baby bearded feeding help please

[shadowsabre]

hey guys sorry to ask a question that you have probably been asked a thousand times but been looking for a few days with no luck so .....

i got my beardy baby just before xmas now my problem is jake will only eat in his enclosure, is there a way i can get him to eat in a tub i've tried but he freaks out.
put him back in his enclosure and he will eat one maybe 2 thats it, that concerns be abit from what i can gather he should be eating alot more.

his a very active guy basking spot is between 35-40, hot end of enclosure is 28-32 and cool end is between 26-28 (28 on hot days)
uvb globe runs nearly the entire length of enclosure.

problem is it's to hard to feed him in his enclosure.
any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 9890]

is it woodies or crickets your trying to feed him? if its woodies a good thing to do is get a shallow chinese container and paint the fluron around the top of it and put the woodies in it and put it in the cage. he will get in it and eat them as he pleases.
not to sure the best way with the crickets, hopefully ohters night have some ideas.
cheers

 

[JasonL]

Poor eating is almost always a husbandry issue. Post pics of his enclosure. It is common for them not to eat well in feeding tubs, and if he's not eating well in his enclosure, he definitely won't eat in a new environment.

 

[shadowsabre]

ok i've been feeding him crickets thats what the pet shop was feeding him as well.

i'll post some pics of the enclosure tonite when i get home from work.

if is an issue with the setup or something i'm doing wrong i want toget it sorted asap

thanks for the replies guys

 

[shadowsabre]

okay got some pics of the enclosure,

i did feed him in the tub when i got home hate 7 this time
but better get the thumbs up for the enclosure anyway.

the blue and white object is an ice pack just in case the temps get high for any reason. the white styrofoam sheet on top of the light is a heat blocker i'm testing to see if it makes a difference and the uv light is a uvb globe only a 5.0 at this stage(thats why i have it lowered) and there is also a normal fluro in the fitting as well.

let me know what u think please.

 

[gregcranston]

Maybe too many spots for the crickets to hide, try taking some of it out at feeding time. Make sure the crickets are coated in calcium, and see if you can get the baby outside for even 15 mins of direct sunlight, it is much better than a UV light, that might stimulate his appetite!

 

[Emzie]

whats wrong with him eating inside the enclosure?

and 29 seems pretty cold if thats the temp for you hot end, i keep mine at 35 with a basking spot of 40

 

[shadowsabre]

cool thanks i'll up the temp a tad hot end and a little more basking heat see if he likes

i plan on taking him outside as much as possible on the hot days i am home, he spent awhile out there on the weekend.

only problem with feeding him in the enclosure is that i keep loosing the crickets, and i do dust them before feeding.

 

[JasonL]

Personally I prefer to raise hatchies in two foot enclosures as these are easier to heat. Where are the basking lights? how is the enclosure heated? That enclosure is far too "buisy",remove the ice packs, and half the decorations they are not needed. It needs a basking area of 50+ degrees and an ambient of 25 - 28.

 

[shadowsabre]

ok so take some stuff out i only have the ice pack there because i'm a worry wort, removed it last night.

i use a basking light zoo med 150 watt globe and have plenty of replacements.
the basking area is now at 40 degrees and at the very top of the rock his sitting on reaches 47 all the temps are measured with a temp gun.

general heating is supplied via a heat radiator i got from the herp shop, a heat cable under the turf as a backup if needed, a dimmer thermostat for the basking area with a 24 hour timer that is on for 14 hours, uvb is also on the same timer. a pulse thermostat controls the radiator and the heat cable.

the hot end is set to 32 degrees now and the cool end is 26 at the lowest rising to 28 on hot day.

at the moment i don't think i can do much more thanks again for all the advice

 

[bfg23]

wow, that has got to be the most expensive setup for a beardy surely.
you have a radiator, heat cord, 150watt globe, 2 thermostats, and it looks as thought thats all purchased furniture in the tank lol. that would cost a fortune.

my baby beardy tank is a 2ft glass tank with 75watt house globe for basking/heating, and a compact fluro for UV, and some rocks and sticks i found outside, and he seems fine.
have you tried feeding vegies? because sometimes mine does not seem interested in the crickets but if i put some leaves or dandelion in his tank he will start eating.
i have also found a light misting from a spray bottle seems to get them eating too.

 

[shadowsabre]

nah not that expensive except the radiator and the stats!!
i made all the other stuff in the enclosure and i my brother is a cabinet maker, so all the wood was free.
i took the digital temp gauges out of an old computer i was mucking around with the extra basking lights i have are just normal screw in outdoor spots have a range of different ones from when i was trying to figure out what light watage would work best

i am one togo really over board when i get excited

also i have been misting him just not sure how often i should, so been doing it every 3 days.
on the vegie department i tried some carrot, bok coy, cucumber, not sure what else i should try, but hasn't touched the stuff i put in.
tried the laser point in the vegie thing as well just stared at it for ages.