[carla1]

Hey,

i have a 4 month old beardie that all of a sudden is hardly eating and is also sleeping allot more.He eaten about 5 crickets in the past 4 or 5 days. i have had him a couple of months now
He gets fresh water and greens everyday and the temp gets checked regually.

i have read a few things saying that their could be a blockage or could just be bored of eating crickets

anyone got any ideas?

thanks
carla

 

[Beardy Boy97]

At this time of year it sounds like he is brumataing. Bit like a light hibernation

 

[carla1]

oh right how long does that normal last . dont want buy more crickets if there gunna go to waste lol

thanks

 

[vgorst]

At 4 months I don't think they should really be going through brumation, they'd lose a lot of growing time.

What are your temperatures, what are they checked with and what's your UVB light like? It may be that upping your temperatures slightly will snap them out of it.

Try different live foods too.

 

[carla1]

the temp is usually around 35 in the day and doesn't fall below 25 at night .He gets 12 hours of light and the bulb is a couple of months old.
I have given him brown and black crickets .when you put him in to feed he just sits there and lets them crawl all over him

hes been fairly active today put hasnt eaten any crickets , he might of had a slight munch on his greens though

 

[vgorst]

Where is that 35 measured in the tank? Cold, warm or basking area? What kind of thermometer are you using? And how big is the tank? What % bulb is the uv?

You could try locust or cockroaches as alternative feeders, see if those get his attention.

 

[carla1]

the Bulb is 100w
about about a month ago i put the light in to another position could this be a cause or am i being stupid?
The 35 is reading in the warm area and i have one of those electronic thermometer.
I cant remember the size of his cage so ill add picture to give you an idea. ( gunna get him a bigger one when he out grows it lol just saving up)

Ill give those creepy crawlies a try

 

[vgorst]

To me that looks like a 2ft x 1ft?

Tbh that's far too small, he could go in his 4ft x 2ft straight away. It's not due to his size, more the thermogradient that is required. Unfortunately in that size tank either the basking or cool end is going to be compromised - both of which are extremely important. The importance of the basking area is obviously to warm them up, enable digestion and other metabolic functions; whereas the cool end is required to prevent dehydration and to slow down metabolism when necessary.

I reckon the reason why he's lethargic in the cool end is that he's too warm, which could lead to dehydration (and can be quite dangerous if left). A short bathe could be an idea.

Where is his UVB in that tank? It would be best if you could get the cool and basking (under the light where he basks) temperatures too. Also I forgot to ask about supplements, do you use any/which ones?

 

[carla1]

Im saving up for his bigger cage at the moment so it hopefully wont be too long before hes in one.
I need to get a new uv light which I'm getting in the next few days.

He normally goes for a little bath every other day and i put calci-dust on the crickets. Do you reckon he should have anything else?


Its annoying because hes been fine up until this week

 

[vgorst]

I would get a multivitamin/D3 supplement too (Repashy Calcium + or Nutrobal is popular), guidelines for supplementation are pretty awful but using this a couple of times a week is often recommended.

As said, it may simply be brumation, but you can never be sure.

 

[carla1]

ok cool ill give them a go hopefully he will get back to his normal self chasing his food like a mad man lol

if it is brumating how long is that normally for??


and thanks for all your help!!!

 

[vgorst]

It varies - usually a couple of months

 

[tomcannon]

I'm not surprised something isn't right. A BD requires high levels of uv and a good thermogradient. You really need to sort uv and a new enclosure sharpish. Without these he will become quite ill. This is a vital stage of his life and you really are not providing him with what he needs.

As said you want a minimum of a 4x2x2 terrestrial vivarium with a 12% tube uv source, I'd recommend the Arcadia T5 with starter controller and reflector. You want to 3ft version and mount it in the hot side to allow the cool side to drop in to shade. Check Arcadias lighting guide for more info.

You want your heat bulb on a thermostat, any normal reflective spot bulb will do from tesco, b&q etc, a 60w will do the job (in a 4x2x2). You want a dimming thermostat, the habistat high range dimming thermostat has never failed me. Basking temp should be 105-115 (better towards the 115 mark with a younger beardy), warm end temp (taken on the far wall in warm end) should be 85-95 and your cool end (taken far wall again) 75-85.

This of course will only be applicable in a 4x2x2, as said all these temps won't be achievable in the viv you currently have. And quite frankly not to have uv is irresponsible , I hope he hasn't been kept like that for a while? Please tell me differently and that he has uv it just needs to be replaced as its coming to 6 months?

I apologise if I sound rude at any point, I have tried to maintain my head but this frustrates me if he in fact has no uv. Hopefully I am wrong and we can help you sort it ASAP so he can grow a healthy boy!

 

[carla1]

I appreciate all the advice given.

He has had a uv light and I'm getting it in the next couple of days. i did say this when i was asked about lighting. so that's all cool. Ill probs have it tomorrow.
And the bigger viv is come shortly just need to save a bit more money.

 

[tomcannon]

I appreciate all the advice given.

He has had a uv light and I'm getting it in the next couple of days. i did say this when i was asked about lighting. so that's all cool. Ill probs have it tomorrow.
And the bigger viv is come shortly just need to save a bit more money.

In that case I apologise, it really is vital though so make sure its up and running as soon as possible.

I just couldn't see a uv source in the image and you said you were getting a new one, I wasn't sure if that meant it was just time for a renewal or he currently doesn't have one!

I wouldn't bother with any new feeders just yet, although they may tempt him to eat a little at first I would put his not eating down to his current setup rather than him being bored of crickets. Save your money and sort a uv and viv. I'm not saying don't feed him just I'd stick with the cheap crickets for now as the money needs to be spent elsewhere. I am of course in no position to tell you how to spend your money, that's just my opinion!

 

[Ratamahata]

I haven't bothered reading the most of this thread but....

BD's cann get bored of 1 food type at the flick of a switch.. my boy has gone from munching locusts like there is no tomorrow and just gone off them. He now eats roaches as his staple diet and loves them!

Try him on something else, see if it helps.

Again.... Sorry if this has been said I am pressed for time.

Peace out

 

[Ratamahata]

Ignor my comment, tom is probably better to advise on this...

I just speak thru my last experience with this

 

[carla1]

I haven't bothered reading the most of this thread but....

BD's cann get bored of 1 food type at the flick of a switch.. my boy has gone from munching locusts like there is no tomorrow and just gone off them. He now eats roaches as his staple diet and loves them!

Try him on something else, see if it helps.

Again.... Sorry if this has been said I am pressed for time.

Peace out

Every piece of advice helps

 

[nicnet]

Others have already gone through the fact t hat you need a bigger viv asap, but that leaves you with a possibly overheatig dragon until you get that sorted out


Firstly you need to reduce the wattage on that bulb, its way too big for that size viv. Get a 40W and a 60W standard reflective bulbs from supermarket, put in the 40W and check temps again in an hour.

your issue is that you need to get your basking temp right now without oveheating your viv.

 

[Lornaloula]

The temps will be wrong- I had a baby Beardie in a similar size tank for a month and he was rubbish at feeding and he never used to bask properly because there wasnt a cool end for him to cool down in - changed him to a 4x2x2 viv and the change in him was amazing also not having a uv light will affect eating habits and also mean he won't be absorbing any calcium and then your beardies at risk of getting metabolic bone disease!