New owner

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Hi all! I am kind of a newb when it comes to beardies. Normally i would have tried to be more prepared for a new pet, but she kind of fell into my lap. Tiamat (that's what ive named her) is still very young, less than a year old. And i have about a zillion questions. How often should i feed a growing beardie? Should i be giving her something other than crickets and the calcium supplement? I was wanting to eventually switch her to mealworms (thats what my brother's bearded ate) are those better than crickets nutritionally?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Welcome --- lets start w/ the tank and lighting-- please post pics -- go to top of this page - click on user image uploader - down load pics-- click on reply - at top of message box click on XIMG - pics will post--- your baby should be eating as many bugs in 10-15 minutes I recommend dubia roaches they are more filling better for him than crickets- they are easy to keep in a tote or 10 gallon aquarium-- you can feed them carrots apples squash strawberries etc.........they dont stink and they dont chirp--- they can be bought on line thru numerous suppliers if you want more info on that please ask- they need to be dusted 5 x per week w/ calcium D3 and 2 x per week vitamins-- a salad of fresh greens like mustard collard turnip greens - gr beans squash like yellow zucchini or butternut shredded can be offered w/ fruit as well --- here is a website for nutrition -http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
after we see what you have for husbandry we can help you better
Karrie
 

buttonsarenttoys

Member
Original Poster
Thank you! When i get home from work i will take some pictures. I know her tank is not ideal, when i get paid friday im going to a petstore to get some things. She doesnt seem to have much of an appetite. There were crickets in her tank when they brought her to me last night and (i didnt know any better) i left them in there overnight. They were still there this morning. I know she needs a differnt lamp as her tail shows what the forum has described as a calcium deficiency brought on by not getting enough uv rays to properly metabolise the calcium shes eating.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes please and dont buy anything from the petstore till we see what you have and we can tell you what correct things to buy--- petstore people often do not give good advice-- please do not leave any crickets in the tank anymore over night --- they tend to bite and can cause infections--- dubias are ok as they do not bite --
Karrie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Go to top of this page in banner click on user image uploader-- download pics-- click reply at top of message box click on XIMG-- pics should post
Karrie
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Unfortunately she appears to be in pretty rough shape based on those photos. She looks malnourished and possibly suffering from metabolic bone disease. Is she eating anything on her own? I would go easy on food at first and focus on getting her hydrated by dripping water on her nose. If she takes some water, that's a good sign. Then you can ease into offering some baby food the same way. I've had good luck using squash, green bean, and sweet potato baby food in the past. Go easy on protein/bugs for a little while until you can get her stabilized.

It's very important to invest in proper lighting for her. She's going to need a good UVB light. I usually recommend using a 22'' T5 ReptiSun 10.0 or an Arcadia 12%. They aren't cheap but they are excellent and last for a very long time. It's also important to provide a good temperature gradient for her. Use a bright white bulb for basking light and heat. This can be a halogen flood light or a reptile specific bulb such as a ZooMed Repti Basking spot lamp. Using an IR temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe, try to get her basking surface to around 100-105 or so. The UVB light should sit near the basking light and be about 12'' above the basking area (if you're using one of the T5 bulbs I mentioned). Areas of the tank away from the basking zone should be around 75-80 or so during the day so she has a good temperature gradient to choose from.

If she will allow you to hold her, try bringing her outside to enjoy some natural sunlight if the weather allows for it. The natural sunlight is excellent for them and may be beneficial, especially until you can get proper lighting in place for her.

Please let us know if you have any other questions. We'll be glad to help you as much as we can. Please keep us up to date on her progress.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
So now that CooperDragon responded please do what he has recommended -- she does look in terrible shape--- getting her the UVB that she needs is going to help along w/ everything she is doing now -- just make sure the UVB is in the tank - w/ no cover over the bulb-- you want the full effects of the bulb- w/ that she should perk up and start eating --- but w/ the baby food you can feed in a syringe and go into the side of her mouth towards the back - you can water it down so it doesnt plug the syringe up --- you can put some on her lips like lipstick so she licks it off and then get the syringe into the side towards back --- please ask if you need more help
Karrie
 

buttonsarenttoys

Member
Original Poster
Ok thank you. This is a lot of information. I knew she wasnt well, but i didnt think it was as bad as youre implying. Ill get some baby food tonight and expose her to as much natural light as i can until i can get the correct lamp (on Saturday).
 

buttonsarenttoys

Member
Original Poster
Ok. I got some baby food last night. I got her to eat about 1.5 teaspoons of squash last night and another teaspoon this morning before work. Is that enough for one sitting? Should i be trying to get her to eat more? I plan to feed her again ehen i get hom and again before i go to bed. I also left a teaspoon of the babyfood in her tank for her to see if she'll eat on her own. She was a bit more lively this morning when i fed her.
I could not tell if the lamp i have for her is currently producing *any* uv rays. How would i find that out?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
What kind of UVB? You can put a piece of newspaper under the UVB and if it turns yellow its putting out---- that is what I just read and have not tried it out ----
Karrie
 
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