# Advice on new baby beardie not eating



## Ryker5 (Oct 17, 2009)

Hi all, please can you give me some advice on a new baby beardie not eating. I got two on the 23rd, one is eating and acting fine. the other has only eaten a few crickets and seens very listless and not very interested. Is he OK? They are both in the same viv for now until the new year. The temps are all stable and set from the care sheets on this forum.


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## MrKev83 (Dec 21, 2009)

Have you tried locusts?

Congrats on the new beardies, I got two on the 24th, proper little characters


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## Ryker5 (Oct 17, 2009)

Not got any locusts. They were fed Crickets in the shop. now getting worried.


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## imginy (Jun 14, 2009)

Just give them a few days to settle in. New surroundings can worry baby dragons they need a few days to feel at home. Try not to pick them up or scare them in any way and make sure there is no big dragons about. Evan little things like there reflection on the glass can stress them. 

Just make sure they always have fresh veg in there and I would try and feed them seperatly and keep an eye out for bullying. Giny : victory:


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## Ryker5 (Oct 17, 2009)

Ok will do. Has been a bit mad in the house with Christmas and all. Will try and give him some peace and quiet for a while :2thumb:


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## Ryker5 (Oct 17, 2009)

He is not eating anything now! Just sitting in a corner not moving. The other beardie does not go near it and I have not seen any sign of bullying. The other one eats and acts like I would expect. 
Don't know what else to do. Have checked the temps and there is always fresh water and greens.
I think it looks bad!


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

I think he needs separating from the other ASAP. It may be a case of feeling dominated but even if it's not then it could POSSIBLY have parasites or infection which could be passed to the other. You could up the basking spot temp to 115F if you have it lower. It could be dehydrated - have you tried a warm bath? Two weeks without feeding is a long time for a baby - even allowing for settling in - perhaps a vet visit with a faecal sample would be best.


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

There could be any number of reasons for him to not be eating. My first suggestion would be to separate them as a matter of urgency. Dragons do not need a 'mate' they are infact solitary creatures and can become extremely dominant when housed with another dragon.

My suggestion could be he is being bullied and feels stressed, hence why he is inactive and not eating. 

Bearded dragons are masters in disguising pain or injury.

As a youngster he needs to be eating as much appropriate sized live foods he can manage in a space of 15 minutes, 2 - 3 times daily. If you are feeding crickets, any uneaten ones need to be removed from the viv as they have been known to nibble on dragons.

A good feeder is roaches. You should also be offering fresh greens daily, good feeders are butternut squash, cress and spring greens.

What are your temps like? I would have that basking spot up to 115* for a baby. 

The only other suggestion would be getting a fecal done.

Separate them and take it from there.

Hope this helps : victory:.


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## JackieL (May 19, 2009)

Ryker5 said:


> He is not eating anything now! Just sitting in a corner not moving. The other beardie does not go near it and I have not seen any sign of bullying. The other one eats and acts like I would expect.
> Don't know what else to do. Have checked the temps and there is always fresh water and greens.
> I think it looks bad!


What you may well interpret as bullying is quite different in the reptile world. It is impossible to know whether bullying is present unless you were watching them 24/7.

Dragons cant see still water, and will often never drink from a water bowl. I would suggest a bath, this way they can hydrate in the water.

Just a shallow bath, say up to the dragons shoulder in warm water (like what you would do for a newborn) and place a towel on the bottom for grip. Soak them for 15 - 20 minutes, they can take water in through theyre vent beleive it or not!

Good luck : victory:.


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## Ryker5 (Oct 17, 2009)

Hey all, what a difference in the wee chap. Gave him a bath and he is alert, active and hungry. Put in some of the smaller crickets we have and he hoovered the lot. He looks like a different lizard.

Should I give him a bath more often?

Hopefully this is the turning point for us


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## ralphsvivariums (Dec 15, 2009)

i wouldn't bath him too much give it a week or so and give him another one. if he is very young then he probably is a bit stressed i wouldn't worry too much when i got my first bearded dragon he only had about five crickets in the first week and hardly ever came out of hiding.
has he got a little place to hide away in his viv when it gets a bit busy in your home.


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## Lew (May 31, 2009)

glad to hear hes ok


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## Ryker5 (Oct 17, 2009)

Yeh, he hides under a fake bush plant or sits in it.


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## imginy (Jun 14, 2009)

Ryker5 said:


> Hey all, what a difference in the wee chap. Gave him a bath and he is alert, active and hungry. Put in some of the smaller crickets we have and he hoovered the lot. He looks like a different lizard.
> 
> Should I give him a bath more often?
> 
> Hopefully this is the turning point for us


If he enjoys it I would give him baths and would say no more than 2 a week.

Glad to see him happy and eating well Ginny : victory:


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## Pete2906 (Jan 6, 2010)

*We have just got 2 Beardies and have exactly the same issue*

Hi Guys,

We bought 2 Beardies on 30th Dec and have the same issue. One of the Beardies is doing great and visibly growing, the other Beardie is very quiet, hides a lot and isn't eating much.

We gave her a bath yesterday and she ate 2 crickets and 2 waxworm....but won't eat today. I'll give her a couple more days and try a bath again.

Any more advice is appreciated from experienced owners as we are newbies :notworthy: and a little anxious. We want to give them the best care and environment possible.

Thanks in advance.

Pete F.:cheers:


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Hi Pete - welcome to the forum. I presume these are babies? It could be just that one is taking longer to settle in but are they in the same viv? if so then it could be a dominance problem. Also what are the temperatures in the viv - especially at the basking spot? Leave it another few days to see if she starts to eat - if not she may do better on her own. Be aware that you will probably have to separate them at about 6 months old anyway.


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