First-Timer with Care Questions

[Romicron]

Hi, everyone.

Picked up a beardie for the wife and I the other day. We named him Pascal. He's about 10 weeks old.

I wanted to make sure that I'm doing everything right with tank setup as much as possible.

Tank Size: 55" x 22" x 25.5" (Atasuki, second-hand)
UVB: Reptisun UVB 10.0 (36")

Day/Night: 13/11 (7:00 AM - 8:00 PM)

Day Fixtures:

- 150W Bright White (Far left)
- 100W Bright White (slightly different white)
- 100W CHE
- 100W Purple Bulb (if extra heat needed)
- 60W Purple Bulb (if extra heat needed)

I turn off everything but the CHE at night.

I also have 2 UTH mats to keep ambient temperature up. The floor is tile from Home Depot. Most of the floor is covered with stones, logs, etc.

How am I supposed to get the UVB fixture inside the tank safely? Can I hang it with coils of galvanized wire, or is there a better solution?

Cool Side: Currently 84 (digital with probe)
Warm Side: Currently 98 (digital with probe)
Basking Site: Currently 120 (temp gun)- I shifted the large branch down an inch or two and will re-check, he's chilling on the cool side at the moment.

Any dials or strips are either leftovers from previous owner or emergency backups in case a battery fails.

Eating crickets 2-3x / day, dusting with Repti-Cal + D3 1x/day, dusting with vitamin 2x / week.

We keep collard greens and kale i the tank - I have some strawberries and cucumber I have cut up. What are some other good vegetables to feed?

He didn't go to the bathroom for the first two days but just did while feeding today, so I feel much better about that.

Here's a basking shot.

HIs parents were a leatherback and a German giant - hoping he grows nice and big!

He's got stress marks on the underside - we moved him in on Saturday night, then had to move a bunch of stuff in his cage this morning when I couldn't get the basking spot hot enough. What can I do to minimize his stress? We have to take him out to feed and bathe (we feed in a separate enclosure, he wouldn't have a chance against active crickets in his current one so we put him in an empty large cricket keeper and drop the crickets in a couple at a time), but that's it. My wife really wants to handle him but I'm recommending that she keep handling to an absolute minimum until his stress marks go away.

Thanks in advance! Looks like you guys have a really awesome community and am looking forward to being part of it.

EDIT: I have two containers of shallow standing water in the tank because it's really, really dry in our basement apartment. Even with those, the humidity is still below 30%. I can't bea t home to mist often during the day. Is there a better solution?

 

[CooperDragon]

Welcome to the forum! He looks like a nice happy little guy. Can you maintain the temperatures you have with just the CHE and white bulbs? If so, I'd remove the purple bulbs and just stick with bright white basking lights and the CHE if needed. Your UVB light looks like a T5 in a ReptiSun hood. In that case it's fine on top of the tank. That branch is positioned so he can get close enough for proper UVB if he wants it but can move further away as well - totally fine.

For food, it sounds like he's doing well with his bugs which should be his staple for now. A couple of bug meals per day all he wants for about 10 min or so should do the trick. As far as veges go, offer as much variety as you can. He may ignore salads for now which is fine but it's still good to have it available so he's familiar with it as a food source. He will transition to primarily veges at around 12-18 months when he's fully grown. I like to reference this list for ideas on what to offer in salads. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

As far as humidity goes, are you sure you have an accurate reading? You may want to calibrate the hygrometer just to be sure https://www.neptunecigar.com/tips/how-to-calibrate-your-hygrometer

 

[Mysty]

Set up looks beautiful.

 

[Romicron]

Hi - thanks for the advice.

My wife took off the purple UVB bulbs this afternoon, and the cool side is maintaining at 84, so I'm glad I can cut those out of the circuit and save on some power.

I double-checked and it turns out the second bulb I have isn't just a basking light but a 100W MVB (ExoTerra). Would this affect bulb placement, or is it still good where it is (to the right of the 150W basking)?

I may try to calibrate the hygrometer later, but before doing that, I want to make sure I have the probe in the right position in the tank - where should I place the humidity probe?

Pascal has done pretty much nothing today but sit on the basking log with his mouth open most of the time, so I think he's doing okay.

I'm keeping a close eye on him because a larger-than-should-be cricket got into a feeding batch this morning and couldn't be removed until he ate it. He pooped just a few minutes ago, though - is that a sign that the large cricket passed okay, or is it still too early and still in the digestive system?

Thanks for all the help and the compliments.

 

[CooperDragon]

The Solar Glo isn't all that great so I'd pull that out too. Perhaps use it in a clamp lamp somewhere safe in the house to use as a portable basking spot. The T5 bulb should produce plenty of UVB over the basking area.

The hygrometer can probably be set anywhere but I'd put it on the cool side because the heat on the warm side might give deceptively low readings. I don't use a hygrometer in my setup.

One cricket shouldn't be a big deal, especially if he chewed it up. It may take a few days to pass through his system.

 

[Romicron]

He didn't eat this morning when offered non-dusted crickets / collard greens / peeled cucumber bits. Offered it about 75 minutes after lights on. Will try again in a few hours.

Is it normal for them to eat less during shedding? It looks like he may be starting. He's less active and less perky today, still basking but prefers to be as close to the UVB as possible today.

 

[CooperDragon]

Quite normal for them to lose appetite and act grouchy during a shed. His appetite should return to normal once the shed is done. Keep offering though, and let him refuse rather than withhold regular feedings.