Hi.I'm new here and need some advice. I have 2 beardies. One is approx. 8mo old and 16" long. Buddy is fine and happy. He lives in a 65 gal aquarium w/ the necessary lighting,etc. I've had him for 4 mo. he was 6" long I bought him from a pet store. Last night I got another beardie from the same petstore. This one, Ziggy, is almost 4" long.(snout to tail). She's alert, on guard, colour is good, and she looks really healthy and lives in a 20L tank. Problem is Ziggy won't eat anything. No vegetables, no small crix, nothing. I notice her colour is darker than from last night . She's basking just fine and the temp is okay. She has a 75w bulb for heat and a repisun 8.0 for the UVB. Is she just adjusting to being moved? I gave her a bath today and her poop is normal. I've misted her twice today. Buddy's cage and her cage are next to each other. Buddy has been head-bobbing and waving all day. Ziggy runs and hides. Should I put a solid divider between the two? Thank you in advance for any help I can get.
If Ziggy's not eating, how is she pooping? I'd keep a close eye on her, because she might be snacking on something when you're not looking... But yeah, a solid divider so she can't see each other would be a good idea, a big male like that bobbing and going nuts is certainly going to stress her out.
Thanks for replying. She pooped because she apparently did eat at the petstore. I went back to the petstore last nite and talked to their reptile expert he informed me Ziggy just came back from the vet. They had a batch of baby beardies come in with parasites a couple of months ago. So he said since then they just send them to the vet to make sure they are alright before selling them. He said she had a clean bill of health. He did say it wouldn't be unusual for her to go a week before eating. That part I didn't agree with. She's so small,I can't see where a week without food could be healthy for her. She hasn't eaten I found the 2 crickets(small)hid in a hole in her cave this morning. She luckily slept on top of the cave. I realize I've only had her 1 1/2 days and I'm probably panicking here. Buddy ate the first day and hasn't stopped. I'm probably just being paranoid. I'll let you know if she eats soon. Thanks again.
I didn't realise you'd only just got ziggy.. Yes separate her view so she can't see the other dragon. Just the stress of moving home can cause parasite infestations (Coccidia, etc.), and can dehydrate them quickly. So yeah, make sure you keep the other dragon out of her view, young dragons will usually take a week or so of settling in time.
Thank you Axe. I feel better now. I'll give her a few more days before I take her back to Petco. Ziggy still looks good and is still alert. She does sleep alot tho. But she is still basking on her own. I put up a divider this morning. Buddy has stopped the head bobbing and the arm waving. I make sure I give her a bath everyday. Most time she will take a drink or two. And she doesn't run when I put my hand in the cage. Thank you again Axe for replying and the advice.
Just check how she is doing. Also, it is not unusual for them to go a week without eating when changing enviroments, we've been through this many times. And believe it or not, they can go very long without eating, just make sure you keep her hydrated like you are doing, keep some salad in with her. You also might want to try feeding her in a separate tub than her enclosure for crickets. This is how we feed all our babies and it makes is so much easier if they will eat crickets in another location.
Well,Ziggy ate 3 more crickets today,but, nothing else. My main concern right now, is she isn't really active, she basks with her eyes close most of the time. And she lets me hold her without a problem, she isn't skittish anymore (of course that could be a good thing). I will try feeding her in a separate tub tomorrow. Thanks for checking.
Small update on Ziggy, still not eating. She is checking out her tank alot more and she has her eyes open more often. She feels safest on her rock cave, so tomorrow I'll move it under the light and see if she'll bask on it more. I tried the separate feeding tub she just looked at the crickets. I'll try again tomorrow.
Just an update on Ziggy. I took her back to the petstore tonite. She was losing weight and just sleeping all the time. The clerk confirmed she was sick. They exchanged her for the last one they had. THis one is definetly alert and eating. Hasn't eaten for me yet. Thanks to the replies and the terrific info on this site, I know he may not eat right away. Thanks again. Oh yea, I did disinfect the tank before putting the other baby dragon in. THanks
I'm sorry you had to take the other one back, I had my fingers crossed.. But it sounds like the new guy might work out a little better for you. Good job on disinfecting the tank Merry Christmas!
