new beardie not eating and dehydrated

[brett72]

Hi everyone
new here I picked up my new beardie at a reptile expo last weekend and she is not eating and dehydraded.
i have been soaking her in a 50/50 pedialyte/water twice a day and she pooped last night. basking temp is 105 and she has a 10.0 uvb bulb. she will drink out of a dropper and i have some squash baby food and some flukers repta aid. Can anyone give me some input on if i should try hand feeding or what i should be doing. i purchased her on sat and she didnt look like this. thanks in advance.

 

[alalsip]

My baby just started eating yesterday. I soak him every third day and spray him with water a few times a day otherwise. What have you tried feeding him? I have found I need to drop about 20 crickets in and ignore him. It's hard, but I can't time my little guy.

Definitely give your guy time to settle in. Might be too much handling with the soaking twice a day

 

[alalsip]

Oh, what's your set up ect for the rest of the people. They will help! Can you take a few pics of your tank?

 

[Mushuandcricket]

Welcome! Your little guy does look thin. Did you purchase from a breeder at the expo? If so maybe you can contact them to see what feeder insects they were using. Could you post a picture of the set up?

 

[brett72]

Oh, what's your set up ect for the rest of the people. They will help! Can you take a few pics of your tank?

i will work on pics she has two hiding spots, If you think she will be okay not being soaked i am ok with that but how long can they go without food or water if they are not eating or drinking

 

[brett72]

Welcome! Your little guy does look thin. Did you purchase from a breeder at the expo? If so maybe you can contact them to see what feeder insects they were using. Could you post a picture of the set up?

will work on the pics and i think she is losing weight fast shedidnt look like that when i got her

 

[Mushuandcricket]

will work on the pics and i think she is losing weight fast shedidnt look like that when i got her

Does she share enclosure with another dragon?

 

[brett72]

Does she share enclosure with another dragon?

i bought two. had them together but seperated them yesterday. so far ive offered crickets,dubias,greens(mustard,collard,escrole,collard) carrots sqaush,

 

[Mushuandcricket]

Maybe now that they are separated she will start eating.What size is the new enclosure she is in?

 

[brett72]

Maybe now that they are separated she will start eating.What size is the new enclosure she is in?

she is in a fifteen gallon i know its on the small size but she is pretty small and its temporary. i did put six small crickets in tonight and i dont see them but they could be hiding.she pooped tonight so i am hoping thats a good sign. i misted the cage above her head with water and she did drink some that way.

 

[brett72]

Welcome! Your little guy does look thin. Did you purchase from a breeder at the expo? If so maybe you can contact them to see what feeder insects they were using. Could you post a picture of the set up?

just got off the phone with the breeder. they gave me some pointers and if no improvement to call back on monday

 

[jarich]

Give it lots of places to hide and please do not handle it anymore for at least a week. Your little one has had a whole bunch of big changes in the last few days and is very stressed out. So you want to leave it be and let it get settled as alalsip mentioned. Just give it fresh vegetables every morning like you are doing and then offer live prey a couple times a day.

Nice bright colours!

 

[brett72]

Give it lots of places to hide and please do not handle it anymore for at least a week. Your little one has had a whole bunch of big changes in the last few days and is very stressed out. So you want to leave it be and let it get settled as alalsip mentioned. Just give it fresh vegetables every morning like you are doing and then offer live prey a couple times a day.

Nice bright colours!

thanks Jarich, will do. its hard not wanting to do more because she is so thin. but i dont want to stress her out either. wondering what you think about me mixing up the repta aid and putting it in a dish for her? or she has been drinking a bit when i mist the cage could i put the repta aid in her spray bottle? thanks again

 

[cody]

he's a toothpick that must be an illusion from the water or something. are you just putting crickets in for him to catch ? If so I wouldn't do that. The crickets will hide and bite him when he sleeps. And considering he's so thin he probsly doesn't have the energy to catch them. I'd forget the crickets and stick to dubais. More meat less shell. You should put the crickets in a shallow bowl that's smooth so they can't jump out. Hope he gets better

 

[Andyurgay]

I'd keep up the misting maybe once a day, if it worked once, you want to keep the baby hydrated. They are less likely to eat when dehydrated. And yes, no more baths for a while. Let them settle. Being separated will help a lot.
Also try some additional veggies, with some additional liquid content. Grapes without the skins, melon bits, papaya, still good for them, but gives them enough liquid in their system to pass it through. I know babies eat mostly insects, but crickets don't have much water to them. So if she is dehydrated, it can slow her system and make her not want to eat because she still feels full. Try ordering some phoenix worms. They are small, soft, nutritious and full of calcium. Also wax worms, they are full of fat so use sparingly, but can help put some weight on her

 

[Andyurgay]

also, maybe a fecal test from a vet is in order? If she is losing weight that quickly, it could be a parasite and you want to catch that quick. It can suck up their nutrients and make them feel full so they don't eat.
also, your temps, if I remember, baby beardies like it around 110-115. Maybe she is too cold?
but also in a 15 gallon, you can't get a proper heat gradient. Upgrading to a bigger tank could work wonders. Even a 20 gallon long could provide enough space for her to adjust her body temp to digest correctly.

 

[jarich]

thanks Jarich, will do. its hard not wanting to do more because she is so thin. but i dont want to stress her out either. wondering what you think about me mixing up the repta aid and putting it in a dish for her? or she has been drinking a bit when i mist the cage could i put the repta aid in her spray bottle? thanks again

Sorry for the delayed response, you can add some reptaid to the mistings, but its not really necessary. As long as it is eating the fresh veg and drinking some from the misting, it should be getting the hydration it needs.

As for the crickets, they are fine to use, without fear of your dragon getting bit, as long as you leave the fresh veg in there overnight. Crickets will only go after your dragon when they are starving or dying of dehydration. Most of the crickets people get have been shipped from somewhere else, so have been in a box with hundreds or thousands of other crickets for a few days. By the time they get to you, many times they are highly dehydrated and starving. As a result its always best to gut load any crickets you get for a day or two before feeding them. Id probably attack a lion with my bare hands if I were about to die of starvation, but you can be sure Id just eat salad instead if I had the option.

 

[brett72]

Sorry for the delayed response, you can add some reptaid to the mistings, but its not really necessary. As long as it is eating the fresh veg and drinking some from the misting, it should be getting the hydration it needs.

As for the crickets, they are fine to use, without fear of your dragon getting bit, as long as you leave the fresh veg in there overnight. Crickets will only go after your dragon when they are starving or dying of dehydration. Most of the crickets people get have been shipped from somewhere else, so have been in a box with hundreds or thousands of other crickets for a few days. By the time they get to you, many times they are highly dehydrated and starving. As a result its always best to gut load any crickets you get for a day or two before feeding them. Id probably attack a lion with my bare hands if I were about to die of starvation, but you can be sure Id just eat salad instead if I had the option.

thanks for the input,she is eating and drinking for me. i have been giving her red runner roaches wich she loves. i am hoping she will put some wheight on soon