Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My newcomer is still alive and kicking, but he is giving me a hard time. I'm sure he is still stressed out from his cross-country trip, but he isn't eating much at all. The first couple of days he put away about 20-30 crix a day. I know that isn't much, but I figured he would increase after a while. For the past couple of days he refuses to eat when in his feeding tub, so I have put the crix in his tank. I haven't seen him eat many, but they are disappearing, so I am assuming he's getting some when I'm not looking. I dust them with rep-cal calcium every day. I just can't describe how tiny this 4 mo is. Tonight he was basking using the wire from the thermometer! He doesn't fall off of it, and it doesn't move when he's on it. How can babies stay this little for so long and not perish? I am offering salad every day. Tommorow I might try to add some mashed baked sweet potato or butternut to see if that will attract him. I'm really afraid to play the tough love thing and make him eat out of the feeding tub because he is just so little.

Any ideas??
Laura

Try taking Squash Baby food and mixing liquid calcium, vitamin B, all together, slightly warm it and then feed it to him by dabbing it onto his lips with a small syringe. Be careful not to get it into his nostrils though. My best friend Roni, (www.beautifuldragons.com) does this and I have been doing it for some REALLY small Beardies we received at work and it is helping them out. It will give them a good boost!

P.S. I also take the beardie juvey pellets and mosten them and mush them and add what I said above. Because I don't have baby food. It works well as long as you can mash them well enough.
You can also use pedialyte or some gatorade to boost his electrolytes and energy.

Do you have him on UVB as well as good heat?? (I assumed so!! )
Hope it helps!!
Lenae

Please do not put more than a few crickets at a time into your beardie's tank, especially if he isn't eating too much. Chances are, they're hiding out, only to re-appear after you turn out his lights, then, if there are too many, they could actually gang up and chew on your little beardie. Check your tank tonight after lights-out and see if any crickets are running around in the tank.

You said he was eating 20-30 crickets at first. Hopefully they were all small ones. A baby beardie should be eating crickets no bigger than the space between its eyes. Has he been pooping normally? And how warm is his basking area? His appetite is often tied to how warm he is, and if it's under 100 degrees, he's not warm enough.

His basking spot stays between 103 and 104. I'm measuring it with a digital thermometer. The crickets are 1/4 in, gut-loaded and dusted. I'm leaving salad in there around the clock in case I miss a cricket. I try to get them out after every feeding, but I'm afraid one or two might escape my eye. He is pooping every day, and it looks normal, just very small, like him. I am taking him outside in natural sun whenever I can. That is, if it is over 70. I take the digital outside to keep an eye on the temps there as well.

He seems to be filling his belly, I guess I just can't wait until I see some increase in size. He worries me!

Laura

Hi
if you take out every object and then you wil see how many cricks have hide.
they come out the hiding place and then start to eat they r night critters.
they also can scew up a babiebeardie ,so please check youre rocks,branches and caves you have there!!
i advise to put 5-10 cricks in a plastic box then in freezer til they just stop moving depend on size 20 sec til 2 min.
if they just stop moving leg you dust them and then drop them front his nose.
then after 1,2 min the crick wil come alive but he is deprogrammed what i calling it they not can run and jump fast then so thye r a easy prey for him.
is the heat hi eneoguh 115-110?
cool side 80
you have a uvb light on him?
tel more about his set up !!
byeeeeeee

http://run.to/b22

This one has no problem at all catching crix! It's just catching him when he wants to eat them. His basking spot is made of river rocks, and there are lots of places for the crix to hide. He will sit on top anad wait for one to come out, then zap!! He is on them. I just watched him eyeing one from across the tank. He attacked it so fast, you would have missed it if you blinked. He won't go for a single one when they are dropped in front of him.

His basking temps are between 100 - 105. He is under a Reptisun 5.0 and gets sunshine. I think he is looking a little better tonight. Maybe the stress from the move is beginning to wear off.

Thanks for the advice!
Laura