We recently purchased a baby bearded dragon from the pet store.

Thank you for your patience. First, I want to commend you on the great job you've done of researching proper care. Most people just accept the advice of pet store personnel, and much of that is wrong. You have a great UVB light, are not using a loose substrate (which is dangerous), and are not feeding meal worms (also dangerous). You're right that your dragon isn't old enough to brumate. I suspect that your little beardie had the beginnings of a health problem when you bought him, and the symptoms are now showing up.
The only change I recommend is that you raise the temperature in your dragon's cage. For a beardie this age, you want the area directly under the basking light to be 105* to 125* F. Since your beardie isn't feeling well, it would be best to have the temperature at the warmer end of that range. The cool side should be 85* to 90*. These are daytime temperatures; at night, they can be allowed to drop into the seventies. Without enough warmth, bearded dragons can't properly digest their food, and they become sluggish and more prone to illnesses. You can adjust the temperature by moving your heat light up or down, but don't get it so low that your beardie can be burned on it.

I recommend that all new reptiles be examined by a reptile vet when you first bring them home. Many of them are ill or infested with parasites at the pet store. Since your beardie is not feeling well, it's especially important that he have a check-up. The runny droppings may be caused by a bacterial infection or by parasites. There isn't anything you can do about either of those at home. you'd need prescription medication. If you don't know of a reptile vet, give me your city (nearest larger town if yours is a small one) and state, and I'll help locate a vet. A young beardie can deteriorate quickly, so the sooner you can see a vet, the better.

I'll give you some first aid measures to take until you can reach a vet. You can buy some unflavored Pedialyte (made for human infants and available in pharmacies and discount stores) and prepare a shallow bath of 1/2 Pedialyte and 1/2 warm water. Soak your beardie for about 20-30 minutes. He can absorb the electrolytes through his vent, and that will help with any dehydration. Repeat the soaks twice per day. Dehydration is likely when they stop eating, and also as a result of runny stools. You can try feeding him some plain chicken baby food. Don’t force feed. Just drop a little on top of his snout. Many beardies will lick it off. If he won't, don't force feed - it often results in the aspiration of food into the lungs.

What produce to feed is often a confusing issue for new dragon owners, so I'm giving you this link:

http://www.repticzone.com/articles/fruitsandvegetablesrated.html


I'm also sending along a care sheet, courtesy of Joan, another of our experts who has many years experience with bearded dragons. I suggest that you read it, and use it as a checklist to be sure you're providing everything your beardie needs. You're already doing an exceptional job of caring for your beardie, but there are many helpful tips in the care sheet.

If you have more questions, or need help finding a vet, just let me know by clicking on REPLY. There's no additional charge for such follow-up questions, and I'm happy to help. I hope your little beardie will quickly reach a full recovery. The care sheet follows.

Anna


Bearded Dragon Care Sheet

    * Bearded dragons should be housed alone.

    * Ages of bearded dragons follow these guidelines:

1. 0-3 months- baby
2. 3-12 months-juvenile
3. 12-18 months- sub adult
4. 18 months + -adult

    * Bearded dragons live as much as 10-12 years if well cared for properly.
    * Bearded dragons have a very good temperament as long as they are cared for and handled.
    * When you bring your baby home, it may be quite stressful to him/her to get use to new home. May not eat well the first 2-3 days. They may not need to be handled the first 2-3 days if skittish and nervous.
    * Never use sand or any other type of loose substrate: Loose substrates can cause impaction (not being able to go Poop) in all ages of bearded dragons- they lick their environment to explore .It is difficult to keep germ free and clean. Ceramic tile, newspaper, non adhesive shelf liner and reptile carpet is what is most recommended. Use paper towels for the little one and as they get bigger you can change to something else.
    * Be sure you keep your beardies home as clean as you can. Clean up by spot cleaning when needed. Clean & sanitize entire tank every 10-14 days. A good cleaning solution is a 20% bleach solution. If you choose to use wood climbing branches etc, these should be soaked in the bleach solution and rinsed well. Then bake in 250 degree oven for 30 minutes.
    * Need a climbing accessory: to bask and to warm up under basking heat light and lower branches or platforms to come down and cool off.
    * A hide of some sort like a cave.
    * A food dish and water dish.
    * Plastic spray bottle
    * Can use artificial plants when they get older- 3 months or so.
    * Digital thermostat and/or temp gun
    * Tank size: Minimal size tank for this age is 20 gallon long
    * Minimal size for older beardie: 4 months of age: 40 gallon breeder is the minimal tank size for older dragon. Can divide a 40 gallon breeder for a smaller dragon. Must have two lights for your beardie.

1. A UVB light source-best is 10.0 Reptisun that runs the length of your tank. Your dragon must have this light to metabolize calcium. If not he will get metabolic bone disease, a serious condition. You can also take your beardie outside to bask in the sun for 15 minutes each day if your temps are 80 degrees or above outside. You can purchase cages or reptariums from your pet store. Never leave a beardie outside unattended.
2. A basking type light that puts out heat and warmth above basking spot. Your beardie must have warmth to digest food & thrive.

    * Lights should be on for 12-14 hours each day. Follow the seasons and light timers are a great luxury if you can get them. 6 dollars at Lowe's. No lights or warmth needed at night unless your temperatures get below 62 degrees. If they do, there are ceramic heat emitters that put out no light, only heat. Use these at night if temperatures fall below 62 degrees.



    * Temperatures have to be kept at the following ranges during the day:

Babies: Warm basking log: 105-125 degrees F
Cool side: 85-90
Adults: Warm basking spot: 110-115
Cool side: 80-85
Measure temperatures with a digital probe type thermometer or a temp gun-these are most accurate. Stick on thermometers unreliable.

    * Feeding a Beardie: Beardies eat live prey consisting of crickets, roaches and/or silkworms. Never feed any size of mice to your beardie. Never feed mealworms. They also must be given greens/veggies everyday. The younger they are the more live prey they should have. As they grow older the live prey decreases and the veggies/greens should be the major part of diet. Never feed anything bigger, than the space between your beardie's eyes. This includes both live prey and pieces of veggies/greens,
    * A chopper or food processor is a huge help when your beardie is small. Always offer greens and veggies: collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, cabbage, red cabbage, fresh green beans, yellow summer squash, butternut squash, sweet potato, cactus pad. Apricots, strawberries, apples, blueberries, raspberries, cantaloupe- fruits are treats only.
    * What is live prey? The easiest and less expensive live prey is crickets when you have a young or first beardie. The other live preys you can feed are silkworms, and special types of roaches. You can learn to raise your own live prey. Treats can be waxworms, super worms, and tomato/goliath worms. You may find that ordering live prey from the internet is the way to go..... Never leave live prey or greens/veggies in tank overnight. . Crickets can bite your beardie when sleeping.
    * Babies should get 80% live prey, and 20 % greens/veggies. But since the greens/veggies are a must when they are older, get them eating their greens/veggies very early. Give greens/veggies in small pieces everyday. You should eventually start decreasing your older dragon's protein intake when they are about a year to 15 months old. Their protein intake decreases to 20 % live prey and 80% veggies/greens.
    * A baby the size of yours can eat 50-75 crix a day. Never feed crix or veggies bigger than the space between your beardie's eyes. Use this guide when buying crix or chopping your greens/veggies.
    * You must provide calcium dust without D3 and multivitamin dust for your beardie. You should dust the live prey with calcium one time a day, and vitamins 3 times a week. Just collect your live prey into baggie and add enough calcium and vitamin to dust them. Then pour a few at a time into your tank. Some people feed their beardie in a separate tank so that no crickets can hide. Or some take out "furniture" from tank and feed this way. As they get older, 4-5 months or so dust live prey with calcium 3 times a week.
    * Feed the veggies/ greens 1st thing in morning after lights on for one hour at least. Then after 2-3 hours offer crix. Then freshen green/veggies. Then give more crix. Make sure after last crix feeding there is at least 1-2 hours of lights so that they can digest their food before night time.

*Beardies over the age of one year old during the winter months will go into a Brumation like most Reptiles and Herps. It is a form of Hibermnation that is governed by the weather and time of year. The lights should be on a shorter period at this time. Fresh greens should be available during this period. Do not feed live pery during Brumation.

Water: Mist your little one with the spray bottle 3-4 times a day. You can also offer a small dish of water in your enclosure but be sure your dragon is not too small to drown in it. It is recommended that when your beardie is 2 months old you can bathe your baby in a small plastic container with warm water- not hot. It will help them to stay hydrated. As they get older you can move up to the bathroom sink and then to the bathtub. Very important for bath enclosure to be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed prior to bath time. Clean between dragons too if bathing more than one.

You're welcome. You chose a good breed for agility. I've always had collies. We've done obedience, rally, herding, and tracking - agility just for fun in the back yard, no competition.   

Google is a very cute name - original! If you do have more questions, about this, just come back to this question.   

There's no need to click on accept again. Thank you for accepting above.

I hope Google will be fine.

AnnaJust saw your new question. The problem is that onion, including powder, causes anemia in many animals. Specific research hasn't been done with lizards, but as a precaution, it would be best to avoid it.

Anna