Am i taking care of Pancake well?

[AnxiousBoio]

I have no idea how old pancake is i think he's 4-7 months old (Most likely 4 months) this is because i got him from Pet-co, and they sell all dif ones. He was quite small when i got him, and he's still a bit tiny, but he's grown a lot. He naps with me (Like he does the little burrow thing into wherever he's at and sleeps while I'm on my phone or on my PC he's doing that rn)

I want to make sure I'm taking care of him correctly.

I didn't have the right lighting for the first month i think? Because i didn't realize that'd he'd need a UVB light D: He has it now though, and he's grown a lot quite fast.

Stats: (Weird way to phrase it ik)
He has a 150 Watt heat Bulb, and he has a UVB bulb. Both fairly new as during the night his heat broke and i cuddled him for hours on end until the morning (woke up at 3 am and my room was pitch black) Like i know it only get down to like 70 rn but i worry. Then when his night bulb broke (Bulb i used instead of uvb i know i was stupid I'm doing better) i got him a good uvb bulb instead.
The temp is 112-115 in the hottest area, In the middle its 91, In the coldest its around 81 (My house is hot as heck right now the temps can differ in the cold area but it never goes above around 80 it's normally at 72 ish its just hot today.
He has a 40 Gallon tank. I have lots of rocks and huge stick thingies (All boiled in hot water and disinfected). I also bought him a lil hammock. He does have a heat rock. But he's not usually on it. He's either on his bridge thing (you'll see) Or near the rock not on it completely. Im getting a summer job so i can get him a bigger tank by the time i move.(Family's moving yee) Im thinking of DIYing it because the tanks are so expensive. Also his substrate is paper towels. The tank i bought came with sand but i didn't want to use it since one thing in the sand discourse everyone agrees on is to not use sand on babies and juvies.
He is currently 79-80 grams (Scale keeps flipping back and forth) and 11.5 inches (29.21 cm) ish. He's gotten big so quick once i got the right lighting.He looks healthy to me. He doesn't puff up or bite me (To be honest he bitten me before but its alright i know he didn't mean it). I know i keep using he but thats just what I've gotten used no idea what the heck he is yet i know i won't be able to tell for a while and thats alright.
I let him eat as many super worms as he wants and i get him crickets as a treat once a week (They're a lil expensive where i live) He normally eats 5-10 supper worms in one sitting and thats all he will eat. But some days like today he wont eat at all no matter how many times i show him his worms D: also i know dubias are better and i finally conned my mum (Im 16, 17 in 10 days uwu) into letting me start a dubia thingy after we move. She said it'll have to wait till after winter so i can keep them in the shed.
He doesn't eat a lot of veggies yet still. So i make sure to get water in him daily to make sure he won't get dehydrated. He poops normally. (Even though sometimes he poops in veggie dish.-. Which is fine and easy/easier to clean than the paper towels but yea)
This is my first Bearded dragon. I've owned a ball python (still have that bby). But never a beardie any and all advice is welcome. I tried to look through other posts but nothing really fit with my issues/worries.
Im sorry for how long this is i just want to be thorough.

Pictures of Pancake and his setup-- (Lighter by him for ref ;p)

 

[KarrieRee]

He looks good - what kind of UVB are you using? A coil? If its a coil you need to replace w/ this
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html 24" for a 40+ gallon tank it will come w/ a 5.0 bulb keep it as a back up is equivalent to a T 8
this bulb
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html a 22"
these are the best on the market
Basking temps should be 105-110 for a baby and 95-110 for a juvie/ adult - temps need to be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer NO stick ons You dont need a night time bulb - they like dark and cool to sleep temps in the tank should not fall below 65 - you need a cool side of the tank during the day 80"s
Super worms are not a good staple feeder for insects - he needs the dubias and they can be kept in a 10 gallon tank and fed dubia food along w/ carrots / squash for hydration - dubias cannot get out of the 10 gallon aquarium and they would not last in the shed if the weather is cold - summer would be fine but not during the winter - they are also very good nutrition wise -
You can also order BSFL which are another good staple feeder or crickets - but not superworms - he needs to be fed salads now here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html you may have a hard time getting him to eat salads now since all you have been feeding is a treat worm - crickets need to be the staple and super worms once or twice a week -
you can order crickets on line but they are harder to keep and they stink
here are some websites to get insects
www.dubiaroaches.com BSFL are also known as nutri grubs calci worms phoenix worms
www.reptilianarts.com great place for silk worms cupped come w/ food
www.mulberryfarms.com they are spendy on shipping
www.symptonsbsf.com
Please use the super worms to lure him to the salad bowl and the BSFL but you want him eating salads now you will need a glass or ceramic bowl for the worms
Karrie

 

[AnxiousBoio]

He looks good - what kind of UVB are you using? A coil? If its a coil you need to replace w/ this
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html 24" for a 40+ gallon tank it will come w/ a 5.0 bulb keep it as a back up is equivalent to a T 8
this bulb
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html a 22"
these are the best on the market
Basking temps should be 105-110 for a baby and 95-110 for a juvie/ adult - temps need to be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer NO stick ons You dont need a night time bulb - they like dark and cool to sleep temps in the tank should not fall below 65 - you need a cool side of the tank during the day 80"s
Super worms are not a good staple feeder for insects - he needs the dubias and they can be kept in a 10 gallon tank and fed dubia food along w/ carrots / squash for hydration - dubias cannot get out of the 10 gallon aquarium and they would not last in the shed if the weather is cold - summer would be fine but not during the winter - they are also very good nutrition wise -
You can also order BSFL which are another good staple feeder or crickets - but not superworms - he needs to be fed salads now here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html you may have a hard time getting him to eat salads now since all you have been feeding is a treat worm - crickets need to be the staple and super worms once or twice a week -
you can order crickets on line but they are harder to keep and they stink
here are some websites to get insects
http://www.dubiaroaches.com BSFL are also known as nutri grubs calci worms phoenix worms
http://www.reptilianarts.com great place for silk worms cupped come w/ food
http://www.mulberryfarms.com they are spendy on shipping
http://www.symptonsbsf.com
Please use the super worms to lure him to the salad bowl and the BSFL but you want him eating salads now you will need a glass or ceramic bowl for the worms
Karrie

Thanks for responding and to answer a few of your questions i do think i have a coil. I cant replace it right now as i said above we are moving so we are a bit tight on money. The stick ons in the cage are for the humidity not temp i do have have a probe thermometer.
For the Night time bulb thing as i said i havent used one in months and last night i tried leaving all his lights off and he seemed alright when i got up today and his tank was at 75 or 72? Which is good i think.
With the dubias i know that theyll just die off in the winter however my mum is a clean freak and she HATES roaches. Im just happy i convinced her to let me start a colony after winter. We also live in an apartment thing and are moving into a trailer park so im not sure how well roaches would go over.
He actually really likes his little salads. I give him a mix of Collard greens and other good noms. I just woke up so im not remembering all of them right now <3
Ive tried to give him a hornworm before and he tried realllly hard to eat it but i had let the worm grow to big for his lil body ;-;.

Thanks for you answer again the main issue im having is with food. He hasnt been wanting to eat his worms for the past 2 days (He had 2 yesterday and he refused again today) Ill most likely go to the pet store and buy him bout 20 crickets to eat. Sometimes he gets bored so im hoping its that.

 

[KarrieRee]

You need to get the UVB replaced ASAP- your dragon is already starting to respond w/ incorrect UVB -- Hes going to eventually quit eating all together -- the lighting in that tank is the most important thing and if its incorrect he wont make it -- Try going to Petco or Petsmart and get this -- see if its cheaper for this fixture but you MUST get rid of the coil -- look on the coil bulb and tell me what the brand and the bulb is-- if its a 13 watt it is NO good --- if its a 26 watt that is better but it needs to be this brand Reptisun if its a Thrive or different brand it too needs to go --- look for this at Petco or Petsmart
Zilla Slimline Desert fixture but you must also get a different bulb a Reptisun 10.0 T 8 -- that is going to be better than the coil --- but you need to do this NOW-- in the meantime if your somewhere where it is nice and warm like 65+ degrees -- you can take him outside in a plastic tote NO Glass and set him in the sun/ partial shade for 15 minutes NO longer in the tote it will get to hot if its really hot or warm where you are - since hes so little I dont want you losing him outside they are very quick so its good to use a plastic tote DO NOT leave him you need to watch him -- you can do this several times / day till you get the UVB but you really need to replace the UVB -- Keep trying to feed him his salads and DO NOT feed him something bigger than he is -- you will impact him and possibly kill him -- you need to go by the space between his eyes for any live insect your feeding -- please let me know what your doing -- I will try and help as much as I can
the roaches are easy to keep than crickets - and they will not get out of a 10 gallon aquarium I have them in my house have had them for years and have had no issues w/ them at all -- crickets are the ones that escape had them too got rid of them right away and went w/ the roaches --
Karrie

 

[AnxiousBoio]

You need to get the UVB replaced ASAP- your dragon is already starting to respond w/ incorrect UVB -- Hes going to eventually quit eating all together -- the lighting in that tank is the most important thing and if its incorrect he wont make it -- Try going to Petco or Petsmart and get this -- see if its cheaper for this fixture but you MUST get rid of the coil -- look on the coil bulb and tell me what the brand and the bulb is-- if its a 13 watt it is NO good --- if its a 26 watt that is better but it needs to be this brand Reptisun if its a Thrive or different brand it too needs to go --- look for this at Petco or Petsmart
Zilla Slimline Desert fixture but you must also get a different bulb a Reptisun 10.0 T 8 -- that is going to be better than the coil --- but you need to do this NOW-- in the meantime if your somewhere where it is nice and warm like 65+ degrees -- you can take him outside in a plastic tote NO Glass and set him in the sun/ partial shade for 15 minutes NO longer in the tote it will get to hot if its really hot or warm where you are - since hes so little I dont want you losing him outside they are very quick so its good to use a plastic tote DO NOT leave him you need to watch him -- you can do this several times / day till you get the UVB but you really need to replace the UVB -- Keep trying to feed him his salads and DO NOT feed him something bigger than he is -- you will impact him and possibly kill him -- you need to go by the space between his eyes for any live insect your feeding -- please let me know what your doing -- I will try and help as much as I can
the roaches are easy to keep than crickets - and they will not get out of a 10 gallon aquarium I have them in my house have had them for years and have had no issues w/ them at all -- crickets are the ones that escape had them too got rid of them right away and went w/ the roaches --
Karrie

For the first thing hes done this before so im hoping its just him being iffy on the same food again im going to go to petco and grab him crickets like i said because he loves them.
With the uvb i cant check right now as its been a while and the bulb is hot asf so it burns to try nd take it out to look. But i know the brand is reptisun zoomed thingy from petco
Im feeding him a salad like i said i cover everything in calcium.
Hes directly under hish uvb light right now and actually has his head up which is good hes just vibing
I know the roaches wld be easier to keep and i hate the superworms because i feel like they always try to murder me .-. But like i said my mom wont let me i am 1 6 my mother has control of what goes on in her house. ive already conned her into letting me start one colony and im going to try nd con her into letting me keep them inside. im also going to grab a hornworm or two from petco later today and just give them to him right away so theyre not too big
if you have any other questions or ways you can help please let me know
Like if you want to know anything else out about him to help me out just ask im sorry if im a bad beardie owner im really trying to make sure i take care of him

 

[KarrieRee]

You need to look at that UVB and tell me what the wattage is -- if its a 13 watt its NO good - he will start having health issues -- get him outside for some good UVB and get it the one you have replaced as soon as you can - the longer he goes w/ out he will start getting sick - he will become lethargic quit eating and will start developing MBD -- thats all I can say at this point -
Karrie

 

[AnxiousBoio]

You need to look at that UVB and tell me what the wattage is -- if its a 13 watt its NO good - he will start having health issues -- get him outside for some good UVB and get it the one you have replaced as soon as you can - the longer he goes w/ out he will start getting sick - he will become lethargic quit eating and will start developing MBD -- thats all I can say at this point -
Karrie

ight give me a sec also i took him outside for 30mins and vibed with him because its coolish out but the suns not very out and about where i am today
--
This is his exact bulb
--
My moms taking me to petco today at around noon so in an hour
Shes checking the budget to see if we can afford to get him a new lamp thingy or not

 

[KarrieRee]

Yep this is the UVB that causes all kind of health issues --- it is NO good please get it replaced -- your dragons life depends on it -- -- look for the Zilla slimline --- and get the Reptisun bulb it will be about $20 for that -- you can swap out the 13 watt for a Reptisun 26 watt bulb - it would need to be 6-8 inches from the basking decor w/ NO obstruction --- meaning you would need to take the screen off
Karrie

 

[AnxiousBoio]

Yep this is the UVB that causes all kind of health issues --- it is NO good please get it replaced -- your dragons life depends on it -- -- look for the Zilla slimline --- and get the Reptisun bulb it will be about $20 for that -- you can swap out the 13 watt for a Reptisun 26 watt bulb - it would need to be 6-8 inches from the basking decor w/ NO obstruction --- meaning you would need to take the screen off
Karrie

Would those two items be at petco? Thats where im going today.

 

[KarrieRee]

Zilla slimline Desert fixture this is $36 and Reptisun 10.0 T 8 bulb see if they have this in your store --- and check on the Reptisun 26 watt bulb I am thinking this bulb is $30 but I am not sure ----- take your phone w/ you if you are on the internet --- you can post on here if you have questions -- I can help you while you are there if you need help -- DO NOT get a Thrive 26 watt bulb they are NO good -- stay w/ what I told you please --
Karrie

 

[AnxiousBoio]

Zilla slimline Desert fixture this is $36 and Reptisun 10.0 T 8 bulb see if they have this in your store --- and check on the Reptisun 26 watt bulb I am thinking this bulb is $30 but I am not sure ----- take your phone w/ you if you are on the internet --- you can post on here if you have questions -- I can help you while you are there if you need help -- DO NOT get a Thrive 26 watt bulb they are NO good -- stay w/ what I told you please --
Karrie

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-reptile-uvb150-bulb-26-watts-1403818

Would this work till i can afford the hood? online its only 18

 

[KarrieRee]

No --a Reptisun 26 watt -- no other brands for coils-- you dont want cheap UVB's your dragons health is at stake here
Karrie