apolloandrocky":2ip9r789 said:
CooperDragon":2ip9r789 said:
Is your 10.0
UVB light a compact bulb or is it a tube (T8 or T5)? I would get rid of the sand and give the tank a good cleaning. Then put down something that is easy to clean and sanitize or cheap to replace like non adhesive shelf liner.
How old is he? His age will help determine what an appropriate diet is. When I offer live bugs I provide as many as they want in about 10 minutes or so. The number they eat varies. It's good that he's getting some veges in his system. Older dragons should be eating a primarily vegetarian diet so the more variety you can offer him the better. It's fine if he prefers hand feeding.
It’s a compact bulb, and he’s about 5 yrs old. I adopted him from a reptile store because he was returned after the family couldn’t take care of him. That was about a year ago.
I notice his eyes look a bit swollen ==> lack of UVA is a possible cause.
What wattage is the 10%UVB compact ?
…. if it's a 13W , it's way too weak, he'd literally have ware the dome as a hat with the compact turned on to get sufficient UVA and UVB.
…. if it's a 25W or 26W , he needs to be able bask about 6-8 inches from the compact if it's in a reflector dome and NOT sitting ontop a mesh lid/screen
see this for sorting out the proper set up for a bearded dragon's UV lighting :
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=244145&p=1859473#p1859473
…. if the UV light is over 6 months old , time to ditch it and replace with new 26W UVB200 compact , or even better to upgrade to a 24W T5HO 10%UVB or 12%UVB tube and a proper reflector hood (see above).
And yes - turf out all that sand , and I suggest use some F10sc made up 1:250 in a spray bottle to sterile the tank now sandless tank - no more sand , nor any other particle type substrate - there is NO good particulate substrate for bearded dragons.
Can you please give us a run down on
the tank temperatures (during the day) at the basking spot, the warm zone, cool zone ?
the photoperiod (when are the lights turned on / off each day) ?
the feeding schedule ? the diet ? ….. I recommend this as your best diet and feeding Schedule guide :
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=236074