Not Eating??

[Kaye]

We got our first beardie called Eddi 2 weeks ago, at first it took him a day or two to start eating which we expected but he has just stopped eating now and hasn't eaten for 4 day's.

We have been giving him crickets and have tried lettuce, cucumber, and wax worms.

Today we went back to the shop we got him from as we are very worried and they recommended we try locust so we have got 2 in his viv now but he just doesnt seem interested!! He is also looking very sleepy.....any help or advice would be greatly appreciated thank you x

 

[renich]

Hi, Kaye and welcome to our forum.

Couple of thoughts:
1. How old is Eddi?
2. What substrate are you using?
3. What uvb lighting are you using?
4. How long are the lights on?
5. How hot is your basking area?
6. How cool is your cool side?
7. What are you using to measure the temps?
8. Wax worms should be offered as a treat and not as a staple of diet.
9. Locusts are fine, but they should be no larger than the space between your dragon's eyes. They are not recommended for young beardies.

Let's start there and see where we go.

 

[Kaye]

1. How old is Eddi? I'm not entirely sure, we have had him 2 weeks but he isn't that big but not as small as a baby (does that make any sense??!!
2. What substrate are you using? Calci sand
3. What uvb lighting are you using? I will have to ask my other half and let you know
4. How long are the lights on? About 15 hours
5. How hot is your basking area? Answered on other thread
6. How cool is your cool side? " "
7. What are you using to measure the temps? A thermometer which is stuck to the back of the viv in the middle
8. Wax worms should be offered as a treat and not as a staple of diet.
9. Locusts are fine, but they should be no larger than the space between your dragon's eyes. They are not recommended for young beardies.

 

[renich]

1. How old is Eddi? I'm not entirely sure, we have had him 2 weeks but he isn't that big but not as small as a baby (does that make any sense??!! Yes, I'm guessing he is very young. Where did you buy him - breeder/pet store?
2. What substrate are you using? Calci sand This is a very controversial subject. We used sand when Bernie turned 1 year old. Calci sand is highly not recommended. We did buy it once, and sifted it. You would be amazed at the amount of glass we took out. Anyway, I strongly recommend removing the sand and using papertowels or green reptile carpet for now. If you want to get fancy, try tiles.
3. What uvb lighting are you using? I will have to ask my other half and let you know
4. How long are the lights on? About 15 hours This is Ok. The recommended lighting for beardies is 14 on and 10 off.
5. How hot is your basking area? Answered on other thread
6. How cool is your cool side? " "
7. What are you using to measure the temps? A thermometer which is stuck to the back of the viv in the middle This really is not a good reading. These temp strips have been known to be off by 20 degrees. Can you get a digital probe and check your temps that way?
8. Wax worms should be offered as a treat and not as a staple of diet.
9. Locusts are fine, but they should be no larger than the space between your dragon's eyes. They are not recommended for young beardies.

10. New thought - when was the last time he pooped?
11. How often do you bathe him?

 

[BeardedBob]

The calci sand will always be a controversial issue that you will see is about 50/50 split all the way. I think the biggest issue for most is that if your beardie has any issues this just makes things worse, however, a general healthy beardie might not have any issues because it would move through them if they happen to ingest any.

I have also found large pieces of glass in the calci sand (that is all sand is is ground glass - so it depends on how well it is processed)

Which is why many have suggested is that if you choose to go sand, consider sandbox sand. It is usually ground finer and is sample tested for safety since you would assume children are playing in it. It is much cheaper too as you can get it in bulk at a hardware store.

Anyway, I agree with Renee on most of the other questions so I will wait. I did get my digital probes for like $2.50 each.

 

[Kaye]

Seems like we have been given completely different advice, we got Eddi from a breeder who has a pet shop and owns lots of reptiles including lots of beardies, our set up is almost identical to all his!!

He is pooping regularly, i would say either today or yesterday but we cleaned him out this morning and he has done nothing yet!

We haven't bathed him yet as we werent away beardies have baths!! I have read alot but never that!!

Also i am in the UK i dont know if that makes any difference whatsoever!!

Thanks for all your help so far x

 

[KAJA]

Seems like we have been given completely different advice, we got Eddi from a breeder who has a pet shop and owns lots of reptiles including lots of beardies, our set up is almost identical to all his!!

Can I first state the obvious thing and say that is why we started this forum ;D There is tons of advice out there, and really no one piece of advice from one person would be 100 percent correct - I think we can all agree on that.

The sand issue, as beardedbob mentioned will always be an issue of controversy. I have also met numerous owners that say "of course sand is okay, where do you think they live when they aren't put into a terrarium?" There is a lot of truth to that. Everything is just a matter of being a careful parent. The short of that being, sifting is the best thing to do, it doesn't take that long and it won't prove anyone on the "against side" right.

Let me just clear up one thing with "bathing" your beardie. We don't mean a scrub type bath as you are not supposed to force any shedding skin off or anything like that. Think of it more like allowing your beardie to take a swim. It helps them re-hydrate quickly as they absorb the water through their skin. A luke warm "bath" sometimes helps them pass bowels easily too which is why Renee brought it up I believe.

Sometimes people just have big bowls in the viv that their beardie can swim in, but then I worry about increased humidity and that isn't recommended either.

I love it when people get talking about this stuff as there are so many opinions out there that we can all learn from. At minimum it gives us lots of options to properly care for our beardies.

 

[renich]

Thanks, Honey!

As KAJA pointed out, there are numerous opinions out there. I know of several breeders and reptile pet store owners who have sand in the viv. As it has been pointed out a number of times, it is controversial and we had sand once Bernie turned 1 year of age.

There is an unfortunate side that many pet stores give false information. That's not saying that yours did.

Another point to make is that domesticated bearded dragons is still fairly new. And we are all learning. The majority of our research has been taken from university studies. As with the care of any living object, human or pet, there are always a number of varying opinions. I've experience this mostly with the arrival of our first child. Boy did my mom know everything about raising kids and the Center of Pediatrics knows nothing.

Anyway, to get back on course, bathing is essential for hydrating your dragon. Most bearded dragons do not drink water from a bowl. So, a good soak helps them stay hydrated. It also helps with the shedding process. And if they do poop in the bath, it is a lot easier to clean up than in their viv.

So, it is recommended for beardies under 1 year to have baths anywhere from daily to every other day. Beardies over 1 year can bathe once per week. Bathing consists of a soak in luke warm water. The same temp you would put a human baby in. We used a rubbermaid container in our sink. Let them soak for 20 minutes. Some love it and some hate it. Bernie grew to love it.

If your beardie ever gets impacted (heaven forbid), a warm soak several times a day with a light tummy massage helps to work the impaction out.

I hope this clears things up.

 

[beardielover]

just getting caught up on the posts. have they started eating?

 

[Kaye]

Ok he has had a bath now and he had a big drink and is now basking, i think it has done him some good!

He still hasnt eaten anything though

 

[renich]

Hmm. Well, it could be relocation stress. Is he active during the day?

Did you ever find out what type of uvb bulb you have? Also, did you look into getting a digital probe thermometer?

Temps and uvb are pretty important aspects in bearded dragon's digestive process. They need the uvb to produce the vitamin d necessary to digest. Also, the temp has to be hot enough for them to have an appetite and properly digest their food.

 

[Kaye]

He is quite active but it is easy to pick him out whereas when we first got him he was a proper mover!!

I asked my partner about the uvb bulb and he isn't sure, would it say on it as we dont have the packaging!!

Also any tips on making it hotter as we have a heat mat, uvb bulb and a light bulb (the one that stimulates day light and is facing his basking spot)

 

[renich]

Ok, heat maps are another controversial subject. They are said to burn the bellies of bearded dragons. Honestly, we had one when Bernie was young and it caused no harm. But others claim that it does and that bearded dragons cannot detect temperature on their bellies.

It should say the type of bulb on the actual bulb. Give it a look.

To answer your question about temp, try adding a heat emmiter. They are relatively cheap. I know you are in the UK, but here is a link to what I am talking about:

Heat Emmiter

 

[renich]

Hi, Kaye. I wanted to follow up to see how your bearded dragon is doing?