New breaded dragon mom

[airyona28]

Hello, I've been doing a lot of research on breaded dragon behavior specifically. I've had one before In 2019 my brother watched him while i was on vacation and he unfortunately passed away till this day I still don't know why or What caused that. Now I recently just got a new one name is Viserys and I want to give the best care possible. I've been A very paranoid and overprotective reptile mom since I got her/him and like i said been doing a lot of research I've put pictures below so you can see what I’m talking about. I just have some questions my first one is about laying flat on rock underneath basking area is that something I should be concerned about? the temp on that side is 101.8F-103F 38.7C I sometimes have my heat on in the living room set to 75 due to it being winter time where I’m at on his cooler side its around 80F and the hygrometer says between 30C I do have a 25 gallon tank As well. Another one is getting really dark lines underneath his beard and body is that stress or something else? Another behavior I've noticed that concerns me is he/she opened their mouth and was like shaking his head does anyone know what that means? I've tried looking it up but found nothing. For my lighting I'm using 100W lightbulb to help his temp get to where it needs to be my pet store doesn't have a t5 fluorescent light so for now i have T8 with 10.0 and it is mounted in there I did order t5 So have the t8 temporarily. It’s tail also looks a lil dark near the tip I’ve researched that and saw that other peoples breaded dragons has a darker tip at the end of the tail but just making sure that’s what it is. My other concern is He/she sometimes doesn’t eat as well which scares me I got it last Wednesday which makes it a week since it has been with me i did mealworms it ate a few for the day and not anymore i tried them again the next day and it wouldn’t budge so i got crickets it ate 3-4 and again stopped for the entire day i tried again same day wouldn’t budge i tried Dubai roaches eats like 2 and again stops for the day. Idk if since it is tiny they get full quickly or what. i did order 200 Xs Dubai roaches again my pet store doesn’t have insects small for him to consume i do try feeding collar greens & veggies doesn’t budge. If anyone can help me out and just give me more information that would be wonderful I’m going to add a picture of his enclosure if you wanna give me advise on what more to add that would be amazing! again just wanna provide the best care possible and have Viserys live a long healthy life!

 

[KarrieRee]

Hello, I've been doing a lot of research on breaded dragon behavior specifically. I've had one before In 2019 my brother watched him while i was on vacation and he unfortunately passed away till this day I still don't know why or What caused that. Now I recently just got a new one name is Viserys and I want to give the best care possible. I've been A very paranoid and overprotective reptile mom since I got her/him and like i said been doing a lot of research I've put pictures below so you can see what I’m talking about. I just have some questions my first one is about laying flat on rock underneath basking area is that something I should be concerned about? the temp on that side is 101.8F-103F 38.7C I sometimes have my heat on in the living room set to 75 due to it being winter time where I’m at on his cooler side its around 80F and the hygrometer says between 30C I do have a 25 gallon tank As well. Another one is getting really dark lines underneath his beard and body is that stress or something else? Another behavior I've noticed that concerns me is he/she opened their mouth and was like shaking his head does anyone know what that means? I've tried looking it up but found nothing. For my lighting I'm using 100W lightbulb to help his temp get to where it needs to be my pet store doesn't have a t5 fluorescent light so for now i have T8 with 10.0 and it is mounted in there I did order t5 So have the t8 temporarily. It’s tail also looks a lil dark near the tip I’ve researched that and saw that other peoples breaded dragons has a darker tip at the end of the tail but just making sure that’s what it is. My other concern is He/she sometimes doesn’t eat as well which scares me I got it last Wednesday which makes it a week since it has been with me i did mealworms it ate a few for the day and not anymore i tried them again the next day and it wouldn’t budge so i got crickets it ate 3-4 and again stopped for the entire day i tried again same day wouldn’t budge i tried Dubai roaches eats like 2 and again stops for the day. Idk if since it is tiny they get full quickly or what. i did order 200 Xs Dubai roaches again my pet store doesn’t have insects small for him to consume i do try feeding collar greens & veggies doesn’t budge. If anyone can help me out and just give me more information that would be wonderful I’m going to add a picture of his enclosure if you wanna give me advise on what more to add that would be amazing! again just wanna provide the best care possible and have Viserys live a long healthy life!

Ok your on the right track -- the shaking of the head is concerning how big are the crickets your feeding? You dont want anything bigger than the space between his eyes --- NO meal worms please the exoskeleton on them is too harsh for babies stomachs and can cause impaction --- please get your insects on line they are cheaper in the long run -- we can post websites if you nee them -- the T 8 needs to be directly over a piece of basking decor 6-8 inches - when you get the T 5 that distance is going to change - surface basking temps need to be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer I recommend two of them- those temps need to be 105-110 F-- you are going to need to upgrade that 25 gallon very soon - I recommend going w/ a 120 gallon you can always partition it off so hes in not in such a big tank at first - I would open it up around the age of 3-4 months -- please get a digital probe hygrometer for humidity if your using a analog one - probes are more accurate - it needs to be placed on the back center wall of the tank - optimal humidity is 40-50% nothing under 20 or over 70% please -- I would get him some BSFL they are a great staple feeder also known as calci worms nutri grubs or phoenix worms -- they can be used as salad lures feed on top of the salads drop them in front of him you can hand feed them as well to hand tame him - feed as many as you want -- you will need a bowl like this to feed them in Amazon.com
here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale info its outdated Nutrition Content
the stress marks are common he is going thru relocation stress - once he gets acclimated to his tank and surroundings they should go away -- the laying flat on the rock is normal hes pancaking soaking up the heat --- I would handle as little as possible for now out side the tank - he needs to adjust and get used to his surroundings -- get his UVB adjusted and his surface basking temps good and he will acclimate quicker - also the grass hammocks are good for snagging nails causing injuries if you want a good hammock try etsy.com look for a fleece or cloth one -

 

[airyona28]

Okay i ordered 200 xtra small dubia roaches which should be here today I’m not a real fan of the crickets my pet store doesn’t have any insects that are small for him/her to eat. it would be great if you could link good some websites where i can get bugs. what other bugs would you recommend? Also thanks for the information on the bugs especially the ones to help me get it to eat plants & veggies.

I've got the T5 shipped it should be here today so getting rid of the T8 really soon i do have it mounted underneath a log basking decor i do have like 3 different thermostats zoo meds digital thermometer which tells both temps on the basking side
I also have thrive's digital hygrometer which is on the cool side the other one that is on the cooler side is Zoo meds creatures dual thermometer & humidity gauge. They are all inside the tank!

Yes I'm starting to leave Viserys alone and stop taking outside the tank a lot more i want less stress on it and want it to be comfortable I will be getting a bigger tanks as well soon! Just waiting for it to friend i don’t know if it is a boy or girl yet so thats the reasoning of me calling him/her it. I also do have a food bowl and another one getting shipped. Thank you again!

 

[KarrieRee]

Okay i ordered 200 xtra small dubia roaches which should be here today I’m not a real fan of the crickets my pet store doesn’t have any insects that are small for him/her to eat. it would be great if you could link good some websites where i can get bugs. what other bugs would you recommend? Also thanks for the information on the bugs especially the ones to help me get it to eat plants & veggies.

I've got the T5 shipped it should be here today so getting rid of the T8 really soon i do have it mounted underneath a log basking decor i do have like 3 different thermostats zoo meds digital thermometer which tells both temps on the basking side
I also have thrive's digital hygrometer which is on the cool side the other one that is on the cooler side is Zoo meds creatures dual thermometer & humidity gauge. They are all inside the tank!

Yes I'm starting to leave Viserys alone and stop taking outside the tank a lot more i want less stress on it and want it to be comfortable I will be getting a bigger tanks as well soon! Just waiting for it to friend i don’t know if it is a boy or girl yet so thats the reasoning of me calling him/her it. I also do have a food bowl and another one getting shipped. Thank you again!

With the small tank please keep using the T 8 -- when you go to the bigger tank you will want the T 5 -- I would get him some BSFL www.symtonbsf.com these can be used as salad lures to the bowl - feed as many as you want they are a great staple feeder - great compliment to the dubias feed the BSFL first thing in the morning dropping in front of him on his salads the movement will get him to the bowl - we wont be able to determine boy or girl for a few months we got some others on here that can help w/ that -- here are some websites for insects ----
www.dubiaroaches.com great roaches - small horn worms feed 1-2 they grow fast great hydrating worm - small super worms can be added to the tops of the salad as lures as well 1-3 every other day - go by their chart for the roaches
www.symtonbsf.com
www.abdragons.com
www.reptilianarts.com silk worms - and roaches -
www.rainbowmealworms.com
www.mulberryfarms.com expensive on shipping --
Please set up a 10 gallon aquarium for the roaches - feed dubia food along w dubia crystals -- also feed squash -- raw sweet potato -- if you feed carrots do NOT feed the dragon carrots too - too much Vit A - fruit along w/ other things you feed the dragon they will eat-- are you dusting w/ calcium D3 ? you need also vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONE time per feeding lightly coated - calcium D3 5 x per week ONE time per feeding lightly coated - please dust the roaches -- the digital thermometers have probes on them?? the hygrometer needs a probe as well placed on the back center wall of the tank

 

[airyona28]

With the small tank please keep using the T 8 -- when you go to the bigger tank you will want the T 5 -- I would get him some BSFL www.symtonbsf.com these can be used as salad lures to the bowl - feed as many as you want they are a great staple feeder - great compliment to the dubias feed the BSFL first thing in the morning dropping in front of him on his salads the movement will get him to the bowl - we wont be able to determine boy or girl for a few months we got some others on here that can help w/ that -- here are some websites for insects ----
www.dubiaroaches.com great roaches - small horn worms feed 1-2 they grow fast great hydrating worm - small super worms can be added to the tops of the salad as lures as well 1-3 every other day - go by their chart for the roaches
www.symtonbsf.com
www.abdragons.com
www.reptilianarts.com silk worms - and roaches -
www.rainbowmealworms.com
www.mulberryfarms.com expensive on shipping --
Please set up a 10 gallon aquarium for the roaches - feed dubia food along w dubia crystals -- also feed squash -- raw sweet potato -- if you feed carrots do NOT feed the dragon carrots too - too much Vit A - fruit along w/ other things you feed the dragon they will eat-- are you dusting w/ calcium D3 ? you need also vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONE time per feeding lightly coated - calcium D3 5 x per week ONE time per feeding lightly coated - please dust the roaches -- the digital thermometers have probes on them?? the hygrometer needs a probe as well placed on the back center wall of the tank

So keep the t5 out of the 25 gallon? okay.
Sounds good, one of the thermometers yes it has a probe. I’ll get some more today with probes on them.

I’ll also get those bugs so she can start eating the salads more i do know babies are supposed to eat 80% insects and a certain percentage of greens till they grow older.
I have a Small cricket keeper, where I keep my Dubai roaches, i order crystals and some food for them on Dubairoach.com! Again that all comes today. I’ve been more on the veggie side for my breaded dragon. Yellow and red peppers, greens & added strawberries for her salad.

I have 3 Calciums all of them w d3 I have Repti Calcium, Fluckers Repta Calcium phosphorus free, also got another Fluckers it’s flavored Strawberry and banana cause she is a picky eater. I was looking into Herptivite Multivitamins as well, also repta boost to help with her appetite?

 

[KarrieRee]

So keep the t5 out of the 25 gallon? okay.
Sounds good, one of the thermometers yes it has a probe. I’ll get some more today with probes on them.

I’ll also get those bugs so she can start eating the salads more i do know babies are supposed to eat 80% insects and a certain percentage of greens till they grow older.
I have a Small cricket keeper, where I keep my Dubai roaches, i order crystals and some food for them on Dubairoach.com! Again that all comes today. I’ve been more on the veggie side for my breaded dragon. Yellow and red peppers, greens & added strawberries for her salad.

I have 3 Calciums all of them w d3 I have Repti Calcium, Fluckers Repta Calcium phosphorus free, also got another Fluckers it’s flavored Strawberry and banana cause she is a picky eater. I was looking into Herptivite Multivitamins as well, also repta boost to help with her appetite?

Her appetite will pick up as she comes out of the relocation stress -- she needs protein now more so than greens -- as long as shes eating some that is good but her protein is 80% so let her eat as many insects as she will in a 10-15 minute time span but feed the greens and the BSFL first -- the cricket keeper will house lower amounts of dubias if its small I dont know how big it is but if you can find a 10 gallon aquarium that would be good they will house more roaches and bigger ones look on FB marketplace or craigslist for the 10 gallon -- yes order the dubia food and crystals / dew off of dubiaroaches.com -- T 5 needs to go into the bigger tank -- use the T 8 it is more suitable for the smaller tank -- the herptivite is good for the vitamins -- the Flukers w /out phosph save for when she gets older around a year old she will need that one right now she needs w/ the D3 -- I would not use the repta boost as of yet -- she will start eating more as she gets adjusted to the tank -- feed more collards turnip kale or mustard greens than the gr pepper or red pepper -- vegies w/ alot of water content will give runny stools