# Help needed for new owner of baby, 3 months old, bearded dragon! Is he/she sick?



## chelle0568 (Oct 6, 2015)

Hi All
hi i am after some advice about our new baby bearded dragon. Im not sure its well and wanted to ask someone what their thoughts were
Its 3 months old. We picked it up on sunday. To date, i am not sure it has eaten anything, certainly not any crickets that we have offered daily. tonight its seems very listless. I ts shedding ATM. We give water via spritzing and droplet to mouth area.
Just doesn't seem very active!
currently sleeping on my chest
help please!


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## Snapped (Oct 6, 2015)

What temperature are you running in the basking spot for him/her? How many hours of heat per day are you giving?


What type of enclosure/lighting etc do you have? All this info helps.


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## Wokka (Oct 6, 2015)

Having it sleeping on your chest probably wont increase the chance of the animal eating, but rather is likely to add to stress. you should leave the animal undisturbed in a private place with access to suitable temperatures. Once the animal is feeding regularly, you may then be able to play with it, however reptiles are normally better off without contant human interaction, particularly after relocating their living space.


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## dragonlover1 (Oct 6, 2015)

It usually takes about a week to adjust to a new home,give it time to settle in before handling.
Plus as mentioned above heat,light and temps are important.
Make sure all requirements are met,give it time and you should have a happy reptile


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## kingofnobbys (Oct 6, 2015)

What was already said is correct. 

Is very stressful for a beardie to be relocated, come into new home and new family and a new enclosure and new routine and possibly new foods.

Get the UVA and UVB right, and lighting , the basking temp and gradient right, let it settle with minimal handling (except to feed or bath if it needs it) for the first week or two. Offer grated veg and chopped up greens daily (it may have a nibble, good breeders wont let their hatchies go until they are eating the insects and salad/greens like champs) .

Your body warmth wont hurt it if it is comfortable enough to nap on you.

If it's shedding, it's feeling a bit off and this is can put them off their tucker for a few days. 

If you can find someone nearby who has silkworms for sale (and can supply mulberry leafs) , they are a fabulous feeder insect for a beardie, and I recently found out the mulberry leafs are a good green to offer too (make sure it's free of poisons and chemicals by washing under a tap before giving to the worms and the beardie. Just place a leaf or 2 in the enclosure with 6-8 medium silkworms on it - they wont travel far, and wont harm the beardie , but I'm yet to meet a lizard who doesn't go nuts over silkworms.


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## chelle0568 (Oct 7, 2015)

Thank you all very much for your responses. I am very appreciative! 
I have one of those ceramic heaters that is on all the time, and have today got a basking lamp as the weather has become cold.
I have just realised though that the enclosure sold to be has a mesh top, so I will cover that with a towel to prevent heat loss while weather is a little cooler.
So far, the coldest I have seen the temp in the enclosure is 21 deg overnight. That's with basking lamp off.
The enclosure was checked out by the breeder who said it was fine.
Hoping its just the relocation adjustment.
I'll keep trying to offer the food each day. How long without food until it becomes a worry?


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## Nero Egernia (Oct 7, 2015)

I wouldn't worry just yet. When I got my male Dwarf Bearded Dragon and brought him home he didn't eat for two weeks, while my other one was eating from day one of bringing home. I was also worried for him as he was a youngster, they are smaller and have much less body fat to subsist off. After week two I began to dab moth innards on the tip of his nose and he would lick it off. After two days of doing this he picked up and ate regularly.

If you are really concerned about your Bearded Dragon starving then it would be good to weigh him to see how much weight he could be losing. Also, when not eating, it's very important to keep your Bearded Dragon hydrated, as they get most of their water from food. Spraying or giving him a quick bath should help keep him hydrated. Most important thing at the moment is to just wait until he settles in. I find my Dwarf Bearded Dragons can be pretty finicky when it comes to settling in new homes.

EDIT: I forgot to add that my enclosure has a mesh top as well. Half of it is covered up with a light hood for UVA and UVB light bulbs. A quarter of it is covered with cloth to keep the heat in, and the other quarter is where I sit my lights on top. I have duel lights going for heat, a basking globe and a ceramic light, I only keep one on at a time, because both on can be too hot for them. 

Have you been observing your lizard to see if he's too hot or cold? If he's always hanging around the heat source he might be a bit cold, if he's always in the cool end then he might be a bit hot. When you touch him does he feel warm or cold?


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## pinefamily (Oct 7, 2015)

+1 with the advice above. Let him be until he starts eating and shows a bit more life. Also, ditch the ceramic heat emitter for a bright basking globe; you can pick up a Philips brand globe from Bunnings for about $3. No heat at night isn't going to hurt him; they are desert creatures in the wild, and the desert gets pretty cold at night.
The mesh top can be covered up with silver heat tape, leaving a gap each end for venting.


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## chelle0568 (Oct 7, 2015)

Wow thank you both! I am feeling more reassured. I have been giving him water by spraying and dropping drops near his mouth. We also gave him a quick gentle bath as he seemed a bit nervous! Sounds like I am doing all the right things and mostly he just needs time to settle in. Seems to move around the enclosure everywhere. Seems a lot perkier tonight then last when he was very sleepy. So glad I joined this sight! I will probably have more questions as I go along! So glad to have support from all of you.


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## kingofnobbys (Oct 7, 2015)

chelle0568 said:


> Thank you all very much for your responses. I am very appreciative!
> I have one of those ceramic heaters that is on all the time, and have today got a basking lamp as the weather has become cold.
> I have just realised though that the enclosure sold to be has a mesh top, so I will cover that with a towel to prevent heat loss while weather is a little cooler.
> So far, the coldest I have seen the temp in the enclosure is 21 deg overnight. That's with basking lamp off.
> ...



I'd set the towel aside , call Bunnings Trade Desk and ask for a sheet of 12mm thick plywood to be cut to match the foot print of your enclosure and simply place that on top of the enclosure, less likely to catch fire than a bit of cloth.
The plywood will help keep the heat in, and will help you create a good thermal gradient.

Turn off the CHE for now , unless it gets quite cold overnight in your room (under 15oC) in which case you could turn on the CHE to keep the enclosure warm overnight.... some keepers don't heat their beardie enclosures overnight, but it can't hurt and will help them metabolise their food from the previous day. The CHE needs to be on switching thermostat to ensure you maintain a suitable temperature overnight.

If your not getting under 21oC, you wont need overnight heating.

I use 7W heat matts for my beardies and BT skinks (on simple switching elcheapo ebay thermostats) to provide a warm refuge for the spoilt pet lizards for overnight, mine all love their cozy warm hides (which happen to double s basking spots during the day and warm beds at night).

The best way of heating a beardie enclosure during the day is via a good quality (as opposed to cheap nasty no brand/shop brand) MVB (will give bright white light, heat, UVB and UVA) , or a Philips par38 clear colourless spotty (heat and bright white light).


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## Wokka (Oct 8, 2015)

#Chelle , if you fill in your location on your profile it makes itb easier to get information appropriate to your location.


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## dragonlover1 (Oct 8, 2015)

chelle0568 said:


> Wow thank you both! I am feeling more reassured. I have been giving him water by spraying and dropping drops near his mouth. We also gave him a quick gentle bath as he seemed a bit nervous! Sounds like I am doing all the right things and mostly he just needs time to settle in. Seems to move around the enclosure everywhere. Seems a lot perkier tonight then last when he was very sleepy. So glad I joined this sight! I will probably have more questions as I go along! So glad to have support from all of you.



it's okay to mist a little but back off on the baths,too much water can lead to respiratory infection (RI) a beardies worst nightmare.
Also if your temps don't get below 21 you are too hot,they can go as low as 12 without a worry just remember they come from the desert where it is freezing cold at night.


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