Hello, meet Spock

[nukeswife]

Hello all,
My daughter purchased a bearded dragon from Petsmart the end of May. We just found this site and hope to become very active on the boards here.

He started out pretty small, weighed only 7gms when we took him to the vet a week after getting him for his new patient consult.

He's now 9.5" long and weighs about 29gms. This is a picture of him and my daughter, who he seems to love, because well after all that's his mama.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. He should be way bigger for a 6month old beardie. Can you give a run down of his set up? Please be specific.

 

[nukeswife]

He's in a 20g long with heat bulb on one side temps usually in the 102-107 degree range. He won't eat crickets so he gets Phoenix worms. He usually eats about 40 a day. She gives him a mix of collard greens some sort of squash and a bit of fruit each day but he barely eats it. His cool side has a rock hide and is usually in the 75 degree area. He's pretty active and doesn't seem off or anything. He was really tiny when she got him. Oh and he has a UVB tube light as well.

 

[destiny1998]

How do you guys take temps? Is the tube a reptisun 10.0 tube? Is it mounted in the tank?Do you dust his food with vitamins? Have you had a fecal done? I have a rescue that I got the begining of august and she was 5 months and 9 inches and 36 grams. Way to small her conditions were not good. Anyway since I've had her for 2 in a half months she now is 14 inches and 165 grams. Thats why I think something is not right with her habitat or shes sick.

 

[nukeswife]

First off he's not 6 months old, he's not quite 5 months yet. Yes it's a reptisun 10.0 bulb. He was checked by a vet when we got him including fecal and after 2 rounds if meds that was ok. He acts totally normal and is in a good set up.

 

[destiny1998]

I'm sorry you dont see the reality that the poor guy is really to small for his age. The weight and length that he is now is the size of a 2 moth old and hes 5 months or 6 its not right. Do you feed him 2x a day for 15 mins. And the reptisun need to be a TUBE not coil or compact. It needs to be mounted in the tank. I just want your beardie to be ok and be healthy. Just cause hes acting ok now doesn't mean that hes ok they hide illness well until its to late for them sometimes.

It's time to back off with your attitude, it is very harsh. I understand what your concerns are, but the OP has answered your questions. There are easier ways to approach a person who is new to beardies. Added by moderator

 

[KristineM]

Hello! Welcome to you, your daughter, and her baby Spock! It's nice to have you here! If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask away...we're all here to help.

This is a wonderful community filled with many awesome people. Spock sure is a cutie

By the way...we loooooove pics...sort of a MUST ((wink, wink)). You can always start a thread in "Beardie Tales" so we can all watch him grow with you! Sort of like the blog but...I find it to be far more interactive.

Congratulations and good luck!!

 

[nukeswife]

Destiny, I'm sorry but I just get a vibe from you that seems harsh. You keep saying "The reptisun needs to be a tube etc" It is a tube, no I won't mount it in the tank because it's only a 20g long and it would be WAY TO CLOSE TO HIM. From the sites I've seen he's only about 1.5 inches short for his age, not the "Really small". The charts I've found claim a 2month old dragon will be anywhere from 5-9 inches in length, he was about 4.5 inches long when we got him. The average size for a 5month old dragon is 11-16" so he's not super small, just because Spock isn't on the high end doesn't mean he's neglected or in dire straights.

I'm sorry if I seem defensive, but I posted here as a hello and you've basically pounced on me like I'm some horrible owner that needs to see reality. I don't know you, and have no idea how much experience you have with dragons. The reality right now is that he's simply a small dragon, I'm sure just like all creatures in this world they will all grow at different rates.

 

[KristineM]

I think sometimes people forget that you might just be saying "hi" and NOT looking for advice. I'm sorry that you feel this way and I hope you don't leave! There is a lot to learn here and personally I have made some life long connections with some wonderful people. This IS an "Introductions" thread. If you want or need help or have questions, I do hope to see you around here and asking away

My beardie turned 7 months old today and he is 169 grams and around 14-15 inches. He was sick with parasites at one point and he has slowed down through treatment. So, he is also smaller than most his age. Please don't be offended. I am sure Destiny wasn't trying to do that. She was in all honesty probably just trying to help...as some of the things she pointed out are true...but this isn't the place for it...

We're all a bit eager to help a new poster

Again, good luck and I hope to see you around the forums!

 

[nukeswife]

Thank you KristineM. Spock seems to be doing just fine. He's eating his phoenix worms well, is very active and seems all around happy. He loves spending time with my daughter. If I need help I will absolutely ask in the other forums for it. I don't plan to leave.

 

[KristineM]

Oh good! I'm so happy to know you'll stick around! There's just so much you can learn here. It would be a shame to leave when you just found us!!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Welcome to you, your daughter and Spock (love the name as I'm a trekie fan from way back!). You might want to consider a larger tank for Spock now that he's getting older. A 40 gallon breeder is a great tank. I have 6 beardies and 5 are in the 40 gallon, it's very roomy so he'll have even more room to run around, also easier to get the UVB inside the tank. The only reason I'm even mentioning this is you lose about 50% of the UVB having it on top of the tank top. I've been raising beardies for 7 years now, they're all rescues & 2 are adopted and I've found since I put the UVB inside the tanks, they're growing much better. So just something to consider.

I loved the picture of your daughter and Spock, both so cute. I'm glad you're going to stay here, it's a great site, I've been a member since 2006 and because of the great people on this site, they have saved a few of my dragons from ill health & I was able to bring them all to good health again. Helps that you have a good vet. Also having had meds at a young age can prevent full growth, too, so he'll catch up in his own good time.

So more pics, please, we LOVE beardie pictures on this site.

So welcome again and welcome to the world of beardies. I'm glad you were able to get him healthy again and that he's a very active baby, isn't it just wonderful?

Take care
Deb

 

[destiny1998]

Look im not harsh im just saying that 29 grams is REALLY small or a beardie that age. I was just wondering bout the set up and trying to help the little guy out so he can be around for you guys for along time. One last thing the screen blocks the rays from the light. So good bye and good luck

 

[KristineM]

Destiny, the moderator has pointed that out. Also, adding other great suggestions just as you have. The suggestions are out there. Now, we should all just be happy Spock is here and enjoy updates on his progress.

As I shared...my 7 month old was VERY sick at one point and also fell behind. I'm sure Spock will catch up.

 

[nukeswife]

Deb,
Thank you for the warm welcome. She decided to name him Spock because we have successfully assimilated our daughter into the world of StarTrek. In fact her name is Annika, which my husband and I got from ST: Voyager (it was 7 of 9's human name before she was assimilated by the borg) because we have 3 kids we routinely call them 1 of 3, 2 of 3 and 3 of 3. :lol:
We do plan to move him to a 40g breeder size tank soon. My daughter has been saving up and has asked her Grandparents to add to that fund for her Holiday gifts. She also has a birthday coming up next month so any money she may receive as gifts is going into the New home for Spock Fund.

I do realize that the screen blocks a percentage of the UV rays, which is why it's sitting on top of the screen instead of being suspended above it, his basking spot allows him to get 5-6 inches away from it. Once we can get his new house I'll find a light I can mount inside.

We had a knitting class tonight so I don't have any new pics but I can add one from when we first got him.