Bearded dragon help

[debfletch5]

hi there, i am new to bearded dragons and have got a little 2month old a few days ago. i am abit concerned as the fist day i fed him he ate lots of crickets and since then he hasnt eaten much at all, in fact today he did not want any. i am a bit confused as we were adviced to feed him once daily about 6 or so crickets and he is not interested. what do i do. he seems happy other wise not heavily active but ok. please help as i am worried. also how often is reccomended to give him a bath??

[dee]

hi and welcome i have moved this post to the revelant section

firstly any new animals and reps will take a good while to settle in and may not eat to much for up to 7-10 days so dont panic he will be a bit unsure of his surroundings right now not eating is normal

as for bathing they dont need to be bathed at all unless you really really must ie needing to help them poo (not common so dont panic )

make sure fresh veggies /salad stuff is available every day and give him a few day to find his way around

also just to be doubley sure what temps have you got the viv at and i assume you have uv set up best to check these details to just in case something isnt quite right which is normal when getting your first rep its daunting and stressful but thats what we are her for

[debfletch5]

thank you for getting back to me so fast. the basking area of the viv is at 100f and the cool is at about 90 and at bed time i turn the uv light of and let the temp fall to just under 70f. is this about right?? it is all very confusing i have done my best with research and it all says different stuff which doesnt help. i have put a bowl of water in the viv too but he doesnt seem to drink out of it, but i have put a few drops on his nose and he licks it up. (any other tips would be usefull) i have got fresh veg (brocolli and apple) at the mo for him to munch ( i think he has eaten some apple but not much). the other question i have is the uvb light is at the top of the viv is this ok or do i need to lower it for the best benifit (12inch up at the moment) thanks again for your help. im being a parinoid mum.

[debfletch5]

also is it ok that i am only feeding once a day in the morning?? or do i need to do it twice??

[Rick]

No you're asking the right questions. Ideally he should be able to get around 8" from the light if it is a "strip light". Your temps aren't bad although the cool end could drop a little. He probably won't drink, but at this age you could mist him lightly every 3 days or so - just see that there are finely chopped veg available all the time.
How big is the viv and what are you using to heat it?
Given this info. we can help some more - don't worry you're not doing bad at all.

Rick

[dee]

your not paranoid debs just normal we,ve all been there it is confusing yes the first 2-3 mths are the owrst untill you get used to the reps ways

as rick says the uv should be about 8in max from him to achieve this you can put a log for him to climb on night time tems are good you shouldnt need any extra heating at this time of the year

[debfletch5]

the viv is 3ft by 2ft by 2ft. we are using a infared (HeatGlo) heat lamp to heat the viv (how do i lower the cooler end of viv temp without lowering the hot?) i also understand that there is alot of issues with substrate, i have got wood chip which the shop keeper at Crystal Palace Reptiles (London) said it was fine and was what he used in the shop, is this ok. my Rep seems to have brightened up a bit yet is only eating one cricket a day, and is not keen on being picked up all of a sudden. do you think that everything else is ok. i hope im doing a good job for him...

[dee]

i would change the red to a white house hold spot bulb b/ds dont like red light we all use white and found after we changed they were much happier and more active they need bright white lights to simulte their natural habitat

substrate is personal choice i use chips lots use argos play sand and slate for feeding area

temps can be adjusted by lowering the watage of the bulb as long as the basking spot itself (directly under the bulb ) is 100 -110for babies then the rest of the viv is normally ok changing to a white spot will help with the temps too

[Rick]

Personally I'd change the chips to tiles or paper towels - we've had two deaths here attributable to ingesting wood chips and it's also hard for your baby to see and catch his crix in that type of substrate. The white spotlight idea should brighten him up but it does take 7~10 days for them to settle in, meanwhile don't handle him too much.

Rick

[debfletch5]

ok, thank you for all the advice, so just a normal house hold light will be better then?? any specific Watt?? my little baby ate some brocolli from my hand which i was very pleased about but i am still bit unsure on the amount of crix should be fed a day. i understand to let them eat as much as they will in the space of 10/15mins but should i be doing this trwice a day once he is happy and willing to eat? (at the mo, the crix jump in front of him and he is not interested) i keep fresh veg in all day.

[dee]

use a phillips spot bulb 60 w should do it for that size viv

[debfletch5]

ok thanks, because its a normal spot light, for the night time temp will the light not bother him. we have a thermostat to control the night and day time temps but i am concerned that the light will bother him when sleeping. (how does that work). he seems really sleepy today and did not eat any crix. do i need to worry or is this still part of getting used to his new home. iv also noticed his eyes are a little sunken.....Still worried.

[Rick]

The thermostat has both a night and daytime setting? This would cause him a bit of a problem as "yes" having the light on all the time can cause loss of sleep etc. Do you know what your room temp drops to overnight? With our 2 month old babies we're allowing them to drop to around 17C (no heating in the tank at night). You may have to stay with the IR for the moment - is the viv pretty brightly lit otherwise? Can you post a picture of it?
If his eyes are sunken then it may be a little dehydration. Just drip some water on his nose - he should lick it off, keep doing this until he stops say twice a day for a couple of days. It does take time for them to settle but if you can, do post a picture of the set up.

Rick

[debfletch5]

i will be able to send a picture later today... although i have noticed that his stool is a little runny (what could this mean) he seems to be moving around ok, but when i try to put water on his nose he runs away from me.

[Rick]

They tend to seem a little runny and eating veg will also do this.

Have you a spray bottle you can just mist him with lightly? Usually a couple of sprays from a distance will help. At this age it's also important that you not frighten him if possible so all movements should be slow and not from directly above if possible. We will get you through this - I know it's nerve wracking but we've all been there with our first ones!

Rick