General questions as a first-time carer

phobosdthorga":1ac5rnc6 said:

Hello all! I'm a first time carer for a Bearded Dragon and my little Beardie is called Iggy, aged 4.5 months old and obviously male by the pronoun I just used.
<<< judging from the photo Iggy is older then 5 months (can tell from his development).
<<< but wont hurt to assume he's only 4-5 months old wrt feeding schedule and feeders. --> 3 meals per day of live high quality insects which are appropriately sized for him ( regards crickets, locusts and roachs) see viewtopic.php?f=18&t=237167 and viewtopic.php?f=76&t=234999&p=1807834#p1807834

Being disinterested in feeding for the first few days to week is common , it's stress due to the relocation and it should pass.

He seems to be doing well health and behaviour wise (as far as I can tell), but I do have some questions about health and care for Bearded Dragons.

* It's been a few days since getting him and he hasn't eaten many of his veggies that I've offered, if any. Should I take away the crickets for a day or two and only offer veggies for those days?
<<<< NO , is more important he get LOTS of live insect protein than veg and greens at his age, keep offering the greens and veg , if he eats any , it's a bonus .

So far, I've offered (as veggies) squash (cooked; just boiled in water), finely diced rocket leaves, carrot, parsely, and capsicum (red and green, but not both colours at the same time). Fruits I've offered have been (only a single serving of one at a time) bannana, mango, blueberries, and strawberries. I try to offer him things that are brightly coloured and/or strong smelling. He seems to like things which are either yellowish or cream in colour.

<<<< bright yellow and red and blue things are beardie favs , they have great colour vision and these are the common colours of wild flowers and berries and fruits in their natural range.

* I do need to get a set of scales so I can ascertain his weight.
<<< YES , is a good idea to weigh him weekly and chart this growth based on his weight, can pick up on problems from changes in the trend line , a glass top kitchen scale is fine. (I weigh mine so their entire bodies are off the bench including their tail)

What is the recommended weight-range of a healthy 5-6 month old Inland Bearded Dragon?
<<< my gang
@ 5 months
Puff (M) 167.3g
Rex (F) 209.5g
Peppa (F) 191g
Toothless (M) 137.1

@ 6 months
Puff 214.7g
Rex 263.3g
Peppa 241.7g
Toothless 174.5


* Is a microscope neccessary? I have a professional one at my parents house where I used to live whilst younger, but I'd need them to post it to me interstate which will be very expensive.
<<< if you have one it can be handy , you can do your own fecal floats.

* Should I leave, turned-on, the heat-source on the hot-side at night? His basking spot is approximately 36 *C and he tends to have his mouth agape whilst basking,

<<<< My gang have a small warmed area (via heatpad under their hides) that is warmed 24/7.
<<<< at night the lights GO OUT , no heat globes that throw any light. If it's very chilly in the room where the hatchling's viv is kept , it is a good idea to provide overnight heat via a thermostat controlled ceramic heat emitter to keep the viv warmer than 24 degC.

<<<< how are you measuring the temperatures at the basking spot and elsewhere in the viv, if he's gaping all the time , he's too hot and indicates the 36 degC is not measured properly.
I use these in my vivs https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-LCD-Digital-Temperature-Thermometer-Fridge-Freezer-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Reptile/172452294173?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140107090050%26meid%3D2f7042e06fbf49ef8ed29ef34ebfc083%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D391259141696
stick on strip and dial type thermometers are so inaccurate as to be useless , you have no idea the actual temperature in the viv
Set us as show here :
A GOOD GUIDE FOR SETTING UP THE THERMAL AND UV GRADIENT IN A VIV.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050

which I should take as a good sign? I've been told that they thermoregulate in this manner with their mouth agape, and that they are at the 'perfect' temperature for basking as such.

* It appears as if his tail was bitten or something while he was growing up in the pet shop. Can someone approximate what is wrong with his tail in this picture, please? Or if it is just a natural deformation? And if there is a problem due to it being the pet shop's fault, is there anything I can possibly do about it? https://dl.dropbox.com/s/4uswpqdq8b994ho/IMG_20171021_102809.jpg

<<< I'd keep an eye in his tail tip , is definitely damaged ,been bitten / cropped by another hatchling - it happens in overcrowded rearing tanks.

<<< I'm more worried about the calci-sand / vita- sand you have in the viv as it's substrate , that stuff needs to be gone IMMEDIATELY , it's lethal to dragons who accidentially ingest it , the impactions are like concrete !

* Lastly, Iggy likes to jump, A LOT. He doesn't seem to have good depth perception despite having more brawn than brains, so he occassionally falls from the distance of a foot or two with a bit of a thud. Is this behaviour both normal and safe?

<<< they have great colour vision and eyesight being opportunistic predator/insectivores in the wild most of the year , but lousey depth perception, they do leap.

Click to expand...

phobosdthorga":1fp3yyyq said:

<<< Thank you SO MUCH for the highly detailed reply, your information is allowing me to be a better carer to Iggy

judging from the photo Iggy is older then 5 months (can tell from his development).
but wont hurt to assume he's only 4-5 months old wrt feeding schedule and feeders. --> 3 meals per day of live high quality insects which are appropriately sized for him ( regards crickets, locusts and roachs) see
<<< I'm only going by what the pet shop told me, and they seemed reputable enough going by their reasonable prices and health of all their Beardies. They also had reasonable numbers of reptiles to each tank, which really surprised me. The advice they gave on caretaking though was pretty poor and even dangerous at times, with it being heavy on making a good sale But yeah, Iggy eats about 9-10 'medium' crickets a day and when I took them away on the weekend for two days (without knowing better, alas) he seemed to have eaten a good amount of veggies; squash in particular with some blueberries. Will he be okay considering he went without protein and the other goodness of crickets for those two days?

NO , is more important he get LOTS of live insect protein than veg and greens at his age, keep offering the greens and veg , if he eats any , it's a bonus.
<<< Point taken

bright yellow and red and blue things are beardie favs , they have great colour vision and these are the common colours of wild flowers and berries and fruits in their natural range.
<<< I haven't been offering much Blue, as that doesn't exist greatly in the veggie world with regard to Human diets especially in Australia, but there's been plenty of Yellow and Red.

<<< I'm also in Australia, I offer occasional blueberries and blackberries to my gang (BTs and beardies and even the wild water skinks).
My beardies as hatchlings were for ever trying to eat the red, yellow and blue buttons on the video remote ....
and I have a couple of regular visitors , wild water skinks who spend a fair bit of time living inside our house and are regularly seen hunting about the house (for rogue crickets , wild roaches & spiders and have been seen attacking a green grape one day and a blueberry that had been dropped onto the kitchen floor .... too big to swallow but was having a good go at trying to bight a bit off it and a was chasing it about as it rolled. LOL silly bugger, I offered quartered green grapes and blueberries when we had then from there on and discovered they were a hit with the skinks and dragons.


YES , is a good idea to weigh him weekly and chart this growth based on his weight, can pick up on problems from changes in the trend line , a glass top kitchen scale is fine. (I weigh mine so their entire bodies are off the bench including their tail)
<<< Thank you for those weights! They'll definitely come in handy ^_^ And awwr, you named one Toothless
<<<< my at the time when they hatchlings ideas were Peppa for the little girl and Toothless for the boy, both his favourate cartoon characters at the time.

My gang have a small warmed area (via heatpad under their hides) that is warmed 24/7.
at night the lights GO OUT , no heat globes that throw any light. If it's very chilly in the room where the hatchling's viv is kept , it is a good idea to provide overnight heat via a thermostat controlled ceramic heat emitter to keep the viv warmer than 24 degC.
<<< That means I'd have to manually change the thermostat each time at night, potentially leading to Human error.
<<<< one thermostat only .... this is controlling the ceramic heat emitter only and run 24/7 .
The basking globe should simply be set up to give the correct basking temperature (for summer) and on a domestic timer only along with the UVB compact or tube , AND LIGHTS ON at least 15 hr per day (I run my lights 16 hr per day year round - I do not adjust them for the season).
Is it worth that? I already know that the UVB lights must go off after a 12 hour period, and anyway, Iggy gets quite grumpy otherwise and puffs up his beard if it's past his bedtime. It's awfully cute to see
<<< I use a digital thermometer with two probes you can switch measuring between through the use of a button, and it seems pretty accurate. Maybe only off by a degree celcius or two at the very most. One probe is right under the basking area on the substrate whilst the other probe is in the cool area, approximately half-way down the vivarium at the very front. The cool side is cooler by a few degrees celcius at any one time. I do need to get a hygrometer though, so does anyone here recommend a particular model?
<<< check Ebay for digital thermometers , though it's very unlikely you'll have relative humidities that are high enough to be a concern unless you live in Darwin or Cairns.

Lastly, thanks for the picture, but I was already given such a diagram at the pet shop when first given the Dragon. It's required by law here in New South Wales, Australia
<<< I'm well aware of rules here in NSW.

<<< I should further mention that his current basking lamp is a 150W Ceramic Heating Coil and its of such a high wattage due to their being no reflector, and the top of the vivarium being a aluminium mesh screen. I've covered it with aluminium foil to try and insulate it better, as seen here:
<<<< the converted fish tank will be OK for a rearing tank , consider building a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft timber viv with front sliding glass doors for him when he gets older than 12 -18 months for his forever home .

<<< I know such tops are absolutely horrible to have around when you have cats, and we have two of them, with one usually always present in the room at a time. I always lock out the main bully of a cat when there are no Humans present to keep an eye on Iggy, but the other cat we HAVE to keep present in the same room as the vivarium because the main bully of a cat will bully this other cat otherwise *sighs*.
<<<< NEVER EVER TRUST ANY CAT around a lizard.
<<<< cat needs to banished from the room where the beardie is kept and never allowed to even see the dragon EVER else it will end in tear.

With that said, I am intending to replace the mesh-cover on-top of the tank within two weeks with plywood once I get paid again. That will keeps the cats out AND allow me to use lower wattage heating lamps I'm also intending to use a T5 fluorescent light in the following months, but within a week, there'll just be two Reptile One 13W CFL 10% UVB bulbs within the tank and that should keep me going for the short-term. Currently, there's only one Reptile One 13W CFL 10% UVB bulb.
<<< 13W 10% compacts (even good ones like Zoo Med, Exo Terra (UVB200) and Arcadia are WAY TOO WEAK , simply no penetrating power - see viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611 , the aim is 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm @ the basking spot and 100 microW UVB / sq.cm elsewhere .
<<<< toss the Reptile One CFB in the bin , replace it with a 26W UVB200 , at the very least, better off with an Arcadia t5HO 12%UVB tube in a reflector hood longer timer (about 2/3 - 3/4 the viv length).

I'm more worried about the calci-sand / vita- sand you have in the viv as it's substrate , that stuff needs to be gone IMMEDIATELY , it's lethal to dragons who accidentially ingest it , the impactions are like concrete !
<<< I thought that would be an issue, after becoming concerned myself when spilling a little water on it myself. And yeah, it did exactly what you just said, it became rock hard and concrete-like. I immediately imagined that within the stomach of my Beardie. What do you recommend as a substrate then? They suggested Chipped Walnut at the pet-shop to me,[/color]
<<<< chipped walnut !?! ... what shop was that ?
they are totally clueless.

but again, they have offered nothing but bad advice to me so far with only tidbits of helpfulness. That substrate you see in Iggy's tank is also what came with the vivarium, which was originally on display at the pet-shop. Who knows how many individuals have handled it with their grubby hands...
<<<< scott towels are fine , later you can go to ceramic loosely laid textured surface floor tiles.
<<<< Some recommend Bunnings Playsand , I don't recommend any sands , too much risk of impaction and too hard to keep clean.

they have great colour vision and eyesight being opportunistic predator/insectivores in the wild most of the year , but lousey depth perception, they do leap.
<<< So a fall from a few feet isn't too bad?
<<<< dangerous to allow a dragon to fall more than 12 inches expecially onto a hard unforgiving surface , in the wild they will leap off fence posts , tree stumps, termite mounds and boulders that are up to 4ft high but will land on thick grass or leaf litter which is very forgiving

Click to expand...

kingofnobbys":3iua6h1l said:

<<< I haven't been offering much Blue, as that doesn't exist greatly in the veggie world with regard to Human diets especially in Australia, but there's been plenty of Yellow and Red.

<<< I'm also in Australia, I offer occasional blueberries and blackberries to my gang (BTs and beardies and even the wild water skinks).
By beardies as hatchlings were for ever trying to eat the red, yellow and blue buttons on the video remote ....

Click to expand...

phobosdthorga":a13fb6zz said:

No loose substrate? Seriously? I think you are going overboard there. You have to remember that these lizards used to live in the wild (and still do) yet they managed to live somewhat long, happy lives as such. Maybe not as long as lizards in captivity, but still So with that considered, just how bad is crushed wallnut and/or other possible loose substrates?

Click to expand...

Do you live in Queensland, by chance? I have a close friend who lives there and the wildlife up that end of Australia is insane. They have wild Beardies running loose in Brisbane! It's just amazing to see ^_^ I bet they loooove the sugar in grapes and blueberries though, hence why they are such a hit

Awwr, no way!

I was more mentioning it for the other board members who might not be aware

I kind'a gathered that Otherwise, they do offer fair prices, at least. So there is that for emergency purposes and some of their Exo Terra products...

Iggy is THANKFULLY starting to learn that if he jumps and fall great distances that it actually, indeed, does hurt, so it is therefore not a good thing to repeat often. He now climbs down my leg pants and such, like a good Dragon of his stature should

kingofnobbys":h7t8m5og said:

They are lethal to tasty feely lizards like bearded dragons, who have a habit of licking / tasting everything they come in contact with .

>>> cause lethal impactions
>>> perfect breeding / culture media for viruses, bacteria and fungi as they soke up liquid wastes like a sponge.

Click to expand...

phobosdthorga":2fcmg09e said:

<<< I'm also in Australia, I offer occasional blueberries and blackberries to my gang (BTs and beardies and even the wild water skinks).
My beardies as hatchlings were for ever trying to eat the red, yellow and blue buttons on the video remote ....
and I have a couple of regular visitors , wild water skinks who spend a fair bit of time living inside our house and are regularly seen hunting about the house (for rogue crickets , wild roaches & spiders and have been seen attacking a green grape one day and a blueberry that had been dropped onto the kitchen floor .... too big to swallow but was having a good go at trying to bight a bit off it and a was chasing it about as it rolled. LOL silly bugger, I offered quartered green grapes and blueberries when we had then from there on and discovered they were a hit with the skinks and dragons.

Do you live in Queensland, by chance? I have a close friend who lives there and the wildlife up that end of Australia is insane. They have wild Beardies running loose in Brisbane! It's just amazing to see ^_^ I bet they loooove the sugar in grapes and blueberries though, hence why they are such a hit

<<< Lake Macquarie .... we see eastern bluetongues, eastern water dragons and eastern beardies, and eastern water skinks , and delicate skinks, rainbow skinks , 3 barred skinks , and jackies .


<<<< my at the time when they hatchlings ideas were Peppa for the little girl and Toothless for the boy, both his favourate cartoon characters at the time.

Awwr, no way!


<<< check Ebay for digital thermometers , though it's very unlikely you'll have relative humidities that are high enough to be a concern unless you live in Darwin or Cairns.

I found an excellent product here: http://www.abdfreptilesupplies.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=65_80&product_id=239


<<< I'm well aware of rules here in NSW.

I was more mentioning it for the other board members who might not be aware


<<<< the converted fish tank will be OK for a rearing tank , consider building a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft timber viv with front sliding glass doors for him when he gets older than 12 -18 months for his forever home .

They actually mentioned that at the pet store, that I might want to upgrade in 6 - 12 months when he's grown quite a bit larger. Currently, the vivarium I have is 3 x 2 x 2 feet.


<<<< toss the Reptile One CFB in the bin , replace it with a 26W UVB200 , at the very least, better off with an Arcadia t5HO 12%UVB tube in a reflector hood longer timer (about 2/3 - 3/4 the viv length).

I've already tried to get a refund for one I have purchased but not used yet, as it is still in the original packaging. Sadly, getting better UVB lights is something that can only happen in 4 - 6 weeks from now, as I'm not financially ready at the moment. Will Iggy be okay waiting that long and be sufficient on the Reptile One lights?

<<< good thing it's getting warmer now and is sunny most days. I suggest sitting on the grass with him on your chest or lap for about an hour a day in the afternoons in the mean time.


<<<< chipped walnut !?! ... what shop was that ?
they are totally clueless.

I kind'a gathered that Otherwise, they do offer fair prices, at least. So there is that for emergency purposes and some of their Exo Terra products...


<<<< scott towels are fine , later you can go to ceramic loosely laid textured surface floor tiles.
<<<< Some recommend Bunnings Playsand , I don't recommend any sands , too much risk of impaction and too hard to keep clean.

I really do like the property of how sand holds heat, alas. I might go with Bunnings play sand as an interim medium until I can insulate the vivarium better and thus move to the floor tiles. I appreciate you taking the time to kindly explain the dangers of loose substrate to me, and I already do know how impossible it is to sterilize. I more see the dangers of it getting germy than there being a real risk of impaction though.


<<<< dangerous to allow a dragon to fall more than 12 inches expecially onto a hard unforgiving surface , in the wild they will leap off fence posts , tree stumps, termite mounds and boulders that are up to 4ft high but will land on thick grass or leaf litter which is very forgiving

Iggy is THANKFULLY starting to learn that if he jumps and fall great distances that it actually, indeed, does hurt, so it is therefore not a good thing to repeat often. He now climbs down my leg pants and such, like a good Dragon of his stature should

kingofnobbys":2fcmg09e said:

They are lethal to tasty feely lizards like bearded dragons, who have a habit of licking / tasting everything they come in contact with .

>>> cause lethal impactions
>>> perfect breeding / culture media for viruses, bacteria and fungi as they soke up liquid wastes like a sponge.

Click to expand...

Please see my reply just above

Click to expand...

phobosdthorga":23y67ozl said:

<<< I'm also in Australia, I offer occasional blueberries and blackberries to my gang (BTs and beardies and even the wild water skinks).
My beardies as hatchlings were for ever trying to eat the red, yellow and blue buttons on the video remote ....
and I have a couple of regular visitors , wild water skinks who spend a fair bit of time living inside our house and are regularly seen hunting about the house (for rogue crickets , wild roaches & spiders and have been seen attacking a green grape one day and a blueberry that had been dropped onto the kitchen floor .... too big to swallow but was having a good go at trying to bight a bit off it and a was chasing it about as it rolled. LOL silly bugger, I offered quartered green grapes and blueberries when we had then from there on and discovered they were a hit with the skinks and dragons.

Do you live in Queensland, by chance? I have a close friend who lives there and the wildlife up that end of Australia is insane. They have wild Beardies running loose in Brisbane! It's just amazing to see ^_^ I bet they loooove the sugar in grapes and blueberries though, hence why they are such a hit


<<<< my at the time when they hatchlings ideas were Peppa for the little girl and Toothless for the boy, both his favourate cartoon characters at the time.

Awwr, no way!


<<< check Ebay for digital thermometers , though it's very unlikely you'll have relative humidities that are high enough to be a concern unless you live in Darwin or Cairns.

I found an excellent product here: http://www.abdfreptilesupplies.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=65_80&product_id=239

Pretty pricey.... I don't buy from that "one man band" as a rule , I also avoid that Ebay mob based in Sydney , and there was a dodgey Ebay shop based in Gosford who are no longer trading thankfully .... sold very dodgey UV lights .


<<< I'm well aware of rules here in NSW.

I was more mentioning it for the other board members who might not be aware


<<<< the converted fish tank will be OK for a rearing tank , consider building a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft timber viv with front sliding glass doors for him when he gets older than 12 -18 months for his forever home .

They actually mentioned that at the pet store, that I might want to upgrade in 6 - 12 months when he's grown quite a bit larger. Currently, the vivarium I have is 3 x 2 x 2 feet.


<<<< toss the Reptile One CFB in the bin , replace it with a 26W UVB200 , at the very least, better off with an Arcadia t5HO 12%UVB tube in a reflector hood longer timer (about 2/3 - 3/4 the viv length).

I've already tried to get a refund for one I have purchased but not used yet, as it is still in the original packaging. Sadly, getting better UVB lights is something that can only happen in 4 - 6 weeks from now, as I'm not financially ready at the moment. Will Iggy be okay waiting that long and be sufficient on the Reptile One lights?


<<<< chipped walnut !?! ... what shop was that ?
they are totally clueless.

I kind'a gathered that Otherwise, they do offer fair prices, at least. So there is that for emergency purposes and some of their Exo Terra products...


<<<< scott towels are fine , later you can go to ceramic loosely laid textured surface floor tiles.
<<<< Some recommend Bunnings Playsand , I don't recommend any sands , too much risk of impaction and too hard to keep clean.

I really do like the property of how sand holds heat, alas. I might go with Bunnings play sand as an interim medium until I can insulate the vivarium better and thus move to the floor tiles. I appreciate you taking the time to kindly explain the dangers of loose substrate to me, and I already do know how impossible it is to sterilize. I more see the dangers of it getting germy than there being a real risk of impaction though.


<<<< dangerous to allow a dragon to fall more than 12 inches expecially onto a hard unforgiving surface , in the wild they will leap off fence posts , tree stumps, termite mounds and boulders that are up to 4ft high but will land on thick grass or leaf litter which is very forgiving

Iggy is THANKFULLY starting to learn that if he jumps and fall great distances that it actually, indeed, does hurt, so it is therefore not a good thing to repeat often. He now climbs down my leg pants and such, like a good Dragon of his stature should

kingofnobbys":23y67ozl said:

They are lethal to tasty feely lizards like bearded dragons, who have a habit of licking / tasting everything they come in contact with .

>>> cause lethal impactions
>>> perfect breeding / culture media for viruses, bacteria and fungi as they soke up liquid wastes like a sponge.

Click to expand...

Please see my reply just above

Click to expand...

AHBD":i2ilfulf said:

Hi there, with all this massive wall of texts I don't know if anyone asked if you still have the foil on top of the tank ? If so, take it off right away, that will trap the heat and bake your beardie. I apologize if that was already mentioned. You maybe are using a very low watt heat bulb ?

Click to expand...