Worried about new Baby Red Beardie

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RedbdSam

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Hi there, I went to my local pet store to purchase a new beardie. This is my first one and I could use some clarification to ensure his wellbeing and happiness. It’s been 2 days since I’ve made my purchase. I’ve decided to name the little guy Vernon and I am confidently assuming he is a few months old seeing that he is about 10 inches long including his tail.
When I got home i had set up my enclosure. Two sides:eek:ne being the basking area with a temp that seems to be around 90 degrees in indirect light. The other side I can only guess is around 80 degrees. Night time varies but I’ll get into that later. A dish for greens and a dish for water are included. Humidity fluctuates between 30 and 45 depending on time of day. A cave, plenty of space ( for now) and plenty of basking items are included. Here’s where my concern begins. The reptile “specialist” recommended that Dubia roaches should be a good source of food. And to include greens into his diet. And to feed him 10 to 12 roaches a day. If you know Dubias, The critters seem pretty large so I don’t doubt that he’s right about the things. Please help me keep my new friend alive and happy.
when I got Vernon home and into his enclosure, he did one single pass around the enclosure and scampered up to his basking location where I could see some activity. He looked at his reflection , surfed the glass for only a few seconds and once again sat on his basking spot. A few hours went by and I began to handle Vernon. He seems friendly and he loves to run around on my bed. He’ll slow down after a few minutes and snuggle with my hand where he seems he could stay all day. When night time rolled around, I swapped out his basking light for a low powered, night time red light. Keeping his basking spot at about 80 degrees. He seemed to go right to sleep and slept until I turned the basking light back on the following morning. I noticed that the temperature dropped dramatically to about 70 degrees, but he warmed up once the basking light was returned. I noticed no bowel movement the first night but I was not concerned. But he never moves from his basking spot. He doesn’t move between temperature areas, just sits under the light all day. The only moment he moved was when I handled him to feed him his daily intake of dubia roaches where he ate about 6 of them. And I thought to give him a few more in the evening. He showed no interest in any sort of green veggies or his water dish. I began misting Vernon to keep him from becoming dehydrated and he seems to love it. After feeding time, he returned right to the basking area. I also noticed the basking area struggles to break above 90 degrees so I thought I would grab a more powerful heat lamp. A 75 watt red spot light capable of producing more heat, closer to 115 degrees. Being scared of cooking the little guy, I moved the red spot light to the far side of the enclosure to increase overall temperature. Evening rolled around and I proceeded to feed Vernon 4 more Dubias. Still no interest in green veggies or water dish. While getting ready to swap light sources, I noticed that the red night light seemed to get shorted, so I bought an entirely different light. A 75 watt black light which emits about 80 degrees. It seemed to work again and he slept through the night. Day time rolled around and I refrained from using the red light until I got home from work, and after seeing him sitting with his open mouth, observing a drastic temperature increase for about 90 to over 100 degrees. His eyes swelled up and I thought he was going to explode. So I stopped using the red light. Once his eyes went back to normal and the temperature returned, I attempted to feed him but once again he showed no interest In greens, so I prepared 10 Dubias. But he only ate 4 over the course of about 20 minutes. I misted him again and handled him for a good hour or so. Where he seemed to sleep In my hand. He continued to run around my bed until he found my hand more appealing.
He doesn’t move from his basking spot, show interest in his water dish or green veggies, and I’m concerned that something is wrong with him and I hope he’s ok. Did I over heat him with the red lamp and cause something to go haywire? Am I doing something wrong? Overthinking? He hasn’t explored his enclosure, hasn’t explored the cave, he just sits in the light.
Thank you all
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

We will all want to see pictures of your new little one, Vernon. :D
Can you post some pictures of him, along with your tank setup, too so we can see the lighting
placement, etc?
Are you using the Red or colored lights only at nighttime? Do you have a UVB light source in
his tank for him?
He does need a bright white basking light, along with a UVB source. What sized tank is he in,
as that does make a difference. What type of thermometer are you using to measure his tank
temperatures?
Be sure that the dubias are no larger than the space between his eyes, to avoid impaction
issues. It is a possibility that the bulging of his eyes were the beginning of a face shed. They
bulge their eyes out & look like a frog, to stretch out the skin in preparation for shedding.

Also, they usually go through relocation type of stress when they are rehomed & often wont
eat much if anything during the time of adjustment.

Tracie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok so please get rid of the colored lights all together ---- those colored lights are bad for your dragons eyes --they are harmful and can cause long term eye damage- all you need in your tank is a bright white basking bulb that should keep your basking temps up to 95-105 for an adult and 105-110 for a baby so please invest in a Infrared heat gun from Walmart Home Depot or Lowes they are the most accurate for basking temps and they are around $10 or so ----------the open mouth is more than likely him adjusting his body temp but the colored bulbs could have caused the eye bulging and its good you got them out------------ you want the basking temp up as babies like them warmer -- also you did not mention a UVB ---- it is crucial that he has one--- and NOT a COIL---------- here is some info on UVB's
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- you need this right away ---- UVB's control their over all health digestion and behavior----------and it also helps prevent MBD---- make sure you are dusting his bugs w/ calcium D3 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week that too will help prevent MBD----------- let him eat as many bugs as he can in 10-15 minutes --- and hes probably going thru location stress and may not eat as many but that will change keep offering him vegies even tho he may not eat them at this time his main diet will be the bugs---- the misting is good as long as you keep your bugs are gut loaded meaning well fed you shouldnt have to worry about hydration as he will moisture from them-- and you can always wash your greens too before serving giving extra water especially if hes eating them -- he needs his basking temp up 90 is not high enough and he will need it for proper digestion
If you have any more questions please ask -----
Karrie
 

RedbdSam

New member
Original Poster
[/I do currently have a UVB light but it is coiled. After work today I’ll get a proper light. One thing I’m concerned about is providing heat in the night time. Are black lights bad as well?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Yes ----------if you need heat please get a Ceramic Heat Emitter or CHE -- they go in a dome and produce heat only no light they come in different wattages like 75 100 etc------------- you only need it if your temp in your tank drops below 65 at nite----- I use one in the winter only and its on 24 / 7 then but summer its off
Karrie
 

RedbdSam

New member
Original Poster
Update to everyone. After getting proper lighting and proper heat lamps, he is doing so much better. Ran around, ate veggies for the first time, just a lot better all around
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is wonderful news to hear. :D
I am happy to hear he is moving around more & feeling better now. The proper lighting does
make a tremendous difference in them. I hope that he continues to feel more chipper.
Feel free to post pictures of him when you can.

Tracie
 
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