Couple of questions..

[Shiro]

Yay I finally got my beardie! He wasnt in the best of set ups (10-gallon tank with no heat or UVB and it was dirty..) when I got him so I have a few questions.

The family I got him from has had him since he was a hatchling but hes never had a UVB bulb. Hes 13 inches long and around 5 months or so they said. They also said he eats on a normal basis. Poor thing was stuffed in a 10-gallon tank (he is now in a 20-gallon untill i get the money for a 55). So how long do I have before I need the UVB? Like I said hes never had one and Ive had him for about 2 days now and hes eating like a pig. Could I just keep him near a window with sunlight untill I get one?

They fed him crickets dusted with hertavite and rep-cal but no veggies but they did have this wierd pellet food. Its really small and round and red in color. Im not sure what brand that is since Ive never seen it. I went to beautifuldragon and printed out the list of veggies that were good and went shopping . The majority of his salad is collard greens and shredded butturnut squash. I mix it with a few other things here and there. Since hes never had veggies I didnt expect him to eat them right away and sure enough...he wont. Any ideas on how I can get him to eat them? Also if I mix the veggies right would it be neccesary to dust my feeders? (He looooves Dubias )

I have a 75 watt basking light in his new tank now, was supposed to be a replacement if one blew lol, and the basking area ranges from 102-105 and the ambient stays in the mid 80's in the day and mid 70's at night. Does that sound right?

Thanks in advance and yes Wrex will be spoiled rotten like the rest of my lizards lol.

 

[Elora]

congrats on saving that beardie!!
Uvb dosnt go through glass though so get one as soon as possible. petmountain.com has the cheapest. Get a reptiSUN 10 tube bulb. I gotta run though so ill be back to answer more questions!!!

 

[ScooterBlenny]

If he has not had proper UVB lighting, then I'm pretty suprised that he has even gotten to 13" in 5 months. Usually neglected beardies are really stunted, and the poor guy is on the small side.

You really need proper lighting ASAP - I would put that at the top of your list of "things to buy today."

As far as getting him to eat veggies - maybe mixing some yummy worms in with his greens? Like Phoenix worms. If they have to eat the greens to find the worms, it makes the veggies a little more appetizing. Glad to hear he loves dubias - lots and lots of live food may help him grow into a healthy guy after all! You may have caught him early enough to prevent any permanent health problems.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi there and Welcome to you and Wrex !
Now, since he has NOT had a UVB since infancy (breeder I hope) it is imperative for you to get him under one immediately !
You say you are getting a 55, but how handy are you ? You can build a 48 x 24 x 24 with relative ease.
In any case, you may want to look into getting Mercury Vapor Bulb. This is UVB as well as heat, though a second house hold flood lamp will help out on bright lighting as well as heat.
I would recommend HIGHLY the Mega Ray and the TREX MVBs. Both are top of the line, and last for 11-13 months before you have to change them out... $$ savings ! You also can invest in the Best Tube UVB which is the ReptiSun 10.0.
All three of these UVBs are excellent, though with the tube Sun, you have to change out every 4-6 months.
http://www.petmountain.com has all three of these I believe, and for an excellent price.
So decide which of the three you want, keeping in mind the Tube needs to be within 4-8" of the dragon, and the MVBs need at least 12" Away from the dragon.
Also, you will want calcium and vitamins to supplement his diet. If you go with the Sun Tube get the Rep-Cal calcium that is Phosphorous free with D3. If you decide on the MVBs than Rep-cal phos free with OUT D3.
For a vitamin, Herptivite is an excellent product too !
All of these can be found on Petmountain.

Here is a fabulous guide to feeding your dragon healthy foods !

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

This guide is color coded to make choosing easier. Green is daily, Black is once or twice a week, the rest just ignore !

Now since we have covered lighting, diet and supplements, I would like to mention accurate temps. A young dragon such as the one you have, needs Basking Temps around 110-120*F. Ambiant (air temps) around 85-90*F and cool side 80-85. Over night temps shouldn't drop below 65*F, if they do, than a Ceramic Heat Emitter is the trick for you. It only gives out heat, no light. Lights are bad for a dragon at night/sleep time. It can disrupt the sleep pattern and that makes a grumpy (ier) dragon !
What you will need is either a PROBE thermometer or a Temperature Gun.
The Probe you will need to lay on the spot (basking for instance) for 45 minutes before an accurate temp is recorded. The Gun will do this instantly.


Okay, let's move onto substrate. Dragons under 18 months should be on a solid, not particulate surface. This means that calcisand (baaaaaaaaad impaction, bacteria warnings), ground up walnut, any soils, are a major no no. Most of us will use ceramic/slate tiles that you can find pretty cheaply at Lowes (they will cut for free if you buy from them, just have the nessecery measurements) or Home Depot.
You can seal those in permanently with either grout or silicone (100% only), or you can just lay them in tightly for easy removal for spot or deep cleaning.

Hides, most people don't realize that until a baby is settled in, a hide isn't such a great idea. You want to be able to observe the baby for behaviors that might indicate something isn't right. So just plan that hide for later.

Relocation stress. This is something every dragon pretty much goes through. This can last for up to 2 months ( the stubborn ones) though most only experience this for a couple of weeks. Just keep the handling to a minimum, other than removing for baths, and placing the feeders and salads.

Bathing. Young dragons need to be dehydrated frequently as they are in a hot environment. You can offer a baby warm bath (90-100*F) 3-4 times a week. Let the water come up to his elbows, for 15-20 minutes. You will have to supervise this totally each time, as it doesn't take much for a dragon to drown.
For security, offer either your hand for the dragon to perch the front legs on, or a wash cloth. The anal vent is where the fluids are absorbed, so make sure that is completely under water.
You can also train your baby to poo only in the bath, which makes clean up sooooo much easier, just pull the plug !

I think I covered most of what you will need to look into with this wonderful little guy/gal . If you have any questions or concerns, we are here to help you out !

Welcome Home to our little family !
Janie.
P.s. Did I mention we are picture hogs ?

 

[Shiro]

Cool Ive been mixing in a few nymphs with the veggies and he just eyeballs it when the greens move around xD. Hopefully curiosity will kick in hehe.

I do have an old reptisun 10.0 that my green anole used before he died but Im not entirely sure how old it is. Better safe than sorry.

They said he was around 5 months but they didnt seem to certin so Im not entirely sure just how old he is. Hes really active considering hes never had proper lighting. Todays bath day so I shall be back

 

[zebraflavencs]

Pssst Pictures or it didn't happen !
Looks like you are well on your way to being a wonderful Slave !
Good for you on the bath days !
And everything else !
Janie.

 

[Shiro]

Haha I know I need some pics but my digitial camera is at my grandmas >.<...I sort of left it there after the cookout we had hehe.

I have most of that stuff Zebra except my water dragon has the MVB. I planned on getting another for the chameleon but it looks like I need 2 more lol. No offense of course but I have several other lizards and pretty much everything needed (the older reptisun still has some life left it seems) This is my first Beardie and he wasnt in the best of shape so I was just a little worried

 

[zebraflavencs]

Not to worry, and we completely understand. That is why I had such a long reply. I want to make sure that everything basic you need to know, is in there !
Janie.... Ohhhhh Graaaaaaaaammma ! LOL

 

[Shiro]

Greatly appreciate it as well. If my grandma didnt live almost 2 hours away Id head over that way. Perhaps my mom has a camera... :twisted:

 

[zebraflavencs]

LOL..... Mooooooom !
Isn't that what we Moms are for anyhow ?
I used to hear.... "I can't find my socks !" Now I hear...." He's outta roaches !"
Ah children....
Janie.

 

[Shiro]

Bath time went better than I thought...Wrex wasnt happy at first but once he moved on to the deeper side of the tub he rested his head on the part that slopes up and fell asleep! Was so funny. Hes not as tame as Id like him to be but were working on that . Right now hes resting on my chest as I check e-mails and hop around on here.

 

[zebraflavencs]

awwwwwwe so sweet, I can picture that now !
Janie