Fixed

[andressanchez]

I separated. the dragons a while back.

 

[Cowabunga]

You're a more brave man than me feeding a mouse of that size. Rule of thumb is pinkies only. Any fur means the mice no longer haver cartilage and are forming solid bone skeletons that are prime for impaction. Another thing is I would try to source a proper Repti 10. UVB light (they look like the long type of halogens like you find in your kitchen, just smaller) for proper spectrum with out the negative affects of the spiral kind. Another thing I notice is what looks like carpet? Sounds like a hard item to keep clean after a while, It'll hold onto smells as well.

Those beardies together means you are ok with the possibilities of them mating at some point. Its like the human saying "I guy and a gal can never be "just friends" lol. Keep an eye on them and if anything you could always build that into a stackable unit and do another bellow...

All in all, great job and execution. DIY above all else. Congrats. 8)

 

[bdalton]

Your viv looks great, but not the pic of the mouse . Honestly pinkies aren't even supposed to be fed to beardies. They are very high in fat and very hard to digest, let alone an actual mouse. I would highly suggest no more mice. If you really want to, I would stick to the small pinkies maybe once every 6 months. I know some people will give them a pinkie once a YEAR on their birthdays. Do you have a humidy gauge in your tank? That waterfall may make the humidity too high. Even just a water bowl can cause too high of humidity. No live prey should be bigger than the space between the eyes.

Good luck to you.

 

[andressanchez]

My uncle is a breeder and hes been breeding dragons for like 15 years. And he told me about the mouse that its okay to feed them that and the mouse was the right size. i feed her mice like snacks once in a while. They get natural sunlight all day because were i live its perfect for humidity and temperature. and the waterfall adds humidity to the perfect percent.

 

[ncsweetpea]

The mouse and the sand would have to go in my opinion.

 

[LaszlosLens]

I cant help but interject here... My friend that mouse is too big. With all due respect your uncle is very wrong and I hope he isn't recommending that to people getting his babies. I'm glad you are interested in building a Viv and caring for those beardies... Using OSB board however is quite toxic... The polymers used in that stuff expand and release vapor when hot. The lights and heat emitting into the walls of that stuff is no bueno.. In the very least, paint it or seal it up somehow? Man I hope you read the forums on here. There is great advice and guidance within this site, use it good luck

:study:

 

[andressanchez]

Dude the mouse is perfect it looks big in the pic but its the right size. and well its not a baby its a sub adult. And everything inside was clean. i sealed the whole inside and outside with 5 layers. the sealant i bought wasn't toxic it was safe for reptiles. I feed my beardie mice as a snack. once in a while you munch on burgers also. its like that trust me i read like 7 different books. the sand the carpet its all safe. I had my beardies in sand since i had them. and no problem in health. theyr not lazy theyr fully healthy. i feed them seperate as you can see also. not in that enclosure. i clean the tank every 2 weeks wash the carpet and buy new sand. the sand i buy even if swallowed can be digested it all depends on what sand you use that causes impaction. not just because its sand. im well informed. but thanks for the advice.

 

[ChiefsDaddy]

im well informed

I respectfully disagree. And I don't think you'd find many people here who would. Cool mansion though.

You might want to look around here a bit, and do a little of your own research. You might just find some really good information. Your heart is in the right place, but there are a few things you could change to make sure your dragons live a nice, long, happy life. Check out these threads and articles:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=154908&start=0

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=132151&start=0

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

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/impaction/

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=148006&start=0

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/uvintro/

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/

Keep in mind that the people on this forum are a collection or breeders, vets, biologists, researchers, and long-time bearded dragon owners who are VERY passionate about Bearded Dragons and only want the absolute best for all the dragons of the world, including yours. We don't just keep bearded dragons, we spoil them to the max. Don't take offense to anything we say. We are only trying to help. At the end of the day, it is your decision what you feed your animals and how they are housed and treated. But also, keep your dragons in mind, because they don't have a choice in the matter.

 

[LaszlosLens]

Yes, we as human beings munch on a burger once in a while. .... *sigh*

 

[ncsweetpea]

If using PLAY SAND and only PLAY SAND, I would still sift it through a screen to remove any of the larger pebbles. Failure to do so could result in death due to a blockage caused by the ingestion of the pebbles. You are taking a big risk and we just want you to prolong the life of your beardie.

Why take the chance when tile or newspaper is a better choice. Life is about choices and this beardie has no say so in the matter.

Bearded Dragons are omnivores. They require both insects and vegetables/fruit. SOME also feed pinkie mice. Note: PINKIE (since they are high in fat as well) Do you breed your beardie? I can see feeding it a few before breeding season BUT only for that reason.
Pinky mice, if used, should be fed sparingly - unless feeding a gravid adult.

Leave lights on for at least two hours after the last meal of the day for optimal digestion.

We as a group just want to offer suggestions, that is all.

 

[greathouseFarm]

It's all about risks really. Are you willing to take the chance that when you feed your darling beardies a mouse that's larger than their mouth that there is even a slim chance that it could impact them? And the sand is the same. Your cleaning schedule is good! Throw it out every two weeks because they are living in their litter box The real problem with sand or lose substrate for adults this is (not babies - babies eat everything and should never be housed on any lose substrate period) But their feces dries up and breaks down into small particles the size of the sand. So even though your scooping the larger pieces some is left behind. It gets kicked up and ends up in their eyes and respiratory tract and causes infections! I know because I thought I was going to beat the system and clean the sand every week. I only had it for my girls because they would poop more and get it on each other. I hated that. So I started using children's play sand. I was good about changing it but I had to go out of town and delayed a few times. (this was all in a matter of 3 mos) then one of my favorite girls got sick with URI and almost died. I kept looking at the humidity as the cause but this was always in check. Then a few other people told me that I needed to consider the sand as the cause. Of course I said but I changed it every week. Long story not short I have not had any problems since going back to solid substrate. I use Rep-tiles btw. As a breeder I do feed my gravid females a pinky here and there during their egg laying time. I get the one day old pinkies. They are small in comparison to the mouths of these girls. Only adults and only gravid females. You said you eat a cheeseburger good analogy. Have you seen the movie SuperSize? Like I said it's all about the risk you take. Everyone can say I have been doing this for years and never had a problem. I'm sure people have been speeding on the freeway for years and never had an accident. Risky...

 

[Jess]

I agree with everything said. I know you have good intentions for your beardies and obviously care about them very much, so please let us help you. :wink:

I would dump the sand for sure, and make sure that wood is sealed really well. Since you were able to make your viv so quickly, maybe you would be able to make a new-and-improved version: Melamine doesn't need to be painted or sealed, and you can just use pure silicone to seal the creases on the inside. That is how Dudley's viv is made.

I know that people will eat burgers and other not-so-healthy foods. But feeding your beardie a sub-adult mouse would be the equivalent to you eating a burger filled with whole bones that is bigger than your head, in one bite. :| If you want her to have a snack to munch on, try hornworms. They make awesome treats.

And also, I think that your female looks far too small to breed. They need to be at least 18 months old, and a minimum of 350g before you want to even think about breeding.

 

[andressanchez]

I changed the sand to tile. i saw the topic about sand. and got scared. and i just finished installing the tile. Thank you all.

 

[greathouseFarm]

Nice! Tile will be good. You can clean them as they dirty

 

[andressanchez]

I know. and the enclosure seems more alive than sand. and they seem to like it more they started moving more like theyr more active than in the sand. idk why, :?:
But yeah it seems nicer and looks more decorative. I uploaded a post about it. Check it out.