Need help!!!

[newbie2012]

hey guys
im new to the reptile thing right
and yesterday i got my first bearded dragon
but i have found that he doesnt want to eat the small crickets or veges
so is tis suppose to happen or is he suppose to be eating
oh and his a hatching like 10cm head to tail
any advice would be good
thx

 

[Gecko_ProCs]

young beardeds eat mostly small insects, they tend to eat more veggies as they get older
but you gotta sort of wean them onto em.
plus the move would have been stressful so he might not eat for the first day or two untill he settles in, mine didnt take to veggies straight away then i got some advice from another keeper who said to pick some clover and twirl it in between your fingers, the movement tweaks their intrest and they may eat it then once they know what it is and go for it with out the twirling you can putt a bunch of it in a small bowl and they'll eat it out of there and once they learn whats in the bowl is food you can add more veggies.

hope this helps

 

[Lollypop]

Congrats on your first beardie!
They do/can get stressed & go off their food, but hopefully a little one like that will start eating again in the next day or 2.
What temps have u got at your basking spot & cool area? This can make a huge difference to whether they eat or not.
With vegies, I find bok choy is always a winner, & usually the finely chopped carrot, but there's heaps of greens you can try. Also apple finely chopped.
If he continues not to eat his veg, don't give up. Try placing your feeders (crickets/woodies) in his vegie bowl so he picks up some veg when feeding. Babies are about 80% live food, 20% greens, which usually turns around as they become adults. If you put your feeders in the fridge for a couple of minutes just before feeding, this will help slow them down so he can catch them easier. You should be trying to feed him 2 to 3 times a day, & always give him an hour or 2 to warm up first thing so he is lively enuf to catch them.
If he is still not eating any veg, make sure you 'gutload' your feeders with veges so at least he's getting more nutrition from his feeders.
Hmm, is that tooooo much info? Oh well, see how u go

 

[newbie2012]

yet ok my basking temp is about 45 degrees and the coooool end is about 26 degrees is this good ive got some pics of the enclosure so here they are!!!! his so cute his a sleep in my hand

 

[Lollypop]

Wow, I think that looks great!
Yep, temps should be fine, so he should start eating.
Is that just normal white sand you've used? And has he got a water bowl or are you spraying him - just making sure he's not going to get dehydrated if he's not eating

 

[newbie2012]

um its no plain white sand but is similiar
ive got a mate who has a massive collection of snake and lizards and he uses it with his lizards. (this guys got i think one of the biggest collections on the coast)
if u can is it just infront of the log on the left hand side is a chineses takaway container with water and stones in it and i also spray once every 2-3 days.

 

[notechistiger]

Make sure you're not feeding on the sand (especially for a young dragon like you have, as they are more prone to impaction then adults). Use a feeding dish or something similar. He probably just needs to settle in for a couple of days.

 

[anntay]

i am new also but with a NETTED dragon he did not eat for a day due to move and new surrounds.
your little fellow will come around. what was he being feed before you got him.

 

[webcol]

when i got my water dragon he Didnt eat for a week , i just kept trying and once he settled in he ate.

 

[Beardieboy]

Was he eating crickets with the person who bred him? Some people only feed small woodlice or other insects so he might not know the crickets are food. But if that's the food he's used to he should come around. It's probably a good idea to give him a small spray every day to make sure he gets enough water too, you'd rather give him too many opportunities to drink than not enough!
Good luck mate, he's really cute!

 

[Emmalicious]

Its probably just a bit anxious from the move liek the people said before. My beardie was like that and he is fine now recently gave him away to a friend! he should be fine just wait and see for a few days before stressing out to much!

 

[newbie2012]

this is wierd ok!!!
his pooing but i dont think his eating!!!!
is this a good thing :|
thx for the replys

 

[JasonL]

That tank is too large for a hatchy, you need to keep up a good ambient for him to eat properly and large all glass tanks make it hard to do so. Sand substrate isn't recommended for beardies untill they have grown somewhat, as it will cause a partial or full impaction. I suggest you get yourself a smaller plastic tub, line it with newspaper, place a large tile in the bottom and place a 75w bulb over the top.

 

[newbie2012]

hey guys because his not eating i though i would post a pic of him
is he under weight????

 

[Serpentess]

Mate, you really need to stop handling him so much at the moment... he needs to get used to his new environment.

If your temps are all ok then he could be not eating because he's stressed, and handling him while he's stressed just makes things worse.

Give him a few days (one or two) without handling... just keep an eye on him.

 

[JasonL]

He will more than likely perish if you don't get your husbandry issues sorted, he isn't eating because you don't have him set up correctly, I'd suggest you do some research, either read the Bearded Dragon Manual or track down the Reptiles Australia Magazines with my article about keeping Bearded Dragons. Raising a BD involves a bit more than a four foot glass tank with a light bulb at one end, you need to measure all temperatures inside the tank, hot, cold and ambients...

 

[newbie2012]

mate this setup was fine with other people and this is the setup the petshop told me make. my mate who is a keeper (for 10 years) took me to the pet shop and we bought the stuff. my how spots at 45 degrees and the cool ends at 26 degrees. im trying to feed him small crickets with calcium dust on them. if this isnt good can u plz list the way the you would set it up.
as far as im concerned this setup is fine with my mate and other experienced keepers.
and as far as handling goes im not going to handle him for the next 2 days, ive but backing around the front and drop some crickets in his food dish.
thx

 

[Chris1]

i wouldnt keep a baby on sand,...way too risky.

give him some peace, get the temps right (actually, just noticed u do have a 45C hot spot which is good) and if in a few days he still wont eat get some baby food and put drops on his nose with a plastic syringe.
that will keep him hydrated and his tummy functioning till he starts eating on his own.

do be aware that any uneaten crickets in his tank will start to eat him if they get hungry, so always keep fresh salad in there day and night to keep the crickets fed. better still try to avoid feeding him in his enclosure.

 

[Dotora]

Meh you only just got him, hes probably just freaking out, give him space to get used to his surroundings. When I first got my eastern bearded he hardly ate for the first two weeks, only ate a few woodies every now and then. After he settled in tho he is eating me out of house and home.....

So just give him some time, If you are trying to hand feed him maybe don't at least not straight away just put the dragon in a small container with the crickets in there. If hes hungry he will eat them. The crickets also may be too quick for him, put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to slow them down.

Also when you are giving him the crickets try giving him a few with out calcium powder first. My guy does not fancy the calcium powder too much so I drop two woodies in which he eats straight away, I then put in three woodies with powder which he eats then another two with out powder.

Also no he does not look underweight, just looks like a little hatchie.

 

[Lollypop]

Make sure u keep up fresh finely chopped veg for him so he can sneak out & eat when no-one's watching. If he's in a high traffic area with tv, radio, etc going this will also freak him until he gets used to it.
I tried taking my little ones out to feed them seperately (away from the sand) but found it freaked them so much they wouldn't eat at all. Your sand 'looks' like a fine sand with fine granules (thus the question on what type it was). I ended up going to an offcut carpet place & buying a rough textured lino -so they don't slip everywhere - for no money basically, cut it so it covered the entire bottom of the tank, then put sand down the cool area so they can sleep & play. Just a couple of brick tiles e.g. helps contain the sand to that area. Then they get fed on the area that has lino on it. My other 5ft tank I'm going to do the same thing exept with tiles instead of lino. I must say I've swapped to woodies as they won't be tempted to eat your beardie, & I find them more visible for all concerned.
My 4 ft tank, with the right heat light wattage & the fluro UV gets up to the temps you're getting as well, I've never had a problem over 3 yrs with hatchies or full grown.
Did u say u have a hide in there for him? - even though this isn't recommended at his young age, don't know whether it's worth having one, & if he's staying in there too much, take it out again.
He might still be digesting food if u haven't had him long? or he could be sneaking food when you're out of sight. Make sure he's getting water - you'll see sand in your water bowl from him being in there, & spray him a couple of times a day until he starts eating.