First timer from Iowa

[TJeno]

Hey guys. Yesterday I finally decided to make the trip to my local Petsmart and buy absolutely everything I'd need for a pet..including a Bearded Dragon. I'm pretty sure I have him sexed as a male - he's still pretty tiny but under his tail I can already see 2 bumps. The people at Petsmart had no clue how old he is, but he's about 5" long. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce to you my bearded dragon (which I have yet to get a name for. :lol: )







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And here's his home. It's not huge, but I plan on getting a much larger one soon. It keeps him happy for now, though.



He loves the basking spot up in the corner of the tank. He's been doing the normal 'new pet' stuff..running in circles, pawing at the glass, stuff you'd expect in new surroundings for a pet. He's living off mealworms and crickets right now, until tomorrow when the store opens to buy greens. He's got his UVB and incandescent lights on one side of the tank, so there's a nice temperature gradient for thermoregulation. He's already docile and seems to have taken a liking to me. I can't wait for all the fun I'm gonna have with him.

(P.S. - name ideas are always appreciated! :lol: )

 

[Scrammy]

Congrats on the new baby! No meal worms please...they have little nutrition and a hard outer shell that can cause impaction = huge vet bills and/ or death...trust me, I know! Phoenix worms are a great choice..high in calcium so don't need to be dusted. Get mediums for a baby. I get my crickets (3/8 inch) and worms from ghann farm http://www.ghann.com/ for a good price. But there are lots of places online to order from..which is way cheaper than the pet stores.
What type of uvb bulb are you using? The best ones are reptisun 10.0 bulb or arcadia 12%. The rest can be harmful.

Name ideas...hmmm...

Do u like human names or mythical types?

 

[TJeno]

Congrats on the new baby! No meal worms please...they have little nutrition and a hard outer shell that can cause impaction = huge vet bills and/ or death...trust me, I know! Phoenix worms are a great choice..high in calcium so don't need to be dusted. Get mediums for a baby. I get my crickets (3/8 inch) and worms from ghann farm http://www.ghann.com/ for a good price. But there are lots of places online to order from..which is way cheaper than the pet stores.
What type of uvb bulb are you using? The best ones are reptisun 10.0 bulb or arcadia 12%. The rest can be harmful.

Name ideas...hmmm...

Do u like human names or mythical types?

Thanks for the advice, I'll look into Phoenix worms. I'm not really sure what I like on names, if it was a girl her name was going to be Leyla. My UVB is a reptisun 10.0, however, it's not one of those long ones. Is that okay?

 

[lillylizard]

Okay one he's beautiful. Two he's probably about 4-5 weeks too careful with the basking spot that high. My baby loves to jump and climb and he fell of his basking spot that was high and gave himself tissue damage. And the night that i found him like that i though he had broken something or dislocated something. I got lucky but still had to get 3 x-rays. So be very careful. because he is so small. Also no compact lights or coil. There bad for there eyes. Get an under the counter light from walmart. And 3m comand hooks and can hang it in the tank. And then order the size of tube light. Reptisun 10.0 or the arcadia 12%

 

[PonchoandDaddy]

Name suggestion: Herky (the Hawkeye)

I lived in Iowa City for 2 years!

 

[warac67]

I am still pretty new too on being a beardie parent. But I have researched ALOT and spoke to many people to learn as much about beardies as I can. It looks like your beardie is a little too close to the light source. If it touches the bulb it will burn its skin and can get badly hurt. I would recommend moving the branch a little further away from the light.
"Your dragon's highest point in the enclosure should be 9 - 12 inches away from the lights. The basking temp. should be 95* - 110* (adult vs. juvenile) measured with a digital thermometer with a probe directly on the basking spot."
Hope this helps!Have fun with your beardie!

 

[Irwinshealth]

YEAH!! Congrats on your new little one. I am extremely excited to see another member from Iowa on here. I am from Dubuque, Iowa What part are you from if you don't mind me asking? Your little one is quite cute. I look forward to seeing another little one get bigger. I have two myself named Cooper and Palmer if you wanna do a search for them. :wink: Again congrats!

 

[TJeno]

YEAH!! Congrats on your new little one. I am extremely excited to see another member from Iowa on here. I am from Dubuque, Iowa What part are you from if you don't mind me asking? Your little one is quite cute. I look forward to seeing another little one get bigger. I have two myself named Cooper and Palmer if you wanna do a search for them. :wink: Again congrats!

Thanks a lot! He's already getting bigger, I can tell! He's shedding right now, and he/she's got beautiful colors coming through. If it's a male he'll be Bane, and if it's a girl she'll be Leyla. My mom lives in Poahontas and my dad lives in Jewell, Iowa. I dunno if you've ever heard of either. :lol:

 

[Irwinshealth]

Yeah for SHED!!! :lol: I actually have heard of Jewell, Iowa. My hope is more people from Iowa will join here. I know for sure my local Petsmart sells a bunch of bearded dragons but don't give accurate advice. Each time I shop there I bump into people trying to figure out why their bearded dragon is sick. I tell them to check out this site but I don't think they join. I have had a few call me for advice but said they don't get into website much. They don't know what their missing :wink: I love it here

I like both of the names you have picked out. Any thoughts of what you think she/he may be? Displaying any signs of gender? I look forward to hearing which sex you have.