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mandybkissinger

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Hello all! Our family just got our newest addition his name is Thor and we are enamored with him. It have only had him for about 4 days so we're letting him get used to us. Any tips on how to make him feel safe? He does tend to claw out the glass and I read that that was a sign of stress, anyway to help that?
 

Draven88

Hatchling Member
The clawing at the glass aka glass surfing is a sign of stress, but some of that is to be expected from relocation. It is going to take some time to fully settle in which is i'm sure a part of it, but the other things to check is the lighting and temperatures. If you could post your setup for the tank size, UVB that you are using (and distance from basking spot), basking light, and temps you are seeing in basking spot general hot side and cool side (with a probe or heat gun, dials and stick on are notoriously inaccurate) we can let you know any tweaks that might help.
 

mandybkissinger

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Ok, so the specs: It's a 40 gallon tank and we use a 125Watt Exo Terra Solar Glo all in one bulb. Basking spot is about 8 inches from the top and sits around 105F. Hot side runs around 90 and cool side typically around80-85. I have a infrared thermometer. Also, he isn't eating much. When we got him the lady said he was in the middle of a shed and that may impact his appetite. He wouldn't eat last night or this morning. So he hasn't had anything since 2:00 yesterday. He is fed crickets and mealworms. I am driving myself crazy trying to make sure he is okay but I have no prior experience to draw from. I am guessing that he is about a month to two old but I really don't know.
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Draven88

Hatchling Member
Ok so first the temps sound great ( it could be cooler on cold side and be fine but your numbers are good). And the basking spot is right on as well.

It appears from the pics that the solar glo is your only UVB source? I have not personally used an all in one bulb like that, so I cant say its bad but it is limiting UVB to when basking only. It is preferred to have the MOST UVB exposure when basking but still have a gradient of drop off to the cool side which would be the *shaded* area. That is best able to be managed with a tube UVB such as a reptisun or arcadia (most reliable and ones I trust). I would like to see someone with experience on the solar glo weigh in as it may be just fine.

As far as the appetite, a drop in eating can be normal with both shedding and relocation stress (relocation stress is something that will happen to a certain degree no matter how good your care is and will get better with time). With that being said you don't want a complete stop in eating, you want to keep offering the food and encouraging some eating. While I wont say meal worms are BAD (every feeder can have upsides and downsides) they do have a higher chitin to meat ratio than other feeders. Variety can also help with eating and I would try to mix in Dubia, Silkworms, and Waxworms as a treat (they are high in fat so not a lot). With the Dubia if you order just to feed you want to go easy on those as well, as if they had a high protein diet they can have high UA levels. If you can however keep a colony of Dubia going to feed from and feed them a low protein diet (around 5% or so) that will help to reduce their UA levels and as a result less UA passed to your dragon and make them even healthier.

Sadly diet is a never ending discussion that I would dare say we will never get perfect, but what we can all agree on is that variety is key. And you also want to start on salads right away, while little ones are notorious for ignoring it, its best to get them started as early as possible eating it for a balanced diet.
 

mandybkissinger

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That sounds like really great information, thank you.
We are in Canada and cannot get dubia here but I will try your other suggestions. I am wondering how important is it that the vegetables be organic? He seems to like broccoli but I'm finding it difficult to find it in the organic section. Is there anything you can suggest to cut down on the reflection on the glass. He spends a lot of time looking at himself.
 

Draven88

Hatchling Member
I myself don't really have a good place for much of anything organic and have not had any problems. I do make sure to wash off all veggies before feeding for any residue that may be on them though.

For the glass I have used just plain whit printer paper to cover the sides and back (on the outside). You already have a background that works fine for that side. for the front there isn't a whole lot i can suggest other then good good lighting outside the enclosure (glare and reflection tends to be intensified on the side with brighter light and since you have lights inside its naturally it creates an effect similar to light on inside your home at night). Others may have other suggestions that work for them, I at this time have custom build enclosures with Plexiglas front that is less prone to glare and reflections than real glass.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html please no more broccoli ignore the kale its a good staple feeder
the Solar Glos are a good UVB distance for your bulb should be about 12" from basking spot - its good to add another UVB as well - sometimes they do not emit enough UVB - I would look at getting a 24" fixture w/ a reflector - and a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb -- depending on your screen it has the option of sitting on top of the screen ---
Meal worms are not a good staple feeder I would look here at this website and get some BSFL also known as nutri grubs calci worms and phoenix worms ---
https://www.thewormlady.ca/
Do not dust the BSFL and feed as many as you want they are a great staple feeder
Karrie
 
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