All fired up.

[theoc1172]

Hi, all. So, My dragon is about 8 weeks old. I have had him for five days now. He is eating voraciously and pooping so, all seems well there. He(i say "he" but not sure yet)has been REALLY active the past two days. Running around his enclosure, getting on the glass and clawing at it. He puts his nose on the glass and runs back and forth. Feeding him usually calms him down for awhile but he gets right back to it after a little while on his basking rock. Is this normal?

 

[doe222]

yea hes just checkin out his new area, be happy you have an active dragon. want to describe his setup so we can make sure your little "boys" all set? should put up some pics too
Got a uvblight ? if so what kind?
what do you use for heat?
whats his basking temp?
whats his cool side temp?
what size is his enclosure?
Do you use calcium+d3 supplements when you feed him? and whats his diet like?

 

[Claudiusx]

Yup, babies can be pretty active at times

-Brandon

 

[theoc1172]

Right now, I have him in a 10 gallon viv. UVB is a reptisun(desert) and am using a zoo med 100w heat bulb. His basking area fluctuates between 98 and 110 degrees fh and his cool side stays at about 85. A little cooler at night. I use a laser thermometer to check surface temps. I'm a bit of a mother hen. lol. His diet has consisted mainly of crickets dusted every other day with repti-cal. I am providing vegetables(dandelion greens) but I don't see where he has shown much interest in them. I actually got him to eat a couple of meal worms, today. Practically out of my hand. Let's just say my hand was still near him when he went after them. 8) He has also shed a bit from what I can tell, his tail. Found some skin on his basking rock. I have been taking him out once or twice a day and just letting him hang out on my hand. Usually for about an hour, then he starts getting restless so I put him back in his enclosure. I have cared for reptiles before, but this is first baby dragon. Learning as I go. Hopefully all is well.

 

[doe222]

be very carefull with mealworms and young dragons! i learned the hard way when mine became mildly impacted at 5 months old. mild impaction = "omfg hes going to die!" for new beardie owners lol. you dont want to go through it. as for the reptisun...its an ok bulb and will work fine for now. but when you goto replace it at 6 months like you should with all UVB bulbs, instead of replacing that id go all out and get an arcadia t5 12%. bulb lasts 1 year instead of 6 months so the extra $$ for the bet bulb on the market pays for itself in the first year. you probly got the reptisun at petsmart or petco right? so for supplies readily available at chain stores you went the best route. the 10gallons not bad for now i had a 10gallon for the first 2 months but they quickly outgrow them.

 

[theoc1172]

Thanks for the tips. No more meal worms! I seriously don't need any "OMFG" moments. I've been reading about the Arcadia bulbs and most folks say they are superior to the reptisun so I'll be all over that. As far as his enclosure goes, I'm having a friend of mine build me a custom enclosure with sliders in the front. 36L 18W 16H.

 

[bunnyrut]

try reptiworms, http://www.reptiworms.com/, while he is still young. add them on facebook for coupon codes (usually 20% off).

they are high in calcium, and *most* beardies gobble them up like crazy. plus they are soft, so you don't have to worry about impaction.

 

[theoc1172]

Those look great! Thank you. To be honest, I'm getting sick of these damn crickets. lol. Now, being high in calcium, should these worms be calcium dusted occasionally or are they fine without it?

 

[bunnyrut]

Those look great! Thank you. To be honest, I'm getting sick of these damn crickets. lol. Now, being high in calcium, should these worms be calcium dusted occasionally or are they fine without it?

they should be fine without the dusting. i still dust the veggies 2x a week since my youngest is growing quickly.

when the worms turn dark brown or black they have the most calcium.

 

[theoc1172]

Awesome. Thank you.

 

[dangit12]

can we get some pictures please?

 

[doe222]

reptiworms are awesome my 11month eats the crap outa them. but he will eat so many of them i still do half n half with crickets. 30crix and 40 worms lol. hes a fatty. i use the crix as more of a filler so i dont feed him 100+ worms per feeding

 

[theoc1172]

can we get some pictures please?

Haven't gotten that far, yet. lol. I'll take some tonight. At work, right now.

 

[theoc1172]

A couple of pics are up in the "images" section. 8)

 

[diamc]

I have to say that a 100 watt basking bulb in only a 10 gallon tank seems like a lot of wattage. You're using an infrared temp gun to check the temps? If so, what distance do you hold it from the area you're checking?

He is adorable, I just saw his picture. Love the way he was posing for you.

I noticed that you're using a red basking bulb, I wanted to recommend that you use a bright white basking bulb instead as the red ones are rough on their eyes and they do much better with the white bulbs. Is the Repti-Sun bulb a 10.0 and a fluorescent tube bulb? What distance do you have that bulb?

We always like more pictures. :wink: