A few questions that have crossed my mind

[PapaBeard]

Hello, good people of BD.org. I am completely new to the whole dragon scene and was wandering if some of you could answer a couple questions for me.

1 Whats morph hypo translucent etc mean when referring to types of bds

2 At what age do baby dragons usually start to shed and is it a full body shed or does it happen a little at a time?

3 i have read a lot about lighting while lurking on this boards and see that i need to get a repti sun 10 light. right now all i have is a basking lite for our new bearded dragon. my temps are good 105 basking 85 cool side, we have had him a week now and still no uvb bulb. hes eating good pooping good and seems active i am dusting with fluckers calcium with d3 1 time a day. but it will be atleast 3-5 more days until my bulb gets here. i know now he needs the uvb but could this be a critical mistake or should the baby be ok until it gets here?

4 what type of light fixture do i need for the bulb same as a aquarium hood light or is there a cheaper option?

5 is there any other supplements i should be using daily or weekly?

6 I ordered 1000 1 week old crickets off a site i seen a link for here and also 150 pheonix worrms my baby is about a 4-5 weeks old now is it ok to give him pws now sort of like a treat or just stay with crickets? i also been giving fresh greens mainly turnip and dandelion twice a day and ill mix a lil carrot in with them every now and than. he/she seems to prefer the dandolions over the turnips but really loves the crickets eats 15 or so each time hes feed.

im sure ill have more questions later but man i hate to type and thanks in advance with any help you could give me

 

[jscott]

welcome to BD.org!


im no expert, but id be happy to take a whack at you questions;

1.) morph refers to the specific type or breed of bearded dragon. this can be skin texture, coloration, pattern, etc...

hypo means "under" and transluscent means that light can pass through, so im guessing that hypo-transluscents are dragons with unique skin properties. pehaps they are missing the pigments that normally cause skin to be opaque so the underlying features can be seen...

there are many types of BD morphs, some are truely unique and original while others are just "flavor-of-the-month" names that sound cool but really have no lineage.

2.) reptiles shed in order to grow. as long as your feeding your dragon enough he should shed at least once a month while young. they slow down as the grow older but they always shed.

it usually doesnt happen all at once; my guys will shed their heads then a week later their body then a week later their limbs and tail. dont try to remove a piece of skin thats still connected. it can harm them by ripping their newly emerged skin. they will work it off by rubbing agains the ground, branches and rocks.

3.) if you ordered the RS 10.0 then your ok as long as you have a fluorescent fixture. you do have one of the long fixtures that accomodates tubes right? make sure you dont use any type of spiral or compact fluorescent, they have been known to cause problems.

take him outside in the natural sun for 30min a couple times each day untill the bulb comes. the sun is better than any bulb so thatll hold him untill the UV-B gets there.

about the flukers, what does it say for amounts of D3 in the ingredients? that is a vitamin that can be overdoesd and some companies put way too much of it in their formula from what ive heard. alot of people here recomend RepCal brand calcium for just that reason. check this site for more information on proper supplementaion and how often to give them( http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html ).

4.) im running out of time. the site shuts down at 2AM for maintainance. this is the last one i will be able to address for tonight but ill pcik up tomorrow if someone else hasnt already:

your lights need to provide 4 basic necessities for your dragon:

visible light, any light produces this and some heat. you can use regular light bulbs but there are better(healthier) alternatives.

heat, this keeps them energetic and their metabolism up. again, its important that their heat light is on one side of their cage, this creates a temperature grade across the tank.

ultra-violet light UV is basically invisible light at the low end of the spectrum. there are three types of UV light:

UV-A stimulates their appetite and promotes healthy digestion. UV-A is produced by most any reptile bulb at a pet store, just read the print on the box to be sure.

UV-B is necessary for proper calcium absorbsion. without this type of light they can develop serious problems down the line. only cirtain types of fluorescent lighting(with the exception of Merucy Vapor Bulbs) can produce this wavelength. again, look for it on the box. UV-B bulbs are measured in incriments (2.0, 5.0, 8.0, 10.0, 12.0), this represents the percentage of energy the bulb is putting towards producing the UV-B spectrum.

UV-C is bad. UV-C is known to cause damage to the cells(including cancer) of many living things(including us). it is unclear if UV-C is as deadly to reptiles as it is to us but it is best to steer clear of bulbs emitting this spectrum until testing is complete. there are some UV-B reptile lights that produce ultra-low wavelengths, uncomfortably close to UV-C. i would stay away from these lights for that reason:

ExoTerra Repti-Glo 10.0 is one of the brands to avoid. if you search the old(and new) posts on this site you will find many cases where this bulb was the cause of the problem.

Compact or Spiral Fluorescents of ANY kind cause glare and are not good for your dragons eyes. if you choose to use a fluorescent over an MVB(ill get to that) make sure it is a linear type and not a compact or spiral type.

ok, now that we've gotten past the bad lighting lets talk about the good lighting(this is a much shorter read):

ZooMed Repti-sun 10.0 linear fluorescent is all you need to know if your tank is small or you are having a hard time keeping your cool side cool. this light has been tested for years and is the best UV-B light outside of the UK. it is safe at distances up to 6" compared to the 8-10" distance of some questionable bulbs. to use this light appropriately it should be placed directly next to a heat lamp. its preferable to get a UV-B tube that stretches the length of your enclosure, that way your dragon benefits no matter where he is inside.

Mercury Vapor Bulbs produce waaay more light, heat and UV-B(thats last ones a biggie). its important that your enclosure(as well as your light fixture) be large enough to accomodate this bulb and the heat it produces. i have a 40 gallon tank and a 100gallon tank. the first is too small for me to work a MVB in while the 100gallon would be a perfect candidate. where you live in the world plays a big part in what kind of lighting and heating youll have to implement to create a comfortable enviornment for your dragon.

 

[Alix1378]

an jscott swoops in with a wonderful answer. i agree with him an welcome to the beardie life

 

[sara24354]

I see that you have been given wonderful advice already. One thing I would like to add though,for the fixture for your flourecent,go to walmart!!! Go to the lighting section and look for a fixture for a long tube flourecent bulb(like would go under the stove hood or above a sink if I'm not mistaken they are around $8.00 and up depending on the size you need. ZreptiSUN bulbs come in different lengths so order or buy your bulb and get a fixture to match.