Baby Beardie Not Eating (help!!!)

[ALLANA]

Hi I just purchased a baby beardie from twin gums about a week and a half ago, she didn't eat for the first couple of days but then started eating now she's gone back to not eating a thing, the other two I purchased elsewere don't have a problem but this little one just sits there a closes her eye's, she's not as active as the other two either, how can I get her to eat!! because she's very small and I recon if she dosn't eat soon she'll die

 

[Chrisreptile]

get a spray bottle and mix with water and D3, then spray it on her head. she should lick it up. it gives her moisture and a supplement, hopefully it might get her appetite going again.
Chris

 

[ALLANA]

were abouts do you get this D3 from, I only have one reptile pet shop near me not sure weither they would have it or not, what exactly is it, sorry for being a bit dumb never had this problem before

 

[falconboy]

Allana, I had exactly the same problem. One of mine was basically sleeping most of the time, eyes shut when crickets are running around it, and didn't eat for a few days. It was very thin and I was also very concerned.

I don't know about yours, but mine was shedding and they can go off their food. After about 4 days it eventually ate again, and is eating regularly.

The beardies are like that - they won't all eat every feeding, often will just watch the crickets walk past. I know its stressful but give it a few more days and see. The other thing I did was (just between you and me and a million internet users) was wound some crickets so they could wriggle but not get away, put them near it and see if eventually it might take one. Even if it just gets one to keep its strength up.

But it does happen - I still get a little worried when the little ones don't eat (2 of them are greedy fat buggers so they are no problem), the other 2 aren't as nuts about food.

Good luck.

 

[Chrisreptile]

its a supplement that comes in a bottle, it helps them absorb calcium. i work at bunarong aquarium in frankston, so i spray all the hatchy beardies in the morning and in the afternoon.
i think its about $10 or something round that, i cant remember.

 

[ALLANA]

Allana, I had exactly the same problem. One of mine was basically sleeping most of the time, eyes shut when crickets are running around it, and didn't eat for a few days. It was very thin and I was also very concerned.

I don't know about yours, but mine was shedding and they can go off their food. After about 4 days it eventually ate again, and is eating regularly.

The beardies are like that - they won't all eat every feeding, often will just watch the crickets walk past. I know its stressful but give it a few more days and see. The other thing I did was (just between you and me and a million internet users) was wound some crickets so they could wriggle but not get away, put them near it and see if eventually it might take one. Even if it just gets one to keep its strength up.

But it does happen - I still get a little worried when the little ones don't eat (2 of them are greedy fat buggers so they are no problem), the other 2 aren't as nuts about food.

Good luck.

Thanks for that, I don't this she is shedding at all, she is just so tiny my other guys would only be around 2 weeks older and they are massive compared to her with fat bellies as well, I tried to take a photo so you could all see but stupid camera decided to go flat, it's a real worry she's so tiny looing. I'll have a look and see if I can't find that stuff I doubt this pet shop here has it though. I read yesterday in one of the threads that someone was using baby food on the end of there lizards nose to eat, do you recon this would work, I tired holding a live cricket in front of her for about half an hour and she just sat there eye's closed no interest.

 

[Kelzarie]

Allana,
I had a little beardie about a year ago that was doing that and was very weak. What I did, and you have to be very very careful about how you do it and how much, is go to your local vet or wherever and obtain a couple of 3ml syringes - then go to your local pet store - which I presume would be Noahs aquarium for you, and purchase the juvenile bearded dragon balls or insectivore mix which is a supplement made up for birds. Then what you have to do is put about 10 or 12 of the balls(dependant on size of beardie) in a mixing bowl with some calcium/multivitamins on top and then add enough water so that when you mix it with a mixer it will form a liquidy paste that will go into the syringe. Then ever so carefully put your thumb and pointer finger and put it on either side of the beardies mouth and then push in(causing the mouth to open. Put the syringe with the paste in it's mouth and put only small amounts in at the time. With it's size it will probably only need about 1/4 of a syringe so just refrigerate/freeze the rest and heat it up with water. The beardie formula is apparently a complete supplement so that should give him all the energy he requires. With the beardie try to also get it outside for a couple of hours in the week so that it gets some natural sun (that helps them recover too) as well as the UV bulb that you probably already use. The beardie that I had that wasn't eating - I had to hand feed it for about a month or so but after that it got jack of me hand feeding and had enough energy so it started to eat for itself. If the problem persists though, make sure you take it to a reptile vet - I recommend Clayton Knight of Deception Bay Veterinary as I have found them to be fantastic and enormously helpful with the raising and caring for of my beardies. Hope my advce helps and good luck. Kind Regards. Kelly Russell

 

[Chrisreptile]

apple sauce could work, im pretty sure it would be safe to use.

 

[falconboy]

Allana, that sounds exactly like mine. Although they are catching up a little now, there was a huge gap in size difference at one stage (and still is to a certain extent). My arm got tired dangling a wriggling cricket too.

You could try the baby food, but don't think you'll have much luck somehow.

Think of it this way, in the wild they probably go a lot longer than you think without food than a few days in a home enclosure.

I'd be a little patient for a couple of days....

 

[ALLANA]

I just tried agian with a wriggling cricket (no success) so I put a couple of drops of water on my finger and placed it on top of her nose as I don't even think she's been getting water. She did lick it off however so that's proberbly something good however it's not enough I don't think, I don't really want to force feed her as I figure there's a reason why she dosn't want to eat but if I have to I will, I might give some baby food a go, be a year or so since I had a baby lol, so will have to go get some from the shop I think. My beardies have a U.V tube but I have there enclosure right beside my bedroom window which gets all the morning sun, I take the lid of and it goes in there for a couple of hours but that hasn't seem to make much difference with her, it's funny actually she looks sort of alert but the minute crickets go in she just closes her eye's as if she's scared of them, and I'm only feeding her baby crickets, the other dragons seem to hug her a lot too as if they know

 

[falconboy]

Keep in mind UV doesn't go through glass/perspex, so all they are getting from the window is 'light', not UV.

Is the UV globe above a glass top on a tank or 'open' to the enclosure - if the UV bulb is behind glass they also won't be getting any UV.

 

[ALLANA]

no the U.V is inside the enclosure and with the widow, I have the window hopen so only fly screen in the road and I take the top of there lid off so that way it goes straight in the top, because I did hear that U.V dosn't pass through glass or perspex, they also do go outside at least twice a week as well as I have a outdoor run that I origionally made for my lovely turtle that decided to run away

 

[ALLANA]

it's been a bit cloudy here the last couple of days so I havn't taken them out

 

[falconboy]

Okie dokie.

Theres still a lot of UV when its cloudy, just take them out for a little longer. Hence why you can still get sunburnt on cloudy days.

 

[Mystery]

What temp do you have them on? The little one may have been bitten by a cricket - this can turn them off. You may not have a choice - you may have to force feed. Have you contacted Bex for her advice? Mine go off there food if they are not warm enough - I have had to force feed before with the little guys, some times you don't have a choice. You can purchase a product called JUMP START it is a concentrated calorie supplement and appetite stimulant - try that, Noah's should have it. Good luck and let us know how the little guy goes - I know it can be a worry.

 

[ALLANA]

The enclosure is small so it's hard to have a basking area and a cooling off area, I put my heat lamp on for about 7 hours during the day and it gets to about 31degrees but it is quite hot here some days, the other two are in with her and they seem to be very happy. I'm moveing them to a new enclosure over the weekend that will have a basking area which I'm going to set up at 40degrees and a cooling off area. I won't go to noah's ark pet shop due to a dispute with them a few months ago but I won't get into that so I'll need to try the morayfield one they have a few reptile products and maybe they can order me something in.

 

[Chrisreptile]

they can get confused with too many crickets sometimes (probably doesnt help, but just a thought)

 

[falconboy]

Thats the advantage of a 4ft enclosure - my hot spot can get to mid 40's, and the cooler section about 28-30 - thats on really hot days, other times hot spot is hi 30's.

 

[azza74]

theres jump start on ebay, just search jump start in the reptile section...

 

[ALLANA]

Hi temps are set to what bec said 40degrees in basking area and around 28degress on the other side but I can't get it any cooler than that because it's been hot here lately but they do have a lot of hides. I have contacted Bex but have not heard from her as of yet. I'll have a look this arvy to see what products I can get to help, I wont go to noah's pet shop though as I had a big run in with them not long ago, won't get inot details with that though