general

[gina]

hi,my name is gina,im new to this site,ive just 'adopted' a beardie,who i have named bill,he is just over a year old,aparantly,i have never had one before,in his viv he has his basking lamp (100w),he also has 2 'reptiglo 10.0 30w tubes,36" long,wanted to make sure this was right as ive never had a beardie before & dont want to do anything wrong for my new little rescue case!!!,thanks!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Gina, welcome to this great site. Congrats on joining the bearded dragon world! Here are a few pointers and let me know if you have any more questions. I've been taking care of dragons for 6 years and presently have 5 healthy adult males, I've learned everything I know from the great people on this site and like to spread along the knowledge I've required of what works and what doesnt.

You need to take the Reptiglos back and exchange them for ReptiSUNs, as Reptiglos are known to cause eye problems & other health issues. So please do that. You also need a thermometer to get correct temps at the basking spot, as the temps there are important for digestion. A temp gun (more expensive) or a digital temp with probe are both good. Accurite is a good type with the probe and you find them in the garden area of stores.

You also need to be giving your dragon calcium and vit/min powders. Bill will need one feeding of bugs (are you feeding him big crickets?) dusted with calcium (without phospherous and with Vit D3) 3 times a week and vit/min once a week. This is important to keep him healthy. He can also be fed about 10 bugs a day and those should be the ones dusted.

What are you feeding him for green/veggies? Here's a great list of foods you can feed dragons www.beautifuldragons.com under Nutrition. It's a great list, I've been using it since 2006.

That's the minimum of what you need to do, so let me know of any other questions. Once they have their setup correct, they stay healthy, which is important.
Take care
Deb

 

[gina]

yeah,the reptiglo tubes were what came with him so will order the reptisun ones,just wanted to know if 2 of the 10.0 30w ones were ok?,as he had 2 in his viv when we got him,they run along the top of his viv on each side,if you know what i mean!!,ive got all the calcium and nutrabol,thermometer etc.he doesnt seem interested in eating any fruit or veg,but is eating hoppers & morio worms.just wanted to check about the 2 tubes,if they were ok,obviously swap them for retptisun 10.0 30w,2 of them.thankyou!

 

[RuselBro]

Just curiousm How long is your New beardie, Nose to Tail. And what are the Dimension's of his Enclosure?

 

[gina]

he doesnt seem to want me to measure him @ the moment!! i would guess roughly 12-14",he is in a vivexotic vivaruim,bearded dragon home for life suitable for 2 beardies,45"x18"x19".the viv has the fittings for the 2 tubes,i just wanted to know if the two 10.0 30w tubes were right?? :?

 

[Soulwind]

I know they sell that size as suitable for 2 beardies, however
I would actually consider that just about the proper size for 1 beardie.

Not that I'd ever house 2 beardies in the same cage regardless of it's size...
(see the many threads about the dangers of co-habitation if you don't understand why).

As for the lights, you really only need 1 ReptiSUN 10 tube in there.
You can put 2 in, but you'll really just be wasting money. Use the second
fixture for a normal florescent tube just for extra lighting if you want
(or leave it empty if it's bright enough).

12-14" sounds a bit small for a full yearling, maybe post a couple of pics
so folks can take a look and see if he looks malnurished or underweight
or anything, since you say he's a rescue.

Enjoy him, they are a real blast and very personable pets.

 

[gina]

just measured bill,he's 18".he keeps banging his snout on the glass front of his viv and has a black beard when he does it,he does it quite alot,seems to go a bit loopy!!,banging his snout & running up & down,dont know why his beard is black when he does this,any ideas?

 

[daner923]

Sounds kinda like he wants out. Have you tried taking him out and letting him run around somewhere?

 

[Spikey92]

What kind of thermometer are u using?its possible that the temps are too hot

 

[sweetiepie9]

He definitely wants out and black beards and bobbing are normal for males. They will do it all the time and in the spring it's worse. I have 5 males and they're constantly black bearding and bobbing, especially if they see each other. So take him out, do you have an area you can "beardie proof" or stay with him, so he can run around a bit, they're very curious animals, want to know what's going on all the time.
You can also get Arcadia 12% tubes, they have more UVB than Reptisun 10.0, so which ever is easier to get and the person who said only 1 tube is necessary, was right. If you have the $ you can use 2 UVB lights and flood the tank, won't do your baby any harm. 18" is a good length for an adult and he'll probably grow some more in the next year. As for veggies, just keep trying, some dragons have to be fed their veggies/greens, like mine, and others don't seem to be interested. I have a friend who's beardie is 13 yrs old and has never eaten veggies, so she just gives the veggies to the worms he eats and with that & vit/min he gets what he needs. He's a very spoiled old man!

 

[RuselBro]

So are you Keeping 2 beardies in the 1 Enclosure???

 

[gina]

thanks for all the info guys!!,this is a great site,so informative!,no,i havent got 2 beardies,just bill,i have a digital thermometer so keep an eye on his temps & theyre fine.thought he was banging on the glass to come out but wasnt sure coz he was really black bearded when he was doing it,right down to his shoulders,thought he might of been getting himself worked up.we've only had him for 2 weeks,he wasnt being looked after @ his other home so i couldnt help myself i will admit though,i am nervous to pick him up,my hubby has picked him up,im just worried i'll hurt him or he'll bit me,im a bit of a wimp!!,ive put my hand in his viv,stroked him on his back & fed him hoppers & morio worms with the feeding tongs,& i sit & talk to him all the time :lol: we gave him a bath,i dont think he had ever been bathed coz he didnt seem to have a clue!,he just stood in the bath & wouldnt move we dripped water on his nose & put water over his back but he didnt seem to understand,poor little thing.going to try to get my confidence up today & hold him,had to order him a new viv yesterday as the one he was in when we got him was awful and the glass fell out yesterday,managed to fix it temporarily,but have ordered him a new one,dont understand how people can be so cruel & not keep on top of their care & condition of their vivs,makes me mad

 

[Mirthy]

Sometimes beardies freeze when they are faced with new things. This makes them much easier to handle. You may already know this but you can tell when your dragon is upset because his belly will look grey with sort of leopard rings on it. These are called stress marks. He will probably have both stress marks and dark beards while he adjusts to his new surroundings and care. Stress marks can also sometimes happen if he is feeling too cold which is why those thermometers and temp guns are so handy! When he is all settled in and happy he will get a nice creamy belly. He might already be showing you his unstressed self when he is sleeping.

The nose banging and pacing is often called Glass Dancing. My fellow does that for attention. He might also be trying to scare off his own reflection with his manly head bobbing and black bearding if he can see it. Boys can be silly like that!

Sounds like you are doing wonderful with your fellow. You will get used to handling him in your own time, no worries! Your hubby taking him out will keep him used to being handled.
Cheers!
Carrie

 

[gina]

thanks carrie,i just fed him a hopper and then he munched about 8 morio worms!!,he's chiiling out now with a nice full belly!