Just another irresponsible beardie owner here

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Frawsti

Member
Hi guys!

Four days ago I went to the pet store to buy a cat scratching post, when I walked by this little guy. He was jumping against the window and even waved at me. My heart melted, I thought to myself that he wants me to take him home!!


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Next thing I know the pet store employee is telling me all about him and I'm holding him and I want him, so the emotional side of me decided to bring him home. I bought a pet med reptile kit as the employee told me that is all I would need- and jeeze I wish I did my research ahead of time because most of it ended up being trash.

Day one, little dude won't eat anything. Not carrots, not crickets, not kale or lettuce or the pellets. I start doing some serious research and readied myself for a visit to the pet store the next morning.

Day two, he eats two whole bites of kale from my hand and my heart melts all over again. I grab a ceramic bulb and fixture from my local store as well as some thermometers and meal worms. That night he eats a cricket and nothing else. He seemed to be still sleeping on the cold end of the tank where he initially was when I woke.

Day 3 I get 10.0 bulb and fixture and have my lights on a timer. He sleeps most of the day on the cold side and only eats two crickets, won't eat mealworms or veggies.

My cold side runs at about 73 degrees, mid is right at 86 and far side at 101 degrees. And he spends 80% of his day in the coldest corner of the tank, 10% warming up and the other 10% he spends glass surfing.

I really wish I was more prepared and didn't do this so spar of the moment. I'm really worried about the little guy. He's not eating much and has barely pooped. I don't know how to help him or what else I can do. I just want him to be healthy and happy. Any advice at all ?

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok so what is the basking temp in his tank ? It needs to be around 90-105- warmer for babies so closer to the 105-- what type of UVB is it ? It looks like there are 2 of them in the tank - is there a basking bulb? Next hes probably got relocation stress--- but your lighting is going to play a big part of him eating and general health of him/ her- please no meal worms! They are to hard on his digestion - they are mainly for older dragons- same w/ super worms- he needs to be eating mainly bugs dusted w/ the calcium d3 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week - I would recommend dubia roaches dusted w/ powder etc-------- crickets tend to give parasites and dubias are way better for him - please dont take the advice of the pet store - unless they are actually breeders and have experience w/ dragons! You can find dubia suppliers on Amazon.com and most offer free shipping- they are way easier to care for than the crickets and they dont stink!!!!!!! You can keep them in a plastic tote or 10 gallon aquarium and feed them dubia food along w/ carrots apples sweet potato and squash - all of which your dragon will eat as well! Keep offering him vegies like mustard greens or collard or both squash green beans a little fruit like apple mango strawberries blueberries NO citrus! He / she probably wont eat it cuz his main diet is bugs at this point for the protein - Hiccup turned a year at the end of Jan and he is just now starting to eat more vegies and less bugs- you can find a nutrition list on the feeding board it has a link to a page for that! Please ask if you have any more questions - there is a wealth of info on the right side of this page - if you click on the "proper UV lighting" for your bearded dragon it will take you to a page loaded w/ info ---
Karrie
 

Frawsti

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":3dfh4onf said:
Ok so what is the basking temp in his tank ? It needs to be around 90-105- warmer for babies so closer to the 105-- what type of UVB is it ? It looks like there are 2 of them in the tank - is there a basking bulb? Next hes probably got relocation stress--- but your lighting is going to play a big part of him eating and general health of him/ her- please no meal worms! They are to hard on his digestion - they are mainly for older dragons- same w/ super worms- he needs to be eating mainly bugs dusted w/ the calcium d3 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week - I would recommend dubia roaches dusted w/ powder etc-------- crickets tend to give parasites and dubias are way better for him - please dont take the advice of the pet store - unless they are actually breeders and have experience w/ dragons! You can find dubia suppliers on Amazon.com and most offer free shipping- they are way easier to care for than the crickets and they dont stink!!!!!!! You can keep them in a plastic tote or 10 gallon aquarium and feed them dubia food along w/ carrots apples sweet potato and squash - all of which your dragon will eat as well! Keep offering him vegies like mustard greens or collard or both squash green beans a little fruit like apple mango strawberries blueberries NO citrus! He / she probably wont eat it cuz his main diet is bugs at this point for the protein - Hiccup turned a year at the end of Jan and he is just now starting to eat more vegies and less bugs- you can find a nutrition list on the feeding board it has a link to a page for that! Please ask if you have any more questions - there is a wealth of info on the right side of this page - if you click on the "proper UV lighting" for your bearded dragon it will take you to a page loaded w/ info ---
Karrie

Hi Karrie,
I'm using the Reptisun 10.0 t8 bulb. I do only have one UVB bulb in there, a basking light, and a ceramic heater. The basking temp is right at 100-101 degrees. I believe my tank setup is right to spec, but I will stop feeding him crickets and mealworms once my dubia come in the mail. He seems to be doing a little bit better today, thankfully. Maybe it is just relocation stress.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The T8 needs to go inside the tank- the T5 is a better bulb gives off better uvb- it should go inside and 6-8 inches from him- the mesh screen will block most of those days
Karrie
 

Frawsti

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":72fuiasf said:
The T8 needs to go inside the tank- the T5 is a better bulb gives off better uvb- it should go inside and 6-8 inches from him- the mesh screen will block most of those days
Karrie

I'm not sure what you mean, it is inside the tank. Should it be positioned differently?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
No its fine I wasn't looking- as long as he's sitting under it- how far away is it from him? 6-8 inches is best
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, most of this can be attributed to relocation stress. Your uvb is in at a good height but could be better if it was positioned in the middle, attached under the screen .I raised many clutches of babies and one thing to start off with is a less cluttered tank. Put his basking log under the heat + uvb so he'll spend time there and remove the other bits of tank decor. That makes it much easier for him to find his foodbowl which should be right near the bottom of his main basking log.

He should settle in soon enough, just remove most of the stuff and keep it simple for now. After a while you can add a new oiece every couple of weeks. He should be fine . :)
 

Frawsti

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":zznqpdp6 said:
Hi there, most of this can be attributed to relocation stress. Your uvb is in at a good height but could be better if it was positioned in the middle, attached under the screen .I raised many clutches of babies and one thing to start off with is a less cluttered tank. Put his basking log under the heat + uvb so he'll spend time there and remove the other bits of tank decor. That makes it much easier for him to find his foodbowl which should be right near the bottom of his main basking log.

He should settle in soon enough, just remove most of the stuff and keep it simple for now. After a while you can add a new oiece every couple of weeks. He should be fine . :)

Hello, thanks for the reply. He does seem to be doing much better today. I had to drive quite a distance to find a store that sold roaches, and he ate probably twelve of them in one sitting. When it comes the bulb, unfortunately I can't mount it to the bottom of the screen. My screen slides out in a track, so it would prevent the screen from sliding out (or in) with anything attached to the bottom of it. I'll get rid of some of the clutter, but he really likes his two logs and hammock lol
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
That's good, he is making very rapid progress. I don't think you'll have any problem then really. Carry on as you have been, he's settling right in ! :)
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
You mentioned you intended to buy a cat post.

I very strongly advise that you take steps to protect the little dragon from the cat/s and
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO , the cat/s MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED IN THE SAME ROOM .

NEVER let the cat/s anywhere near the dragon when it's out of it's tank. When the dragon is coming out (even for a cuddle) , the cat/s must be banished to another room , NEVER get the dragon out of it's tank if a cat is on the loose in the room or anywhere in the house (lock they cat's away FIRST). I can't emphasis how important this is.

THEY WILL NEVER BE FRIENDS and the cat/s pose a huge danger to the dragon.
You can never train the hunt and kill instinct out of a cat, the cat/s see the lizard as prey and are working out how to get to it.

Your tank has a mesh lid , IT IS NOT CAT PROOF , a determined cat will rip through wire mesh even (even wire mesh !! - I've seen this done to bird aviaries where wire mesh was supposed to prevent cats from getting to the birds, and to outside lizard pits with wire mesh over top).

There are four options for housing your dragon SAFELY from here forward :

option 1 : convert existing tank to a solid timber hinged lid
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=240221&p=1840683#p1840683

option 2 : convert existing tank by turning tank on it's side and turn the top into the front and add sliding glass (lockable) doors
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=246739

option 3 : move the dragon into a tub with a click clak style lid that has been modified , a 120L tub will be ideal for a juvenile up til it's first birthday ie https://www.bunnings.com.au/all-set-120l-plastic-storage-container_p2583852 , conversion is easy and quick
, and the latches that hold the lid on will make it cat proof ie viewtopic.php?f=34&t=233480

option 4 : invest in a solid timber front opening tank or build one for the dragon.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Hi Karrie,
I'm using the Reptisun 10.0 t8 bulb. I do only have one UVB bulb in there, a basking light, and a ceramic heater. The basking temp is right at 100-101 degrees. I believe my tank setup is right to spec, but I will stop feeding him crickets and mealworms once my dubia come in the mail. He seems to be doing a little bit better today, thankfully. Maybe it is just relocation stress.

Crickets are very good feeders , just make sure they are suitably sized, gut loaded with fresh greens and good wholesome food (repcal adult bearded dragon peppets straight from the bottle are great food for insects) , and dusted with calcium (EVERY DAY) and calcium and vitamins on the weekends.
I suggest feeding in the tank , only deposit a few crickets in the tank at a time, let him catch and eat them , repeat , when he no longer shows any interest in eating the insects = he's full and that's your cue to stop.

AT HIS AGE AND SIZE , I recommend 3 feeds of live insects per day and a 14 hour photoperiod (as a minimum).
SUITABLE feeders insects are outlined here viewtopic.php?f=45&t=244111&p=1859195#p1859195

Guidence on uv : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611 , I highly recommend returning the existing T8 tube and hood and exchanging for a T5HO reflector hood and an Arcadia T5HO 12% UVB tube.

I'd remove the water dish , very rare for bearded dragons to drink from ponds of standing water. It will increase the humidity too much in the tank.

Be aware shade cloth type mesh hammocks like you have are a serious nail and toe snag hazard for bearded dragons. I'd remove the mesh hammock.
 
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