Baby Girl and Sweetie!!! First time Reptile owner!

[behashe62512]

Hey everyone!! I'm new to the whole bearded dragon thing, but I just so happen to fall in love with my Baby Girl when I first held her! :love5: Never saw my self having reptiles but I dangerously feel in love!! Haha! Well I have 2 bearded dragons, one is Baby Girl she was the first I got she's about 4 months old and is one hyper little thing (not now since she's shedding!! ) and the other is Sweetie which the name speaks for itself! I'm not sure how old she is (the clerk, from the same shop I got Baby Girl but different person, wasn't very informative wen my BF went that second time to pick up Sweetie) but she's about 6"-10" long so I'm guessing almost a year? I've done a ton of research on all different kinds of websites(including this one) and I think I've done pretty well for a first timer! Haha!
Viv includes:
- reptisun light bulb 10.0
- basking rocking with hideaway reaches about 95 on that side of the tank
- cool side reaches about 85 plus has their food, water, tree, 2 hideaways
- middle has another hideaway and a tree limb which Baby Girl loves! Sweetie loves the rocks and nothing else! Haha!
- reptile carpet (hearing all the rumors on the sand scares me so I will NEVER get it!! :shock: )
- gets kale and mealworms daily (Sweetie doesn't seem to be eating much greens! She's the oldest and I know she should be having more than what she does eat which is not enough!!) which I've just read that collard greens and acorn squash should be daily as well so going to start that ASAP!
- Superworms are used for treats and trying to train them to eat and climb on my hand. Baby Girl is doing amazing at it but Sweetie is taking a little more time to learn.
Baby Girl loves being out of her cage and exploring everywhere she can get to which is TERRIFIYING!! :shock: but shes learning not to go in certain places at least I believe I kind of raise my voice and she just stares at me confused and goes in another direction. But main questions are:
- How do I get Sweetie to eat more veg?
- Is there anything I'm doing wrong?
- Is there anything else that's needs to be worked on?

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Relocation stress can contribute to lack of appetite. What are you using to take the temps? It should be 105 for babies. Also nix the mealworms as babies can't digest them very well. Also no superworms as they should only be fed to dragons 16 inches. Beardies have a kink in their digestive tract until they reach 16 inches or so. Better feeders are dubia roaches(depending on your location), Phoenix worms, silk worms and crickets are all good. Are they housed together? Is the uvb a tube, coil or compact? Also no feeders bigger than the space between their eyes. That can cause impaction.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Welcome to the forums!
Good to see another beardie lover show some initiative and join the community and do their research!
6-10 is small for a year old. If Sweetie has been fed properly and has gotten all of the proper care, then that sounds much more like less than 4 months. My Diablo is 14" and only about 4 months old for reference.
Also, pretty much what destiny said. I personally suggest dubia roaches, as they are one of the best and easiest feeders. They are much more like rollie pollies than they are like roaches, are one of the cheaper options, and much easier to catch than crickets. Honestly, Dubias beat out crickets in most ways.
Tube Reptisun>>>>Bulb reptisun.
What size tank are you using? You aren't keeping them together, right?
You should try taking some pictures of your beardie and your setup, as well! To post a picture, you first upload it here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/#new
then when you go to make a post, press the XIMG button and select your image.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

 

[behashe62512]

- 40 gal 36x18x18
- reptisun tube light
- temp gage on the glass that lists humidity and heat
Q: does a bigger tank (with a screen top) mess up the heat and humidity? With my 30 gal the humidity bounced between 30-40 which I read was good and the heat bounced between 90-100 now the humidity has gone up as of today and the heat bounces between 80-95 as of today. I have had the tank for almost a week. I'm getting a dehumidifier as of today because I know high humidity isn't good for them.
- their food is always cut up very small which they also like green and yellow bell peppers and cucumbers with their kale. Mango I a a no go they don't like it and peaches near haven't tried anything else yet but I am deffinatly experimenting.
Yes they are both housed together with no problems. It seems as if they absolutely love each other! When we first put Sweetie in with Baby Girl I was a nervous reck!! Because the night before my bf was like "suprrise I got another one!!" I watched a video about babies and adults together and it made me so nervous to but Sweetie in there but they were and are still fine had her for 2 weeks. It was the I test thing the other day Baby Girl is shedding on her face and she was rubbing her face on Sweetie and she didn't mind it all! I gave them crickets 2 days ago. Some are still remaining. Where can I get the silk worms and pheonix worms? Because roaches are a no go for my house my parents will kill me!!! Baby Girl does not even look like 14" long tonight I'll try and measure them if the stay still lol I've been trying but every time I go near their cage with the ruler they run lol and once it's gone they'll come back to the glass. Once they're out of their cage all they want to do is explore lol. Like I said I'm not sure if she is a year or not but my bfs brothers fiancé got one too and they said at the pet shop that's she was about 8-9 months and Sweetie is much bigger than her.
Thanks for the pic tip I was wondering why it wasn't working lol

This is Baby Girl

This is Sweetie

This their new home

This was in their older home

 

[destiny1998]

I know you think they are fine for now. You will definitely need to separate them. A 40 gallon is big enough for ONE adult. They are very territorial and will fight. They can get along for years then one will attack the other for no reason. You don't know the sex for sure for both. If one happens to be a male he can mate her to death. Two males will and can fight to the death. You can get a bigger tank and put a divider in there. You need a temp gun or thermometer with a wire probe to get the correct temp readings on the basking spot. Since on is already smaller than the other she/he will stay that way and can have a very negative affect on her /his health. You need to get any crickets left over out. As they will chew on your babies and can cause very bad bite infections. Silk and Phoenix worms need to be ordered on line.

 

[behashe62512]

Ok thank you !!! ? I didn't know that Baby Girl won't grow!! ? I did a lot if research but I guess not enough but hey there's a lot of info on the web but never compares to other bearded dragon owners ? that's another reason why I joined this forum to get more info. And which website do you would you recommend for ordering feeders from? I found a couple but I would like ideas and ratings since I'm not sure.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Going to throw extra emphasis on separating them. Size difference WILL make them much more likely to get dominated and it already looks like your smaller beardie is getting dominated with the bigger beardie taking the better basking spots. I highly suggest you seperate them immediately. Would prefer to not have another beardie be attacked or bullied.
Dubia roaches don't really look like roaches imo. They look much more like rollie pollies, so that might make them more acceptable for your parents.
For stores, I get mine from http://www.dubiaroaches.com (has mostly different styles of roaches, but I really think you will like dubia roaches), http://www.phoenixworm.com (for the phoenix worm, also known as Black Soldier Fly larvae), and http://www.lindasgonebuggie.com/ (for silk worms and other feeders. Never used them yet, but Cooper suggested them and Cooper is pretty trustworthy).

 

[behashe62512]

I'm getting another tank soon and just ordered phenoix worms lastnight and I didn't know they were so high in calcium!! Since they're so high in calcium should I cut back on the kale and collard greens? Got rid of the remaining crickets so tonight ill he more crickets since I let the mealworms and super worms go. by the way Baby Girl is on a full body she's my poor baby lol gave her a bath last night and going to do the same tonight. Sweetie is actually about 13 in long and Baby Girl is about 10 in long, she kept moving so it was kind if hard to measure. What I don't über stand though is why are they so close in age but different lengths? I got Baby Girl about a month ago and Sweetie about 2 weeks ago. I'm getting a stronger basking light and that probe thermometer as of today since I have the bigger tank and don't believe it's enough heat for them ESP Baby Girl.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

I would cut back on the kale. Kale is something that should be fed occasionally and I would just avoid in general. I think you will be fine feeding collard greens still, just keep in mind that you don't need to dust BSF larvae.
The size difference is most likely because of domination, not actually the same age, or because each beardie can grow at a different rate, though I am betting it is probably domination and age.

 

[behashe62512]

Ok thank you and yea I figured I wouldn't have to dust the worms. And why would you avoid kale if you don't mind me asking? It's only good for them lets say once a month or something like that?

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Its more of an occasional thing than it is a staple. I just tend to avoid it for less troublesome greens. It can bind calcium, which can cause some issues. Its better to feed it at most twice a week along with other greens, but I like other veggies for a better nutritional variety.
That plus I hate its stick after a while.

 

[behashe62512]

Oh ok I didn't know it binded calcium and yea I'm still experimenting with their food Im trying red bell peppers as we speak plus I got an acorn squash so I'm about to steam that to soften it.

 

[jenh010112]

I had 2 girls that lived together for years and never had a problem. They even slept together touching. I fed them in separate locations, so I knew exactly what they were eating and how much.

 

[behashe62512]

They get along so great! I've seen them take turns eating the salad last night. And when I first got Baby Girl she was housed with another female and always hung out near her or in top of her sleeping lol

 

[syoung27]

For some great informative videos please look up Webe Reptiles on YouTube, the gents name is Michael Behrends I believe. Great vids and entertaining. I've been obsessed almost in the months I've owned my beardie. Many of them are on housing and feeding, even just some fun videos about his breeding and whatever else in the daily beardie life.
Glad to hear you are separating them, things can turn very quickly with them. They're almost like alpha dogs.
Stick to collard greens and endive, the sweet peppers are a brilliant idea to mix in for colour to encourage them to eat, just be sure to remove all seeds. Of course wash your greens thoroughly before cutting and feeding. This will also promote hydration.
You can always hold back on the live feeders for a day or two so they're hungry enough to want the salad.
Usually I just put some in my hand and shake it around so he notices it more, he'll start eating from my hand then I'll move him to the food bowl and play with the greens til he looks at them more. He'll snag a few bites, as long as he's eating some I can't complain.
Avoid meal worms also. Once in a while won't be harmful as most beardies love to gobble them up.
That's my two cents! You've already got all the great advice you need from the others here. Best of luck!