New owner - Need help!

Klawzor":q9sq8u5k said:

Thank you for the response, you've helped immensely! I do have a few more questions:

Any idea how to get him to go to the cooler side, or should I just move the UVB closer to the basking? Perhaps he's staying in the basking area at night because of the UTH? I'm checking the temp of the night time cool side now to see if he will be fine without it. It's currently lights out for him and he's sleeping under an old T-shirt. (He seem's to like it.)<<<<< The UVB should be about 2/3 the length of the tank, on the warm side. If you don't have a thermostat the area above the uth can be up to 100+ degrees, that would explain why he stays on the warm side. If night temps go below 65F get a ceramic heat emitter, they use infrared light and don't disturb sleep. That's pretty adorable lol.

About the handling, he obviously runs when I try to pick him up or hold him for longer than 10 sec, and I'll assume he will run if I put him down outside the cage, but he doesn't seem to be aggravated. No blackening besides his coloration on his beard. I should probably give him another day or two to acclimate though, right? <<<<< Yeah give him a few more days to settle in. Sometimes they do have lots of energy though, if you can Beardie proof a small area and let him run around for a little that might get some energy out.

For baths, just warm water in a slightly filled tub correct? No special stuff? That keeps him hydrated sufficiently? How often? I've seen different opinions on how often to bathe em. <<<<< That's right. Some people bathe them every other day, I do it every week, some people do it less often. He should get most of his water from his food so baths are just to be sure he's hydrated and maybe get him to poop. Check his urates (the white part of the poop) and as long as they are white and not crumbly he is probably hydrated. Do what works for you.

Thanks for the temp gun, I'll probably get that!
I'm going to just assume if he twitches tomorrow too it's because he IS lacking calcium since he only got it twice a week at the pet store. <<<<< Unfortunately I can't really comment on this because I just don't know enough, but if you are ever concerned and a quick Google search/asking a quick question doesn't give you a clear answer going to the vet is never a bad idea. Just make sure to find a good vet that knows about reptiles.
And again, thank you so much for the response! I'm just incredibly worried since I've waited so long to get him and I only want the best for my li'l' beardie!<<<<< I totally understand, I'm glad I could help!

Click to expand...

Klawzor":868fp7us said:

Hello, all! I'm a <very> new beardie owner. I have always wanted a beardie since I had 2 as class pets in 3rd grade, and now I'm 19 and finally have one! I got the little guy (Roy) yesterday. I know some stuff, but not too much. I've used this website for research before buying one, but I'd still like some solid answers. This post may dabble a small bit into health becuase I would like to know a few things, but this post also has my current set up and some questions. I'm fairly certain this is the correct forum for this since it is introductions which I assume includes newbie question (besides the bit of health), so let me start!

First up: My set up. It's really bad. I plan on buying a basking rock with a little cave under it until I can make a custom basking area when I get supplies and money. Here is everything I have for my cage and an image.

My current stuffs:

40 Gal tank <<<< will do for his first year. After that he'll really benefit from a full size tank.
Standard tank size here (Australia) for a SINGLE ADULT CENTRAL BEARDED DRAGON is
4ft LONG x 2ft WIDE x 2ft TALL = 453 LITRES VOLUME = 120 GALLONS.
And if 1ft 6" tall the volume = 340 LITRES = 90 gallons.

40 GALLONS = 120 LITRES is VERY SMALL for an adult beardie.( I use 100 LITRE tubs for my rearing tubs.) An adult beardie will be very cramped and hardly able even to turn around in such a tiny tank.

The temperature in the basking area SEEMS to be anywhere from 85 on the edges to 120 on the floor under direct sunlight. Again, my thermometer is bad and I have to place it on the area for 10+ min to get a reading. The cool side is about 70-80

Zoo med Reptitherm under tank heater <<< ? .... maybe a better option is a thermostat and a CHE inside the tank.

Zilla slimline desert fixture (I have heard these are bad, I'm planning on getting a reptisun) <<< ZooMed T5 and T8 fixtures are fine , choose a 10% UVB tube and err on the side of a T5 rather than a T8 if your tank is taller than 16inches.
Arcadia have a good deal for their Slimline T5 luminaires complete with T5 12% UVB tubes , Arcadia are another good brand with a good reputation for quality.

Zoo med Repti Basking spot lamp (150w) <<< wow that's a lot of wattage. !!! But seems you have one of those darned converted fishtanks with a mesh lid so you'll have a hard time keeping heat inside the tank where your beardie needs it. Consider ditching the mesh top and replacing it with a solid timber lid (ventilated as needed) , this will help insulate the tank, keeping heat , and promoting natural thermal air circulation ==> a stable thermal gradient with less wattage .
A solid lid will also provide a great structure from which to mount the UV source and fitting and the basking globe and fitting.
At least consider moving the UV source (the T8 or T5 tube) UNDER the mesh.

Terrarium green liner (I know sand is bad, but I've also heard adults can have SOME to dig in?) <<< paper toweling works great - when soiled simply remove and replace.

Zoo med Deep Dome lamp fixture

A really bad thermometer I need to replace


Now for some questions. Please give me the most solid answer you can, because I've seen many different opinions but I'd like the most backed up ones if you can.

I have heard The zilla slimline desert fixture is bad and causes health issues, as well as the fact that reptisun is the best. Is this true? How soon would I need to change if this is the case?

I have heard that under heaters can short circuit and burn the beardie, and ceramic heaters won't do this. Is this true?
What thermometer do you recommend? <<< I use these with my heatpads (which are inside my tanks and tubs and sandwiched between ceramic tiles : they are an very reliable - not had one fail in 8 years ,http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Thermostat-Digital-For-Reptile-Lizard-Snake-Heat-Mat-Lamp-Incubator-Aquarium-/251930630349?hash=item3aa83c58cd:g:BNYAAOSwBahVOGHB

I have no clue what the current humidity in the cage is and I'm worried. What should the humidity be anyway? I heard 30%. <<< I live very close to the Pacific Ocean (Tasman Sea) in the subtropics and rearly see relative humidities under 50% even inside my climate controlled home , usually hanging around mid 50s to mid 60s.... no problems for my central beardies.

How close should his UVB be to his basking spot until I can get a reptisun that covers a bit more than half the tank? <<< depends on if it's a 13W 10% UVB compact or a 26W , or a T8 10% UVB or a T5 10% UVB.
I run 26W UVB200s mounted in NanoHoods and these are about 8 inches from the basking spot.
Any advice on how to generally improve his set up?



Now for some health concerns.... This is Roy.

He's 4-5 months old according to the pet store, and he eats about a dozen crickets in the afternoon and some veggies in the morning. The day I brought him back, he was scratching at the glass and a small bit black on his beard - as expected. He also had diarrhea, but that is most likely from stress. He seems very docile despite not being handled almost ever. He doesn't get angry when I move stuff in the cage, or when I was holding him while I was changing his water. (I held him to see how he would do.) Surprisingly, he is fine with it. Can't say he trusts me, and I don't want to bother him for another few days, but I thought that was interesting. He doesn't even run except when I tried to pick him up that one time. So this is my concern(s):

The pet store said they were feeding him lettuce, dusting his crickets twice a week (I've read it's supposed to be more), and were using the Zilla desert slimline UVB light. I have heard bad stuff about these things.

He seemed fine besides what I mentioned above, but today seemed odd. He won't leave the basking area. At all. He only moved to chase crickets and that's it. Not for veggies in the food bowl, not for water, not to sleep. I thought, "Okay, maybe he is just tired." Here we are 12 hours later and 28 hours later from when I got him and he refuses to move or go to the cool side with UVB. Again, maybe he's stressed, but about an hour ago, and again as I write this, his back leg twitched. I know that this could be a sign of calcium deficiency, so I'm wondering how possible it may be due to how the pet store cared for him. I have Rep-cal powder and dusted his crickets yesterday. He has also been pancaking almost the entire day despite the temperature supposedly being in range. He has been laying under the branch as well, which I don't understand why he would do if he has a nice dark wood house. He was also just trying to dig the green felt as well as I write this, so that may have been his "twitching". (Althought I could SWEAR the first time was a real twitch because it was only his back leg.) I accidentally fed him 17 crickets today (a few more were hidden in the tube I didn't see and he snapped them up before I could even try to catch them), could this be it? He is breathing heavily as well. Normally he is active so I'm very worried that I might have fed him too much and it's hurting him. He just seems like he's trying to sleep, constantly closing his eyes and pancaking under the branch. EDIT: Now he is just staring at the wall with his mouth opening and closing. He's done this a few times today. Not gaping, but still open.

A few more questions:

How often should I dust his crickets for his age? How much dust?
What are the best veggies and fruits and greens for beardies?
What insects? I've heard meal worms are a no-no.
About when should I try to hand feed him or handle him? He doesn't appear to get angry when I initially handled him when setting up the tank.

So sorry for the long post but I'm very worried! I'm excited to be a beardie owner and want only the best for him but I really hope there already isn't something wrong!

Click to expand...

seandeangelis":74hqyxlx said:

I'll do my best to answer all your questions.

I'd recommend a temp gun. This is mine: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-774-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00837ZGRY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1491700221&sr=8-3&keywords=temperature+gun, and it works very well.

I would ditch the uth, they can get VERY hot (100+ degrees) w/o a thermostat, and even with one they are not necessary for beardies, you should be able to get proper temps with light bulbs only. All heat sources should be connected to thermostats (che or uth) but I doubt you need more than the 150w bulb to get the right temps unless your house is very cold.

Get a reptisun 10.0, not 5.0, and cover the basking side with it (under the mesh and it should cover about 2/3 of the tank.) Arcadia 12% is also very good. If you can get one in the next few days, you can turn off the slimline till then. When you know exactly what equipment you are working with you can ask one of the users with a solarmeter about the exact distance, if you get a t5 and have it under the mesh it's 6-8" w/o a reflector, 12" w/.

I think dig boxes for adults should be a different kind of loose substrate not just sand, but I don't have one and I'm not totally sure.

For humidity, you don't need to try to keep it under 30%. That would be very difficult and maybe even too dry. Pet store dial thermometers and humidity gauges are pretty bad so I would get an acurite hygrometer (or something similar.) My humidity is about 40-45% and honestly unless your house is abnormally humid a tank with a screen top should give you good levels of humidity.

Make sure he can't tip over the driftwood and fall off.

The water dish will raise your humidity and he likely won't use it, give him baths to make sure he is hydrated.

I believe lettuce is bad because it is mostly water, not because it is necessarily unsafe (maybe the cause of the diarrhea.) Dust crickets 5 days a week, vitamins 2. Cover the crickets completely in the dust. Give him all he can eat in 10 minutes twice a day.

You are lucky to have what sounds like a docile beardie. Spending almost all day basking is totally normal, check your temps when you get a good thermometer to be sure it is warm enough, but again, totally normal.

I wouldn't overreact to a few twitches, but if someone is more knowledgeable than me please correct me. It is very difficult to overfeed babies/juveniles, and he should get much more food. It is nice that he is eating already, though. <<< not a lot of experience but when I let my UVB200s replacement go a few months past the planned 6 months, I noticed Rex was starting do some twitching and shivering , these went away within a month or of replacing with a new UVB200. I suspect it was down to insufficient UVA.

How big are the crickets? They shouldn't be bigger than the space between his eyes or they can cause impaction.

Closing his eyes is probably because the UVB bulb is bad or the basking bulb too bright.

Opening and closing his mouth is to regulate his temperature. It seems you found a good basking temp that is warm enough but not too warm.

Here http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html is a good site to research food. I use collard greens and butternut squash as staples. Blueberries are treats. For insects, staples are crickets, phoenix worms, dubia roaches, and silk worms. Mealworms are a no-no, you are correct.

If he is calm, eating, and otherwise healthy you can probably handle him now unless he becomes not one of those things. <<< yep, introduce your hand to him bearing a food treat (a nice silkworm or similar) so he comes to associate you and your hand with nice things, but he sounds from your description as a people beardie (like my Peppa is - has loved being petted and nursed from the first day we brought her home.)

Thanks for asking questions! Good luck and if I wasn't clear on something just ask!

Click to expand...