Greetings From Alvin & Me

[Chryss]

Hi I am new to both having Beardies and to this forum. I am greatful for forums like this as the pet stores know nothing about the animals they sell. I have already learned alot by browsing the forum and I am looking forward to learning even more.

I have an exoctic Beardie (whatever that means) and it is about 8" long. Not sure how old that would be but it is really cute and although very scared, pretty friendly. He (don't really know the sex) lets me feed him crickets with tongs. I have him in a 29 right now but am searching Craigslist for a 40G breeder tank for his permanent home. I am using a Repti Glo 10 tube and a 75W Glo bulb for heat. I have been reading that the UV bulb needs to stretch along the basking area and the tank but I can't figure out how I am supposed to have the basking light and the tube in the same spot. If you have suggestions about that I would appreciate it. I have rocks (which I baked in the oven) stacked up to about 7 or 8" from the lights. The basking temp is 100. I wonder if that is ok?

As far as feeding, I have read/heard so many different opinions on the amout he is supposed to eat. I have been giving him about 6 dusted with calcium with the tongs in the morning before I go to work. Then when I get home I move to him to a 15G and put a few more in there. He eats all of them. I also gave him a wax worm today and he ate it. I have turnip greens and collard greens in a dish for him all the time.

As for water, I have also heard different opions. I do have a shallow dish in his enclosure. I also gave him a bath which he didn't seem to mind. Some people say to mist him (which I tried and he just closed his eyes) and others say not to mist. Please advise as to what you do so that I can make sure he doesn't dehydrate.

Lastly, should I be handling him now or let him get unstressed. He does flatten out or run away when I want to pick him up so I am pretty sure he is quite scared of me.

Thank you for your help.

 

[joprukop22]

Sounds like your well on your way to becoming a good beardie parent. Everything sounds pretty good. A 40 gal. will be sufficient for one lizard. Remember that horizontal space is more important than vertical space when looking for a beardie home.

Make sure there is a cool and warm side in the aquarium. You want the lizard to be able to heat up or cool off when it needs too. If you are able to safely take it outside to get some sun, that is a good thing too.

Like you said, there is conflicting opinions about the water. I personally have water dishes in all my dragons tanks away from the heat source (you don't want too much humidity). My dragons do drink from the dish. I just feel it is better for it to be there than not. I also give my adult dragons luke warm baths about once a week to help them digest their food. I do mist them when I feel there about to shed. This helps with the process.

I just have one suggestion. Try to get your dragon to eat with out tongs. This might seem fun at first but it can get very tiring after several years. Its easier to just throw the food in a bowl and they can feed themselves. Crickets are good. I also suggest feeding superworms. I get mine from mulberryfarms.com. If you use a glass or crystal bowl, the worms cant crawl out so you don't have to worry about escapees.

My dragons LOVE parsley and cilantro. The strong smell and flavor makes them want to eat all there veggies. I mix the worms and the salad together sometimes. You can mist the salad to give them more moisture.

Well I hope I covered the basics. Good luck with your new friend!

 

[Chryss]

Hi and thank you for your help. He will eat without the tongs too and I definately see your point. I had read though not to put the crickets in his enclosure because they will bite him if he doesn't eat them all. So in the morning I really don't have time to move him to a different tank to eat. How do you feed your's their crickets?

 

[joprukop22]

You can do it in a separate tank like you are but when I have fed mine crickets, I drop them in there and my lizards unleash the fury with in. Also, I don't have many spots that the crickets can really hide. I always hang around if there eating crickets but they always clean the place up. With a young lizard, it is a good idea to do it in a separate tank or watch closely.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello and welcome!




Lance

 

[fresnowitte]

Hello & Welcome to BD.org!

Look forward in seeing pic's of your little Alvin. :wink:

 

[Freeie]

 

[Chryss]

Hi

Well Alvin is doing fine. I think he is getting somewhat used to me, although, he opened his mouth up at me today which scared me to death. I must have startled him (at least I hope that was all it was - I hope he isn't mean).

He is starting to eat a few more crickets and I think we are getting a routine down. I take him out of his enclosure and put him in a 15G. He doesn't seem to mind although I did cover up the view on the sides and front so the dogs don't disturb him while he is eating. He seemed a bit nervous by them. The only concern I have is whether he is getting any water. I try putting a drop on his nose every time I take him out to feed him but he doesn't respond to it. I do spritz his vegies but I have never seen him near the vegies so I am not sure he is eating them or getting any of the water off of them. I never see him on the ground at all - he is always on his basking area which is above the ground.

If you have any suggestions, or comments on what I am doing, please respond.

I took pics, now I just have to figure out how to post them.

 

[fresnowitte]

Posting Pic's

First you must upload your pic's to a photo storage hosting site such as http://photobucket.com/
Once the pic's are at photobucket you can copy and paste the IMG code into your post a reply page. It will appear as a code. Click on the Preview button to see if it worked if you can see the pic then your all good an you can submit post.

If you'd like a better description check out the 7th post in this thread by jscott. He posted a great reply on posting pic's complete with visuals. [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=89823 f=1 ]

 

[citrusdragon]

Welcome to the forum

Jeff

 

[melonysbaby]

welcome..... :mrgreen: