Does Ryuk Look Healthy?! (FIRST TIME OWNER)

[RyuksMama]

Im a super paranoid mama! I got Ryuk thinking he would be a great starter reptile, boy was I wrong and misinformed. I would never recommend a bearded dragon to beginners unless they had access to constant guidance!! However, despite this I am determined to make sure my baby is happy and healthy and willing to put in the work needed to take care of him. As Im sure most of you know, with your first dragon, you just dont know if youre doing things right! And youre terrified of messing up. Now I know you guys aren’t veteranarians but a lot of you are veterans when it comes to owning beardies. Does my little one look healthy? (He is a little dark because it is cold in my house and I took him out of his tank)

 

[RyuksMama]

Note- the tip of his tail has been like that since I got him, (the guy at the pet shop tried forcing him into a container that was way too small for him so I could take him home, and he shut the tip of his tail in the lid) It doesnt seem to bother him though, its not tender. His basking spot is 115 at the hottest spot, he normally lays around in the area that is about 110 though. The cooler side is about 75 in the coldest corner, but average temp in middle of tank is around 80-90. I worry a lot that his hips are too pronounced/thin. He also is always wrinkly like that unless he has just eaten. He enjoys chasing his crickets but other than that he just kinda chills on his hammock accoasionally checking out the rest of his tank. I bathe him at least twice a week. He gets plenty of fruits and veggies as well as crickets or worms, daily.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, good for you to seek out advice to help your dragon ! Ryuk looks reasonably healthy aside from being too thin. What + how much are you feeding him ? He can def. use more insect protein. His tail is kinked but looks fine, no sign of infection or open wound, so that's good.

A red lght is not suitable, unnatural + bad for the eyes. A bright white bulb from Walmart [ sold in 4 packs ] is all you need for heat. These kind are fine :

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sylvania-Double-Life-72W-Halogen-Light-Bulbs-Soft-White-4-Pack/21738518

What type of uvb bulb do you have ? This is VERY important. You need a long tube Reptisun 10.0 t5 for optimum uvb or Arcadia D3 12 -14 %.

 

[Aaradimian]

Hi,

Welcome! It's great that you care enough to put in the effort to give your beardie a good life! I'm more on the n00b end of dragon ownership myself, but Ryuk looks in reasonable shape to me- maybe a tad thin depending on age. How old is he & what's his length, weight? Also, there are plenty of veterans here as you mention, including at least one vet (moderator Drachie613), so you've come to the right place! When I first joined, I had a look at the care sheets link at the top and found a lot of tips. If you post your light setup and feeding info, the folks here are more than happy to give constructive feedback. I know it's helped me a great deal.

 

[RyuksMama]

Hi there, good for you to seek out advice to help your dragon ! Ryuk looks reasonably healthy aside from being too thin. What + how much are you feeding him ? He can def. use more insect protein. His tail is kinked but looks fine, no sign of infection or open wound, so that's good.

A red lght is not suitable, unnatural + bad for the eyes. A bright white bulb from Walmart [ sold in 4 packs ] is all you need for heat. These kind are fine :

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sylvania-Double-Life-72W-Halogen-Light-Bulbs-Soft-White-4-Pack/21738518

What type of uvb bulb do you have ? This is VERY important. You need a long tube Reptisun 10.0 t5 for optimum uvb or Arcadia D3 12 -14 %.

His tail has been kinked like that since he was a hatchling as a result of the pet store employee I’ve noticed how thin he is as well, he eats a TON. I feed him crickets twice daily, (dusted in calcium) I give them to him in small amounts until he looses interest. (About 15 minutes of chasing them then he gets bored and wont eat anymore) I also provide him with a handful of veggies and fruits daily, he normally eats about half to all of it. I use the red light because it can be kept on at night the white light cannot and my house gets too cold at night. For UVB I use a 10.0 reptisun compact bulb. I couldnt for the life of me find a long tube that would fit in my tank, nor do I know how to mount it on the tank??

 

[Aaradimian]

I’ve noticed how thin he is as well, he eats a TON.

If he eats a lot but is still skinny, this may mean he has parasites. A fecal test done at a qualified reptile vet might be a good idea. On the red light, I'd go with an under-the-tank heating pad instead, but only if temps get down below around 65*F. They don't need heat at night otherwise. The red one will disrupt their sleep and can be bad on their eyes as AHBD mentioned.

 

[MarlowAndMe]

Temps at my house drop below 15c every night so I have a ceramic heat emmiter for heat. You will need a ceramic fitting ( I use a exo terra dome that came with a ceramic fitting) as these bulbs get hot. They have no light , just heat, which is better for dragons as they need no light at all at night or it disturbs their sleep which can lead to many other problems.
I have a habistat thermostat for mine so that it turns on when temp is below 60f.

 

[RyuksMama]

Hi there, good for you to seek out advice to help your dragon ! Ryuk looks reasonably healthy aside from being too thin. What + how much are you feeding him ? He can def. use more insect protein. His tail is kinked but looks fine, no sign of infection or open wound, so that's good.

A red lght is not suitable, unnatural + bad for the eyes. A bright white bulb from Walmart [ sold in 4 packs ] is all you need for heat. These kind are fine :

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sylvania-Double-Life-72W-Halogen-Light-Bulbs-Soft-White-4-Pack/21738518

What type of uvb bulb do you have ? This is VERY important. You need a long tube Reptisun 10.0 t5 for optimum uvb or Arcadia D3 12 -14 %.

Good news! Ryuks is looking a lot healthier! He has put on weight and I now have all the proper lighting for him. His behavior has also livened up! I made quite a few newbie mistakes but hopefully Ive corrected most of them now. I love my little one so much and thought Id update you guys on how he is doing! Thank you for all the helpful advice!

 

[Aaradimian]

Thanks for the update; he does look better for sure!

 

[AHBD]

Great job, he looks much better !

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He looks very good right now.
The lighting really makes a huge difference for them. It isn't your fault though, because there is
a lot of misinformation out there & with the companies still putting out faulty UVB products it's hard
to decipher what is good & bad on the market.
It's a constant learning process, even for us more advanced keepers also!
Let us know how he progresses.

Tracie

 

[MadredeEli]

I’ve noticed how thin he is as well, he eats a TON.

If he eats a lot but is still skinny, this may mean he has parasites. A fecal test done at a qualified reptile vet might be a good idea. On the red light, I'd go with an under-the-tank heating pad instead, but only if temps get down below around 65*F. They don't need heat at night otherwise. The red one will disrupt their sleep and can be bad on their eyes as AHBD mentioned.

Sorry to jump in this convo but I had similar trouble finding a "long" uvb bulb? I have a hood but I couldn't find the bulb. I am currrently using

in a dome fixture placed over Eli's basking area. OP, did you continue with your shorter bulb or find a long one? (also sorry the image is ENORMOUS xD)

 

[KarrieRee]

You can go to this website www.lightyourreptiles.com
Reptisun 10 T5, or the Arcadia D3 12% or 14% T5 tube, both of which are very good. You will
need a T5 light fixture also. I would change that out as soon as possible
Karrie