Newbie LOTS OF QUESTIONS

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Ceeci39

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Where do I even start I bought my bearded dragon a month ago and I am pretty sure he is around two or three months old. My mistake was to buy him and have surgery the next day and not spend his first week with him. I also work 12 hour shifts throughout the day so I don’t get to spend a lot of time with him as I would like. I have a lot of experience with snakes and how they don’t really need lots of attention but I decided to get him because I always wanted to own one. I’ve been having a hard time bonding with my beardie because he keeps hissing at me when I try picking him up from the tank. Today was the first time ever after hissing at me he walked through my arm and fell sleep in my hand for around 30 minutes. he even shake his hand head while sleeping by getting comfortable. I pet him and he seem like you really enjoy it does this mean we are getting close to boarding? I’ve also had a really hard time feeding him he only likes dubias and I don’t know how to start my own colony..
 
Bonding takes time <3 Don't worry about the hissing too much they can be moody buggers sometimes!
We all have places to be during the day - don't worry too much either I mean, they're naturally lazy creatures (although they have their hyperactive moments) You could try to keep him out on you when you're doing mundane chores (like the dishes) and then when you get more comfortable with each other there are various outings you can go on :)


If he's still settling in then feeding might be a bit irregular. And dragons are very picky eaters. You might want to try out different feeder bugs before you find one thats good for both you and your child :) Dubia colonies are the best imo (I'm still trying to grow mine) it takes time and will take up a lot of your money before you become self sustaining. There are a couple of vids and tutorials online an other threads on how to breed them.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Some dragons seem to love qt with their keeper from the getgo , some take months to come around .

You wont bond with it unless you spend time with it , this means talking to it, petting it while it's relaxed in it's tank, giving it food treats by hand.

I have two similarly aged juveniles and my girl Cleopatra has loved being handled and spending quality with/on me from the getgo.
Her tankmate Caesar was very standoffish at the start but he's slowly coming around and now enjoys a nice under chin tickle and a gentle head stroke for the last few weeks , and this week I've started some handfeeding while giving him a snuggle.

Time and patience are the key here.

You could try adjusting their lighting schedule so you can spend 3 or 4 hours per day with the dragon either before going to work or after work.
If this means blockout shades on the windows to make artificial night then this will adjust their sleeping patterns in a few weeks.
 

blue11

Sub-Adult Member
Hi there! You’re at the best place EVER to work through this!! This site saved me 8 and half years ago when I got my baby girl ... she was 2 months old - I was clueless - within a very short time I had everything changed, fixed, and it’s been the best thing I could have done for me and my girl - who’s going to 9 years old soon!

Soooo - do you mind giving us a run down on your dragons viv?
sex of dragon/size of dragon
Size of viv
Lighting situation - what kind of bulbs do you use, and how many?
Light cycle (how long on/how long off)
Temps (basking spot temp, temperature gradient from hot side to cool side)
Routines
Hydration/water source
Feeding schedule
Substrate (what in the bottom of the tank?)

This way we can get a good picture of your dragons home and your dragons life - soooooo many problems/resolutions can be traced back to the set-up itself - after all, that’s where everything stops and starts. I would love to hear back from you! What’s your dragons name?
- E
 

Ceeci39

Member
Original Poster
Her basking spot is usually between 90-110F.
I have no idea about its sex but I’d like to think he’s a male lol. Anyway they told me he still too young to tell. He’s in a 10 gallon right now because he’s pretty small, BUT he’s moving in into my ball python 40 gallon in the next 2 months. I use the all in one bulb that comes with uvb and heat at the same time. Will eventually use 2 when moving to a bigger tank. I turn on the light at around 6am and turn it off at 8pm. I bathe him every 2 days. He only likes dubias.. he’ll eat around 15 of them 2-3 times a day. I have a terrarium mat. I heard sand was not the best option for a baby? Thank you!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
How long before he is going into that new tank? The all in one bulb I would ditch-- hes probably not gonna get enough UVB --- they need that UVB to get a good start on life- the substrate in the 10 gallon tank I would use just paper towels for now- when you get him into your 40 gallon you can get textured non adhesive shelf line from Home Depot Lowes etc.............. he will eventually outgrow that 40 gallon as well so................. I would purchase a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 or T 8 -- it can sit on top of the tank --- its to hard to get a good basking temp w/ those all in one bulbs--- but some others on here can weigh in on that
Karrie
 

blue11

Sub-Adult Member
Hey!
Thanks for the info!

Sounds like you have a plan - your getting a bunch of good advice already! I personally am not a sand person for babies or adults or inbetwen at all.
I use some slate/ceramic tile that Lowe’s cut for me when in bought my girl Blue’s forever home - her custom viv she has lived in since she turned 1 years old. I love tile - it’s easy to wipe down, it’s easy to lay down, it’s easy to take up, and it holds temps. Something to def think about! I agree with the other post - that I would lay paper towels down in the 10 gallon - because you’re going to want to switch him/her out of that pretty quick - if you can get that ready for any day now.

The reason I mention having him/her in that 40 gallon now - is that in a 10 gallon - it’s so small that you won’t have a temperature gradient - it’s just way too small to give your dragon a warm side and provide him a cooler side at the same time - that’s really crucial for your dragon to have the option to move about in the tank to find the right temp for him at any given time ya know? It’s basically one big basking spot right now if that makes sense .... which - of course - you want a great basking spot - but you also want to the opposite of that and an inbetween spot too. Im a 10 gallon, there is no real way for him/her to regulate. At least that’s my view on it.

Hopefully you can make the switch sooner to the 40 ... from there, I feel like this is where people differ - some people are chill with a 40 being a forever home. That used the be the “standard” minimum you wood hear people say - but ehhhhh I’m not in that group. I think a good 4 feet in length - at least 2 wide feet - 2 feet tall has worked out super for Blue ... actually hers is not quite that tall ... it’s shorter - but ‘round about - I love this size. You can always go bigger than this as well! But for me - personally - I wouldn’t go any smaller. It’s a good minimum size to aim for.

You can get these vivs with light fixtures already installed inside - sliding front doors - endless custom possibilities. If you are able to secure one of these (check around on various sites for used ones!) ... then it will be probably be one the best investments you will ever make for you and your dragon.

Once you have a good structure in pace - the rest falls nicely into place. You could very well end up spending a tonnnn more money trying to upkeep a 40 gallon over time - from the separate light fixtures that have to be bought, to losing heat easily b/c of no insulation, constantly having to move equipment around ... it can get to drive ya crazy! But I understand that not everyone can make the investment for a larger customer initially - however it’s actuall a MUCH much much cheaper price in the long run - soooo much cheaper!
Regardless - the 40 is good compared to the current 10 gallon. I noticed you said the baking temp is 90 - 110 - how are you measuring these temps? What are using to take the temps with? What wattage bulb are you using with a 10 gallon tank?

It’s good that you are getting your bulbs and fixtures straight - Repti Sun and Arcadia are bulbs that I use for UV ... and a regular clear household bulb does the trick beautifully for a heat source - play around with wattages to ge desired temp - remember to be super careful in that 10 gallon - that will heat up very quickly all over the tank - there is no room/space possible to provide a cool down side for him/her, and no T8 UV bulb will fit a 10 gallon ... it’s way too long for a 10 gallon - at a 20 gallon you’re looking at the aT8 UV bulb fixture stretching the majority of the length of the tank - which again, give him/her no where to get out of the UV when they want to.

Dubia’s are excellent! If you can get the little itty bitty one for your baby dragon, that’s wonderful. Good job. A baby should be eating - a lot- to say the least - each day - so keep that in mind. Eat and poop - eat and poop - repeat ... that’s how it goes when they are littl babes. Got lots of growing to do.

So it sounds like he/she is comfortable with baths? That’s great ... I’m wondering how old the dragon is - usually we can make a guesstimate based on the length/size - can you measure from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail? It’s a neat way to get a idea of age. Never know exactly - but it’s a good starting point.

Does your dragon have a drink when it’s in the bath? There is some debate on whether or not BD’s truly absorb water thru their vent or not. I personally stay on the safe side and make sure my girl gets oral fluids/hydration as well as soaks.... generally she will take some nice long gulps in the bath - I don’t keep a water dish in her viv.

Your light cycles seems good - 12/12 or 10/14 ... round about - as long as the lights off include all/any lights ... dragons need their nice, dark, cooled down beauty sleep for sure.

Look forward to hearing from you. Did you mention what the name is? I’m blanking out. Also, if you can take a photo of the underside of the dragons tail around the vent, we might be able to sex the dragon - if you wan to upload a photo. I’d love to see this little dude/dudette. Hopefully you can get that 40 gallon going.

-E
 
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