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