New Beardie Questions.

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Midge

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So I have a beardie that this is now his 3rd home. He is only about 5 in long but I got him from petsmart. I have done a lot of research and I just want to clarify a few things. Currently I have him in a 93 gallon tank 5x2x2. On one half I have a exo-terra 10.0 UVB and on the other side I have a heat lamp white that gets to about 105-110 in the basking area. I have had him a little over a week and in that time he has eaten about 5 crickets and 1 dish of veggies. I have him on all the recommended veggies as well. He seems pretty alert and is on a set schedule of 12 hrs light 12 hrs dark. The tank never drops below 65 degrees at night. I am concerned of the lack of eating and worried about hydration but have sprayed him down from the neck down with vitamin spray 1 time a day as well. Any advice on what I should do? I am wondering if the tank is too big for him right now? or if I could do something else to help stimulate an appetite. Any advice would be great! Thanks!
 

randtm

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We got our first beardie at Petsmart back in July. She (at least that what we think for now) drove us absolutely crazy as she ate the first two days and then didn't eat hardly at all for over two weeks. We had even talked to Petsmart about needing to bring her back for them to send to a vet and they were kind enough to extend their warranty an extra week to see if it made a difference. Finally, in that third week, she started eating and has eaten great since. We went from going through 30 crickets a week to mail ordering 1500 at a time now that last about a month.

Two things I will mention from my meager experience of owning one for just a few months. First, your post doesn't make it quite clear if the UVB lamp and the basking spot are in the same place. You don't want the heat lamp at one end of the viv and the UVB lamp at the other, as they'll bask under the heat lamp for many hours a day, and that is also when they should be getting their UVB. Also, the tube UVB lights have to be only about 6 inches away from them for them to get adequate UVB. I went with one of the MegaRay mercury vapor lamps to provide both heat and UVB. Apparently on this board, they are the most preferred UVB source. If you go that route, just make sure you stick to the MegaRay, which must be mail-ordered, and don't just say you'd rather pickup the PowerSun unit they sell at Petsmart and Petco. Apparently they are not in the same league at all in terms of safety and performance.

One more thing, and I can't stress this enough from my current experience... If you're like me, you're thinking, "Great, I have this lizard which should be so much easier than a dog in terms of having to take them to vets for checkups and such. It's just a lizard. I don't have to do that like a would a dog." Well, after five months now, our bearded just suddenly started only pooping every three to five days and they smell very bad. After a week and a half of this, we took her to the vet and found out that she has pinworms and coccidia. Well guess what... it only took a couple of searches on this board to realize that if you get a bearded from anywhere where they have ever been kept with other beardeds (i.e. pretty much anywhere, especially Petsmart or Petco), they are almost sure to show with these after a few weeks. So, just plan on taking your bearded to the vet for a checkup with a stool sample after they settle in for a few weeks. Needing to deworm and possibly treat coccidia is apparently almost guaranteed.

Best of luck and enjoy your new family member!
 

Midge

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Original Poster
Thank you for the input! And no they basking and UVB are not in the same area. He is within 6 in of the UVB light and it is an 18in tube light. So should I just switch to mercury vapor then? and remove the UVB? And I will get him checked up on next week after I get paid. Also will try to wait it out and see what happens. Maybe trying bathing tonight. Any more input from anyone?
 

Midge

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Original Poster
And also to clarify. I don't take it as "easier than a dog" I happen to have 4 dogs and a huge aquarium full of Koi and have done my research. :p
 

Midge

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Original Poster
Update: Bathed this morning. Also did sexing. What we thought was a he is a she :p also had a nice BM in the water finally. Was half white half brown don't know what that means so any clarification would be amazing. Thanks!

Edit: Also forgot to mention that her substrate right now is paper towels. So no real risk of impaction.
 

randtm

Member
Yeah, research is the key. Wasn't implying you hadn't. Like I said, "if you're like me". I thought I had done my research, but I missed the issue that they are most likely to need worming and such soon after you get them, just like a puppy. I certainly wasn't expecting "dog-like" vet bills with a lizard!

Regarding the tube light, maybe someone else can give a more definitive statement. I went with the MegaRay after seeing all the positive comments here, but also because I wanted something that provided heat and UVB together. Also, with a glass aquarium, it was much easier to arrange for the bearded to be 12-16 inches away from a MVB than it was to arrange it for them to be 6 inches from a tube. I also didn't want the hassle of dealing with a tube light in the way whenever I wanted to get into the tank. The MVB in a dome fixture is much more convenient. If you do go with a MegaRay, just be sure to realize that you need a good probe thermometer to check the temps at the basking spot and you need to keep a check on them every couple of days for the first 2-3 weeks as the bulbs have some burn in time and the temps will change some in the first few days. Also, your bearded should get calcium that does not have D3 in it as the MVB result in much more efficient D3 production in the lizard naturally and they could get too much if given it in their diet also.

The baths are a great idea. From my experience, as I said, there is a good chance your bearded is just needing some settling in time. They do seem to stress out when relocated and it definitely affects their eating. We tried everything, Phoenix worms, etc., but it just took time for her to adjust. Then she took off. Incidentally, ours didn't care for the Phoenix worms at all, though some swear by them. I'm guessing you already found in your research to never feed mealworms and that Phoenix worms are the only worms you can really use until your bearded is full grown and then they could occasionally have super or wax worms, but never mealworms. In our case, we've found the crickets to her favorite and she does great with her greens, so we're not looking to experiment or change anything for now.

Again, best of luck!
 

Midge

Member
Original Poster
Thanks again for the info. Gonna wait it out another week or so and if not eating will resort to baby food with a syringe and if that doesn't help petsmart said they would have a vet check her out. I will upload some pics of the enclosure and her so I can get some more input. Thanks!
 

Midge

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got her to eat one piece of greens today covered in baby food. Organic applesauce. And just ate one cricket as I am writing this. Hopefully things will be getting better here. Was wondering if anyone has tried force feeding with a syringe and baby food. It didnt sound like the greatest idea but I was wondering for the just in case scenario.
 

Midge

Member
Original Poster
Ok so Tiny is eating here and there now finally. Been a little over 2 weeks and she has eaten maybe a total of 20 crickets or so and about 2.5 of her daily veg. Been bathing and what not. Poop is looking fine. Any more advice? The other night she at 6 crickets in one feeding which is the most she has eaten so far.
 

Midge

Member
Original Poster
Here are some pics of Tiny and her lair! Gimmie some advice if you see something off.

Tiny
CIMG0209-1.jpg


Tiny
CIMG0211.jpg


5x20"x18" Tank
CIMG0212.jpg


Heat Basking
CIMG0215.jpg


UVB Basking
CIMG0216.jpg
 
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