Calcium Qs and more

[Yourfriendlyperson]

I’m very close to feeling confident about my knowledge and actually getting a baby beardie, so this should be one of my last rounds of questions. however, there is one subject I’m still stuck on: Calcium. I’ve read that I should be providing both with d3 and w/o. However, I don’t know how frequently I should be dusting for either of them or the multivitamin. Additionally,
1) what is the maximum amount of UVB exposure a beardie can be getting in a day (how long the lights can be on) Ik it’s ideally 12 hrs but that won’t work with my schedule.
2) If I have my lights on for longer than usual, do I need calcium with d3 since he’s gonna be getting extra from the UVB?
3) I plan on feeding my baby beardie dubias anyone know how long they stay the same size?
4)Addidtonly I don't plan on having a dubia colony, so I'll buy around every two weeks. Will they be able to last on just when I gut load them for the two weeks I need them? Or do I have to really feed them food and water?
5) I live in Long Island New York, does any1 #know if I need to add conditioner to my water or can I just give it to my beardie tap? If no one knows how can I find out?
6) for my substrate I’m going to use a type of shelf liner that looks good and is easy to clean, however, I don’t know if it is toxic to beardies or not. Also, are there any other materials that are toxic to beardies?
Here is the shelf liner: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027P94ZI/ref=ox_sc_act_image_16?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=

 

[CooperDragon]

If you are creating a gradient in your tank that has some shade areas available with little to no UVB, they will move around to get what they want over the course of the day, so the length of time the UVB is on becomes less important. If they have a hide available, they'll go there to sleep if they want to get out of the light completely. You could also connect the UVB lamp and heat lamp to separate timers so that you can configure the UVB lamp to turn on a bit later and shut off a bit earlier than the heat lamp. The actual timings should stay pretty consistent and just reflect what works best for your schedule.

If you're using a high power UVB light such as a T5, set at an appropriate distance, then you probably don't need to use calcium with D3. If you want to go with a middle ground approach, you can use a calcium supplement with low vitamin D added. Repashy makes SuperCal LoD for this case.

Dubias don't grow all that quickly. From what I've seen, they grow and reproduce over the course of a few months. Much slower than something like hornworms which can grow to full size in a week or two. Offering black solider fly larvae might be a good option as well. They stay the same size (and eventually hatch into flies) without needing any food or interaction.

The dubia do just fine on food scraps. Offer them leftover salad from your dragon or things like stems from greens or ends of squash etc. They aren't too picky as long as they are getting some hydration and nutrients from fresh veges. They seem to like the occasional bread slice as well.

Tap water is safe for them. No need to treat or change it.

That shelf liner is OK. I have some and haven't had any issue with it.

 

[Yourfriendlyperson]

If you are creating a gradient in your tank that has some shade areas available with little to no UVB, they will move around to get what they want over the course of the day, so the length of time the UVB is on becomes less important. If they have a hide available, they'll go there to sleep if they want to get out of the light completely. You could also connect the UVB lamp and heat lamp to separate timers so that you can configure the UVB lamp to turn on a bit later and shut off a bit earlier than the heat lamp. The actual timings should stay pretty consistent and just reflect what works best for your schedule.

If you're using a high power UVB light such as a T5, set at an appropriate distance, then you probably don't need to use calcium with D3. If you want to go with a middle ground approach, you can use a calcium supplement with low vitamin D added. Repashy makes SuperCal LoD for this case.

Dubias don't grow all that quickly. From what I've seen, they grow and reproduce over the course of a few months. Much slower than something like hornworms which can grow to full size in a week or two. Offering black solider fly larvae might be a good option as well. They stay the same size (and eventually hatch into flies) without needing any food or interaction.

The dubia do just fine on food scraps. Offer them leftover salad from your dragon or things like stems from greens or ends of squash etc. They aren't too picky as long as they are getting some hydration and nutrients from fresh veges. They seem to like the occasional bread slice as well.

Tap water is safe for them. No need to treat or change it.

That shelf liner is OK. I have some and haven't had any issue with it.

Thanks so much! This is great advice - you guys are awesome on this website.