Newbie Questions

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Ridges1

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Hi im a first time bearded dragon owner. Ridges (my little guys name) is about 6 inches long and idk what his/her actual age is, but my estimate is around 2-3 months from what i've read. I got him about a week ago and I want to learn more about caring for him/her. There are too many different ways people take care of their dragon that idk which ones to believe.

So here is my first concern, Idk if I have the right bulbs i got a terrarium set at petco that has two 25 watt mini halogen bulb ("day white" and a "night red") The girl at petco told me its all i need and i was too ignorant to know better. Heres the site of the bulbs ----->
96787-8495280910.jpg
https://www.zillarules.com/all-products/lighting-heating/mini-halogen-bulbs

Secondly the humidity is sometimes above 40% which i heard is bad as it could give respiratory problems. so how do i deal with that kind of problem? I have a small dehumidifier but im not sure it will work on the tank though any suggestions?

Third I have no idea if ridges is either in brumation or just really lacking appetite because of stress. First time i fed him live small crickets he ate like 10 crickets now he is only down to 6-8 crickets per day, i tried feeding ridges two times a day but no dice on the second time. I give him a small plate of carrots and apples and he eats the carrots up and take a few nibble at the apple. he never touched the pellets i bought for him lol.

He seems to be really fond of me already. I rubbed his back for a few minutes the first 3 days and picked him up the fourth day and he just stayed at my hand and slept, i tried to put ridges down his/her cage but he/she just climbs up my arm more and it melts my heart so i let him/her stay a little while longer. Oh and i talked to ridges and sang near ridges form time to time during the day.

Any tip would be cool and much appreciated! :D
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, sounds like Ridges has a sweet personality. :) You've done a good job with cage decor, looks great. The big log is always the best basking+ climbing option. Before I offer advice , I'll ease your mind because I have owned + raised beardies for over 20 years, so no I know what these guys need.

But yes, you were give the wrong info on bulbs and need to be changed ASAP. A baby needs good strong uvb and his bulbs provide no uvb. You will need a Reptisun 10.0 t5 [ long tube ] or Arcadia D3 12 % or 14 %. That is just the uvb bulb. For heat you will need to replace the pitiful 25 watt bulb, and do that today. Just go to Walmart and pick up a halogen bulb , par 38 is usually a good one but it should be about 72-75 watts. So get the bulbs right away or your baby will get sick very soon, no doubt.

Offer him a drink by dripping water on his snout, he may also be dehydrted. And 40 % humidity is almost perfect, up to 60 % is fine, that's what it is in the wild and I've had it higher than that in my home at times, so no worry at all.
 

Ridges1

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":3tztqjuz said:
Hi there, sounds like Ridges has a sweet personality. :) You've done a good job with cage decor, looks great. The big log is always the best basking+ climbing option. Before I offer advice , I'll ease your mind because I have owned + raised beardies for over 20 years, so no I know what these guys need.

But yes, you were give the wrong info on bulbs and need to be changed ASAP. A baby needs good strong uvb and his bulbs provide no uvb. You will need a Reptisun 10.0 t5 [ long tube ] or Arcadia D3 12 % or 14 %. That is just the uvb bulb. For heat you will need to replace the pitiful 25 watt bulb, and do that today. Just go to Walmart and pick up a halogen bulb , par 38 is usually a good one but it should be about 72-75 watts. So get the bulbs right away or your baby will get sick very soon, no doubt.

Offer him a drink by dripping water on his snout, he may also be dehydrted. And 40 % humidity is almost perfect, up to 60 % is fine, that's what it is in the wild and I've had it higher than that in my home at times, so no worry at all.

Thank you I will go to get new bulbs asap. How about ridges' feeding habit is it ok? and I gave ridges a bath 2 days ago, and I might do it every 2-3 days is that ok?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
He's new so he'll have a bit of stress which will pass, after that he should start eating more. Be SURE that the bugs are no longer than the space between her eyes. Can you post a pic of the crickets next to a coin ? And water dripped on the snout is best for a new baby, a bath can stress him. Once he's settled in and is healthy you can soak him if he likes it. If he doesn't, then just keep up the water drips.
 

Ham

New member
I’m am new here and I’m setting up a Bearded Dragon enclosure that I have made out of wood with sliding glass doors. The enclosure is 42 inches wide 27 inches tall and 22 inches deep. I was told that I should not use a powersun bulb, because my enclosure is made out of wood and it might get too hot.. I have good venting in the enclosure, so would this be true or faults? So I guess I’m asking, can I use a zoo med 100 W powersun bulb for my heat source and UVB lighting in a wood enclosure ?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
It might get too hot, you would have to have a LOT of ventilation, esp. in the summer.
BTW, if you start your own thread you can ask more questions and they won't get mixed up with the O.P.'s thread. If you want, start one here in the enclosures forum.
posting.php?mode=post&f=34
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
AHBD has given you excellent advice, you have no UVB tube at all (the Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube, at least the 22" length, and then a 24" T5-rated tube fixture with a reflector inside it is needed immediately, without any UVB or UVA light from an adequate tube, he won't regain an appetite.

Poor guy is probably freezing, that Petco employee didn't do you any favors at all. Did you buy a thermometer? If so, and it was a stick on one, you need to spend $10 on a Digital Probe Thermometer at Petco, that's the only way to measure his Basking Spot Surface Temp. You cannot measure his Basking Spot Temp with a stick-on thermometer, they only measure the air temp, and badly, usually off by between 10-20 degrees...But with only a 25 watt day bulb he's freezing, he needs probably a 75 watt, bright white colored Basking Bulb, either a reptile specialty bulb (ONLY WHITE IN COLOR, NO RED, BLUE, ETC.) or a Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb from Lowes, Walmart, etc.

Basking Spot Surface Temp-Between 105-110 degrees F. (110 max anywhere inside his tank)

Hot Side Ambient (air) Temp- Between 88-93 degrees F

Cool Side Ambient (air) Temp- Between 75-80 degrees F

And no Red light at night, throw that away too...No light at night at all, he doesn't need it as long as his tank stays at 65 or above, they like it cool at night to sleep, just like the desert is. But without proper daytime temperature ranges and a proper T5 strength UVB tube, both over the Hot Side of his tank and on for at least 13-14 hours every day, he's going to become extremely sick soon...
 

Ridges1

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":l9wb616a said:
AHBD has given you excellent advice, you have no UVB tube at all (the Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube, at least the 22" length, and then a 24" T5-rated tube fixture with a reflector inside it is needed immediately, without any UVB or UVA light from an adequate tube, he won't regain an appetite.

Poor guy is probably freezing, that Petco employee didn't do you any favors at all. Did you buy a thermometer? If so, and it was a stick on one, you need to spend $10 on a Digital Probe Thermometer at Petco, that's the only way to measure his Basking Spot Surface Temp. You cannot measure his Basking Spot Temp with a stick-on thermometer, they only measure the air temp, and badly, usually off by between 10-20 degrees...But with only a 25 watt day bulb he's freezing, he needs probably a 75 watt, bright white colored Basking Bulb, either a reptile specialty bulb (ONLY WHITE IN COLOR, NO RED, BLUE, ETC.) or a Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb from Lowes, Walmart, etc.

Basking Spot Surface Temp-Between 105-110 degrees F. (110 max anywhere inside his tank)

Hot Side Ambient (air) Temp- Between 88-93 degrees F

Cool Side Ambient (air) Temp- Between 75-80 degrees F

And no Red light at night, throw that away too...No light at night at all, he doesn't need it as long as his tank stays at 65 or above, they like it cool at night to sleep, just like the desert is. But without proper daytime temperature ranges and a proper T5 strength UVB tube, both over the Hot Side of his tank and on for at least 13-14 hours every day, he's going to become extremely sick soon...

I'm going to get my paycheck on saturday and I will buy new bulbs then. A follow up question. Ridges knows how to climb up the hammock but he doesn't know how to use the branch to get down and he just ends up falling from the hammock trying to get to the left over crickets that's running around. Should i take it down or should i get a decor that could get him down easier? Is this ok asides from having a CHE at night that is...
96787-8943154369.jpg
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Take the hammock down, they can cause beardies to snag a nail + twist a foot. The combo pack has a good basking bulb but the uvb bulb is not sufficient.
 
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