# Baby bearded dragon not eating



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

I have had a 9week old bearded dragon for about a week or so who isnt eating much. Id say maybe 6-8 small crickets and a bit of baby food(in total for the whole week not daily). Im doing daily soaks per the breeder for about 15minutes. He pooped and passed urates daily during soaks up until yesterday(urates only) and today- nothing. currently housed in a 20long with a reptisun 5.0 and a basking spot that sits around 105. I have slate tiles for substrate. He doesnt go to basking spot on his own, I have to place him there. He seems to have energy- does LOTS of waving- and drinks for several minutes during soaks. He is small and thin- though doesnt look any smaller than when I got him(so he doesnt seem to be losing weight that I can tell) I just dont understand why he isnt eating. I am going to call breeder tomorrow- just wanted to hop on here and see if anyone had any feedback for me first. :blush: I have a few other adult dragons and other lizards(all housed in their own seperate enclosures)- but this is the youngest animal Ive ever kept. I am begining to regret my decision and wish Id gone with an older one. Feeling super stressed. 

Thanks for reading! 
<3 Nora


----------



## xxx-dztini-xxx (May 12, 2009)

hi there
when you get a new beardie its advised you dont handle them for the first 2 weeks so they can settle in. You say youve had him a week and your putting him in the bath daily, this will be stressing him out massively.
For the first 2 weeks leave him be, only go in the viv to remove poo and put food in so he begins to recognise that you dont mean any harm.
Just make sure he has a bowl of crickets and he can help himself when hes hungry


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

Thankyou. Worried he is so small and thin that he will dehydrate. I do not want to stress him more though. When you say bowl of crickets do you mean live? How do you keep the crickets from climbing out?


----------



## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Nora said:


> I have had a 9week old bearded dragon for about a week or so who isnt eating much. Id say maybe 6-8 small crickets and a bit of baby food(in total for the whole week not daily). Im doing daily soaks per the breeder for about 15minutes. He pooped and passed urates daily during soaks up until yesterday(urates only) and today- nothing. currently housed in a 20long with a reptisun 5.0 and a basking spot that sits around 105. I have slate tiles for substrate. He doesnt go to basking spot on his own, I have to place him there. He seems to have energy- does LOTS of waving- and drinks for several minutes during soaks. He is small and thin- though doesnt look any smaller than when I got him(so he doesnt seem to be losing weight that I can tell) I just dont understand why he isnt eating. I am going to call breeder tomorrow- just wanted to hop on here and see if anyone had any feedback for me first. :blush: I have a few other adult dragons and other lizards(all housed in their own seperate enclosures)- but this is the youngest animal Ive ever kept. I am begining to regret my decision and wish Id gone with an older one. Feeling super stressed.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> <3 Nora


Firstly, as said, you need to allow any new dragon to settle, whether that be in to a new home or simply a new viv/new arrangement inside a viv, to them it is all the same and can be a stressful experience especially with daily baths and handling. Avoid this when possible, just disturb him to feed and clean. 

There are however more worrying issues I have. Firstly what do you mean by a 20 long? A BD should be housed in a 4x2x2 vivarium in order to provide the correct temperature gradient that is needed for such a rep. 

Secondly, your UV is FAR from sufficient. These reps are sun seekers and a 5% uv is minuscule in regards to what they would receive in the wild and what they need to remain healthy. People recommend a minimum of 10% however we now have Arcadia's 12%, a great product however still nothing like the sun. When you look at it this way its obvious to me and should be to others that really, now, the 12% should be the minimum recommended, certainly not 5%. This is a major issue you have and could well be a factor as to why he/she isn't eating so much, it will also no doubt cause further issues down the line such as MBD if it is not sorted ASAP, this is the most vital stage of his/hers life. 

There is no mention of your cool side temp? Do you measure this, if so what is it? Also what do you measure with and where in the viv do you take the measurements?

It worries me slightly that you have other BD's and I hope that they have sufficient uv? 

It would however appear it was a good idea you came on here as I imagine the 'breeder' that you will be speaking to knows full well about this setup and he also suggested the daily baths. You'll be surprised how many people 'in the business' no :censor: all!

I apologise if I have scared you further at all, that is not my intention, its just there are a few things that needed to be brought to your attention. :2thumb:


----------



## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Nora said:


> Thankyou. Worried he is so small and thin that he will dehydrate. I do not want to stress him more though. When you say bowl of crickets do you mean live? How do you keep the crickets from climbing out?


You can remove the hopping legs of crickets to keep them from jumping however they will still escape shallow bowls and it isn't really necessary. Your best bet at this time is to feed him/her one cricket at a time. Place it in front of your BD and allow it to be eaten before adding another. Remove any left after feeding as they can nibble on sleeping dragons. Personally for me, crickets are the devil :devil:. Locusts however are much much better and not too expensive when bought in bulk which you can do with you having other reps too. :2thumb:


----------



## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

Nora said:


> I have had a 9week old bearded dragon for about a week or so who isnt eating much. Id say maybe 6-8 small crickets* and a bit of baby food*(in total for the whole week not daily). Im doing daily soaks per the breeder for about 15minutes. He pooped and passed urates daily during soaks up until yesterday(urates only) and today- nothing. currently housed in a 20long with a reptisun 5.0 and a basking spot that sits around 105. I have slate tiles for substrate.* He doesnt go to basking spot on his own, I have to place him there. He seems to have energy- does LOTS of waving- and drinks for several minutes during soaks*. He is small and thin- though doesnt look any smaller than when I got him(so he doesnt seem to be losing weight that I can tell) I just dont understand why he isnt eating. I am going to call breeder tomorrow- just wanted to hop on here and see if anyone had any feedback for me first. :blush: I have a few other adult dragons and other lizards(all housed in their own seperate enclosures)- but this is the youngest animal Ive ever kept. I am begining to regret my decision and wish Id gone with an older one. Feeling super stressed.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> <3 Nora



Agree with Tom on this.

Baby food? NEVER feed a dragon any human foods for any reason, they are full of preservatives that are no good for dragons at all. All that will do is fill him with food he doesn't want and put him off the food he does need.

I think you need to start back at basics and sounds like you need to pretty much throw out any advice that breeder gave you if that is what you have been advised.


Waving is a sign of stress and not him saying 'hi'. Its basically him trying to convince you that he is no threat and to leave him alone.

I'm concerned that your temps will be way too hot also if that viv is only 20 inches. Which would account for him not wanting to bask, as he can't cool down. He is trying to find an area that he can survive the temps in without having to try heat up / cool down. Its a survival mechanism. That would also explain his lack of appetite as he can't digest properly if he can't regulate his temps.

You need to get us as much info as you can asap on his setup. Pics would be really helpful so we can help you get it sorted out as soon as you can. Dragons at that age should not even be moved out their grow on viv yet nevermind be sold on. Breeders will sell them at 8 weeks so they can make room to bring up some more, its not good for the dragons but it is good for their wallets as they don't need to feed them until they are 12 weeks old. A bit like selling a puppy just before its been weened to save money on puppy food.

Breeders like that drive me nuts.


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

viv is fine- if not a bit big for his current size. while I appreciate the 'concern' im not completely inexperienced in reptile husbandry. I also keep tortoises, geckos and my other dragons are fine and in more than sufficient enclosures and excede your 4x2x2. cool side is 75. over night temp throughout 72. the 103-105 is 4" from light at top of basking spot and various temps all the way down and a reptisun 5.0 is the superior choice for his viv size(the others have the 10.0) based on depth and distance. The baby food is strained vegetables(greens squash) offered for him to lick of my finger- the same "human" food we feed many of our reptiles fresh daily :gasp:
thanks for the help guys!


----------



## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Nora said:


> viv is fine- if not a bit big for his current size. while I appreciate the 'concern' im not completely inexperienced in reptile husbandry. I also keep tortoises, geckos and my other dragons are fine and in more than sufficient enclosures and excede your 4x2x2. cool side is 78. and a reptisun 5.0 is the superior choice for his viv size(the others have the 10.0) based on depth and distance. The baby food is strained vegetables(greens squash) offered for him to lick of my finger- the same "human" food we feed many of our reptiles fresh daily :gasp:
> thanks for the help guys!


Glad we could help. :bash:


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

tomcannon said:


> Glad we could help. :bash:


Well come on! Ive been around various forums for years and one thing I cant stand is @$$ holes who assume every new person asking for help is just a &^*%(^( idiot who doesnt do research. I invest a LOT of time money and education into my animals- I CARE a heck of a lot I didnt just wake up one day and buy a bearded dragon. I spent time reading about each of my animals- setting up the viv cutting tiles measuring temps with gun etc etc all for weeks before researching breeders meeting with them and choosing an animal. Im concerned. Im not holding it playing with it- I have 3sides blocked off hes in a lower traffic area of the house and due to his small size and weight Id been soaking per the breeder- If I werent open to other ideas I wouldnt have posted here. Having condesending responses isnt helpful. so :bash: back at you!


----------



## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Nora said:


> Well come on! Ive been around various forums for years and one thing I cant stand is @$$ holes who assume every new person asking for help is just a &^*%(^( idiot who doesnt do research. I invest a LOT of time money and education into my animals- I CARE a heck of a lot I didnt just wake up one day and buy a bearded dragon. I spent time reading about each of my animals- setting up the viv cutting tiles measuring temps with gun etc etc all for weeks before researching breeders meeting with them and choosing an animal. Im concerned. Im not holding it playing with it- I have 3sides blocked off hes in a lower traffic area of the house and due to his small size and weight Id been soaking per the breeder- If I werent open to other ideas I wouldnt have posted here. Having condesending responses isnt helpful. so :bash: back at you!


Ok then. I never once implied you were an idiot that didn't care or research, I just saw areas in which I thought I could help (there can be a lot of misleading and frankly poor advice out there) and offered suggestions, do with it what you will. I can assure you I am no @$$hole and I apologise for trying to help.


----------



## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

If your not going to take advice then why ask for it at all? We can only go by what you put in your original post and can't see what your viv set up is etc. We also have no clue what your experience is but going simply by the fact that your saying that 5% UV is superior its very little. Since 5% UV is for tropical lizzies that live under canopies and 12% is for open air / sun worshiping lizzies.

If your heat lamp is only 4 - 5 inches from your basking spot that itself is a burning risk alone.

You say your using a heat gun to check basking temps. Do you know about the surface v air temperature discrepancy and that if you set your basking temp with a heat gun you can actually be setting the air temp too high and your air temp could in fact be a lot higher than what you heat gun is telling you?

You call people assholes for offering advice? 


Go away little boy, grow up. You sound like a damn 12 year old who just got told off for not cleaning his room.

Damn I hate arrogant whiny newbies who bitch as soon as they are told their setups are killing their dragons.


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

Except Im not! Im not in UK so I dont know if that matters as far as bulbs go. Current tank is 20 gallon long (30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 12 3/4) and the 5.0 is recommended. The 10.0 for 24" this is for fluorescent tube not coil bulb. I also have digital probe thermometer and temps are consistant. climbing stick and basking spot is consistant and no different than anything I see on dozens upon dozen of habitats Ive seen on similar forums that receive praise. So whatever. I have a large cage to move him to(stackable cage) when he is larger, did not want to overwhelm him at this small size.


----------



## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

Nora said:


> Except Im not! Im not in UK so I dont know if that matters as far as bulbs go. Current tank is 20 gallon long (30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 12 3/4) and the 5.0 is recommended. The 10.0 for 24" this is for fluorescent tube not coil bulb. I also have digital probe thermometer and temps are consistant. climbing stick and basking spot is consistant and no different than anything I see on dozens upon dozen of habitats Ive seen on similar forums that receive praise. So whatever. I have a large cage to move him to(stackable cage) when he is larger, did not want to overwhelm him at this small size.



Coil UV is designed for canopy loving lizards and not sun worshiping ones. They have also been linked to 'arc eye' in reptiles. A beardie needs full lenght 12% UV to get nearly enough to not only aid in digestion but also to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease (which does not exist in the wild but only in captivity in animals that are not given enough UV). Spot UV is only providing minimal UV and only if the dragon is sat directly under it and within 2 inches. Watch the Utube clip.

A link for you on UV and how each different UV source works.
well worth watching.

Frances Baines and UV reptile lighting - YouTube


Baby beardies should be put in their adult size vivs straight away really, there is no reason at all that they need to be in a smaller viv. Thats a myth perpetuated by pet shops to make you buy two entire systems and spend more money with them. The bigger viv size is recommended due to getting your heat gradient right and nothing to do with beardie size at all. You also just to say get the hatchling nicely settled in his viv when you then move him again and he has to go through all the 'new viv' stresses and new temp ranges etc. There is no point in doing it.


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

I am using a long 18" tube light NOT a coil. The highest Ive found is the 10.0 which is what I use with my adults. and to clarify- the basking spot is not 4-5" directly from the bulb- that was a typo- the climbing stick is 4-5inches off the floor to its highest point which would put him 7-8" from the bulb. The eventual space I have for him is 6x2x2 and it feels way too massive for him. he ate 3 crickets this morning and is basking. pushing on... wont soak him anymore and will just continue to add some misted greens and hope he begins to eat more. I can switch his bulb to a 10.0 Id just read on an american forum that more isnt better and to use ratings specified to cage size.


----------



## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Mines in a 6x2x2 and loves it, albeit he is almost a year old now. You definitely want to be providing at least the 10% so I'd switch to that now. I'm sorry if it implied I was talking down to you originally, I only go by what I have learnt and in this case it is apparently different to that of which you have learnt. I saw what I believed to be downfalls and simply tried pointing you in the (what I believe) right direction. There was no need for the hostility. Anyway, lets all get on! Am I right in believing you are from the US (apologies if I'm wrong)? I again don't want to sound superior in anyway but it was only the other week I heard from an American describing UK techniques to be leaps ahead of those in the US and this is certainly not the first I have heard of this. Possibly its just a case of you being given dated knowledge.


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

tomcannon said:


> Mines in a 6x2x2 and loves it, albeit he is almost a year old now. You definitely want to be providing at least the 10% so I'd switch to that now. I'm sorry if it implied I was talking down to you originally, I only go by what I have learnt and in this case it is apparently different to that of which you have learnt. I saw what I believed to be downfalls and simply tried pointing you in the (what I believe) right direction. There was no need for the hostility. Anyway, lets all get on! Am I right in believing you are from the US (apologies if I'm wrong)? I again don't want to sound superior in anyway but it was only the other week I heard from an American describing UK techniques to be leaps ahead of those in the US and this is certainly not the first I have heard of this. Possibly its just a case of you being given dated knowledge.


Appreciated. Thank you. I only know of 2 type of tube lights- repti sun and repti glo. the sun is higher/superior. I can switch to a 10.


----------



## xxx-dztini-xxx (May 12, 2009)

when my beardies were young i put live crickets into a small hamster bowl, some jump out most dont, that way he can help himself
i doubt your dragon would feed from your hand at this point so offereing him one at a time would be pointless as hes not used to you so wont take from you

example of crickets in bowl on this thread:
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-pictures/685452-serious.html


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2013)

Happy to share that after speaking with the breeder today I moved my baby to another room(away from all my other animals) and he is a change litltle guy! MUCH more active than even before, basking and EATING! I placed half a dozen crickets into a small ceramic pot and he ate them all! I placed another half a dozen and he ate one more and then climbed up to bask. I think this is fantastic! :2thumb:


----------

