Please help... Is my tank okay for my beardie ???

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Troyv2004

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So I'm really new to this, I bought my beardie Charles from petsmart on 10/7/18 so about a month ago. He is a juvenile, so I'd assume he is about 6 or 7 months old??? Anyways, I need help caring for him because I'm really new with this. Here's some thinks I don't know about:

-Do I need a background? He always runs against the glass trying to get to his reflection

- Is my lighting okay? I'll post some pictures of the tank setup and lights later. (I have to figure out how)

-Food. I feed him by hand every morning, I hold a cricket in my hand and let him eat it, sometimes he takes it, other times not. If he doesnt, then I just put it in his tank, there is always around 3 crickets in there, he mostly only eats 1 or 2 though. also I keep a plate of chopped carrots and green beans and corn in there, but he never eats that.

That's about all for now!
 
Hello!
For the back round of your tank, you can add one if you want too, but personally I don't so he can watch whatever is going on outside of it, but since you've had him for a short time or if he's just anxious in personality you probably would need a wallpaper. But if you keep a water bowl or a little pool(which I do for my Blazer) it will probably get wet and may become moldy, so watch it carefully. Make sure he has somewhere to hide also, maybe in a blanket or a rock with a cave under it.

Do not spoil him too much with hand feeding, my beardie is still spoiled from it, so ween him from doing so eventually. Also, try to not leave crickets in there for too long bc they can bite him. Keep trying with the vegetables, though! Try keeping softer/+ vegetables or fruits! When he is an adult he will need more vegetation than bugs. Also, when he is older, take him off of crickets, they can become increasingly irritating and not enough, and try dubia roaches instead! I would suggest getting them from a breeder over a pet store(I breed my own roaches that I got from a local breeder). Also, if you can, get a little tank or a critter carrier for the crickets so you can get them gut busted(give them food an hour or so before you give them to him)!
Btw! Let him run around in a secure area if he is attacking his glass/reflection. He may be bored and want to play.
 

Troyv2004

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Thanks! I will add a background, but leave the front open so he can see me. I do keep a pool in there for him, I change the water every 3 or 4 days. I found a piece of driftwood, so i sterilized it, and put it up against the wall, he sleeps under it at night, and during the day he sits on it when he isn't basking.

I ll try to get him off of hand feeding. I didn't know the crickets could bite! Ill keep the veggies in there, but I have to mist them every day or they dry out and shrivel up. I bough a little can of juvenile food, but he doesn't like it, he puts it in his mouth but then just spits it out. I've got a cricket carrier, Its one of those thing they give you when you buy a crab from the beach. I keep some water and veggies and fruits in there. I really want to let him out to play, but... we have cats... and they LOVE to hunt small things :(

Also, Im kind of worried, he seems really small, not underfed small, just short. Or maybe it is just me, but all the sites I read says that a juvenile at about 6 months will be around 1 foot? He is only about 6 or 7 inches, but hes at least 5 months old.
 

Troyv2004

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Should I be worried about her size? I measured her this morning and she is 7 inches, and shes about 6 or 7 months old. Isnt that small??
 
Troyv2004":3gk3zav7 said:
Thanks! I will add a background, but leave the front open so he can see me. I do keep a pool in there for him, I change the water every 3 or 4 days. I found a piece of driftwood, so i sterilized it, and put it up against the wall, he sleeps under it at night, and during the day he sits on it when he isn't basking.

I ll try to get him off of hand feeding. I didn't know the crickets could bite! Ill keep the veggies in there, but I have to mist them every day or they dry out and shrivel up. I bough a little can of juvenile food, but he doesn't like it, he puts it in his mouth but then just spits it out. I've got a cricket carrier, Its one of those thing they give you when you buy a crab from the beach. I keep some water and veggies and fruits in there. I really want to let him out to play, but... we have cats... and they LOVE to hunt small things :(

Also, Im kind of worried, he seems really small, not underfed small, just short. Or maybe it is just me, but all the sites I read says that a juvenile at about 6 months will be around 1 foot? He is only about 6 or 7 inches, but hes at least 5 months old.

You're doing a great job so far! I personally do not use premade food and keep it fresh, but you can keep trying if you want too. Also, for the playing topic, you could lock your cats out of a specific room for her to run around in, however make sure the floor is swept and clean (wood or tile floor is preferred so the carpet doesn'tget caught squeeze her toes). And did you count her tail size as well? Because if you had then I do think that is a little bit of an issue. The best way to make sure she keep growing is to keep her fed with calcium doused crickets and in a large tank (or at least one where she can run around in). When she is sheding make sure to mist her, too! Or just even give her a bath every week or two (or month, just make sure she can get bathed in warm water. Bathing her in warm water can also help with constipation!). Also! even if she has a pool, she may not know how to drink. My Blazer sometimes drinks his bath water but he is almost two years. I would suggest getting a needleless syringe and fill it with water.
 

Troyv2004

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Original Poster
I stopped using the pellets, she doesn't like them, I just give her crickets and veggies. I thought of locking the cats out but the problem is all the rooms have spaces under the doors and all little spaces she could run into. And that's the one thing she likes to do... Is dig and hide.Only the bathroom has tile floor, and that is the spot where she could run behind the washing machine or something like that. I did count her tail, she is 7 inches, what calcium supplement should I get? I don't have any. She is in a 40 gallon tank, so she has plenty of room in there, but I still want to take her out sometimes. Also, what is a needless syringe do, how would I use it on her? Thank you SO much for the advice and help!!!
 
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