first few days I had him to shades of grays and browns. Now at not quite a year old he's shades of browns with a lot of orange. lol He looks nothing like he did as a baby.

Took me a bit to get Dexter's cage set up so that he was happy. I read everything I could and asked tons of questions here. Some was trial and error based on Dex himself and what he did best with. Dex's tank was actually the one that came free with Seymore. I had to adjust a ton of stuff, though. Set up had coil bulbs, a red night light, sand as substrate, not sure how old the UV light was . . . yeah. Had everything all wrong so I had to start from scratch. You'll get there.

 

[Squids_Girl]

Wow that before and after is shocking, ur definitely taking very very good care of him, good for you for saving em, he looks so gone in thst first pic very sad, his tummy looks very big still, do u think theres more sand in there? If you can give him some watermelon the water and suger in it will help pass things, he’s looking better, dont be afraid to pry open his mouth and force feed him , if hed not taking food , use ur tumb nail start in the very corner of his mouth and gently get him to open, if ur unsure look up a video, i hope ur lil guy bounces back, lets us know please if anything happens.

He doesnt have to be forced to eat the baby food. I put it on the tip of his nose and he eats a lot (i worry i will overfeed him and explode his lil belly hahaha).
He seems to have a good appetite and is moving around in his cage a lot more now. He still wont eat crickets though! He will watch crickets walk past him and eye them and then look at me or go bask or whatever. He doesnt even try to catch one. He has pooped a ton so i dont think there js more sand, this pic was probably taken rightttt after a big feeding as he isnt always that fat lol.

How long should i keep giving him the baby food? At this point i think he is spoiled a bit, he will look at me and when i look at him he will “lick” the air asking for food! When i take him out he licks in anticipation of being fed even hahahaha. He only does this for me, not when my husband takes him out (im the one who feeds him).
I have been trying to not feed him breakfast and make him wait till lunch time (then he starts looking and air licking at me) while leaving crickets and salad in with him (i never leave crickets overnight). But he ignores them and just waits for me to feed him.

Should i wait till dinner time and try to get him to eat some crickets or keep doing the baby food another week? (He has been on baby food for 9 days now). Can i wait him out 1-2 days? How long can he go without food at his age?

Pic of him taking a bath today:

 

[Skybug]

U can wait him out 3 days max, offer salad all 3 days , and on the 3rd day let the crickets feed on the baby food to trick him, he’s looking really fat and happy, its best to feed them after they’ve warmed up , dont feed 3 hours before bed time. Im happy to hear hes better and has passed the sand

 

[Squids_Girl]

Thank you!

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

He doesnt have to be forced to eat the baby food. I put it on the tip of his nose and he eats a lot (i worry i will overfeed him and explode his lil belly hahaha).
He seems to have a good appetite and is moving around in his cage a lot more now. He still wont eat crickets though! He will watch crickets walk past him and eye them and then look at me or go bask or whatever. He doesnt even try to catch one. He has pooped a ton so i dont think there js more sand, this pic was probably taken rightttt after a big feeding as he isnt always that fat lol.

How long should i keep giving him the baby food? At this point i think he is spoiled a bit, he will look at me and when i look at him he will “lick” the air asking for food! When i take him out he licks in anticipation of being fed even hahahaha. He only does this for me, not when my husband takes him out (im the one who feeds him).
I have been trying to not feed him breakfast and make him wait till lunch time (then he starts looking and air licking at me) while leaving crickets and salad in with him (i never leave crickets overnight). But he ignores them and just waits for me to feed him.

Should i wait till dinner time and try to get him to eat some crickets or keep doing the baby food another week? (He has been on baby food for 9 days now). Can i wait him out 1-2 days? How long can he go without food at his age?

Pic of him taking a bath today:

Dex luved his baby food. I didn't worry about over feeding him as he stopped when he was done and would turn his head a walk away. Glad to hear he's doing better. Awww he's adorable and is getting you trained up to his liking. (tee hee) Dex definitely has me trained.

Dex never had an issue with eating his bugs. Only the salads. And, lemme tell you he ate baby food veges until he was about about 5 months old maybe. Sigh. Then one day out of the blue he started eating his salads. I did nothing different. Just bam went from baby food to salads in one day. Skybug has a great idea on letting the crickets eat the baby food. Maybe leave a little bit on a small lid and put the crickets on it and see if he'll eat them? Have you tried other bugs besides crickets? Like roaches? If he maybe could get a taste of a nice roach and like it he may go for the crickets next? Or how about black fly larvae which is another good feeder?

 

[Squids_Girl]

Dex luved his baby food. I didn't worry about over feeding him as he stopped when he was done and would turn his head a walk away. Glad to hear he's doing better. Awww he's adorable and is getting you trained up to his liking. (tee hee) Dex definitely has me trained.

Dex never had an issue with eating his bugs. Only the salads. And, lemme tell you he ate baby food veges until he was about about 5 months old maybe. Sigh. Then one day out of the blue he started eating his salads. I did nothing different. Just bam went from baby food to salads in one day. Skybug has a great idea on letting the crickets eat the baby food. Maybe leave a little bit on a small lid and put the crickets on it and see if he'll eat them? Have you tried other bugs besides crickets? Like roaches? If he maybe could get a taste of a nice roach and like it he may go for the crickets next? Or how about black fly larvae which is another good feeder?

Ive only had him since last week on sunday (10 days i think) now. I plan to buy BSFL but hear they only last a few weeks and wanted to make sure he was going to make it before i ordered.

Pretty sure the little stinker is gunna live now though he refused to eat ANYTHING today even when i tried to hand feed him the salad and held a cricket for him to his face. I have dipped the baby food and crickets in the baby food since the day i got him trying to get him to eat them on his own but he will only eat if its out of the syringe and while im holding him. He ate NOTHING today and looks skinnier already... (from the top view, side view he still has a lil belly).

Crickets are being fed the baby food and i will try again tomorrow. Im just worried he will get weak again... really attatched and dont want to hinder him if he isnt fully recovered.. if he doesnt eat tomorrow or friday i will have to cave and go back to hand feeding him saturday again for a fee days and then try again, i know i wont be able to hold out any longer... im a push over for this lil guy!! Hahahaha

if i order the BSFL what size should i get for him and do you have a preferred website you have used?