Any tips and suggestions?

IsaiahRedd · Sep 8, 2019

I bought my first ever beardie named Helios Last Friday. I’m new to this and so I don’t know everything there is to know. I’ve done a bit of research but I need assurance from owners themselves. Helios stares out his terrarium constantly and I don’t know if he is curious of the room outside or he sees his reflection. Also he tends to sleep while he is basking as well as not eating that many crickets. It has only been a few days since he has gotten here but I need help

Linzloohoo · Sep 8, 2019

Is he alert and active when he’s not sleeping/basking? What uvb are you using? The coils/compacts can hurt their eyes and don’t have much uvb benefit. The reptisun t5 or t8 10 uvb is recommended. As far as staring outside of the tank he’s probably watching you and taking in the surroundings. It’s possible he sees his reflection but I wouldn’t worry unless it seems to upset him. He is going through relocation stress so it is normal for them to not each as much, I wouldn’t worry unless he completely stops eating. When we first got our guy he ate maybe 2 or 3 crickets per feeding, sometimes none at all. Now (6 weeks later) he eats sooo much. He went through 400 Dubai’s in less than 2 weeks.

IsaiahRedd · Sep 8, 2019

Linzloohoo":2zd2qf06 said:
Is he alert and active when he’s not sleeping/basking? What uvb are you using? The coils/compacts can hurt their eyes and don’t have much uvb benefit. The reptisun t5 or t8 10 uvb is recommended. As far as staring outside of the tank he’s probably watching you and taking in the surroundings. It’s possible he sees his reflection but I wouldn’t worry unless it seems to upset him. He is going through relocation stress so it is normal for them to not each as much, I wouldn’t worry unless he completely stops eating. When we first got our guy he ate maybe 2 or 3 crickets per feeding, sometimes none at all. Now (6 weeks later) he eats sooo much. He went through 400 Dubai’s in less than 2 weeks.

The tank I got only came with a uva light. And I’m trying to get some money in so I’m a couple weeks I can buy a 55gal tank. But he is alert and active, especially when outside his terrarium. He likes to run and lick everything then at around 8:30 earlier he came and laid down on my chest and fell asleep. I guess cause I let him goto sleep on me the night before aswell. I feel like I’m doing the best I can dealing with what I have at hand. But let me know the best lighting, substrate, etc choices so I can give the little guy the best life he can have.

DorgEndo · Sep 9, 2019

UVB is what you need. Make that a priority over tank size or any other upgrade. Reptisun T5 or T8 or Arcadia 12% are two top options. The lights do need a long fixture with a reflector, no cover over the bulb so the light reaches your dragon directly. Not sure what your current tank enclosure is, you can get a bigger fixture for an eventual bigger enclosure and let the long fixture hang over the edges on top (assuming it opens on top).

It is also super normal for a dragon to take time to adjust to a new home. 1 week or longer is normal. How old is your Beardie? When I first got my dragon she would close her eyes and fake sleeping during the day, this is a guess on my part she closed her eyes to relax from all the changes after moving to a new home (at age 6 months). Eventually she stopped the fake sleeping while basking. Keep offering food and let him get used to you, hanging out near him every day so he can take sneak peaks to get used to you being his human

IsaiahRedd · Sep 9, 2019

DorgEndo":2geij2ou said:
UVB is what you need. Make that a priority over tank size or any other upgrade. Reptisun T5 or T8 or Arcadia 12% are two top options. The lights do need a long fixture with a reflector, no cover over the bulb so the light reaches your dragon directly. Not sure what your current tank enclosure is, you can get a bigger fixture for an eventual bigger enclosure and let the long fixture hang over the edges on top (assuming it opens on top).

It is also super normal for a dragon to take time to adjust to a new home. 1 week or longer is normal. How old is your Beardie? When I first got my dragon she would close her eyes and fake sleeping during the day, this is a guess on my part she closed her eyes to relax from all the changes after moving to a new home (at age 6 months). Eventually she stopped the fake sleeping while basking. Keep offering food and let him get used to you, hanging out near him every day so he can take sneak peaks to get used to you being his human

The enclosure is only a 10 gallon so I need a bigger one soon. And as far as how old he is, I’m not entirely sure. I got him from PetSmart and I was never told how old he was. Is there a way to find out?

KarrieRee · Sep 9, 2019

Tip of nose to tail length and some one on here can give a rough estimate -- the tank wont last long but the UVB is crucial - your gonna have a hard time w/ basking temps w/ a tank that small--- they shouldnt even allow a person to leave a pet store w/ a tank that small for a dragon--- the minimum for a dragon is 40 gallon --- you can use that 10 gallon for dubias after you get him settled in to his bigger tank --- I feed dubias and keep them in a 10 gallon aquarium and feed dubia food and carrots-
Karrie

DorgEndo · Sep 9, 2019

There is no perfect size/age chart, but this should give you a good idea

3-4 inches by 0-1 months
5-9 inches by 2 months
8-11 inches by 3 months
9-12 inches by 4 months
11-16 inches by 5 months
11-18 inches by 6 months
13-20 inches by 8 months
16-22 inches by 12 months

MrSpectrum · Sep 9, 2019

KarrieRee":1i3vfh3n said:
the tank wont last long but the UVB is crucial - your gonna have a hard time w/ basking temps w/ a tank that small--- they shouldnt even allow a person to leave a pet store w/ a tank that small for a dragon--- the minimum for a dragon is 40 gallon

+1 However, IMO, 40 isn't even enough. Get or build the largest you can afford, preferably 4' x 2' x 2' (or 75 to 120 gal) or even larger. There's an older thread on Adult Enclosures, but the thread is locked, and it's about 6 years out of date. I tried PMing the OP with some additions, but weeks later it's still in my outbox, so s/he may be GWTW(?)

If you don't have the skills to build, many kits are available.

YMMV

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IsaiahRedd

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Linzloohoo

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