Baby Bearded Dragon heating.

I have a two-month-old baby bearded dragon. His cage is 48 x 24 x 24 I know it is big for his age but he has access to about half of it because we wanted to buy his forever cage. Anyways I got him about a week ago and I was using the recti sans 100 W basking bulb. The breeder I got him from told me that It was too strong and was dehydrating him. I went out and got a clear 75 W bulb that is used for houses. Now it’s not hot enough for his basking spot. Should I change them periodically? How do I go about getting him the right basking spot? I would contact the breeder about this but he was rude and I have ultimately decided to stop talking to him.

I would not listen to the breeder --- it is trial and error w/ bulbs--- first thing how are you taking basking temps-? stick ons? digital probe? infrared heat gun? the best is the infrared heat gun but a digital will work---- you need a basking spot of 105-110 for a baby the bulb should be a bright white bulb--if the household bulb is not working you can get one from the petstore - I dont know size of your tank so you can try a 100 watt to start- go from there cool side of tank 80's during the day and not below 65 at nite--- where did you get your tank and lighting set up? please post pics of your tank and lighting and we can help you get things right for your baby--
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG above the message box
thanks
Karrie

I agree with Karrie,

Some people use 150w bulbs and barely get temps over 100. Some use 50w bulbs and get 110! It all just depends. The wattage doesn't matter, what matters is your temperatures.

PS. a 4x2x2 is perfectly fine for a baby!

-Brandon

The paper is because he was getting stressed with my dog walking around. We have a ZooMed dome hood for the lighting. We are working on getting a T8 for the baby, it will be here soon.

I wouldn't rely on the dial thermometer, they have been proven to be 20-40 degrees off in certain cases. You want to be measuring your temps with a digital with probe end, or an IR temp gun. That way you can measure your basking surface. Simply put, dials stuck to the glass can't measure basking surfaces. :wink:

If you want a better gradient to the cool end, you could utilize your whole tank instead of blocking it off.

-Brandon

Do you think that much room would stress him out? Btw thank you so much. I’ve been super stressed and the breeder was supposed to be my expert and he ended up telling me I wasn’t listening to what he was saying and that he “hopes my dragon survives since I keep going back and forth” Anyways, thank you guys for even taking the time to help!

He seems to be improving from his first day here. The first day he “bit” me and now he likes to cuddle at night! I must be doing something right...Right?

Well that's a horrible thing to say! Who is the breeder you bought from?

They are fine in large tanks, even babies! As long as you can provide proper temps and uv, that's all that really matters! The only downside to a large tank with a baby is if you feed in the tank. It's harder to keep track of all the critters and make sure they were all eaten. But, that can be remedied by simply only putting in a few at a time, or feeding in a separate bin.

I would get an accurate means of measuring temps. Digital with probes can be picked up cheap at most petshops. Usually 10 bucks or less.
This will let you KNOW what your temperatures are.
Once you know, you'll be able to make the adjustments necessary. And we will help!

-Brandon

JordanNM730":267jpn69 said:

He seems to be improving from his first day here. The first day he “bit” me and now he likes to cuddle at night! I must be doing something right...Right?

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He definitely seems content! :mrgreen:

-Brandon

Thank you very much! I will get a temp gun right away and for now I will switch back to the 100W and make sure he is drinking enough. Seriously, can’t say how much this helped. I’ll be sure to update!

ok I would recommend getting rid of all the paper on the tank- and keep the dog out of the room-your baby is already stressed and the dog will make it worse--- also you might want to put some paper towels down on the tank floor- I recommend getting some textured non adhesive shelf liner from Home Depot or Lowes for substrate- its cheap and easy to clean w/ vinegar/ water in a spray bottle 50/50-- the UVB on top of tank whats in it? I am confused your getting a T 8 ? Please get either a digital probe thermometer or a infrared heat gun or both - you need some sort of accurate temps in the tank -- the heat guns run around $10 or so and the digital probes are cheap as well -- you need to get the lighting correct for your baby to eat and digest his food-- also to prevent MBD --
Karrie

JordanNM730":6d3mikni said:

Thank you very much! I will get a temp gun right away and for now I will switch back to the 100W and make sure he is drinking enough. Seriously, can’t say how much this helped. I’ll be sure to update!

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I actually like the digital with probes better than the IR guns, they are more user friendly. Temp guns run into issues occasionally with measuring certain surfaces. They both are great tools to have though!

The 100w may or may not be too hot, but as long as he has cooler areas where he can go to cool down, it shouldn't matter too much. The sooner you can get some accurate temps the better!

-Brandon

claudiusx":37rjkxax said:

Well that's a horrible thing to say! Who is the breeder you bought from?

They are fine in large tanks, even babies! As long as you can provide proper temps and uv, that's all that really matters! The only downside to a large tank with a baby is if you feed in the tank. It's harder to keep track of all the critters and make sure they were all eaten. But, that can be remedied by simply only putting in a few at a time, or feeding in a separate bin.

I would get an accurate means of measuring temps. Digital with probes can be picked up cheap at most petshops. Usually 10 bucks or less.
This will let you KNOW what your temperatures are.
Once you know, you'll be able to make the adjustments necessary. And we will help!

-Brandon

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I got him from Fire and Ice Dragons btw

JordanNM730":23etms0e said:

I got him from Fire and Ice Dragons btw

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Wow lol, they've been around forever. I never was really a fan of how they sold dragons.. but i'm glad I never bought from them lol. I think some other members have had some things to say about them too.

-Brandon

claudiusx":oqhnj0v2 said:

JordanNM730":oqhnj0v2 said:

I got him from Fire and Ice Dragons btw

Click to expand...

Wow lol, they've been around forever. I never was really a fan of how they sold dragons.. but i'm glad I never bought from them lol. I think some other members have had some things to say about them too.

-Brandon

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I did everything they asked, I changed everything they told me to and they were still rather rude. I am only 16, but I am very passionate about animals. I wouldn’t get an animal that I felt I couldn’t take care of or that I wasn’t ready to devote my full attention to them. I love him and want what is best for him. I feel the same vibe from this whole community. Just a bunch of lizard people who want to help and share their stories! I’m lovin’ it.