some questions

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cperret

Member
hello, i apologize if i have posted this in the wrong place. i'm very new to the forums and am still learning. i just have a few questions regarding my bearded dragon, they're quite random. there are still many things that i am curious about since owning a bearded dragon, or any reptile at all, is new to me.

1. so my beardie came from a previous owner who wasn't mean or abusive to him in any way, he just didn't know how to take care of him. because of that, he came to me very skinny and small. i can see his little hip bones poking out. he's about a year old and a little over 8 inches from the tip of his tail to his nose. he's a pretty good eater, i've been giving him dubia roaches, mustard greens, collard greens, and i even gave him a little bit of mango today, which he absolutely loved :D my question is, with his age and current physical state, what should the ratio of plant matter to protein be? from what i've read it seems that baby bearded dragons need more protein to grow, so i was wondering if he should be getting that same amount since he is so small? right now his diet is mostly greens. i apologize if that is a stupid or obvious question, like i said this is all new to me and i want to be sure i'm doing the best i can for him.

2. i'm kind of confused on supplements. for the most part i've seen owners recommending calcium with vitamin D3, but i've also seen people claiming that it is better to have calcium without vitamin D3. i've also seen others claiming that vitamins aren't necessary at all. so my questions are, are they really needed? if so, is it better to have calcium with or without D3? also, i'm also not sure how much to give benson (my beardie) considering how small he is. so i would also like some insight into how often i should supplement his food, and how much to use each time.

3. i feel silly asking this, but is there a certain way i should bond with him? he doesn't hate me but he's not all that fond of me either. i'll hold him for about 5 to 10 minutes a day and stroke him, but i'm not sure if that's actually doing anything, or if there's anything else i could do.

4. i recently purchased this IR thermometer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053Y6IPE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
i'm curious if anyone might know if it's trustworthy or not. i haven't used it too much yet but from what i've seen i'm not entirely sure if it give an accurate reading. if you know of a better one that won't break the bank, please let me know.

5. are bearded dragons very active specimens? benson was very lethargic when he first came to me. almost every time i peered into his cage, he would be completely limp with his eyes closed. it also seemed that he had no strength in his front legs, because he wouldn't support himself on them. he has shown some improvement since i got him. he has been using his front legs and seems more alert. but i'm still worried because often times he'll sit in one spot without moving for hours. once again, this might be a stupid question, but i was just wondering if this was normal behavior. he's very energetic when i feed him, but when i leave him in his cage he seems very tired.

ok, those are all my questions. i got him recently and have yet to move him into his new home. he came to me in a 20g tank, but i've been doing my research and am going to move him into a new and improved home very soon. i'm hopeful that he will show even more improvement once i do. i will probably post some pictures of it just to make sure that everything is perfect once it's all set up, and i am hoping to post a picture of benson once he fattens up a little. i'm very fond of him already and am hopeful for his recovery. thank you all so much in advance :D

P.S. i apologize for all these silly questions. i just want to make sure that i'm doing everything right for benson
 

Mysty

Juvie Member
Questions are always fine. You want the best for your beardie after all.

To help people give advice please list exactly what lighting and heating you have in the vivarium currently and what temperature the viv is on the hot side (under heat lamp) and cool side.

Please also upload pictures of him and the set up.

Its great that he's eating. Under 12 months old have mainly insects with 20% or so greens offered. From then on they graduate to approx 20% live and 80% greens, so perhaps slowly reduce livefood intake. Do rinse the greens before offering as this aids in hydration.

Re bonding, what you are doing now - short and gentle handling is ideal. Some hand feeding will help build a bond.

Also just a heads up, the lethargy could be down to not being fed enough previously, poor lighting, e.g. not enough UVB (very important), viv not hot enough or parasites, illness etc. If he is alert when he sees you, able to climb and bask, run etc then he is not likely to be in immediate trouble.

All the best to you and your beardie.
 

cperret

Member
Original Poster
ah yes, i apologize for not including that information. i have a reptisun 10.0 T5 24w fluorescent lamp, 22". it is mounted inside the tank. there is also a 90w par38 halogen floodlight that i have on an adjustable lamp stand. the basking spot is 95 and the cool side is 80. they are on for 12 hours a day. i don't use anything to heat the tank at night and temps drop to around 75. i will post some pictures of him and the setup as soon as i can, i just want to wait until he's in his new tank. the only reason he's not yet is because i have yet to cut the tiles i bought as substrate so they will fit. his setup now is kind of pitiful. it came to me exactly as the previous owner had it, i just changed the lighting.

he's around a year, that's all the information i was given in terms of his age.
 

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
cperret":19d354f1 said:
hello, i apologize if i have posted this in the wrong place. i'm very new to the forums and am still learning. i just have a few questions regarding my bearded dragon, they're quite random. there are still many things that i am curious about since owning a bearded dragon, or any reptile at all, is new to me. <<<questions are always welcomed. That's how we learn!

1. so my beardie came from a previous owner who wasn't mean or abusive to him in any way, he just didn't know how to take care of him. because of that, he came to me very skinny and small. i can see his little hip bones poking out. he's about a year old and a little over 8 inches from the tip of his tail to his nose. he's a pretty good eater, i've been giving him dubia roaches, mustard greens, collard greens, and i even gave him a little bit of mango today, which he absolutely loved :D my question is, with his age and current physical state, what should the ratio of plant matter to protein be? from what i've read it seems that baby bearded dragons need more protein to grow, so i was wondering if he should be getting that same amount since he is so small? right now his diet is mostly greens. i apologize if that is a stupid or obvious question, like i said this is all new to me and i want to be sure i'm doing the best i can for him. <<<hmmm, that is pretty small. Does he have a full tail or a nipped tail? In regards to the insect/plant ratio, I would feed him as many bugs and greens as he would like to eat, but with bugs being the first meal. Protein is what will help him grow, so feed that first.

2. i'm kind of confused on supplements. for the most part i've seen owners recommending calcium with vitamin D3, but i've also seen people claiming that it is better to have calcium without vitamin D3. i've also seen others claiming that vitamins aren't necessary at all. so my questions are, are they really needed? if so, is it better to have calcium with or without D3? also, i'm also not sure how much to give benson (my beardie) considering how small he is. so i would also like some insight into how often i should supplement his food, and how much to use each time. <<<Go ahead and use calcium with D3 5x a week (1 dusting per day) with multivitamins 2x a week (1 dusting a day also)

3. i feel silly asking this, but is there a certain way i should bond with him? he doesn't hate me but he's not all that fond of me either. i'll hold him for about 5 to 10 minutes a day and stroke him, but i'm not sure if that's actually doing anything, or if there's anything else i could do. <<<you're doing great. It might take a while, but just keep doing what you're doing.

4. i recently purchased this IR thermometer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053Y6IPE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
i'm curious if anyone might know if it's trustworthy or not. i haven't used it too much yet but from what i've seen i'm not entirely sure if it give an accurate reading. if you know of a better one that won't break the bank, please let me know. <<<< I haven't used that one, so I can't comment.

5. are bearded dragons very active specimens? benson was very lethargic when he first came to me. almost every time i peered into his cage, he would be completely limp with his eyes closed. it also seemed that he had no strength in his front legs, because he wouldn't support himself on them. he has shown some improvement since i got him. he has been using his front legs and seems more alert. but i'm still worried because often times he'll sit in one spot without moving for hours. once again, this might be a stupid question, but i was just wondering if this was normal behavior. he's very energetic when i feed him, but when i leave him in his cage he seems very tired. <<<chances are he has MBD, which is extremely bad. What UV light did his previous owner have? What UV is he on now? Brand? Coil/compact/tube? t5 or t8? How old? Spare no details.

ok, those are all my questions. i got him recently and have yet to move him into his new home. he came to me in a 20g tank, but i've been doing my research and am going to move him into a new and improved home very soon. i'm hopeful that he will show even more improvement once i do. i will probably post some pictures of it just to make sure that everything is perfect once it's all set up, and i am hoping to post a picture of benson once he fattens up a little. i'm very fond of him already and am hopeful for his recovery. thank you all so much in advance :D

P.S. i apologize for all these silly questions. i just want to make sure that i'm doing everything right for benson



Please post a picture of him here: https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to attach pics to your post.
 

cperret

Member
Original Poster
thank you so much for your response jesspets! it was very detailed and helpful :D

i don't believe his tail is nipped, if it is i was never told. but i am almost certain that he has a full tail.

as for the previous owner, he used a black light that he kept on 24/7. like i said, he really didn't know how to take care of him. also the room benson was kept in was alway very cold, in the low 60s, and there was no other heat source in his tank. i'm using a reptisun T5 24w fluorescent tube lamp, 22". it is brand new, i set it up yesterday.

i did fear that he might have MBD. i was hoping that wasn't the case :( with the poor lighting and diet he was given from his previous owner it seems likely. i'm still not 100% sure, and i'm not sure if i should try and "treat" him for MBD until i can know for sure that he has it. but i also don't want to ignore it incase he does. i'm torn. is there a way for me to know for sure if he has it? and if so, is a trip to the vet's the only way to help him? i'm not against taking him to the vet at all, it's just that i don't have all that much to spend on him :( i'm in a bit of a pickle
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, just a couple of quick questions, is your 20 gal. tank a long or high ? Because the Reptisun 10.0 t5 is too powerful to be mounted inside if it's a 20 long . There would barely be 6 inches between any basking area.

Also, how do you hydrate him , have you seen him drink ? I raised tons of babies and they should drink by being gently sprayed on the snout or have water dripped from an eyedropper[ take your time + do so slowly, drip or spray, stop, repeat ]

Hoping your new baby does well for you. :)
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
JessPets":3pkj35kk said:
cperret":3pkj35kk said:
hello, i apologize if i have posted this in the wrong place. i'm very new to the forums and am still learning. i just have a few questions regarding my bearded dragon, they're quite random. there are still many things that i am curious about since owning a bearded dragon, or any reptile at all, is new to me. <<<questions are always welcomed. That's how we learn!

1. so my beardie came from a previous owner who wasn't mean or abusive to him in any way, he just didn't know how to take care of him. because of that, he came to me very skinny and small. i can see his little hip bones poking out. he's about a year old and a little over 8 inches from the tip of his tail to his nose. he's a pretty good eater, i've been giving him dubia roaches, mustard greens, collard greens, and i even gave him a little bit of mango today, which he absolutely loved :D my question is, with his age and current physical state, what should the ratio of plant matter to protein be? from what i've read it seems that baby bearded dragons need more protein to grow, so i was wondering if he should be getting that same amount since he is so small? right now his diet is mostly greens. i apologize if that is a stupid or obvious question, like i said this is all new to me and i want to be sure i'm doing the best i can for him. <<<hmmm, that is pretty small. Does he have a full tail or a nipped tail? In regards to the insect/plant ratio, I would feed him as many bugs and greens as he would like to eat, but with bugs being the first meal. Protein is what will help him grow, so feed that first.

2. i'm kind of confused on supplements. for the most part i've seen owners recommending calcium with vitamin D3, but i've also seen people claiming that it is better to have calcium without vitamin D3. i've also seen others claiming that vitamins aren't necessary at all. so my questions are, are they really needed? if so, is it better to have calcium with or without D3? also, i'm also not sure how much to give benson (my beardie) considering how small he is. so i would also like some insight into how often i should supplement his food, and how much to use each time. <<<Go ahead and use calcium with D3 5x a week (1 dusting per day) with multivitamins 2x a week (1 dusting a day also)

<<<< I have to disagree , if you have a 10% or higher % T5 tube in such a small viv , giving calcium that is fortified with VitD3 is counter productive and may actually do him harm ( because he wont be able to properly absorb and metabolise the dietary calcium if it has synthetic vitD3 in it, this can result in hypercalcemia due to Hypervitaminosis D see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=233592
use pure calcium powder on the bugs (only the bugs).


3. i feel silly asking this, but is there a certain way i should bond with him? he doesn't hate me but he's not all that fond of me either. i'll hold him for about 5 to 10 minutes a day and stroke him, but i'm not sure if that's actually doing anything, or if there's anything else i could do. <<<you're doing great. It might take a while, but just keep doing what you're doing.

4. i recently purchased this IR thermometer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053Y6IPE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
i'm curious if anyone might know if it's trustworthy or not. i haven't used it too much yet but from what i've seen i'm not entirely sure if it give an accurate reading. if you know of a better one that won't break the bank, please let me know. <<<< I haven't used that one, so I can't comment.
<<<< I highly suspect it's not (accurate or precise).
You can easily test it's accuracy by doing a few quick tests (ie the home in the kitchen or at school in the science labs)
>> check it's reading for ice/water mixture - get some ground ice (like sold in drinks at burger places) add this to cold tap water , let stand for 10mins in fridge (if it's warm), stir (colder water will sink to bottom) , measure ,should say +1 degC to 0 degC
>>check it's reading for boiling water , bring water to rolling boil, measure , should say 100 degC
>>check it's reading for liquid glycerol in a beaker or a test-tube sitting in a bath of icewater, glycerol will start freezing at 17.8 degC.
........that's your three points, draw a graph , join these 3 points (should be a straight line or nearly so) you now know can calibrate the gadget for any temperature between 0 degC and 100 degC.

5. are bearded dragons very active specimens? benson was very lethargic when he first came to me. almost every time i peered into his cage, he would be completely limp with his eyes closed. it also seemed that he had no strength in his front legs, because he wouldn't support himself on them. he has shown some improvement since i got him. he has been using his front legs and seems more alert. but i'm still worried because often times he'll sit in one spot without moving for hours. once again, this might be a stupid question, but i was just wondering if this was normal behavior. he's very energetic when i feed him, but when i leave him in his cage he seems very tired. <<<chances are he has MBD, which is extremely bad. What UV light did his previous owner have? What UV is he on now? Brand? Coil/compact/tube? t5 or t8? How old? Spare no details.

Since he had no proper UVA or UVB and inadequate heat with the previous keeper, and you are told he's a year old (which doubt based on his physical size), nonetheless he's been without adequate UVB and not had access to temperatures he needs so he's
>> malnourished
>> calcium deficient , vitD3 deficient, and very likely suffering MBD (you need a vet to take xrays to determine his bone density and bloods to determine his serum calcium levels and state of his general health.
You need a proper HERP VET to work a treatment plan to rehabilitate him , he may prescribe special suppliments.


ok, those are all my questions. i got him recently and have yet to move him into his new home. he came to me in a 20g tank, but i've been doing my research and am going to move him into a new and improved home very soon. i'm hopeful that he will show even more improvement once i do. i will probably post some pictures of it just to make sure that everything is perfect once it's all set up, and i am hoping to post a picture of benson once he fattens up a little. i'm very fond of him already and am hopeful for his recovery. thank you all so much in advance :D

P.S. i apologize for all these silly questions. i just want to make sure that i'm doing everything right for benson



Please post a picture of him here: https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to attach pics to your post.
 

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
kingofnobbys":vqyllu6t said:
JessPets":vqyllu6t said:
cperret":vqyllu6t said:
2. i'm kind of confused on supplements. for the most part i've seen owners recommending calcium with vitamin D3, but i've also seen people claiming that it is better to have calcium without vitamin D3. i've also seen others claiming that vitamins aren't necessary at all. so my questions are, are they really needed? if so, is it better to have calcium with or without D3? also, i'm also not sure how much to give benson (my beardie) considering how small he is. so i would also like some insight into how often i should supplement his food, and how much to use each time. <<<Go ahead and use calcium with D3 5x a week (1 dusting per day) with multivitamins 2x a week (1 dusting a day also)

<<<< I have to disagree , if you have a 10% or higher % T5 tube in such a small viv , giving calcium that is fortified with VitD3 is counter productive and may actually do him harm ( because he wont be able to properly absorb and metabolise the dietary calcium if it has synthetic vitD3 in it, this can result in hypercalcemia due to Hypervitaminosis D see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=233592
use pure calcium powder on the bugs (only the bugs).
Hmmm, I've never heard of that before.



Please post a picture of him here: https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to attach pics to your post.
 

cperret

Member
Original Poster
AHBD:

benson came to me in a 20g high. i am going to move him into a 40g breeder as soon as i get the tiles cut, which should be absolutely no later than this coming tuesday.

i have seen him drink, quite a bit :D the first day i got him he accidentally stumbled across his water bowl and he was drinking for a good 5 minutes. he was very thirsty. now i mist water on him 2x a day.

thank you so much for your help!!

kingofnobbys:

thank you for your help with the vitamins and thermometer! i will most definitely utilize it :D

i will most definitely take him for a little vet visit. i'm curious, how bad is MBD? this is going to be morbid, but do you think he'll survive? sorry for that question but i'm just worried sick
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Do you have any pics of him ? As long as he's still able to move around and he's not terribly deformed then he can definitely recover from MBD. :) Please post pics....a video of him moing around wuld be even better. Here's how to put pics on your post :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload pics
 
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