Just got a new very young baby bearded dragon....!

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Hello everyone I just got a baby bearded dragon and boy is it tiny! It actually scares me how small and young he is! I hope I do everything right because it’s kinda worrisome wondering if this or that is correct! I have a 40 gal breeder but was told he’d starve to death in it to I have a 29 gallon I believe it is and put him/her in that! I have a dual dome and in it is a coil bulb 10.0 uvb bulb and a 75watt basking bulb which I removed the 75 watt and put a 100watt diff brand bulb in. I also have a 100watt heat emitter going as well because I felt the temps were just not hot enough!?! So now I have to have all three going, and then at night I plug in a little ceramic heater in the outlet near his cage to keep the ambient temp
In the room warm but this morning he was pretty dark in color when I turned on his lights, boy does he sleep hard as a rock! Lol So on Thursday I am going to buy a long reptisun aquarium hood and uvb bulb instead of this cool one because I heard they’re better and I was going to place it on top of
My metal screen on top of tank, not inside, I don’t now how to do that? Now on to feeding, ive been offering meals a couple times a day but the little guy only eats one big meal a day or several small ones. I got him from petco by the way. First of all all they had were crickets and mealworms I bought some of both but now regret it. I have a container in my fridge of mealworms which I’m not
Gonna feed him so if anyone wants them let me know lol! He ate crickets the night I brought him home (7 total) and then the next day he ate ten crickets and then wouldn’t eat anymore that day, then the next day I put him in a little container I have and put ten roaches in and he ate them all so I added more but he was done, then later that day I tried the same thing and he wouldn’t eat them just kept trying to escape the container. Yesterday morning I tried the same bing and the same result just kept ignoring the roaches and trying to escape, so o put him back in his tank and decided to add crickets and try that again. He ate them up! I’d add three at a time and he would eat them, so yesterday he had a total of one roach and about ten crickets I’d say? I had to keep taking the little guy down from his perch for him to eat tho, he would eat one hen jump back up on his perch so I’d take him down and then he’d eat one jump back up and so on and so forth! He’s been having a nice poop once or twice a day everyday! He seems like a good little guy! The only concern I have is yesterday he was basking up on the highest point of his perch and temps were good but there was a moment when it looked like his eyeballs were popping out a little and all you could see in his eyes were a pink or red, and he shuddered a little, his head but it was only a split second and then his eyes rolled back, so idk what it was and it’s kinda concerning but it was that once and for a quick second. I actually think o got it on video yesterday. I have a YouTube channel and I recorded a video about him and it was on my part 2 episode of what to do if your baby bearded dragon won’t eat #1 or #2 lol under karebear freezepop
Well anyway...... thanks for everyone that took a moment and read my ramblings! Lol
 

Claudiusx

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Welcome!

I'm on my phone so it's hard to reference everything in your post but I'll try my best. Forgive me if I miss something :)

A baby can do fine in a 40g breeder. They definitely wont starve to death in one. Most likely whomever you heard this from was relating that to adding crickets to a tank and your dragon not finding them. Simple remedy is feed your dragon in a separate tub. Makes it much easier on you and dragon.

What are the temps in your tank? If your kit came only with those dial stick on thermometers you cant trust them. They are wildly inaccurate and dont give you the most important temp... your basking SURFACE.
You need a ir temp gun or a digital with probe end for that.
100w may be too much for a 29g, so make sure you are measuring temps properly so you can make the correct adjustments.

Great that you are going to buy the reptisun tube. The coil bulbs really aren't suitable for dragons.

You can mount the fixture inside the tank with zip ties or velcro or hook or even some wire. If you get the stronger t5 HO reptisun tube, it is strong enough to sit ontop of your tank so you dont have to worry about mounting it inside. Note the HO reptisun 10.0 is a t5 bulb, not a t8 bulb like the regular reptisun 10.0.
Oh, and make sure you get the reptisun 10.0, not the 5.0. 5s and 10s are both available in HO or regular.

Usually they wont eat too much for the first week or two due to relocation stress. Him eating at all is a good sign and that should be increasing as he calms down over the next few days.
Since you have the mealworms you really could finish them off If you wanted. They aren't the best choice and definitely not my first choice but they do add some variety to their diets. Personally id just offer a few a day with mainly crickets or other good feeders to get rid of them. A few a day wont hurt.

The eye thing could be them stretching if the face is about to shed. It's scary looking but not an issue if that's what it was.

-Brandon
 

Karebearfreezepop0

Member
Original Poster
Oh thank you for taking the time to reply! I actually did go and get a heat gun thermometer thing so I’ve been taking the temp
In a few diff spots in the tank and I think I’m where I’m suppose to be but again with all three bulbs..... idk it’s weird. But yeah the pet store was giving me crap about
My 40 gal I didn’t think they were gonna sell me the dragon at first, I did end up walking away from one person and finding another person, do you know why every time I put my dragon in a separate container to try to feed roaches he just wants to escape and doesn’t eat the roaches? I’ve got 150 small roaches and don’t know how to feed them because I put two in the tank and of course they hide they’re not
Like crickets whom run around and make themselves n own lol and I was worried a 100watt would be too
Much to but again it needs a heat emitter along with it so should o try getting a 150 watt or should I
Leave things alone? I’m glad I got this little guy and I do think he’s doing well! Especially hearing what other people go through when they first get a baby! Anyway thanks again! I appreciate the help and insight!
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Sometimes the separate feeding tanks stress them out and don't work. Try offering the roaches one at a time either in the tank or on an open smooth floor (kitchen etc). If he isn't able to track and catch the roaches, try flipping them on their backs to keep them in place. You could also try using a glass dish that has fairly straight sides. Roaches have a tough time climbing glass.
 

Karebearfreezepop0

Member
Original Poster
Oh great ideas, thank you! Yeah the thing I was putting him in was Def stressing him out and I also got this wooden basking perch thing and of course it’s the kind that has holes in it so that bugs can hide in them! Which is kinda presenting some problems too! But I just saw him or her eating a carrot out of his salad! So cute! I just watched him catch and eat a cricket as well, but I will Def try some of your suggestions about the roaches! They’re healthy and I have plenty of them right now! ?
P.s. I know this prob sounds weird but I feel bad for the buggies ?
 

Karebearfreezepop0

Member
Original Poster
claudiusx":57ayzj28 said:
Welcome!

I'm on my phone so it's hard to reference everything in your post but I'll try my best. Forgive me if I miss something :)

A baby can do fine in a 40g breeder. They definitely wont starve to death in one. Most likely whomever you heard this from was relating that to adding crickets to a tank and your dragon not finding them. Simple remedy is feed your dragon in a separate tub. Makes it much easier on you and dragon.

What are the temps in your tank? If your kit came only with those dial stick on thermometers you cant trust them. They are wildly inaccurate and dont give you the most important temp... your basking SURFACE.
You need a ir temp gun or a digital with probe end for that.
100w may be too much for a 29g, so make sure you are measuring temps properly so you can make the correct adjustments

The eye thing could be them stretching if the face is about to shed. It's scary looking but not an issue if that's what it was.

-Brandon


Right now my temps are 97, and 81..... the cool side is 81 and then on his basking perch one spot is 97 and the other spot is 91 and I have the uvb bulb the 100 watt heat emitter AND a 100 watt intense basking bulb by eco terra.

And I watched a video on YouTube of the eye bulging lol and yes that’s what he was doing! I was worried he had something wrong with him when he did it! It’s a strange looking thing when you don’t know what it looks like! Haha
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
You'll want to bring up your temps a bit in the basking zone. I believe babies need a bit more heat than adults, around 105-110* F. The cool side sounds fine.
 

Karebearfreezepop0

Member
Original Poster
Aaradimian":xwjbamu8 said:
You'll want to bring up your temps a bit in the basking zone. I believe babies need a bit more heat than adults, around 105-110* F. The cool side sounds fine.

Yeah I’ve been trying to figure that out, I don’t know why it’s not getting hot enough especially with all the stuff I have running, but I’ll keep trying different things, yesterday it was about 105, today it’s not. I’m going to try putting aomwthing on top over the screen lid to possibly help keep some heat in there idk... thank you though
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Where is your tank? Is it on the floor - in a cool room-- you can try a 150 watt bulb but make sure you keep an eye on that temp-- you can try raising the basking spot closer to the bulb you have now-- but please watch the temp--
Karrie
 

Karebearfreezepop0

Member
Original Poster
I have an old house so it gets drafty I have the tank off the floor with a stand. Right now he’s in my bedroom but this winter I may put him in my sons room (warmest room in the house) the only reason I don’t have him in there right now is because this time of year the rooms are about the same temp and I didn’t want him to be all alone in there, I wanted him to see us and be part of the household and get used to us. He just fell asleep in my hand!!!! I just had to move him onto a clean washcloth and put him to bed lol!
 

Karebearfreezepop0

Member
Original Poster
So I purchased a 150 watt bulb and new domes n a hammock n stuff, so how long does it take to get the max temp that it’ll be in there? So far, the hammock which the gu is on nownis about 107 and the perching log below is 95 and then the cool side is I believe 75? That just with the uvb light and th basking bulb right now, I don’t have th heat emitter going right now and the lights have only been going for prob half hour or so I’d say? And again I did get my
New uvb bulb in the mail today nowmim just waiting for the good for it to come in mail because the pet stores did not have any of them! I also picked up
Some
Tonga and he ate three roaches right off the bat and two crickets, so total food today, he ate 5 roaches and 5 crickets I believe and it’s hats to tell but have nibbles on some kale but again it’s hard to say because it’s shriveled up now....

Also, is that hammock too close to his lights?!?
104453-4510191861.jpg
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
10 minutes should give you accurate basking temp w/ heat gun--- the UVB is it a T 8 or T 5? It will make a difference in how far in tank -- what light is on the left? That is good he ate 5 dubias-- 1 dubia = 6 crickets-- you can offer him mustard collard turnip greens gr beans squash like yellow zuchinni butternut shredded-- if he doesn't eat it don't fret his main diet is bugs dusted 5 x per week vitamins 2 x per week
Karrie
 

Karebearfreezepop0

Member
Original Poster
Ok great the one on the left his the heat emitter but I don’t have it on that that moment, but the bulb for the uvb is the t5 10.0 ho
And yay I’m glad I finally got this stuff going and the uvb bulb is he one on the silver on the in the middle right now but I am going to be mounting that into the tank here soon when it arrives so I guess I’ll have to move that hammock anyway! Ugh! Lol thanks for all the help tho really!
 
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