Axew is home

[RuthlessPumpkin]

Hello, I am a new baby beardie owner. We brought Axew home on Sept 15th and have spent the last few days adjusting to having a new beardie. Axew appears to be a citrus leatherback, but we chose this one because my daughter liked it. Axew came in a 10 gal tank and it maybe 6 or 7 inches. I know this isn't ideal and I will have a much nicer 40 gal enclosure within 2 weeks. My concern is that I have raised other beardies that were a bit older and more established, never a baby before. Axew ate pretty well the first night, Dubia and some greens. Since then it has had maybe 3 or 4 small wax worms(bought them as a treat to see if it would eat them). It has not been eating much since we brought it home, it has had 3 and a half healthy poops which were promptly cleaned up. It will bask and move around the enclosure from time to time but still seems pretty scared. Should I worry? The person we got it from had it tanked with another baby on sand and I do not know what it was eating there. A little background, we have 5 kids who can be a little noisy and Axew is in the kitchen. There is almost no humidity and he has had 2 soaks since coming home. Also I am worried that there may have been mites in the sand that the last place had. I have seen what look like gnats crawling in the enclosure once or twice, took it all apart and scrubbed and disinfected everything and I have only seen one gnat thing since. I know this is a lot but I want to give this little baby the best chance and best life possible. Any tips would be helpful. (Today after basking for about 5 hrs it went into a hide and has just been sitting in the entrance.)

 

[KarrieRee]

Hello, I am a new baby beardie owner. We brought Axew home on Sept 15th and have spent the last few days adjusting to having a new beardie. Axew appears to be a citrus leatherback, but we chose this one because my daughter liked it. Axew came in a 10 gal tank and it maybe 6 or 7 inches. I know this isn't ideal and I will have a much nicer 40 gal enclosure within 2 weeks. My concern is that I have raised other beardies that were a bit older and more established, never a baby before. Axew ate pretty well the first night, Dubia and some greens. Since then it has had maybe 3 or 4 small wax worms(bought them as a treat to see if it would eat them). It has not been eating much since we brought it home, it has had 3 and a half healthy poops which were promptly cleaned up. It will bask and move around the enclosure from time to time but still seems pretty scared. Should I worry? The person we got it from had it tanked with another baby on sand and I do not know what it was eating there. A little background, we have 5 kids who can be a little noisy and Axew is in the kitchen. There is almost no humidity and he has had 2 soaks since coming home. Also I am worried that there may have been mites in the sand that the last place had. I have seen what look like gnats crawling in the enclosure once or twice, took it all apart and scrubbed and disinfected everything and I have only seen one gnat thing since. I know this is a lot but I want to give this little baby the best chance and best life possible. Any tips would be helpful. (Today after basking for about 5 hrs it went into a hide and has just been sitting in the entrance.)

Welcome to the forum axew

Please move him to the 40 gallon tank- it's going to be too hard to get correct surface basking temps-- please get 2 digital probe thermometers one for surface basking temps and one for cool side of the tank-- you want surface basking temps of 105-110-- middle if tank 90's and cool side of the tank 80's your going to need a long tube fixture like a 24" zoo med w/ a 22" reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb the zoo med will come w/ a 5.0 bulb suitable for a 10- 20 gallon - coil uvb's are no good - please let me know when you get this situated so I can help you get this set up - this all needs to be correct for him to stay eating - also no humidity is not good he needs humidity 40-50% taken w/ a digital probe hygrometer - if you need links to any of this stuff let me know

 

[RuthlessPumpkin]

Welcome to the forum axew

Please move him to the 40 gallon tank- it's going to be too hard to get correct surface basking temps-- please get 2 digital probe thermometers one for surface basking temps and one for cool side of the tank-- you want surface basking temps of 105-110-- middle if tank 90's and cool side of the tank 80's your going to need a long tube fixture like a 24" zoo med w/ a 22" reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb the zoo med will come w/ a 5.0 bulb suitable for a 10- 20 gallon - coil uvb's are no good - please let me know when you get this situated so I can help you get this set up - this all needs to be correct for him to stay eating - also no humidity is not good he needs humidity 40-50% taken w/ a digital probe hygrometer - if you need links to any of this stuff let me know

Thank you very much, I already have plans to aquire all of this within a week or two. It isn't ideal I know but it was a decision that we had to make at the time to get him out of a worse situation. What probe thermometers do you find are the most accurate? The laser thermometer I have is OK at best and I definitely want to get a good thermometer that is accurate as possible. Axews care is one of my highest concerns.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you very much, I already have plans to aquire all of this within a week or two. It isn't ideal I know but it was a decision that we had to make at the time to get him out of a worse situation. What probe thermometers do you find are the most accurate? The laser thermometer I have is OK at best and I definitely want to get a good thermometer that is accurate as possible. Axews care is one of my highest concerns.

Zoo Med digital probe thermometers found at Petco or PetSmart - the surface basking temps and uvb are the most important things in the tank-- what are you using for a substrate now?

 

[RuthlessPumpkin]

Zoo Med digital probe thermometers found at Petco or PetSmart - the surface basking temps and uvb are the most important things in the tank-- what are you using for a substrate now?

Right now is one of the dessert mats, it helps keep its nails filed, let it get grip when it does move around and has no loose pieces. In the large enclosure I usually use tile or paper towels, just depending on what's available at the time.

 

[KarrieRee]

Right now is one of the dessert mats, it helps keep its nails filed, let it get grip when it does move around and has no loose pieces. In the large enclosure I usually use tile or paper towels, just depending on what's available at the time.

Ok good- let me know when you get him situated so I can help you get the uvb placed- this is crucial

 

[RuthlessPumpkin]

Ok good- let me know when you get him situated so I can help you get the uvb placed- this is crucial

Will do, thank you. I used to have my strip lights mounted inside the pvc enclosures I had it ran the whole length. Wish I still had those enclosures.

 

[Groggyfroggie]

Welcome Axew! He's just got home a couple days ago, typically baby beardies going through relocation don't eat that much at the beginning, so just give him some time. Looking at Axew I can see his little belly nice and round, no need to worry. He's just digesting all the food, try giving him small dubias everyday and make sure he's hydrated, has plenty of time to bask after eating. And just as KarrieRee said lighting and heating.

It's so exciting having a new little dragon!

 

[RuthlessPumpkin]

Welcome Axew! He's just got home a couple days ago, typically baby beardies going through relocation don't eat that much at the beginning, so just give him some time. Looking at Axew I can see his little belly nice and round, no need to worry. He's just digesting all the food, try giving him small dubias everyday and make sure he's hydrated, has plenty of time to bask after eating. And just as KarrieRee said lighting and heating.

It's so exciting having a new little dragon!

Thank you!

 

[xp29]

I love babiy beardies, they are so darned cute. Congratzz on your new baby and welcome.

 

[KarrieRee]

Will do, thank you. I used to have my strip lights mounted inside the pvc enclosures I had it ran the whole length. Wish I still had those enclosures.

Ok you dont want the whole length of the tank -- he needs to be able to sit out in the tank w/ out hiding from the UVB

 

[AHBD]

Axew is a cute little dude and has a very determined look , ready for his/her new adventure to begin ! It sounds like he's doing well, try not to offer waxworms because they will get spoiled and hold out for those and may snub other insects. BTW, the pebbles can definitely come loose on those sand mats and that can be an impaction hazard if eaten, plus it's pretty rough on their feet. In the wild it would mostly be sand, packed dirt and grassy areas that they run on. Wishing Axew a great life with you !