Hi everyone. I've been here reading non-stop since my bearded dragon impulse buy on Oct. 19 (I know, I know - if I could go back and do it all over, it would be very different.)
Soooo, we were at Petco to get a hamster for my son, and they were having a 50% off sale. We walked out with a Beardie and starter tank. I went home, googled, and promptly returned the whole setup the next day.
Our Beardie (still no name - open to suggestions!) is now living in a 40 gal breeder tank. I have the ReptiSun 10.0 T5 on top of the screen (still wondering about this - although from what I've read, the T5 should go on top?). We're using a 90w floodlight for heat. The basking area (hammock and sometimes tree branch) is between 100-105 measured with a heat gun. I don't feel like the one floodlight is doing enough for the rest of the tank. Just outside the basking area, it can measure anywhere from 80-85. The cool side is definitely too cool at 70. I'd love some recommendations to fix this. I've tried to find a 100w bulb, but they don't seem to exist anymore.
Substrate is shelf liner for now. I bought 2 18x18 tiles at Lowe's but I can find anyone to cut the 1" off so that they will fit in the tank (Lowe's told me they cannot cut tile that big on their in-store cutter).
Beardie has been eating a diet of crickets dusted with calcium - about 30 spread out through the day. I offer salad every morning (sorry it looks so wilty in the picture, it was evening and time for it to be removed) and so far, he has eaten sweet potato, red bell pepper (only once) and one piece of collard greens if I hand feed it to him.
Today, my BSFL and dubias are arriving. I'm excited to try them out and see what he likes. I got an escape-proof dish from Symtom and I'm hoping putting the BSFL in with the salad will encourage him to eat a little of it on his own.
I'm very concerned that the stress marks on his belly are not going away. They fade a little - they almost went away when I first got the hammock (Oct. 25), but now every time I check him, they are still there - which is why I'm wondering if the T5 should be inside the tank? I have the hammock mounted so he is 6"-8" away from his lights.
He has been eating and pooping every day - I've given him 3 baths since I got him to make sure he's hydrated and he's pooped in there every time. He's also pooped in his tank on non-bath days. I'm not sure if he likes the bath or not, but I figured it was good to get him started on them early - and also for hydration since he's not eating much salad.
I weighed and measured him on Oct. 22 - he was 21 grams and 8.5 inches. He's due to be measured today. I hope he's grown some!
He hung out with me for a little while the other night, and seemed to take a little nap. I'm hoping he was comfortable and not scared - thoughts?
I'm excited to be here and welcome any and all comments and suggestions.
Soooo, we were at Petco to get a hamster for my son, and they were having a 50% off sale. We walked out with a Beardie and starter tank. I went home, googled, and promptly returned the whole setup the next day.
Our Beardie (still no name - open to suggestions!) is now living in a 40 gal breeder tank. I have the ReptiSun 10.0 T5 on top of the screen (still wondering about this - although from what I've read, the T5 should go on top?). We're using a 90w floodlight for heat. The basking area (hammock and sometimes tree branch) is between 100-105 measured with a heat gun. I don't feel like the one floodlight is doing enough for the rest of the tank. Just outside the basking area, it can measure anywhere from 80-85. The cool side is definitely too cool at 70. I'd love some recommendations to fix this. I've tried to find a 100w bulb, but they don't seem to exist anymore.
Substrate is shelf liner for now. I bought 2 18x18 tiles at Lowe's but I can find anyone to cut the 1" off so that they will fit in the tank (Lowe's told me they cannot cut tile that big on their in-store cutter).
Beardie has been eating a diet of crickets dusted with calcium - about 30 spread out through the day. I offer salad every morning (sorry it looks so wilty in the picture, it was evening and time for it to be removed) and so far, he has eaten sweet potato, red bell pepper (only once) and one piece of collard greens if I hand feed it to him.
Today, my BSFL and dubias are arriving. I'm excited to try them out and see what he likes. I got an escape-proof dish from Symtom and I'm hoping putting the BSFL in with the salad will encourage him to eat a little of it on his own.
I'm very concerned that the stress marks on his belly are not going away. They fade a little - they almost went away when I first got the hammock (Oct. 25), but now every time I check him, they are still there - which is why I'm wondering if the T5 should be inside the tank? I have the hammock mounted so he is 6"-8" away from his lights.
He has been eating and pooping every day - I've given him 3 baths since I got him to make sure he's hydrated and he's pooped in there every time. He's also pooped in his tank on non-bath days. I'm not sure if he likes the bath or not, but I figured it was good to get him started on them early - and also for hydration since he's not eating much salad.
I weighed and measured him on Oct. 22 - he was 21 grams and 8.5 inches. He's due to be measured today. I hope he's grown some!
He hung out with me for a little while the other night, and seemed to take a little nap. I'm hoping he was comfortable and not scared - thoughts?
I'm excited to be here and welcome any and all comments and suggestions.
