more newbie questions

[spenann]

1, how do i get my new and first bd 4yrs old male to eat his greens
2, been feeding him 2 med hoppers every day should it be more or every other day
3, can i give him mealworms
thanks for any help.

[jools]

How long have you had him - he could just be settling in yet. What are the temperatures in the viv (cool end, warm end and basking spot)? How close can he get to the UV and how old is the UV? What time of day are you feeding? Sorry to answer with more questions peeps really need this info if they are to try to help. Two medium hoppers is not enough for a 4 year old. Mealworms are not good as they can't digest them well. Try feeding a variety of greens to see which he likes - an hour after turning the lights on in the morning and again an hour or two before lights out.

[spenann]

Originally Posted by jools

How long have you had him - he could just be settling in yet. What are the temperatures in the viv (cool end, warm end and basking spot)? How close can he get to the UV and how old is the UV? What time of day are you feeding? Sorry to answer with more questions peeps really need this info if they are to try to help. Two medium hoppers is not enough for a 4 year old. Mealworms are not good as they can't digest them well. Try feeding a variety of greens to see which he likes - an hour after turning the lights on in the morning and again an hour or two before lights out.

thanks for the reply,basking 98/100,cool end about 80,90 inthe middle.if he sits on the log about 8in from uv wich is about 3mths old,i feed once in the morning and once at night,putting in fresh greens in the morning.i have only had him about a week,been giving him 2 hoppers each feed every day as i dont know exactly how much to give not wanting to give to much,or should it be every other day.been reading the posts on the forum for help but it can be very confusing with each post contradicting the one before.as this is my first bd i would like to get it spot on and not have an unhappy bd.thanks again.

[jools]

The basking temperature needs to be higher - abou 105 - 110f. See if you can drop the uv so that he can sit about 6" away and use a reflector if you are not already. It is early days yet and he is probably still settling in. Is he pooing ok? Does he look awake and alert? Does he look a good weight? If not then Vets I'm afraid. If you are still worried about his not eating after another week or so then Vets with a poo sample to test for parasites. As long as he looks generally well then I wouldn't worry just yet - give it a little more time and keep putting fresh veg in each day.

[spenann]

thanks again for quick reply,will raise basking temps and lower uv i am using an reflector with uv.as for pooping he did one thurs dark in colour and a lot of.is he supposed to go every day?.at the moment he is in the corner of his viv and looks to be sleeping.overall he seems quite healthy when i get up in the morning he is on his basking spot looking out,when i put live food in he eats it right away,then about 2-3 hrs later he is back in his corner cool end.his viv is facing the door so i dont know if us coming in and going out is scaring him ,only space in living room to put him.have put picture in post .will be removing sand it came with viv.cheers again.

[mask-of-sanity]

adult beardies only need live food every other day at most...as adults the ratio should be 75% veg and 25% live fd .........try not giving him live for a few days and only offer veg, he will eat it if hungry.....on a live food day offer veg in the morning and live a bit later in the day , my adults have around 8 extra lge locust 3 times a week the rest of the time its just veg.....meal worms can be fed now and again, you can also give wax worms and morio worms again only as a treat......to raise the basking temp just put a rock under the basking spot so its higher than what your using now

[stevenw]

Originally Posted by jools

How long have you had him - he could just be settling in yet. What are the temperatures in the viv (cool end, warm end and basking spot)? How close can he get to the UV and how old is the UV? What time of day are you feeding? Sorry to answer with more questions peeps really need this info if they are to try to help. Two medium hoppers is not enough for a 4 year old. Mealworms are not good as they can't digest them well. Try feeding a variety of greens to see which he likes - an hour after turning the lights on in the morning and again an hour or two before lights out.

Latest research shows a 4 yr old dragon will have no problems digesting mealworm .. ensure husbandry is spot on and keep them in moderation a variety is much better ... also can i ask why he needs the vet ?