Bearded dragon

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ChineseChildren

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 13, 2006
9
0
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Washington
hey i have recently acquired a 5 inch bearded dragon. his cage is at 90 degrees and i have an undertank heater and a basking lamp. he is not eating
i have had him for a week now
any suggestions>? is he just getting uused to his new environment?
 
What are you trying to feed him?
 
Mine ate the first day I got it, we fed crickets and small meal worms, and when we picked him up we fed him greens and other veggies. I would like to know what you were trying to feed as well. is it 90 degrees in the basking spot? If so I would bump the temperature up some.
 
I used to have these when I lived in Auzzie.
They are awesome pets! I found mine as Bubbas on the fence outside my house, and they lived in my Mango Tree outside on the deck of our house.
At that stage, I was quite young and still going to skool, and they were as big as me! (lol!)
I fed mine (not that I had to because they were wild really) on mainly live bugs.
They like to catch their own food so try live stuff, or ask the previous ower wat it used to like to eat, and try wat they suggest! :D

Good Luck! :D
 
I have NEVER seen a beardie refuse food. Try live pinhead crickets and all sorts of veggies. Just don't feed lettuce.

Chad
 
ChineseChildren;475334; said:
hey i have recently acquired a 5 inch bearded dragon. his cage is at 90 degrees and i have an undertank heater and a basking lamp. he is not eating
i have had him for a week now
any suggestions>? is he just getting uused to his new environment?

Do you have any UVB lighting on him? This is just as important as anything else already mentioned. I agree that it is unusual for a beardie to refuse food. It sounds like you have everything else right, but the lack of a UVB may be the key here. Also, have you had it checked for worms? This is common problem with beardies. How large is the tank? Are all the heating elements on one side to create a gradient?
 
I thought you caould get the vitamin d3 through calcium supplements, no? and i have a fixture in the mail since thats what i suspected. right now hes/ shes in a 20 high with an aquarium hood and an undertank heater
and ive only tried jurassidiet and nature zone prepared foods.
 
try small crickets. Its a good thing you're getting the uvb as well. the light helps them obtain the d3
 
Ditch the undertank heater it is a waste. Go with an overhead heater...ceramic bulb or a night bulb. Use one basking spot on one side of the tank between 90-100 and leave the rest of the tank room temp. this way he can regulate his own temp. Always a good idea to have a branch or something that is close to the basking spot so he can move up and down it to regulate his body temp. I have my basking light on a timer to go off with the lights...its not 100 degrees in the desert 24/7 it actually gets cool in the desert at night. take that into consideration.

As far as UV...you need it and its good that you ordered it. you still have to suppliment him with calcium but he also needs UV light to convert that calcium into what his body can use.

As far as feeding, a 5"er should be able to take some 1/2 inchers...pinheads would work too i guess but their so tiny. Small meal worms and lots of veggies....My guy loves meal worms and jumps at them when i put them in. As far as vegies go...No lettuce! Feed a staple of any type of green. Kale, collard, mustard greens are all good. My guy also loves Yellow squash and it brings out a nice yellow color in him too. He picks it out of the grens when i add it to his "salad". Other fruits and veggies are apples, grapes, banana's, carrots..etc the list goes on! Also make sure you have water in there for him.

If he has been recently moved he might still be in shock from the scenery change..leave him alone for a day or to...leave food in there and im sure he will start eating. Just dont bother him, let him get used to his surroundings.

As a last resort you can buy a appetite stimulant at the LPS..I had to use it once on my breeding female it got her eating quick.

On a side note, I used to breed dragons. Ive had over 150 in my house at one time and dragons are very good eaters from the minute their born untill they die If he doesnt eat soon you will have to force feed or possibly take him to a vet to make sure there is nothing wrong with him.

HTH's
 
ChineseChildren;475798; said:
I thought you caould get the vitamin d3 through calcium supplements, no? and i have a fixture in the mail since thats what i suspected. right now hes/ shes in a 20 high with an aquarium hood and an undertank heater
and ive only tried jurassidiet and nature zone prepared foods.

Ditto on what Graffix said. And replace that aquarium hood with a screen top and get those proper lights on him ASAP. Methinks he has little ventilation at the moment.
 
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