Many MANY questions! (New beardie owner!)

Mochwi · Oct 17, 2018

(Tiki is now coming Thursday!)

So I have never had a reptile as a pet before but I have done SO MUCH research! My (about 2 month old) baby bearded dragons is being shipped to me and arriving today. The tank is all set up except some things are missing. Because I ordered most of my supplies from Amazon some items aren't coming today! The two main things are the fixture for the heating bulb and the Dubia Roaches themselves! My solution to the dubia roaches is to just get some small crickets from a pet store and feed Tiki (the beardie) those for the time being until her actual food comes. My main concern is the heating fixture. I know how important a basking light is and I don't want anything bad happening to Tiki because I really care for my little boo... What should I do? Should I wait for it to come (which could be around 1~2 days) or SPEED to a pet store and get a bulb? I would send a picture of my set up but I don't know how and I'm not currently at my house. The tank itself is a 36 x 18 x 18 with (I believe a long 10. 22 inch tube UVB light). Fair warning I have no idea what it is actually called that's most of what I remember. The heating bulb I forget but will eventually update the question and put that on here. I completely decorated the tank with 3 hammocks, green ivy, leaf food bowls, driftwood, rocks, fleece digging strips with the substrate being a custom cage liner I got on Etsy.

If anyone has ANY advice please supply it! I want Tiki to have the best possible life I can give her! She comes from a very kind breeder in Tennessee and she says she's a sweetie.

(Tuesday's and Saturday's = bath + clean cage fully)
Here is my schedule (quickly jotted down):
Morning:
-5:30 am: wake up, take Tiki out and feed dusted down Dubia roaches for 15 mins as much as she can eat. (Turn lights and set everything up for the day)
-5:45 am: prepare salad and put in cage
-6:00 am: socialize for a bit and hang out with Tiki
-7:00~ am: leave for school
Night:
-6:00 pm: feeding ritual again
-6:15 pm: socialize + hang out
---( figure out bed time)-----
Any advice you can give to help me get Tiki to be a loving kind little beardie! Tell me! Anything helps!

Also, are the "stress marks" on a beardies belly actually there as stress indicators or only for gaining more heat?

Terry15 · Oct 17, 2018

I would go to the pet store and at least get her a fixture & basking bulb. You will also need a digital probe thermometer so that you can measure the temperature before she even gets there. 105 degrees on her basking area, you may even need a Ceramic Heat Emitter bulb & fixture, depending on how cold it is in the tank at night. Don’t get any colored bulbs for night time heat. You will also need to be careful of those hammocks, the mesh ones, they can get their nails caught in them. Which will result in injuries, broken or sprained arms, legs. I hope that you have the fixture for the UVB 10.0 22” long tube. That would be the Repti sun UVB light. I’m sure that there is a lot more you may need before she gets here. There are quite a few people on this forum that can give you better advice, so just keep posting today before you stop at the pet store.
Be very cautious about what the pet store recommends.
They are only trying to make $$$ off of new owners. I would get some very small crickets until you get your packages in the mail. Keep reading as much as possible on this site so that you can get her what she needs before she gets there, most important being the correct temperatures & lighting.

Mochwi · Oct 17, 2018

Thank you so much for the info! I actually did get two mesh fabric hammocks but covered them in a green bandanna to solve that problem.

AHBD · Oct 17, 2018

Hi there, how exciting for you waiting on the new baby ! Where is she coming from ?

If you need a hear fixture, get an aluminum one at Lowe's, Agway or Walmart. A halogen bulb can also be used rather than a pet store bulb, I buy 4 packs of either 75 or 100 watt equivalent bulbs at Walmart. I never buy pet store bulbs.

Your baby may not eat when awakened at 5:30 a.m. I raised many clutches from the egg, your baby will settle in + not need to be fed outside the tank. Feed her about 30 minutes or so after lights come on + she heats up a bit, right in her tank. If you use crickets be SURE they are smaller than the space bewteen her eyes, like Terry said, very important. If a pet store employee tries to sell you larger ones just leave and call around for a store that HAS small crickets. Just use a container with a lid to shake them up with a pinch of calcium powder [ shaking the crix makes them slow + dizzy ] and drop in a few at a time. When your roaches arrive you can just leave them in a bowl near her.

Don't be upset if she doesn't eat right away, it may take a few days for her to settle in.

Mochwi · Oct 17, 2018

Thank you so much for the info! I just got home and the bulb says to be 160w. Is that way too much? It's by the brand Living Nature and called Super Sun UV.

I just realized that the bulb is probably way too powerful. 12" is considered to be in the danger zone... at 43°C. My tank is only around 18 in". Would it be better for me to just get a whole new bulb? I fear this one is WAYY too intense.

xAnaBooo · Oct 17, 2018

Hi

I'm a new owner too, but I'm also a student so I have a few tips.

My lighting schedule is 10am - 10pm because I have school and I'd rather him stay awake with me, and also have more room for eating + socializing.

I just leave him a bowl of bsfl before I leave for school, and he can eat them whenever he wants to when he wakes up and is ready.

When I come home, (around 3) I feed him some salad and when he doesnt want anymore salad (they arent the biggest fans this early, if yours is a baby) is when I start feeding the worms. This is easier to do when you're able to start handfeeding, but they need mostly protein to grow if they are young so if they don't eat all their salad I wouldn't worry too much.

You can leave salad in the morning too, but it might be dried up and dehydrated by the time he eats it. I like the bsfl cause they're helpless and they cant escape like roaches or crickets can, so I can just leave them in there. They don't need to be dusted either.

I feed him again at 7 or whenever he feels like it. Good luck

ps, I'd go for a lower wattage. Mine is 90w halogen from home depot, and even then I have to use a dimmer. If you don't want to spend a ton of time guessing the wattage and testing everything out, I'd go and invest in a simple dimmer and a good probe or laser thermometer. The stick-ons aren't the best. If you run out of bugs, don't panic. They can just eat salad until the new ones get there.

Mochwi · Oct 17, 2018

Thank you! School for me also ends around 3:15~ish so I think your method would work pretty well for me. So would I get a type of temperature gun and 100 wat bulb? I'm not sure what a dimmer is but I have mesh on the top of my cage so I'm assuming that cancels out some of the heating. So would a 100(or so) wat bulb work to get it to an average temperature?

Also, what should the average temperature be for the basking spot and "cool side" of the tank?

Thank you guys so muchfor all the information, it really helps!

kingofnobbys · Oct 18, 2018

Mochwi":3j7hxrdt said:
(Tiki is now coming Thursday!)

So I have never had a reptile as a pet before but I have done SO MUCH research! My (about 2 month old) baby bearded dragons is being shipped to me and arriving today.
<<< ideally 3 meals of insects per day for your little hatchling/juvenile dragon :
here's an guide I set up for someone else : viewtopic.php?f=45&t=244111&p=1859195#p1859195
<<< make sure the temperatures are right NOW …. for most of us this involves trial and error to get the basking spot to the 38-40 degC range , and warm zone in the 32-35 degC range and the cool zone 26-30 degC.
A handful of these will help you get the temperatures right - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LCD-Digital-Thermometer-for-Fridge-Freezer-Aquarium-FISH-TANK-Temperature-OZ/282809845274?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D52946%26meid%3Dfc83a42b47664064a7bf0a6b38cfb7ef%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D272988772908%26itm%3D282809845274&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

<<<< Make sure you have the UV right , aiming for about 200 microW UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot and 100 microW UVB / sq.cm elsewhere , hard to beat Arcadia T5ho 12%UVB tubes in a reflector hood mounted under the lid of the tank , see this for more info and comparisons : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611
The tank is all set up except some things are missing. Because I ordered most of my supplies from Amazon some items aren't coming today! The two main things are the fixture for the heating bulb and the Dubia Roaches themselves! My solution to the dubia roaches is to just get some small crickets from a pet store and feed Tiki (the beardie) those for the time being until her actual food comes. My main concern is the heating fixture. I know how important a basking light is and I don't want anything bad happening to Tiki because I really care for my little boo... What should I do? Should I wait for it to come (which could be around 1~2 days) or SPEED to a pet store and get a bulb? I would send a picture of my set up but I don't know how and I'm not currently at my house. The tank itself is a 36 x 18 x 18 with (I believe a long 10. 22 inch tube UVB light). Fair warning I have no idea what it is actually called that's most of what I remember. The heating bulb I forget but will eventually update the question and put that on here. I completely decorated the tank with 3 hammocks, green ivy, leaf food bowls, driftwood, rocks, fleece digging strips with the substrate being a custom cage liner I got on Etsy.

If anyone has ANY advice please supply it! I want Tiki to have the best possible life I can give her! She comes from a very kind breeder in Tennessee and she says she's a sweetie.

(Tuesday's and Saturday's = bath + clean cage fully)
Here is my schedule (quickly jotted down):
Morning:
-5:30 am: wake up, take Tiki out and feed dusted down Dubia roaches for 15 mins as much as she can eat. (Turn lights and set everything up for the day)
<<<< I'd give the dragon a good 90min to 2 hours warmup/wakeup before giving it's brekky to it.... will be fully warm and awake and starving hungry then. (much better than trying to feed it while it's still half asleep and cold.
Perhaps beardie brekky 6:30pm, then last thing before leaving put the fresh salad in the dish.

-5:45 am: prepare salad and put in cage
-6:00 am: socialize for a bit and hang out with Tiki
-7:00~ am: leave for school

<<<< I'd give the evening feed of bugs soon as you get home from school , then while you are doing your homework just let beardie watch you and when it's bigger , let it chill out next to you on the floor....
Night:
-6:00 pm: feeding ritual again
-6:15 pm: socialize + hang out
---( figure out bed time)-----

<<< I set a photoperiod of 14- 16 hours …. so if your lights are on a timer set to turn on automatically at 5:30am, set the lets to turn off automatically at 9pm will work fine.
Any advice you can give to help me get Tiki to be a loving kind little beardie! Tell me! Anything helps!

Also, are the "stress marks" on a beardies belly actually there as stress indicators or only for gaining more heat?

The patterns on their tummy and under their chin can indicate stress , and other things too....not always stress (it's kind off an overstatement).
My experience is a happy beardie will brighten up lots (especially in the face and under the chin = happy colours …. you'll know them when you see them).

Mochwi · Oct 18, 2018

Thank you so much! All this info is super herlpful!

xAnaBooo · Oct 18, 2018

A dimmer is just a little slider you can use to adjust the strength and brightness of the light. Using a 100w it probably wont be too dark. Also depends on how high your basking spot is though - mine is about 3-4 inches off the ground, which isnt much. if yours is high up I would definitely get a dimmer, or lower wattage, or something to raise the lamp.

About the stress marks, many people say a lot of babies have them so I wouldn't worry too much about them. Mine still has some

Drache613 · Oct 18, 2018

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

Drache613 · Oct 18, 2018

Hello,

You have done a great job planning, it does take time!

Did Tiki arrive today?
Socializing is an important part of owning a dragon. Or should I say, them owning you. LOL
Are you in the US or Australia? I am not familiar with that particular brand of light/MVB, or
is it an All Living Things brand? A 160 watt would be pretty strong for a smaller tank. Your tank
is about 18 inches in length, or what are the exact dimensions?

Tracie

Mochwi · Oct 18, 2018

The tanks length is 36 inches while the width and height is 18 inches. I just got her and she's doing great, she hasn't been eating her salads and has eaten only about 8 small calcium dusted dubia roaches. The only problem is currently I don't have a heating fixture. The UVB is set through the whole length of the tank but I don't have a done for my new 120 wat light... Otherwise she is actually doing awesome, I have been taking her out quite a bit and she loves to be pet and is exploring her cage licking things. I am also in California (US).

AHBD · Oct 18, 2018

Did I read this right [ correct me if not ! ] You don't have the heat lamp set up yet ? You can get an aluminum dome fixture at any walmart , home depot or lowe's. You really need to have the heat bulb on, she will not be able to digest the food without it. If apologize if I misunderstood. :?

Mochwi · Oct 18, 2018

Yea. I don't have it... It said it was coming today in the mail but nothing has arrived yet.

Many MANY questions! (New beardie owner!)

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