New to bearded dragons

Status
Not open for further replies.
My husband bought my daughter a bearded dragon Saturday. He did no research and just went off what Petsmart told him to buy so, I want advise from those who have done this.

The cage we have is good sized. It is 30 inches wide, 22 inches tall, and 12 inches deep. I am attaching some pictures of the aquarium, the lighting we are using, what it looks like with the stuff in it, and pictures of the bearded dragon.

We did start out with the 75watt light and I went and bought 100watt to use instead. The cage is just not staying warm enough. It is staying about 90 degrees. I need suggestions.

What should I really be putting in the aquarium to help raise the temp? My daughter has kept a space heater in her room trying to keep it warmer so the aquarium would hopefully be warmer too.

What kind of bearded is this?

Help :) please....with a cherry on top.
Well I was going to add photos but don't know how
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Go to top of page user image uploader -- up load pics -- at top of message click on XIMG and it will post--- what kind of lighting do you have in the tank? UVB should be inside the tank approx 6-12 inches from dragon --- UVB bulb should be a Reptison 10.0 T8 they need to be changed out every 6 months or a Arcadia 10.0 T5-- changed out every year--- no sand in tank its bad for the health of the dragon - ceramic tile slated or floor shelf liner non adhesive - you can purchase at Home Depot etc --- it is alot easier to clean w/ vinegar / water mix and paper towels- is it cold where you are? You can purchase a CHE ( ceramic heat emitter) w/ a dome fixture 100 watt no light just heat and set on top -- how are you taking temps? How old is the dragon? If its a baby they like temps warmer - like 100-105-- cool side of tank should be around 80 or so -- temps should not drop below 65 at nite --- did hubby bring home calcium d3 powder and vitamins? Bugs should be main diet if a baby --- eating 2 times per day -- offer greens like mustard- collard greens squash a little fruit - sweet potato cooked in mic keeps them regular-- there is a list of food on the feeding board-- sorry lots of questions--- bugs I mean by crickets or dubias roaches- they are the best -- crickets are a lot of work and they stink-- dubias can be purchased off amazon and lots of suppliers do free shipping - bugs should be small if a baby no food bigger than the size between their eyes--- hope this helps

Karrie
 

Hopemmcbride

Member
Original Poster
103125-9363818173.jpg
103125-9363818173.jpg
103125-7479228661.jpg
103125-135457926.jpg
103125-135457926.jpg
103125-2075976352.jpg
103125-5836059805.jpg
103125-2739655334.jpg
103125-1301393947.jpg

These are the pictures I had wanted to post.

We do not know how old the beardie is. We don't know the sex. He has been eating crickets one day and meal worms the next. With the pellets in the pictures available at all times. I don't think he has touched them at all though. I have made him a veggie/fruit mixture that we give him but he has yet to eat any of it. I also have vitamins that I have sprinkled on the veggies but since he is not eating them he is not getting any of the vitamins.

On his back foot a couple toes are black and look like maybe something is wrong.

So when you say ceramic tile...just any ceramic tile from Lowe's? Does the rock and tile help with the temps? I saw something about fleece squares for him...is that something that I need to do? Is there a best time of day to feed them?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Get rid of the light kit- its no good - you want a long tube UVB 10.0 Repitson T5 or a Arcadia 10.0 T8 bulb placed inside the tank - approx 6-12 inches from him- basking area should be 90-105 -- the ceramic tile can be from Lowes or non adhesive shelf liner -- they are both good substrates and easy to keep clean -- no colored lights it hurts their eyes - lights should be on for 12 hrs and off for 12 hrs - get rid of the pellets they are no good as well - he / she should be eating vegies and bugs and since you dont know how old he / she is we can only guess-- measure him and get a weight on him and post some pictures of him / her - including the butt area and see if we can see two bumps or if its flat / smooth - that will tell us what sex -- or atleast try- you need to dust the bugs w/ calcium d3 - not sure how old it is so we can figure that out when we see a pic or get a weight and measurement on it- as they get older the bug consumption will decrease and they will start eating mainly vegies - w/ the vegies you dont haft to worry so much about the calcium and vitamins- as they will get it thru the diet -- but for now we need to figure out how old it is-- UVB is critical - you dont want him /her developing MBD --slack off on the meal worms if its a baby its not good for him / her - it can cause impaction - you might want to switch him / her over to dubia roaches they are better for him/ her and easier to keep - crickets stink and are alot more work- you can order dubias on line from amazon and alot of suppliers offer free shipping-- dubias can be kept in a 10 gallon aquarium and you can feed them dubia food along w/ carrots apples sweet potato for water --your beardie will eat the apples and sweet potato as well- yes they love soft things fleece put into his or her hide -- you might see him or her in their digging that is normal behavior--get a pic of the toes and post it there is a lady on here name Tracie (Drache613) she is a vet or AHBD is another person that can help w/ some of the medical questions along w/ other questions - you need to just find a time to feed him or her -- if its a baby it should be fed 2 - 3 times per day and it should be bugs - the vegies should be offered when they are little or younger than a year they really dont eat alot of vegies but mainly bugs - they need the protein - Hiccup is a year today and is just now eating vegies more often-- he has slacked off on the roaches -- he is 20 inches and weighs around 453 grams or 15 oz-- you might want to invest in a Infrared heat gun- it will take temps more accurately and you can get that at Lowes as well or Walmart- they are like $10 - thats going to give you a better temp inside that tank - on the enclosure board there is a post on how to take those temps w/ the heat gun- I just enlarged the pic and he is a little one - you need to move your branch higher to basking bulb - he needs to have his temp closer to 100 or so - and please change out that UVB as soon as you can -- he should be eating like 20 - 30 crickets I am guessing at a time - if you change to dubias that will decrease as they are more filling and 1 dubia = 6 crickets-- you would need to start out w/ small dubias you dont want it bigger than the size between his eyes --
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I forgot to tell you please take the reflector off the UVB before installing in tank -- it will block the rays and he / she wont get full effect!

Karrie
 

Hopemmcbride

Member
Original Poster
103125-9342334996.jpg
I got a pictur
103125-1637814129.jpg
e of his foot. Also found out he is shedding. Also weighed and measured him. I got a hammock and some branches that allow him to get a lot higher. I bought ceramic tile but it has to have maybe 1/8 inch trimmed off of them tomorrow.

What is a good light fixture for the t8 uvb? I bought the bulb and they had no suggestions for light fixture. They only had 24 inch. That would cover more than half of the width...is that okay? They told me no at the store.
103125-8990626400.jpg
103125-8699477934.jpg
103125-1502939691.jpg
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Please PM Traciedrache613 about foot- click on her name and another box message will,come up search drache613 make sure you post a pic of foot-- the light fixture can be anything that the tube will,fit- try Petsmart petco a private pet store- as long as tube fits and you can hang inside tank- you can use fishing line string etc... He looks to be around 8 inches and .5 gram?
Karrie
 

Hopemmcbride

Member
Original Poster
Yes 8 inches with tail. He is .6 oz. My husband said that is about 15 grams. That toe is broken for sure. Part is missing. I just got him out and noticed. Kinda worried. I am gonna message that lady you said too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

No members online now.

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,897
Messages
1,255,662
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom