first time owner baby bearded dragon

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benbji

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hello, i recently purchased a female 7 inch bearded dragon about two weeks ago, i believe she is about 8 weeks old. she has proper uvb, humidity, and temperature. she has been doing really well up until last night, with a big appetite and friendly attitude. yesterday i came back from an overnight and immediately started acting hostile towards me, puffing up and giving me a black beard. since then she has barely eaten, fears contact, and is extremely apprehensive. i grilled my family members to see if anything had happened while i was gone, but they said nothing happened out of the ordinary. i can’t possibly think of a reason why she’s acting like this all of a sudden, and i’m worried i’m gonna lose all the progress i made with her. she was just starting to get up to her expected appetite.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Please go over the lighting --- NO coils - NO colored bulbs and how are you taking basking temps? NO stick ons --- they are inaccurate -- you need a digital probe thermometer to get actual basking temps - the black beard shes either in distress or pain --- temps in the tank if too hot will give you this type of behavior your describing also improper UVB
Karrie
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
she has a tube for her uvb, it’s in the tank under the mesh with the tube exposed. i ordered her a new thermometer but rn i’m making do with an old one i found in my house. are there better ways to take the humidity as well?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The UVB your using is a T 5 or a T 8? You can purchase a hygrometer - I use digital ones so the probe is in the tank on the back wall middle of tank and I have the reader on top of my screen -- if you get a stick on put it on the back wall middle of your tank
Karrie
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
i bought two hygrometer, one for hot and one for cool. her uvb is a t5, and is in the tank with her and is around 6-8 inches from her highest basking spot. i’m thinking now maybe because i left her alone for a day she wasn’t used to the schedule change?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The T 5 is too close for her you have it set up for a T 8 -- T 5's need to be 12-15 inches from basking decor -- its too strong that close -- a day or two would not cause the behavior your getting - please adjust your T 5 and watch her behavior
Karrie
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
i will adjust the light and see if that helps. her new thermometer should be arriving tomorrow as well, so hopefully that helps
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
109188-898177070.jpg
hello! I believe Ed is about ten weeks, and doing much much better in almost every way. the only thing i’m worried about is her appetite. she eats her veggies and her insects, but i’m worried about the quantity. she only seems to eat about 20 or so crickets/dubia roaches a day, even though the recommended is around 40-80. here’s a pic of her for reference
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
She looks healthy and that number is fine. Don't worry too much about number ranges as long as she is eating some and is active/alert. Their appetites fluctuate quite a lot as they grow up. Sometimes they'll go for a while without eating anything at all. Sometimes they'll be bottomless pits and everything in between. Keep a log of her weight (a gram kitchen scale helps) and as long as that is steady or increasing over time, she should be in good shape.
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
thank you for all the good advice, she is doing much better. she’s very inquisitive and active and let’s me hold her sometimes. the only oddity i’ve noticed is that she’s a stickler for time. she’ll eat at 11, but not 9 or 1. she’s a funky little girl but i already love her so much
 

Draven88

Hatchling Member
benbji":2fyvy0gj said:
thank you for all the good advice, she is doing much better. she’s very inquisitive and active and let’s me hold her sometimes. the only oddity I’ve noticed is that she’s a stickler for time. she’ll eat at 11, but not 9 or 1. she’s a funky little girl but i already love her so much

Its undeniable that they have their own personalities and some definitely get used to a regular schedule. As far as the amount eaten Dubia tend to fill them up faster than crickets, and as mentioned appetite will vary and as long as there is good growth the number eaten isn't always going to be as much.
 

benbji

Member
Original Poster
i do try to feed her dubai’s, but i have to order them online. in between shippings she gets crickets
 
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