Draco our new beardie

We brought Draco home two days ago and are adjusting to being first-time beardie owners. He is definitely loved by all and enjoys being loved on but seems to be stressed from relocating. He has only eaten a few crickets and waxworms in the last 2 days and turns down all vegetables. He also really likes to go into is hiding spot, to the point that we took it out yesterday for a few hours so that he would spend time in his light. Any advice is greatly appreciated as we are all learning in this house!

Welcome to the forum! Draco is still so tiny =). Please let us know if you have any specific questions about his care. I suggest reading through the Newbies Guides on the right side along with the Intro to UV Lighting. If you would like to provide details about your current setup I'll be glad to review it and make sure everything is just right for Draco.

CooperDragon":3ouqbc9k said:

Welcome to the forum! Draco is still so tiny =). Please let us know if you have any specific questions about his care. I suggest reading through the Newbies Guides on the right side along with the Intro to UV Lighting. If you would like to provide details about your current setup I'll be glad to review it and make sure everything is just right for Draco.

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He is definitely still tiny! We measured him last night and he was only 5 inches!

Right now he is in a 20-gallon terrarium with reptile carpet. We are using a Reptisun 10.0 T5 light that is on top of the enclosure. His basking rock is around 106-110* and his cool side is in the 80s during the day. So far it hasn't dropped below 75* at night. His lights are on for 14 hours (6a-8p) every day. The humidity ranges from 30-44%.

He is has been eating about 8-12 crickets a day and ate a piece of his greens for the first time today (he hasn't been too interested in trying them). He also had his first phoenix worm today, but only tried 1. We are dusting his food with calcium every day and he has had multivitamins twice since we brought him home (5 days ago). He doesn't seem to drink from his water dish but does lick the water when we spray him.

He doesn't have much to climb on yet, but we are working on getting him some new things. He loves his rock and hammock. He also enjoys being held by us and doesn't seem too skittish. My only concern is that he isn't eating too much. He eats about 4 insects and loses interest. For his midday meal today he only ate 1 cricket and 1 phoenix worm. We continue offering food for about 15 minutes but he just wants to bask or hide.

That all sounds great! Are you using the 5.0 bulb or the 10.0 bulb in your T5 fixture? How far is it from the basking area? With a 20g a 5.0 bulb might be more appropriate (6-8'' range vs 12-14'' for a 10.0). I'd give him a bigger home sooner rather than later so he has space and a good lighting gradient.

Don't worry too much about the amount he is eating. Since he is alert and eating regularly that's good for now. Just offer what he wants until he loses interest 2-3 times per day for now. As he gets a little bigger and starts hitting growth spurts his appetite will increase. Their appetites aren't really a steady thing so expect fluctuations over time. That seems pretty normal from what I've seen.

I'm glad that it all sounds great! I am a huge worrier and did a lot of research before we made the decision to bring him home. We are using the 10.0 bulb. The basking rock my daughter picked out is a little short so it is about 7-9" away from the light depending on the spot he picks. He seems good at regulating his time on his rock, hammock, or in his hide.

We are definitely getting a new home in a few months, hoping to build something ourselves or get a custom one. The whole family is in love so I have a feeling this home will be used by another beardie in the near future!

The 10.0 should be OK at 7-9'' as long as he has areas he can easily move to get away from it when he wants to.

Hi there, Draco is a cutie. I agree everything sounds O.K, but you do want to be sure the bugs are not too big. Can you post pics of the crickets next to a penny ? They really have to be small in order for a hatchling to digest them. I would avoid waxworms, they can spoil a beardie's appetite. If you have any left, post a pic also next to a penny.