WHAT DO I DO?

[FRANKTHETANK]

I have recently purchased a bearded dragon from petco and was given a little info on how to care for the little guy. I dont know what the heck i need to do to get the little guy to eat i tried to feed him crickets yesterday but i didnt act interested in them i dont know if he is stressed so he's not eating or what i have to do to get him to trust me any suggestions?

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Welcome to the forum and you have come to the right place to get solid help
Follow this link and it will provide you with some.additional links to.a.wealth of correct info to get you started

http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/index.php?posts/65093

You can help out by providing us with some more info as such as pictures of your dragon's enclosure and lighting/heat set up. Also what his enclosure temps are at the basking spot and cool side and also how you are measuring those temperature.
Also be aware that new dragons need time to acclimate to.new homes and enclosures and each dragon is different, some taking a couple.of days while others taking 10 or more days to settle in.
If you will provide us with more info I.am sure we can help you.




"That's just my opinion..I could be wrong...I was ONCE." Comedian/Social Commentarian Dennis Miller

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

ok i'll post some pics when i get home from work now i heard that the enclosure must have 3 sides covered is that true?

 

[Chubbyb]

mine is open on all sides. Your beardie might chase her reflection around all day since if its a baby a baby like mine its pretty funny

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

It is funny tank just took running at his reflection but he's not eating that wut I'm concerned about

 

[Chubbyb]

how long ago did you get him? It usually takes a couple of days for him to eat.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@FranktheTank...it is not absolutely necessary that it is covered on 3 sides but personally I recommend using a background on 3 sides in a glass enclosure to reduce your dragon seeing its reflection and getting agitated or trying to go after the other dragon it sees. I do this with all of our reptiles and believe it helps.
We have a free live webcam on our bearded dragon Mungi that you.can check out to see what I am talking about. Just follow this link

http://mungisworld.zapto.org

Look.forward to seeing your picks later and being able to help you out any way I can.
One note..Mungi is on a playsand substrate..Sand substrate is only to be used for beardies over 10 inches in length..not for babies
Enjoy your day and try not to stress about your new dragon...We are here to help you!

"That's just my opinion..I could be wrong...I was ONCE." Comedian/Social Commentarian Dennis Miller

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

now the clerk at petco told me that the alphalpha substrate would be fine with little "Tank" but on these forums ive been reading people have been saying that the beardies can get a compacted colon or something like that

 

[Chubbyb]

I use paper towels

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

should i dump out the current substrate or will it be ok

 

[Chubbyb]

post pictures. But from what i have been reading for a baby its best to use recycled news paper or paper towels

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

No particulate substrates should be used for baby or juvi beardies under 10 inches snout tip to tail tip, period
There is a whole host of safe alternatives that include
Paper towels
Slate tiles
Shelf paper
Textured vinyl tiles
and more.

And yes you need to remove the stuff that the pet store sold you..any particulate substrate poses a significant ingestion and impaction risk to your baby dragon.
Pet stores are notorious for selling and not really knowing

"That's just my opinion..I could be wrong...I was ONCE." Comedian/Social Commentarian Dennis Miller

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

ok sounds good

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

dang, now im gunna be worrying about the little guy all day, whether or he will still be alive when i get home

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@FranktheTank...stop worrying..he will be fine and you can change the substrate out when you get home....and if you will read the info in the.links I steered you to you are going to be much more knowledgable when you get home too and once you post the pics of your set up we can help you adjust anything else you may need to.
This is the place to get the right help and right answers so you have already taking a big step in the right direction for your dragon

"That's just my opinion..I could be wrong...I was ONCE." Comedian/Social Commentarian Dennis Miller

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

 

[FRANKTHETANK]

i pulled all of the alphalpha substrate out of the tank and cleaned it all up

 

[Germ]

That's good to hear ... Now for the rest of that enclosure ...

Those thermometers are useless in this application, they are notorious for their inaccuracy, give you the temp of the glass, which is affected as much by the outside ambient room temps as the inside environment & is not mounted anywhere near where the temps need to be measured. Your BD will never be 3/4 of the way up the back glass, so why measure the temps there.

Basking Temps have to be measured directly at the basking spot (110F) & the cool side temps measured low to the floor in the area furthest from the heat bulb (80-85F). To do this a digital thermometer with a sensor\probe that can be placed or attached to the exact area needed to be measured is required.

Those wide domes are also not good for this application. BOTH the heat bulb & the UVB bulb must cover the basking spot. Those wide domes make this virtually impossible to do & still get the animal close enough to the UVB bulb which should be within 8" when placed above a screen.

What Brand & strength UVB are you using?

The water dish & swimming pool is unnecessary & just raises the humidity in the enclosure. Very few BDs will recognize standing water. These are Desert creatures.

A few good links to help get you started ...

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?


Good luck

 

[Germ]

If your temps are not correct in the right places, measured with an accurate thermometer, your BD will not be able to digest it's food properly & definitely affect it's appetite. BDs need the proper heat to enable them to digest their food.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Looks good and good choice on using the Repti carpet substrate. There are a couple.of things however that still need to be changed.
First both your UV and Basking light need to be positioned over the basking spot. I am assuming that the 2nd dome is a coil type UV bulb. Your dragon will spend most of his time there and it will ensure that he gets his proper UV. Just place your two domes together for now and later on it would be better to get the tube type bulb. You need 10.0 UV bulb with a dragon.
Also not sure of the size of your tank but minimum.for.a baby is 20 gallon and preferrably the 20 gallon Long..he will outgrow that enclosure guicker than you realize so you will need to plan.on purchasing a 40 gallon Breeder tank for him which can be his permanent house. Zilla sells on that is 48"w x 24" d x 18" tall...that is the tank you will want. It works very well and comes with a locking sliding screen top.
You also need to remove the water bowls from your tank. Most beardies will not drink from standing water. They are desert animals and will get their water from the "salad" and from the baths you will be giving him Also being a desert dweller they need a dry climate...the water bowls will raise the humidity in your enclosure which is not what you want.
Lastly get rid of the stick on themometers that you have. They will not provide you with the correct temp measurement that you need to maintain properly for your dragon. What you need to purchase instead are two digital thermometers that have remote probes. Once you get them you need to attach one probe directly on your basking spot and the second in the coolest part of your enclosure. These thermometer are a must have.
Temp on your basking spot for a baby needs to be 110 degrees...the temp on your cool side needs to be 80-85 degrees...these are daytime temps and are very important.
At night time you need to turn all lights off and unless your temps drop in your house below the mid 60s you shouldnt need additional night heat. I would also tell you not to use any night bulbs. Allowed to cool off and given some real darkness your dragon will get a good nights sleep.
I have no idea what wattage basking bulb you are using now but as long as it is of sufficient wattage to maintain the proper basking and cool side temps and is brite white light you are good to go. You do not have to use the expensive Repti basking bulbs necessarily but you will need to use the UV lights made for desert reptiles. I use a 75 watt household halogen bulb in Mungi's enclosure.and an 18 inch ReptiSun 10.0 UV florescent light .The basking light is raised about 6 inches above the screen and the UV sits directly on the screen both over his basking spot..he is in a 40 gallon breeder tank at present. You will have to experiment a lil with your tank but lighting and temps are critical with these guys.
Hope this helps

"That's just my opinion..I could be wrong...I was ONCE." Comedian/Social Commentarian Dennis Miller