Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a baby beardie from a local breeder a couple of weeks ago. She's very small, maybe 6 inches. She seems to be doing great, but I'm concerned about how little she eats. I've read where young dragons eat 20-60 crickets a day. Is that for even the very young ones? The most I've ever gotten her to eat is 4-5 a day. She doesn't seem to actively go after any crickets that are not near her. Most of the time, she'll only eat 1 or 2 that are dropped near her, or that happen to wander up on her basking rock. Then, if I try to feed her again, later in the day, she may eat 1 or 2 more, but often not. Her basking area, has several ledges to choose from, the hottest being about 120 degrees, then one about 115 (where she usually basks), and then a lower one around 110. She only has to move a few inches to be in a shady area on the same rock, so she doesn't move around a whole lot, although she sometimes wanders a little. I have a reptisun 10.0 within a few inches of her basking site. I dust her crickets with Calcium/D3. The crickets I'm offering her aren't too big. She isn't impacted. She poops normally. She's alert and not sluggish when I handle her. She just doesn't eat as much as I think she should. Is this normal?
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0.9.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.1 Leopard Geckos
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I'd say that's definately on the low side. I looked up what my last 6" dragons ate in the past and it was about 15 - 1/4" crickets a day over 2 meals. They grew an inch a week and their cricket intake increased dramatically also.

My best suggestion is to get a weight scale. If the dragon is gaining weight then I wouldn't be that concerned. A Myweigh 7001DX from reptilebasics.com is $39.

When I feed my dragons that size, I remove everything from the enclosure and then put crickets in, lets say 10 to start. Then whatever they don't eat in 1/2 hour I remove. I do this twice a day. I feel this gives then 2 times a day when they need to focus on eating crickets. I feel like your dragon just may be lazy since the crickets are always there. Some dragons chase the crickets but many seem to realize that if I stay in one spot long enough the crickets will come to them.

It's really hard to say though. Every dragon is different. I took in a dragon last year for someone that was 4" long and supposedly a few months old. I kept it under the same conditions as others and fed the same way. She was a very sluggish eater like yours. In the 7 weeks I had her she only grew 1 1/2" to 5 1/2". 8 weeks later she was back here with poor husbandry issues and 8" long. Again same conditions here and feeding method as before. Within a week she was eating 80 crix. a day and growing an inch a week. She is now my largest dragon both in length and weight. She has laid 99 eggs so far this year.

Also cricket size obviously makes a difference in volume. At 6" you are probably feeding her pet store smalls which are 3/8". I buy in bulk so I generally feed that size dragon 1/4". I've read (who knows if it's true or not) that more smaller crickets are better than less larger ones. Supposedly increases their digestion rate. But anyway if she's pooping everyday then that's good and I wouldn't be too ultra stressed about it. I would get the weight scale though, it is the best tool for monitoring the health of your dragon.

The Calcium has no Phosphorus right? You are using a multivitamin once a week? What size tank is she in?

>>The Calcium has no Phosphorus right? You are using a multivitamin once a week? What size tank is she in?

Yes, Yes, and 29gal.
Yeah, I do need a scale. I'll start looking around for one.
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0.9.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.1 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise
0.0.1 Bearded Dragons

I know you said its not impacted but what kind of substrate are you using for it?

Have you been soaking it or giving it water in some other way besides just offering a dish of water?

What about greens, tried them?

It sounds to me that its not quite happy with something. What, I don't know, but it sounds more mental than physical, at the moment.

I know you said you've got a 10.0 UVB but is the cage pretty brightly lit overall?

What are your ambient temperatures on both the hot & cool end?

I would leave it alone for a week or so, not handling it except for cage cleaning, and make sure its settled in good.

Is this your first dragon or do you have some experience with them?

I wouldn't panic by any means but odds are that something's just not quite right somewhere. Dragons that size/age generally move in spurts, speed blasts, and not casual walks. Kind of like the way my wife drives, "hit the gas, hit the brakes," nothin' in between.

Sorry for all the Qs but I feel they're needed for me to get a better picture of what's going on.

Catch ya later!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Thanks for the replies, guys. I think I've got her on the right track now. I simplified her setup a little. She seems to be eating better, especially if I physically take her down off her perch and place her at ground level with the crickets when I feed her.

To answer some of the questions: The cage is brightly lit, with the 10.0 flourescent and a 90watt halogen floodlight. The cool side is 81 degrees the hot spot about 115 now (there were several different areas to bask, but I changed it). The substate is sand. I know I know. But she's not impacted. She poops regularly and it looks as healthy as poop can look. She's not at all sluggish. She moves quickly, when she does move, which seems to be more often in her new set up. I do offer greens and veggies, but to this point she's never eaten any. I do water her by misting her head. I don't handle her except to place her down near the crickets or to mist her. I think she's just a bit lazy. She likes to wait until the crickets come to her. And yes, this is my first beardie. That's why I was concerned. I don't really know what to expect. I've kept countless other reptiles, but all I know about beardies is what I've read so far. I've researched a LOT before and since I got her, but that's no substitute for first hand knowledge.

Anyway, like I said, I think things are going better now. She's eating a little more now, and there are no signs of being lethargic or sick in any way, so I'm hoping she continues to eat more.
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0.9.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.1 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise
0.0.1 Bearded Dragons