Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I just adopted a very young beardie from my vet. Ferdinand was picked on by his clutchmates and is now missing his right rear foot and part of his tail. He is a tiny thing (see pic) and I worry about finding the balance between giving him enough to eat and not letting so many crix in the cage that they go after him at night. I do clean poop out of the cage, so I know he's eating, but otherwise I'm just nervous because he is so small.

Oh, BTW, I have since removed the sand out of his aquarium and replaced with paper towels per the vet's advice.

How do you all deal with small or sickly beardies? Is there any reason I should try to force feed him?

Christina & Ferdinand (now 7 wks old)

If the dragon is eating on his own, no need to force feed him. Force feeding should only be done when the dragon is too weak or unwilling to eat himself. Force feeding can be very stressful and should only be used as a last resort.

To keep crickets from escaping and hiding when feeding your dragon,I find it best to drop the crickets in a dish high enough to keep the little crickets from climbing or jumping out, but low enough for your dragon to get at the crickets. Putting the bowl next to the basking log or any ledge the dragon can climb on to get at the crickets work good.

Offer food 2-3 times a day, dust one feeding with vitamine and calcium with d3 powders daily. Give as much crickets the dragon can eat in a 5-10 minute period. You can also offer fresh greens daily as well, though at a young age, the dragon may not sure much interest in them. Mist the dragon several times a day to ensure he stays well hydrated. Make sure the basking temp is between 100-115F, young dragons like the higher temps more than adult dragons. Also make sure you have a good UVB producing light as well as the basking light.
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PHLdyPayne

Thanks for the advice. He's so tiny that I may just resort to breaking the crx legs like I used to do for my chameleons. It may be the only way for him to see them in a cup, even a very very shallow one. I've tried to pull out small waxies for him too. I don't usually see him eat, but I have been assuming that since I find small poops...

I need to get him a taller log to bask on. Should I be worried about the rock pile I have for his basking spot? I know the temps are over 100, but the rocks themselves also absorb the heat... should I worry about him burning himself?

I just don't see him in that "heads up" curious way that beardies are known for. That's what has me so concerned. He just seems so frail.

c.

the crickets shouldn't need their legs broken for your dragon to catch them. As he is so small, he shouldn't be offered crickets bigger than 1/8" in size. No bigger than the space between the dragon's eyes is the size rule for most insects. Waxworms should only be fed sparingly as they are rather high in fat. Avoid mealworms and superworms at this time too, these shouldn't be fed to dragons till they are at least 10" long head to tail tip, and only occaisonally or in small numbers after that.

Small silkworms are great insect feeders to use, being soft bodied with high levels of water, protein, calcium and other good nutrients. Silkworms are a little higher in fat than crickets but are much more filling, so that difference usually evens out by numbers consumed.

The rock pile you have as a basking spot probably isn't a good ideal. To much risk it can shift and either trap a leg or claws. A good basking spot can be made from the large flat rocks found in petstores, or flat rocks found in the wild (wash well and sterilize in a 1:100 bleach/water solution or baked in an oven for a few hours at 200-250F). Driftwood,cork bark or those coiled bark 'hides' would work as well. Slate slabs can be purchased for a great price at lumber/home hardware stores. These are sold in 12" square sections, usualy about a quarter inch thick and pretty easy to break into sections. What is even better is you probably can get it free, if you ask for already broken pieces. These can be stacked and glued together to form a nice rocky outcrop, sections can be leaned against eachother (add a bit of 5 min. epoxy to sections to keep them stable) to form elevated and sloped basking spots.
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PHLdyPayne