1537PaperStreet
Member
Might be long winded, but I'm very proud of my work thus far. One question though, which will be at the end. My dragon Bulmers is doing fantastic. I estimates his hatch day in early to mid July. Eating about 30 dusted crickets a day and another 15-20 on a second feeding later on. Sometimes so crazy that I worry when he has three in his mouth at once. He looks up and sticks his tongue out to try and catch the food when I am dumping the bag of crickets in. He eats his greens most days. I usually leave a tablespoon of a mix I food processed for him. I sprinkle it with water and put it on the cool side. I have a mix of dandelions, green beans, a few cilantro leaves, and usually a slice of yellow, orange, or green bell pepper or grated sweet potato. Sometimes I will switch out the main leaf, but he seems to like the mixture I've been leaving.
Before I get started, all equipment is the recommended items on this board. He's in a 20 gallon for now. I will get a bigger one in the next two or three months. So Bulmers alternates cool and hot side. Hot side is around 110-112 and cool side is low to mid 80s. I have a 40 watt ceramic heater on the way cause a few nights last week touched the low 60s and he was ice cold in the morning. Just wanna have it just in case it gets too cold and i need to place it a few feet above the viv. I have a screen top that is split down the middle so it can flip up. I have one side flipped up and the 75 watt basking bulb clamped on and pointing to his basking area. On the side that is not flipped up, I have cut a good portion of the screen out so that the UVB goes directly into the viv. The top of his basking branch is about 7 inches away from it. So basically the branch goes from front of tank to back. Directly below basking area is the 110 area. Towards back of tank on same branch it's about mid 90s. He seems to spend equal time on each side so he gets his heat and his UVB depending on where he hangs out. He goes to the cool side for a bit sometimes too, but for the most part, he spends his time in various areas of his viv.
One question I have is about my timer. I have 8 AM-10 PM with the lights on. 10 PM-8 AM with the lights off. Basically a 14/10 schedule. The past few days, I've noticed that at around 8:30-9, he heads to the cool side and lays on top of his hide log. It's in the corner facing diagonally towards the front of his viv. He seems tired at this point. Doesn't stand on it. Just lays there. I'm not worried because as I said he's a lunatic at feeding time. He also runs around the bedroom FAST. Should I change the timer to maybe 13/11 or even 12/12 since it seems he's ready to call it a day an hour before lights out?? Or is it ok to leave it as is despite this??
On another note, thanks to all who have answered questions, sometimes even repeats of prior questions. I took everyone's advice after my expo beardie lasted a week before dying and made sure I had temps, supplies, and lighting correct before getting this new one. I'm still a noob at this, but so far, this board has helped me to a seemingly happy and healthy Bulmers.
Before I get started, all equipment is the recommended items on this board. He's in a 20 gallon for now. I will get a bigger one in the next two or three months. So Bulmers alternates cool and hot side. Hot side is around 110-112 and cool side is low to mid 80s. I have a 40 watt ceramic heater on the way cause a few nights last week touched the low 60s and he was ice cold in the morning. Just wanna have it just in case it gets too cold and i need to place it a few feet above the viv. I have a screen top that is split down the middle so it can flip up. I have one side flipped up and the 75 watt basking bulb clamped on and pointing to his basking area. On the side that is not flipped up, I have cut a good portion of the screen out so that the UVB goes directly into the viv. The top of his basking branch is about 7 inches away from it. So basically the branch goes from front of tank to back. Directly below basking area is the 110 area. Towards back of tank on same branch it's about mid 90s. He seems to spend equal time on each side so he gets his heat and his UVB depending on where he hangs out. He goes to the cool side for a bit sometimes too, but for the most part, he spends his time in various areas of his viv.
One question I have is about my timer. I have 8 AM-10 PM with the lights on. 10 PM-8 AM with the lights off. Basically a 14/10 schedule. The past few days, I've noticed that at around 8:30-9, he heads to the cool side and lays on top of his hide log. It's in the corner facing diagonally towards the front of his viv. He seems tired at this point. Doesn't stand on it. Just lays there. I'm not worried because as I said he's a lunatic at feeding time. He also runs around the bedroom FAST. Should I change the timer to maybe 13/11 or even 12/12 since it seems he's ready to call it a day an hour before lights out?? Or is it ok to leave it as is despite this??
On another note, thanks to all who have answered questions, sometimes even repeats of prior questions. I took everyone's advice after my expo beardie lasted a week before dying and made sure I had temps, supplies, and lighting correct before getting this new one. I'm still a noob at this, but so far, this board has helped me to a seemingly happy and healthy Bulmers.