beardie trouble

[cathy1986]

i have tried everything to get my lizard to eat it wont eat anything not crickets veggies NOTHING im getting over it its never eaten since it was born its about 8 months old and ive had enough of force feeding food into it. i got it given to me from my friends clutch beginning of the year it wasnt eating then either i thought i could snap it out of its ****** eating habbits but sadly no i cant:evil:

any tips or tricks

 

[Manda1032]

Ok, Have you tried putting the animal in a smaller tub with the live food? has it seen or been with another lizard during feed time to see how it's done? have you tried a slower moving insect like mealworms or woodies? have you left it for a couple of days to get real hungry and see if it will hunt on its own? what are the temps etc too?

 

[Flaviruthless]

What size is the enclosure, what do you have in it, what lighting do you have, what is your heat source, how hot is it getting, can the dragon access the heat / light properly, how are you presenting the food and how often are you handling it?

 

[cathy1986]

it has perfect set up its the only thing in the enclosure temps 31 on hot side has UV a and b have tried mealworms and woodies to no avail even tried mashed fruit and mashed veggies not interested at all -_-

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View attachment 265425View attachment 265426thats what he looks like

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View attachment 265425View attachment 265426thats what he looks like

 

[jaylikesbeef]

Pics? Does he/she share the enclosure with any other unhabitants? What's the basking temp?

 

[Flaviruthless]

31 is too cool if it's the hot spot. The hot spot should be up around 37 - 40.

 

[Renenet]

31 is too cool if it's the hot spot. The hot spot should be up around 37 - 40.

Definitely try upping the temperature.

 

[cathy1986]

ok ill try that

 

[Flaviruthless]

Let us know how you go

 

[damian83]

Make sure the uv light isn't more than 40-50 cm above them or the light is not really effective... and up the basking, do you take them into the sun from time to time?

 

[treeofgreen]

sounds like a stubborn one cathy

little tip: put a cricket or 2 in a glass jar (obviously well cleaned) and let him see the movement to try and stimulate his natural munchy craving. Then once he looks interested slowly tip the glass jar down so the cricket can just crawl out into the beardies strike range.

Maybe put the crickets in the fridge for 5-10 mins to slow em down abit to its easier for your beardie to catch (assuming he is abit weak and slow)

Try this once you pump up the temps to the low 40s

 

[animal805]

Basking temp 40-43, warm end temp 30-35 and a cool end of 24-27 and this will go a long way to getting him to eat. Also get him out in the natural sun for an hour or 2 a day just make sure he has some shade. Sun is the best medicine for a lot of problems in dragons

 

[cathy1986]

ive tried all the suggestions no change so far not even looking more active than usual i dont know what to do :/

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my old beardie, Piper never had an issue was awesome, ate like a blue tongue lol she used to sit on my dogs back and go for walks when we took the dog for a walk. she got quite big so i build her an outside enclosure and then she escaped i miss her

 

[Renenet]

Cathy,

Don't panic yet. It can't have been that long since you increased the temperature at the basking spot. It might take a few days. Have you got a thermometer to check the actual temperature?

In the meantime, how big is this little beardie? Is she weak or lethargic? How close can she get to the light and the UV? How old is the UV light and what is it rated (eg is it 5.0, 8.0, 10.0 or something else)?

 

[brown.snake]

you might want to try Wombaroo Reptile Supplement i hear it's pretty good

 

[cathy1986]

still have to force feed the little turd.

 

[treeofgreen]

Does he have plent of UV and basking spot at 40c cathy?

 

[cathy1986]

yep he sure does
i honestly dont know what to do anymore its been like this since ive had it (i took it on thinking i could fix it but i cant )
he moves around the tank ok sits in the light its a uva and b light and basking temp is 40c ive offered every type of food i could think of from baby food to dog food insects crickets mealworms raw eggs veggies i used the multi vitamin dust on crickets and mealworms when i feed him but hes not interested at all by doing it himself

 

[Grogshla]

get rid of the uva/uvb light.
Get a normal basking lamp and set it to 45 degrees celcius.
Get a 10.0 uvb rating tube and get this within 15-20cm of your dragon. Keep in mind uvb doesn't go thru glass so it needs to be inside his enclosure if you have a glass top.
Don't feed mealworms just keep trying medium crickets.
Also might be worth it to give the dragon a bath in shoulder deep luke warm water for 10-15 mins. In this time don't take your eyes off him.