My baby bearded dragon wont eat...

Question

Sandfire   QUESTION: Hi there,
I just got a baby bearded dragon the other day and he refuses to eat. I'm going to get some smaller crickets for him later today, but I'm curious as to why he is acting this way and won't eat the veggies or pellets I'm feeding him.
I even mashed and mixed them up so that he could get ahold of them easier, but he still won't eat.
Also, I'm worried he may have MBD; every once and a while, he'll start shaking his head vigorously. I've been putting calcium suppliment powder onto his food, but like I said, he stopped eating. I'm super afraid he's ill.
I checked online and read multiple books on the proper care and set up of the tank, and I seem to be up to par. He has a UVB light, tube, not coil, and a heating spot light as well as a heating pad. And a hot and cool side difference.
And all he does is sit on his basking rock and moves evrey once and a while. I checked to see if he's dragging his back legs (because a book told me to do so) and he wasn't, so that gave me some relief, but he still won't eat.
I mist him and his tank multiple times a day to make sure the humidity is okay and his thermometer on the warm side reads 84-90 F. Also, I'm about to mist him again because the humitidy is a bit low...
I may be just a worried first-time raiser of beardies, but he seems to be depressed. Maybe he needs a friend? I just don't know...
Please enlighten me on other options,

Jade.

ANSWER: Hello Jade,

Sorry your baby is not eating!  They can have relocation stress from bringing him into a new home which could last a couple of weeks.  
The crickets should be smaller than the space between his eyes to avoid impaction.
Which tube UVB light do you use, what brand is it?  How close is it to him?  Is the basking light a bright white light?  I would turn off the heating pad during the day when the basking bulb is on as he can get overheated.  
What type of thermometer do you use, is it a digital probe or a temp gun?
The basking temperatures need to be in a range of 95-110 with a cooler end around 78-82.  What is the humidity showing?  If you are going to mist him, I would mist him out of the tank to avoid too much moisture in the tank causing mold issues.  

No, he doesn't need a tank mate as they do better alone.   
Has he gone to the bathroom since you brought him home?
Does he have any odd twitches of his muscles you have noticed?   When he shook his head was it after eating, or just intermittently for no apparent reason?

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Gir   QUESTION: Hello, Tracie.
Well, I went to Petco yesterday and I asked them about my dragon's conditions...it turns out he had a neurological dissorder and they weren't supposed to sell him. They had a vet appointment today and I'm going by there tomorrow to see how the litter are doing and what the vet said. Until then, they gave me another one, but this one is smaller and I have to cut up the food finer...haha, but I'm not complaining.
I just want those poor babies to get better. I cried so much when I found out! ):

My new baby's name is Gir. He's super cute, but I'm afraid he might be impacted since he hasn't pooped yet today. And his crickets are small enough (no bigger than the space between his eyes), but he refuses to eat his veggies and he hasn't pooped. He's hydrated, I mist him and he plays in his water bowl, lapping up every once and a while, but I'm still worried. I guess I just have bad luck with these things!

Thanks for listening,
Jade

PS. I'm getting another, better temp. gauge and a hammock, because he looks like he needs another place to lay. Also, I use a Zoo Med spot light. The box said it was okay with bearded dragons, but if this no pooping this persists, I'll get another one.

ANSWER: Hello Jade,

Oh no, I am sorry about that, poor guy.  Is he in good hands now at the pet store?
Your new one, Gir, is certainly cute.  
He is most likely going through relocation stress as most of them do.
Make sure he has a good UVB light, mounted properly as I had instructed, along side the basking light.  Is the Zoomed spot light a bright white light or a colored light?
Most of the young dragons are not interested in their greens/veggies but keep offering them & eventually he will recognize it as food.
What are his temperatures in the tank?

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: He is, I believe, in good hands. I have talked to Meagan, the reptile specialist at the store and she has personally taken on responsibility for the bunch. I'm going to check on them today.
I've been using a bright, off-white light for his basking light. A Repti-sun light. Also, I have read that the uvb light I have been using was a little stronger the first few weeks than later on? So I figured that was a good thing, but I'm not sure if that means that I should turn it off every once and a while during the day to give his eyes a bit of a rest?
And thank goodness mine isn't the only one not into his greens at the moment...haha. I was afraid he was just picky and it would result in him not ever eating them. The darn pet store fed him mealworms and he pooped out a whole one, that poor thing...that must have hurt. ):
I feed him small crickets and organic fresh greens. I've been trying to feed him juvenile bearded dragon paste, but I guess he just doesn't recognise it as food yet. In order to get him to eat something other than crickets, should I do something different?
Also, his temperatures are usually between 88 and 90 F. But I'm going to go to the store to buy a better thermometer later today, just in case.

Thank you so much for your help!

Answer
Hello Jade,

That is great, I hope he is doing well then.
Good, the Reptisun 10, is it a tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  How close is it to him & is is mounted directly beside the basking light?
As long as he has plenty of bright light in his tank, the 12 hour daylight cycle followed by the 12 hour night time cycle is perfect for him.  Is the basking light a white light or a colored light?
They can take a little time to eat greens so keep trying & eventually he will see it as food! You can try phoenix worms, they are small & calcium loaded.  He would probably really like them, too.
Using either a digital probe or a temp gun will help with measuring the temperatures most accurately.  Were you able to find one of those today?
The mealworms are not the greatest feeder as they have too hard of shell on them & they can impact them.

Let me know how he is doing.
Tracie