Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a baby that is 7" to 7 1/2" have only had for 3 days, I got 2 (both were in same cage) but this one is a little smaller. Basking temp is 105 to 109 degrees cool end is 90 to 95.

He has drank some water but I have not seen him eat, I have offered dandelion greens cut very tiny, some kale cut tiny as well, small crickets and really small meal worms. He was active but today he seems a bit wobbly when he walks.
The other dragon is eating everything and very active.

Any help on how to entice him to eat is greatly appreciated.

Hi there...how big is your tank? the cool end should be 80...90 is too hot.Make sure to spray the babies to get them to drink...room temp.water sprayed gently on the head,usually twice daily.You can also try a small bowl with an inch of LUKEwarm water to put baby in for a drink.They may be dehydrated.Try small crickets[about3/8"],better than mealworms which can be gobbled up vomited,hard to digest and even cause impaction.Be sure to dust with calcium D3 powder[very lightly]The one not eating may be wobbly b/c of dehydration or not absorbing calcium...watch for legs trembling twitching...that's a sure sign.It is probably a timid one as well...there are always ones in a group that lag behind a bit,sometimes a lot.Might need to separate if it gets dominated.Hope you can help him!!!

I checked temps again but this time used a thermometer from another tank that I know is accurate, the baby's tank was too warm altogether. I gave both fresh water and the little one drank from drops on my finger. I turned the lights off to cool down and raised them. And I thew out the bad thermometer.
Babies are in a 20 gallon tank with a hide, large roc for basking, food and water dishes. I dust the crickets and worms with repcal w/vit d3 (put them in a jar and shake then put in a dish for them to eat) The cricket are tiny not sure size but they are no bigger than space between eyes, anything bigger goes to my older dragons. Meal worms are are also tiny, no more than 1/2".

For our other animals we use Pedialite (unflavored) if one is dehydrated, will that work for dragons too?

Yes,pedialite is fine...it's good that it IS drinking..let it have a good,long drink and do so more than once a day...the adjusting of the cage temp.may be the answer to your problem...a dehydrated baby most often will not eat.

Thank you, I will put Pedialte in their water dish and make sure he gets some from my finger. Since it has cooled down he looks much better, he is alert now.

If it looks better and starts drinking normally you can discontinue the Pedialyte

Got the temps stable at both ends of the tank, got some fluids in the little guy, and he just devoured about 10 tiny crickets dusted with repcal w/vit d. I never would have believed in just a few hours this little guy would be up running after crickets and looking bright eyed. Angie, thank you for the advice.

So glad to hear the good news...and no expense incurred...hope he continues to progress.Remember to go very light on the calcium powder,you don't want the crickets to be pure white from it,just a very tiny amount is necessary.Good job!!