Still having trouble feeding baby Beardie.

[mjohan]

Hi again. Still having some trouble getting my little one to eat properly. Tank setup is 900 x 450 x 450 melamine tank. Warm end 32-33 degrees air temp, basking spot 37-38 degrees, cool end 23-25 degrees. Overnight temp gets down to 16 degrees. Heat lamp is Phillips Reflector 75w and UV tube is Reptiglo 10.0. Substrate is newspaper sheets. Two branches, one creeping up towards the UV light and the other creeping up towards the heat lamp. Also a flat rock on the bottom of the tank near the heat light. Beardie is a yellow phase central and somewhere between 1-2 months old, not exactly sure when he was born.

He spends most of his time lying on the branch underneath the UV light as close as he can get to it, about 5 inches from it. He doesn't really move around much apart from that. On the second day i had him, he chased 2 crickets around and ate them inside his enclosure, but other than that he doesn't appear to be interested in them at all. Ive tried feeding him inside his tank, aswell as inside a seperate feed tank. Put him in with a few small crickets and leave him for 10-15 and when i come back all crickets are still there and he hasn't moved. Ive tried dangling crickets in front of him but he just stares blankly at them. I offer him food 2-3 times a day but hasn't been interested. I put droplets of water on his snout too, but he'll just sit there for 10 minutes with the water on his nose, then just run to his branch.

The only way ive been able to feed him is holding the crickets with tweezers and placing them into his mouth when he opens it in a defensive gesture. He happily munches them away when i do this. Ive also crushed up juvey pellets and mixed them with weak apple juice and put it into a syringue, and when he opens his mouth defensively i put the end into his mouth and squirt the mixtue into his mouth, to which he'll munch away and lick his lips. I dont think doing these way is the best idea, as i dont want him to be scared of me, or relate being scared and defensive to feeding time.

Any other suggestions i can try to get him to be more interested in his food?

[Ewan]

Sorry I missed your first thread. How long you had it for? When I first got my inland beardies at 6 weeks of age one of them wouldn't eat initially. I offered crickets then veggies then wood roaches. He only liked the white woodies so I either got the white ones out for him or covered the dark ones in calcium powder. He then started to eat dusted crickets and the white parts of squash. Now he eats everything else. Hope this helps.

[venus]

Originally Posted by mjohan

Hi again. Still having some trouble getting my little one to eat properly. Tank setup is 900 x 450 x 450 melamine tank. Warm end 32-33 degrees air temp, basking spot 37-38 degrees, cool end 23-25 degrees. Overnight temp gets down to 16 degrees. Heat lamp is Phillips Reflector 75w and UV tube is Reptiglo 10.0. Substrate is newspaper sheets. Two branches, one creeping up towards the UV light and the other creeping up towards the heat lamp. Also a flat rock on the bottom of the tank near the heat light. Beardie is a yellow phase central and somewhere between 1-2 months old, not exactly sure when he was born.

He spends most of his time lying on the branch underneath the UV light as close as he can get to it, about 5 inches from it. He doesn't really move around much apart from that. On the second day i had him, he chased 2 crickets around and ate them inside his enclosure, but other than that he doesn't appear to be interested in them at all. Ive tried feeding him inside his tank, aswell as inside a seperate feed tank. Put him in with a few small crickets and leave him for 10-15 and when i come back all crickets are still there and he hasn't moved. Ive tried dangling crickets in front of him but he just stares blankly at them. I offer him food 2-3 times a day but hasn't been interested. I put droplets of water on his snout too, but he'll just sit there for 10 minutes with the water on his nose, then just run to his branch.

The only way ive been able to feed him is holding the crickets with tweezers and placing them into his mouth when he opens it in a defensive gesture. He happily munches them away when i do this. Ive also crushed up juvey pellets and mixed them with weak apple juice and put it into a syringue, and when he opens his mouth defensively i put the end into his mouth and squirt the mixtue into his mouth, to which he'll munch away and lick his lips. I dont think doing these way is the best idea, as i dont want him to be scared of me, or relate being scared and defensive to feeding time.

Any other suggestions i can try to get him to be more interested in his food?

What time are you feeding?
How long have you got his UV and heat on for? (what hours)
If he isnt drinking, hes dehydrated.

Take your beardie out to mist him thoroughly with warm water, or put him in some shallow warm water in the sink/basin/bowl. You can do that daily or every 2nd day.

I would try upping the basking spot temps, and lowering the cool end.
He needs to bask to get warm, then he should get hungry. He needs to spend some time basking. Basking spot should be around 38 -40(right where he would be laying on the branch).
Warm end of the enclosure at head height around 30, cool end around 22 at head height.
Is your enclosure well vented?

I had similar troubles, I upped the temps, got it right and persevered and now she is eating well.



Try taking him and putting him on the branch near the basking spot about 15 mins before feeding. He will then warm up and should be hungry.

Try small woodies instead of crix. Some hatchies are fussy.
Then put him in feeding tub for a few minutes(in enclosure) then drop in a couple of woodies, and leave him alone for 15 mins and see if he eats any. Put a towel across the enclosure so he feels secure.
You can (if he hasnt eaten any) open his mouth and pop one in. Just be persistant.
Are you dusting your crix?

[dragon lady]

take note of venus's advice..its good
i wouldnt let the habitat go under 20* at night...it takes too long for the hatchies to get warm enough to heat to eat...digest...etc,during the day
some go down hill too quick if too cold
no need to leave light on at night...a heat mat will do-but dont leave it on during the day!

[mjohan]

The lights come on at 7am and go off at 9pm. Ive been misting him once a day with warm water. Ill change the 75w to a 100w in the morning and see if that helps. Tank has vents in the back wall, but i can also open the top up too. Feeding times are usually 10am, 2pm and 7pm. I do occasionally go in and move him from the branch into the basking spot, and he'll sit there for anywhere between 15-30 minutes. During this time he will stand up to the heat with his tail curling up and open his mouth. He will also close his eyes for a few seconds every now and again.

I do get him to eat between 5-10 small crix a day, dusted ones everyone second day, im just concerned the way im doing it will have a negative effect on him and he wont be as friendly when he gets older.

Will get some woodies and give them ago.

[dragon lady]

why 10am,2pm,...........7pm...thats trouble?

just asking first

[dragon lady]

just found your prior thread...

has the habitat changed since?
your probe from what i gather is digital thermometer is on the wall....
get a peg...& put in the possition of head height of you dragon under the heat light...what is temp?

[mjohan]

Those are just the times i seem to be around and try to feed him. Im open to suggestions on feeding times. Head height temp in the basking spot is 38.1 on average, thats with the 75w globe. Currently have the 100w in now and just waiting for it to warm up to get a reading. The enclosure has been changed about 2 weeks ago, with the addition of the branch underneath the UV light.

[venus]

I would be feeding him when hes warmed up, try putting him on the branch in the warm end (doesnt have to be right under the globe) around 10 ish to heat him up, and after half an hour feed him. Try feeding at 10.30 and 2.30, forgot feeding at 7, because he wont digest the food properly.

I would be turning on the lights on at 6.30 am, off at 7pm and then decrease that as it gets into winter to replicate the days of winter. Heat (basking light) can be the same.

[mjohan]

7pm feeding is now scrapped. Just checked on him now, since adding in the 100w light, he's moved from the cool end to the top of the branch at the warm end under the light. Will give him some time under there and then see how feeding goes.

On another note, i forgot to mention he does poo every day so far.

[venus]

Originally Posted by mjohan

7pm feeding is now scrapped. Just checked on him now, since adding in the 100w light, he's moved from the cool end to the top of the branch at the warm end under the light. Will give him some time under there and then see how feeding goes.

On another note, i forgot to mention he does poo every day so far.

Hey, great to hear he's been basking.

Just give it a few days and he will get used to basking, feeding at the right times etc.

And a good idea to scrap that last feed too.

Once it all comes together, you will feel so much better, the beardie will feel better, and its then so much more enjoyable for everyone.

[Chris1]

i generally feed mine right after a warm bath,..

try some freshly shed mealworms, (theyre totally white and soft so impaction isnt a problem)
maybe the crix are to fast and thats putting him off.

one of my bubs wasnt eating that well for a couple of months a while ago, but she never refused a freshly shed mealy. (i know theyre junk food but its better than nothing)

[sebbie0983]

I got my hatchy when it was 2 months old, I've had him for about a month now and still struggling to get mine to eat veges. But that's beside the point, when I first introduced mine to crickets I put him in a container with about 10 in there, his reaction to this was not to move and would even close his eyes when the crickets were crawling on him. After figuring out he was actually scared of the crickets I put him in a separate container ALONE. And then added crickets one at a time, he took them down so quick one at a time and now he's a lot more comfortable and isn't scared at all. As well as this as other people have said, he will have to warm to eat, let him bask or give him a bath to warm him before feeding

[JasonL]

Any chance of pics, clear ones of the dragon and the enclosure set up. Try to set up the branches near / under the heat globe, so it encourages the dragon to bask. Have you tried woodies yet? Don't make the enclosure too "buisy" with decorations, keep it plain and simple.

[mjohan]

Sorry for the late reply, but have been busy with work. Stil having no luck with the feeding. Been trying him in a feed container, but all he wants to do is run around and climb outta there. Stil not chasing crix whether they are dusted or not. Havent been able to find a woodies supplier in my area (Goulburn. NSW).

Here are some pics, some are poor quality due to not having access to a digital cam.