General questions for a first time owner

[kayla55]

Hi there! So I am just curious on a few things as I’ve read so many websites that say so many different things! I’m getting a bit overwhelmed as to what I should do.
1. What range should the humidity and overall temperature be in the tank? I’ve heard mixed things and I don’t want to cook her but I don’t want her to be too cold either!
2. How often should you clean the whole tank? I’ve owned my beardie for about 5 days now and I’ve been spot cleaning the tank but when should I deep clean?
3. Is misting your beardie bad or good?
4. How often should you give your beardie a bath?
5. How often should fruit be mixed into their food? Ive heard a few days, once a week, every couple weeks!
6. How often should I let her out to play?
7. How do I get her used to me without causing her a large amount of stress!? When I got to take her out she will either run away or her stress marks on her belly get really dark! I avoid taking her out when this happens as I’m concerned I am scaring her to death!
So these are a few questions I have lol

 

[Shinryu]

Hi Kayla,

Hopefully I can help with a few of these.

1. A good humidity range for bearded dragons is between 20% and 40%. However, there is no need to obsess about it too much. For many people, occasionally the humidity will be higher--especially at night. Basking spot temperatures for bearded dragons should be 105 to 110 F for baby beardies, around 105 for juveniles, and 95 F to 102 F for adults. Cool side of the tank should be around 80 to 85 degrees during the day. At night, using a ceramic heat emitter if the temperature drops below 65. Use a digital reptile thermometer with a probe end to verify your temps.

2. Spot clean your beardie's tank daily. Clean up all the poop as soon as possible and remove uneaten food at the end of the day. For deep cleaning, around every 2 weeks or so. Many owners deep clean once per week but definitely not longer than once per month. If you're dealing with something like parasites, then much more frequently and use easy to dispose of substrate like paper towels. F10 and Zoo Med Wipe Out are good cleaners for beardies.

3. No, misting bearded dragons is not recommended. They come from arid regions of Australia so they don't need it. Bathing them when they are shedding helps though.

4. I'll quote one of our experts CooperDragon on this one from another recent thread. "Baths aren't necessary unless they get soiled and need to be cleaned off. Some of them are stressed out by baths and it's not worth the stress. Others enjoy a bath and swimming around a bit. In those cases, you can offer them baths whenever you want. It's kind of a unique choice for each dragon. He will get most of his hydration from fresh veggies and live bugs, but you can offer extra water by dripping it on his nose to lick up. If he is thirsty, he will tilt his head forward and lick at the water drops. Some of them will drink from a bowl. Sometimes it takes training by flicking at the water to create movement and grab their interest. Others don't drink from a bowl, and that's OK as long as they are eating well. The best indicator of hydration is to look at their poop. If there is excess water coming through and the poop and urate looks hydrated, that's a good sign. If the urate looks dry/chalky then it may indicate that some extra water is needed."

5. Fruit should be offered to beardies occasionally. I've read, it's once per week or so. Here's a handy nutrition guide that we frequently reference. Nutrition Content

6. I guess it depends on how your beardie is handling play time. It takes a while for them to adjust to a new environment and learn to trust things. You can let her maybe sit on your hand for a bit and try petting her. You could handle inside the tank and reward with nice treats such as hornworms. You could also try to hold the beardie against your chest if she lets you to get her acclimated to being held like that. I don't think there is a particular need for the beardie to be out of the tank exploring at first as long as you're able to interact with her inside the tank frequently while she is getting used to things. Best to have a tank that opens on the side since reaching for beardies from above could stress them out if they think you're a predator.

7.

Advice on handling my baby beardie | General Discussion

Hi everybody, My baby bearded dragon is now 11 weeks old and I keep reading that you should handle them often so they get used to it. He's happy for me to clean his enclosure out and takes food from me no bother but as soon as I go to stroke or pick him up he runs away from me! I have handled...

www.beardeddragon.org

This thread may help. Also stress marks are common in baby beardies and older beardies get them on and off too and it's not linked to stress all that well.

Hope that helps! Welcome to our community. Post a picture of your sweet girl if you get a chance.

 

[kayla55]

Thank you! This did help! I do have another question! Are red light s bad for bearded dragons? I was told I need a red light for my bearded dragon but now I’m seeing that they are apparently bad for beardies?

 

[AHBD]

Yeah, red lights are unnatural and not good for their eyes.

 

[kayla55]

Okay so I should stop using it!

 

[KarrieRee]

Okay so I should stop using it!

Yes ASAP

 

[AHBD]

Yes, do you have other heat bulb ? You can even use these type from Home Depot, Walmart or Lowe's.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/40059-5715983990-jpg.29979/full

 

[kayla55]

I have the daytime light and heat lamp. It’s pretty warm in the room she is in. Does she need a light at night? What temp should she be at for the nighttime?

 

[KarrieRee]

I have the daytime light and heat lamp. It’s pretty warm in the room she is in. Does she need a light at night? What temp should she be at for the nighttime?

Daytime light? Is this a uvb? No coils please-- please post pics of the bulbs your using- you would need a ceramic heat emitter che for night time heat- they give off heat no light- temps at night should be 65-75 you can use a stick on for ambient temps- digital probe thermometer for basking temps--

 

[kayla55]

This is the “day” light I was told to get! I haven’t really used it as I turn on her heat lamp and I leave the door open for natural light to come in (not direct sunlight)

 

[AHBD]

If the room is warm you don't need extra heat at night. If it goes below 67 at night you can use a che at night like Karrie mentioned.

 

[kayla55]

Okay! It’s usually stays around the 70-75 zone!

 

[KarrieRee]

This is the “day” light I was told to get! I haven’t really used it as I turn on her heat lamp and I leave the door open for natural light to come in (not direct sunlight)

Please get rid of the coil you need a bright white basking bulb example exo Terra intense basking bulb-- one that keeps your temps to what they need to be a long tube uvb 24" fixture for a 40+ gallon- Zoo Med or a Arcadia pro T 5 or a sunblaster nano tech-- please get this ASAP-- if you need websites please ask-- they have certain distance and placement- please post when you get it

 

[kayla55]

I have a basking bulb as well

 

[kayla55]

Okay so to clarify I have 3 light fixtures… a “daylight” light, a basking light and a red light! I have removed the red light now so I have the other 2 still for the daytime