Not Eating!

[Peachyken]

Hello! My little bearded dragon ab almost 4 or 5 months old is not eating. He hasn’t eaten in a little over a week now. I figured it was bc he was shedding but I don’t see that he still is anywhere else he hasn’t in the last two days. He won’t eat worms or greens or anything. I try to feed him and he just opens and closes his mouth. I even got a Little strawberry in his mouth but it didn’t make it he didn’t eat it. He’s become a little more skittish but he’s not lethargic. The first few days he didn’t eat he pooped a lot but now he’s just peeing. I’ve been keeping him hydrated and such and all his temps in his tank are good. Is it just bc he was shedding and could still be? Or should I call a vet and make an appt for his Appetite loss? I even tried buying some appetite increasing cube things and he won’t eat anything. :/ Please help. He’s getting thinner :,(

 

[Sadie]

Hello! My little bearded dragon ab almost 4 or 5 months old is not eating. He hasn’t eaten in a little over a week now. I figured it was bc he was shedding but I don’t see that he still is anywhere else he hasn’t in the last two days. He won’t eat worms or greens or anything. I try to feed him and he just opens and closes his mouth. I even got a Little strawberry in his mouth but it didn’t make it he didn’t eat it. He’s become a little more skittish but he’s not lethargic. The first few days he didn’t eat he pooped a lot but now he’s just peeing. I’ve been keeping him hydrated and such and all his temps in his tank are good. Is it just bc he was shedding and could still be? Or should I call a vet and make an appt for his Appetite loss? I even tried buying some appetite increasing cube things and he won’t eat anything. :/ Please help. He’s getting thinner :,(

Lighting and basking temps in the tank are crucial -- what are you using for a UVB? NO coils - they are inadequate! Basking temps need to be 105-110 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer --- NO stick ons - if the temps and UVB are not correct hes not going to eat --- Here is some info on UVB's
Which UVB light should I use?

The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 12-15 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 6-8 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays--
If you have a tube UVB where is it ? Top of tank or inside the tank --- placement of the tube fixture depends on the bulb --

 

[Peachyken]

There were none of the digital probe thermometers and I just spent my money on another one of the stick on ones.Which the other one came from the kit. All my stuff was in the kit from the ZooMed I think it’s called so it’s their lights that came with the tank for the 40 gal tank. And then I bought a separate heated lamp that doesn’t put off any light for when he’s asleep. What’s wrong with the stick on thermometer? That’s what they put in the kit why would they put it in there if it wasn’t good?
Also is the night time lamp I bought a coil? Wdym by a coil?

 

[Sadie]

There were none of the digital probe thermometers and I just spent my money on another one of the stick on ones.Which the other one came from the kit. All my stuff was in the kit from the ZooMed I think it’s called so it’s their lights that came with the tank for the 40 gal tank. And then I bought a separate heated lamp that doesn’t put off any light for when he’s asleep. What’s wrong with the stick on thermometer? That’s what they put in the kit why would they put it in there if it wasn’t good?
Also is the night time lamp I bought a coil? Wdym by a coil?

Most of the kits are NO good read this and let me know what you need help w/ and I will help you
https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1945606
But you must get your lighting fixed before he will eat ---

 

[Sadie]

Most of the kits are NO good read this and let me know what you need help w/ and I will help you

But you must get your lighting fixed before he will eat ---

here were none of the digital probe thermometers and I just spent my money on another one of the stick on ones.Which the other one came from the kit. All my stuff was in the kit from the ZooMed I think it’s called so it’s their lights that came with the tank for the 40 gal tank. And then I bought a separate heated lamp that doesn’t put off any light for when he’s asleep. What’s wrong with the stick on thermometer? That’s what they put in the kit why would they put it in there if it wasn’t good?
Also is the night time lamp I bought a coil? Wdym by a coil?
[/QUOTE]
Most of the kits are NO good read this and let me know what you need help w/ and I will help you

But you must get your lighting fixed before he will eat ---
Did you buy a petstore enclosure "kit"? -
The tank

Firstly, the tank. You can't really go wrong there. Most 40g tanks sold in these kits are 40g breeders, which are 36 inches by 18 inches by 18 inches. This is an adequate size for a dragon, although many like to eventually upgrade their adult dragon to an even larger tank. A 48 inch by 24 inch by 24 inch is a common enclosure chosen if a larger one is desired. Either way, if you just got a baby, this tank will do for a long time; it's whole life if you so choose.
The food dishes

Secondly we have the combo repti-rock food and water dishes. Once again, not really something you can mess up, and they might work well for you for a bit, but I've found that I end up not really using things like that in my tanks. Some do though so there is definitely nothing wrong with using them!
Thermometer

The third item is where we get into our first issue. To be brief, there is NOTHING more important to the health of your dragon than proper temperatures. We can debate that later but just trust me on that one. An area of care that is so critical to your dragons health can not be relied upon by such a cheap instrument. And I'm not talking monetarily cheap here, as a good thermometer isn't even very expensive either!

This is the first item i'd ask that you just toss. Yes, throw it away. I've tested analog thermometers like this in the past and found them to be off by nearly 20 degrees in many cases. In extreme cases they were off by over 40 degrees in my testing. Do yourself a huge favor, and buy a digital thermometer with probe end. They are cheap, less than 10 bucks, and they give you the ability to actually measure surface temperatures, which is what you want.

You can keep the humidity gauge if you want, but they are usually quite inaccurate also. There is a way to check your hygrometers calibration, I will link to a guide on how to do so at a later date.


Lighting

For the fourth item, we unfortunately have another issue, and this is where you will need to spend the most money on correcting the issue with the kit. The lighting. Now, if temperatures are the most important aspect of their health, proper lighting is a very close second. They both are absolute necessities, so don't think that just because you already corrected the first issue, that the second issue can slide. It can't!

The Kit comes with a dual dome fixture, which houses the basking bulb it comes with, and the UVB bulb it comes with. The fixture is fine, however it's not what you'd want to buy if you were setting up your tank from scratch. They give you the dual dome fixture because they want to make it convenient - 1 fixture houses your heat bulb and your UVB bulb. However, the UVB bulb they provide (and most UVB bulbs that fit that style fixture) is no good. Exactly why the CFL UVB bulbs are bad is a lengthy discussion so we will not be discussing that here, but if you spend some time reading around here you will quickly find out why. I will link to some threads explaining why at a later date.

So you can keep the dual dome if you want.
You can keep the basking bulb if you want - But only if it actually provides you the proper temperatures! You might find that you need a different wattage. If the bulb it came with isn't getting your temps proper, you need to change it out for a different type/wattage.

The CFL UVB needs to be replaced. It is basically (and by basically I mean almost completely) useless. It's not that the brand is bad, its that the CFL bulbs in specific are just generally way too under-powered. You will want to buy the reptisun 10.0 long florescent tube, or the arcadia tubes. These will require a florescent fixture, so you will need to buy the bulb, and a fixture for it. Some sites sell them as a combo, but you can easily buy them separately if you choose.


Misc./samples

For the fifth items, you usually get a little care guide and some samples. The care guide typically is not very good (hey, you're here for a reason right?) and the samples are usually kinda junky, but use your own discretion on whether or not to use them. The sample items seem to change by area and time, so I can't comment really on exactly what they are.


Substrate

And lastly this specific kit comes with 12 lbs of reptisand. Some kits come with repticarpet or a fake sand mat. Those are better alternatives than what this specific kit comes with. If your kit didn't come with sand, feel free to skip this part.

Sand is a widely debated topic. I personally believe that sand can be used in an acceptable manner in regards to dragon husbandry. However, I also believe that it comes at some risk, and should really only be done by someone who already has a little bit of experience with dragons. No offense, but if you're reading this thread because you need to, you're not there yet. And there is nothing wrong with that. We all start somewhere. I say this from experience and my own failures and mistakes - Save the decision on whether or not to use sand until you have a bit more experience.

So you will still need some form of substrate for your tank right? Well, ditch the sand, and perhaps go out and buy that repticarpet or buy that sand mat. A lot of members here use semi-textured tile. It's a great choice. You can also use non-adhesive shelf liner, paper towels or even newspaper. I know those last 3 don't sound the most attractive, but they are great options, really.



All in all, if you were going to buy everything separately yourself, you'd likely spend a bit less, if not about the same amount putting it together yourself. The difference being you'd get what you actually need, and not have to spend extra replacing key items.

• So to wrap it up, what exactly do you need to buy in addition to the kit you just bought?
  1. A digital thermometer with probe end.
  2. A florescent fixture (either a t5 fixture or a t8 fixture in the length of the bulb you buy)
  3. A proper UVB florescent tube.
  
  And what should you absolutely not use or rely on?
  1. The CFL UVB
  2. The analog thermometer