New Beardie: lighting, uvb, food, enclosure, health.

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So i got a new bearded dragon on 5-18-19. When i purchase the beardie the owner sold me a light (claimed to be UVB and Basking together) with a 10 gallon tank and at this point i and very little knowledge to bearded dragons. So i went home, started building her a larger cage and doing research. I noticed she was not eating as much as the website says she or he should so this got me worried considering how many issues could come into play. So i made a vet appointment, now i live in a very small town so we have no EXPERTS but she said that she had a couple customers with beardies. The vet said that she seems to look healthy and weighs in a 91 grams,(couldnt tell me age) sent me home with a sheet of stuff to do and to not do (which i already researched). So essentially got no answers, i actually i taught her some things. I have listed below my experiences so far and am really looking for answers.. Please help!

Age:
The owner told me she did not know how old and couldnt find out so i semi measure the beardie and she seems to be 10-12 inches. ( i didnt flatten her head) So i dont know exactly how old... I found this chart but i dont quiet understand it due to having multiple of the same number in the month spot.

Length (Inches)Age (Months)
3-4 in.0-1 months
5-9 in.2 months
8-11 in.3 months
9-12 in.4 months
11-16 in.5 months
11-18 in.6 months
13-20 in.8 months
16-22 in.12 months

Gender:
The Owner could not give me details on this, so on research i think its a girl. but then again dont know the age so cant identify if i am accurate.

Diet: I sprinkle her food with calcium with d3 vitamins. u
I do not know the beardies age so i have been a little up in the air on how much to feed. so as of right now i put a fresh mixed salad in her cage before work and attempt to feed her protien 2-3 times a day for 10-15 mins.
Protein:
I feed her live cricket and mealworms as of now. She seems to favor the mealworms but i know that they arent a good staple food. I ordered a variety of recommended insects to see what she favors and will be breeding dubia roaches as a staple because the cricket are annoying.. (as long as she eats them..)
Veggies
I know she does not eat veggies yet, the pet shop told me they feed the beardies lettuce which i know is a no no.. But i have made a salad for her everyday with almost every veggie and fruit recommended and put it in her cage before leaving and she doesnt seem to touch them. Ive tried mixing them with insects, hand feeding her, putting them on top on meal worms to create movement but nothing.

She seems to only eat something if it is moving..

Over the last week she has not been eating as much.. I put her in with the cricket and she eats a few but not what she should be.. So i started trying to feed her mealworms so she doesnt starve but she doesnt go crazy over them either.

Lighting:
I originally purchased a light recommended; SL50 basking lamp , which i found out today does not have UVB. Purchased a 10.0 T8 (will purchase t5 soon but have spent so much already on building enclosure, food, accessories, ect.)

I have a cheap temp/humidity gauge but i think they dont work well so purchased a laser thermometer.

Cool average 80-90ish
Basking: 100-110

I turn the light off at night.

Habitat:
She currently is in a 10 gallon tank with a basking light listed above and a heat light to regulate temperature due to my house getting cold at times. She has a basking log, a little water, and a little cave for the time being. I originally bought Eco Earth but learned that not good so as of now substrate is paper towels. I have spent all my evenings and days off build her a cage over since the purchase.. and then found out beardies cant be in pine enclosures.. Which the wood i bought says white wood but this has a very high chance of having pine in the mixture... waste of so much money.. lol So now i am almost done with a cage made out of sealed birch plywood, and poplar board for the inside and white wood on the exterior. The enclosure is 40x20x24 and will have a second story half shelf she can climb up on/additions spot to bask. The floor is a drawer with sealed porcelain tiles (water based sealant) and 100 percent silicone. The front is cabinet style plexi glass to with hold around 360 degrees before its dangerous.

Behavior:
Originally she was eating only moving insects and i dont think it was as much as she should have been.. She hasnt been very active but i have been super busy with the cage and work but still manage to handle and feed her daily. Her cage is only 10 gallon right now so she isnt in a huge space. She isnt aggressive at all.. i have only seen her beard twice and it was loud noise scared her.. She does explore a little.. She mainly just hangs out and stares at me..

Lately she hasnt been eating much, a few worms and crickets then just closes her eyes.. Originally i thought she was just getting used to her new environment and all the changes but ive been worried. I mean when i say i have been doing research i mean like everyday and even fall asleep scrolling through forums and data sheets. When i figured out today she is not getting UVB i thought maybe this was answers to a lot but im unsure and worried a little more now with the lack of UVB and diet. She does get bathed every day and try to clean the poop anytime i see it. Her poop is a little runny with white and she has gone like 4 maybe 5 times over the last week.


Upon doing research i have ordered many things that should be here today listed below:-
-multi vitamin and calicum without d3 to roatate. the 3 vitamin mixtures
-24" 10.0 Uvb tube t8
-Ceramic Heat fixture / bulb
-heat regulator / temp gauge
-timers for the light and uvb
-Additional heat gauge for the cool side
-leash
-play pen for outside
-carrier (she gets little squirmy in the car sometimes.)
-Veggie mixed bearded treats (help with the veggies diet)
-Mixture of live insects from a trusted reptile insect breeder. (250 Extra Small Superworms (1/2 to 3/4"), 25ct Hornworms, 100 Medium Phoenix Worms (0.5"), 50 Waxworms (0.75"), 20 Small Dubia Roaches (0.25") and 10 female and 5 males dubia roach breeders.

I know this post is long and for this i am sorry but i have done so much research there is mixed information all over(some even says to do things that others dont), i dont have an expert close and i am trying to get some advise and answers maybe. I want my beardie to be happy and healthy. What do your beardies like/dont like? What do you for climbing and accessories? How old/gender? How do i get her to eat veggies? How much do i feed and bathe her? How close do her lights need to be to her basking spot and bottom of enclosure? What is your routine? What kind of things to do recommend from the info above information?

thank you so much in advance!!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yep that was a long post--- and its good your doing research--- the new tank ought to be awesome -- you can look for some nice decor on line and have found Petsmart has some nice stuff you can visit there store or shop online --- it is kinda spendy but its easy to clean - baking stuff for me is a hassle-- all you need is a good bright white basking bulb that keeps temps 90-110 I say that for adults as well as babies- babies like it warmer but as they get older not so warm--and a good UVB tube bulb--no coils!!! for diet fresh is best - here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html-- he/ she should be eating as many bugs in 10-15 minutes as they can -- veggies are going to come in time -- right now her main diet would be protein- dubias are the best for staple- crickets tend to give parasites/ worms--- mealworms are harsh on the babies stomach I would suggest over worms like hornworms good for hydratation - butterworms they are fattening -- silkworms which are spendy and hard to get-- super worms use sparingly - you dont want her to become hooked on worms-- not sure about the porcelain tile -- everyone I know is using a ceramic tile that is slated -- it gives more for gripping and taking the edge off of their nails--- that porcelain might be too slippery -- I have tile in my tank and nothing in between the tiles (filler) -- not sure about the closing of the eyes -- how close is the UVB -- it may be too strong for the tank she is in -- do you have the tank screen on or is it off ? sometimes you can over UVB them--- or if its a coil they will be closing their eyes as well -- I agree too much info is confusing for everyone and its good you came here to clarify - others can help w/ the tank your making and chime in on other stuff too
Karrie
 
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