First Time Beardie Owner; Very nervous

[broadjay]

I've been researching bearded dragons and how to care for them for the past several months very in-depth, and i just recently was able to acquire one: A 2.5-3 year old male bearded dragon, roughly 18 inches in a 40 gallon tank. (note: working on getting bigger tank, this was what the previous owner had and sold to me with Leaf (his name)) Today, (4/26/16) is my 3rd day with him, or second full day. My problem is that I'm so worried and afraid to do anything wrong that i'm questioning my every action!! He is healthy (to my best knowledge) and is currently about to shed, and i leave his tank lights on from 7am-8pm, and feed him the same pattern the previous owner did, (veggies every day, 12 crickets every third day) and although my schedule doesn't allow me to bathe him daily, as his previous owner did, i am trying to bathe him tuesdays and fridays, although haven't bathed him yet today. The reason? Every time i go to pick him up, including last night, he gets very frantic and moves away from me and/or flattens out, and i get worried that he will bite me or i will scare him or pick him up wrong (i know to support his legs and of course belly-area when holding/picking up) so i just continue to talk to him and pet his back instead. Does he not like me? Am i doing something/everything wrong? Also i'm keeping him in my room, (only place in the house we have room) but i have to be in my room to get ready for bed (usually around 11, and on and off in there before then) and the lights will come on after he is sleeping, in addition to having to turn them on at 6:20-6:30am to wake up and get ready for school (i'm 16). Is this bad? Am i going to hurt his health somehow by doing this and continuously waking him? Also the past two days after i get home from school and he is in the exact same spot he was in when i left in the morning (yesterday in his hide, today the same spot/position in his basking area) And yesterday when i got home after the lights had been on for 12 hours (on a timer) he was flopped over/hanging and drooping on one of his logs in his basking area, and i got worried that that was a bad thing and turned the lights on for another hour. Also i'm worried the food i fed him was slightly too big, is he going to get an impaction? Also the lights give to me by the previous owner only heat up his basking area to about 89 F, do i need a new heat lamp? (EDIT: the thermometer i'm using is one of the stick-on ones from Petco that, well, sticks on the glass) What am i doing wrong? Am i doing something wrong? Someone please help me relieve my anxiety, i'm googling every little thing he does/i do and it takes up most all of my time.

 

[ruben0311]

so first off don't worry about him being so detached at first. hes just getting use to you, don't get sad. how are you taking the temperatures for the basking area? if it is a probe or infrared temperature device you should be good as far as accuracy goes. you could try to get him closer to the light to increase the temperature, or get a stronger bulb, just depends on the type of setup you have going on, (get some pictures in so we can help you out). keep interacting with him and don't let up... as far as him being in the same spot again don't worry about it, remember they are not overly active animals within their enclosures... if he was free and wild he would be romping about hunting and climbing... so beardies will usually just find their favorite places to hang out and pretty much stay there most of the day. you can easily change the timing of the lights to be on for longer, I have mine set to come on at 7 am and they are off at 9 pm, I'm not sure if you mentioned how long yours were set to. the point is that don't think you are doing something wrong... more than likely you got everything good and are well on your way to having a fun and loving life with your little friend.

 

[SLDragon]

Ok firstly relax - they're hardy animals so don't cause yourself a breakdown!

Expect him to take some time to settle - don't over stress him make sure he is eating then work up slowly to handling - if he appears to be stressing then slow the interaction down.

I wouldn't worry about prey size an adult BD can eat adult crickets. But you should vary his diet to include different insects and worms. Likewise with vegetable and fruit matter.

You've identified he needs a bigger home so that's good. You might find getting a wooden viv made easier and cheaper. IMO 4x2x2 is an absolute minimum which can be problematic to find as an aquarium.

Don't worry too much about additional light in the room - but a wooden viv also helps with that.

Do you have a UVB tube?

89 isn't hot enough - personally i think you should aim for 110f (whilst ensuring you have a cold end). Some people on here argue for a lower basking temp for adults. I've never seen a persuasive argument why though. Wild conditions don't change - only how an animal chooses to interact with them. This should be controlled with a high range thermostat. It's better to up the bulb strength rather than force the lizard too close to the bulb to reach these temps.

Also those stick on thermometers are useless. I'd go digital thermometer with a temp gun for measuring the basking spot.

 

[bayoupig5]

I agree with the above posters....relax...and enjoy, and bravo for doing research and homework well below getting your first dragon.

Veggies everyday is great (I wished my two would eat them), just ensure to vary the salad diet. I swear by this site for guidance http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html

I assume you are also providing calcium and multivitiamins with meals, refer to here for a schedule http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

Also ensure you are varying the protein sources, superworrms, occasional wax worms/butterworms, hormworms, phoenix worms, dubias......Adult dragons can eat full grown dubias that are quite large without worry of impaction, so full grown crickets are not of any concern. Food size is a bigger and greater issue when they are babies and youths.

I do not bath my adult dragons daily (only the babies), I do however give them 30 minute baths about once per week. My two will not drink any water I give them a bath weekly. Sometimes they may (rarely) stick their heads in to drink.

In terms of picking him up, he may just be a little nervous, keep doing what you are doing. Who knows how much his previous owner handled him! Take it slow, he will come around. I have two dragons, one is so relaxed, almost to a fault, I can do anything to her and she is soooo chill. The other dragon is feisty, spits, hisses, struggles, never likes to be cuddled or held. Despite all her threats, she has never bit me, but she sure stands her ground. Dragon personalities are as different as ours, so maybe he is just a feisty guy, or maybe he will calm more as he gets used to his surroundings and the smell of his new owner. I have been bit by my dragons once, each time involved a finger too close to food. I won't lie, it hurts a little, but little overall damage was done to my finger. If you are super nervous, wear some light garden gloves when handling for the fist little while.

My dragons are in my living room, and when their lights go out in their vivs, the TV and the living room lights are on. They do not seem to be bothered at all and will fall asleep pretty much after the viv lights go out, despite the activity of the room. I would not be concerned about waking him, chances are he does not even notice those brief moments that you come in. If you are really concerned you could cover the viv at lights out, and remove it when lights are on.

Light schedule for me varies, currently they are on a 7 am on, 8 pm off, and this will increase with natural summer light getting brighter from to 6 am on to 9 pm off. When fall/winter hit, I gradually decrease the schedule from 6 am to 7 am to 8 am, then from 9 pm to 8 pm to 7 pm to 6 pm . I try to mimic the outside light schedule as much as possible.

Often my lizards, especially the super chill one will be in the same place in the evening where she fell asleep until the next day when I arrive home after work. Even the active one spends most of her time basking in the same spot. I would not worry at at about his sedentary lifestyle. Even when I take the super chill one out, she sits in the same spot and happily stares out the window.

As far as lights, this can be the most tricky thing to get right. Ensure that the basking spot is at least 95-100 for adults. This is what I set mine to, but everyone has an opinion. Also ensure that the basking area light is also a UVB/UVA. Is the light a mercury vapor bulb? If not, and it is just a regular light you will need to get a UVB/UVA as soon as you are able. Either a Reptisun 10 tube or Powersun, MegaRay Mercury Vapor. DO not use the coil lights, they are known to be horrible for dragon eyes. Also like suggested get a digital thermometer that reads directly from the basking spot for correct accuracy. You can buy cheap and easy ones from Walmart. If the basking spot is still too cool you can definitely use an incandescent bulb to heat things up. I have a mercury Vapor bulb that is supplemented with a 50 watt spot light to get my temps up.

Lastly, do not worry, he will do just fine, especially with an owner that has done thier research and is so intent on doing the best for him. Plus we are always willing to help out in this forum. Good Luck

 

[sweetiepie9]

Beardies are wonderful creatures and nothing to be nervous about, even though I was nervous with my first beardie, too. Now 10 years later I've learned that dragons love to be snuggled, do much better with human interaction, are very smart creatures and even though they can't make any sounds (except hissing) they get their thoughts across. I've mainly rescued and have had beardies from 3 mo old to 2-3 years old. When they come home with me, they are in their forever home. I have 5 dragons, Imp is 6 mo old, Castiel is 19 mo old, Nathaniel and Cierra (brother and sister) and 2 1/2 yrs old and Gabriel is 5 1/2 yrs old. I love them dearly, they are a major part of my life and my life would be very boring without them. You will learn your dragon's likes and dislikes but please handle your dragon as much as possible. Always pick him up by the front, so he sees your hand coming. That helps assure him that you mean him no harm. I've always bathed my dragons. I also give them water with bee pollen a few times a week, by syringe. And of course, they have their greens and bugs. Even so, Cierra gets hydrated very quickly, so she gets baths more often and I rub her belly while in the bath to help her poop. Otherwise her urates become hard and long and it becomes more difficult for her to poop. I've found baths help them poop more often and easier, too.

I know you will learn to relax with your dragon and you'll become the best of friends. I'm so glad you've done your homework, and any other questions you have, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[diamc]

broadjay, we didn't mean to hijack your thread. Try to relax and enjoy your beardie as they are very smart creatures & if they sense that we are nervous, that can make them uneasy & stress them out.
If we can help any further, please let us know.