Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought a 5 mnth old beardey last week. The shop owners who i regularly visit are very good and have been breeding reptiles and spiders for a very long time. They claim that our beardie was eating a lot ( 7-10 )prior to being moved to our house. Since we ahve had him ( just about a week now) he seems to ahve slowed down on his eating. On average hes only eating between 2 and 4 brown 1/2 inch crickets a day and a little veg. He is not very lively either considering when we viewed him in the store he was running about. What am i doing wrong... can anyone help??????????????

First of all, 7-10 crix is NOT alot. Can you tell us more about your set up (substrate, temps, lighting, etc.)? Also, has he pooped lately?
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God Bless, Beardie Dreams, & Peace!
Pogoniacs™

thanks for your reply

as for subsrtate, using reptisand, 3.5 ft viv, thermostat controled temps of 84 during day and 72 at night. Got uv lighting. Anything else u need to know for yu to be able to help me...just ask

thermostat controled temps of 84 during day and 72 at night. Got uv lighting. Anything else u need to know for yu to be able to help me...just ask

What about a basking site? Do you have one and is it running around 105?
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www.BeginnersBasics.com

yes got a basking site at aound 90

>>yes got a basking site at aound 90

RAISE IT! It needs to be around 105 - 110. His appetite will increase soon after this temp is higher. He needs those temps to digest his food. He is NOT eating enough and is digesting it too slowly (Thats why he isn't hungry)
Raise the basking temp and he will start to eat properly for you. He should be pooping every day.

Hope this helps
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www.BeginnersBasics.com

great help, thanks a lot. will try that and get back to you

>>great help, thanks a lot. will try that and get back to you

Please do. This should help fix the problem. Give it a day or two and his appetite should come back full force! I think you will be amazed at how much he really eats!!!
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www.BeginnersBasics.com

also yeah hes oppoed twice since weve had him

I would take him off the Repti-Sand & put him on children's washed & sifted playsand--Repti-Sand is notorius for causing impactions. Also, if you live where it's at least 70 degrees, let him bask in the sun for about a half-hour 3-4 times/week; natural sunlight is a great appetite stimulator!
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God Bless, Beardie Dreams, & Peace!
Pogoniacs™

sun??? whats that i live in the UK!!!!!!!

dont get half an hours sun a week nevermind a day and 70 degrees is only in my dreams

thanks for the advice tho

.
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God Bless, Beardie Dreams, & Peace!
Pogoniacs™

>>sun??? whats that i live in the UK!!!!!!!

Hey now........ The sun does shine there, just not much LOL

I was born and raised in Nottingham I know all about that weather... I went from one extreme to the other and now live in Florida "The sunshine state"

I agree with taking him off the repti sand and putting him on children's playsand.
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www.BeginnersBasics.com

I never used it myself, so I can't say it's bad. I just heard a few things about it, and the calcium sand that lead me to think that it might not be a good choice. If you think there is a danger in using it you might want to change that on the page before a customer has trouble with it. When I first got into dragons I used washed play sand. After I had them for a while and got more and more. lol addicted. I started to use a non slip plastic shelf liner. I cut it to the size of the cages, and it works great for daily spot cleaning. It's water proof, easy to clean, and sanitary. Cages look spotless. I have a pic if you hit mystical dragons below. I posted a while back about using it, and a few people here have used it without problems. Just a thought.
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Mystical Dragons

>>I never used it myself, so I can't say it's bad. I just heard a few things about it, and the calcium sand that lead me to think that it might not be a good choice. If you think there is a danger in using it you might want to change that on the page before a customer has trouble with it. Just a thought.
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>>Mystical Dragons

Thank You for pointing that out to me and you were right. I did have the term "repti sand" on one page, yet on another I said play sand.

Fixed it
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www.BeginnersBasics.com

Just didn't want you to miss that, and have it bite you later by a customer. Did you have a bad problem with it?
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Mystical Dragons

>>Just didn't want you to miss that, and have it bite you later by a customer. Did you have a bad problem with it?
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>>Mystical Dragons

I haven't personally, but I had heard several stories about it from other dragon people I know. I never wanted to take the chance and risk one of my babies by housing them on it. My dragons are on paper towels until they are about 2 or 3 weeks old (depending on size) and then they are put onto the play sand.