Help Preparing For My Dragon

[bkelley]

I just placed an order for a 7.5" male dbl het Italian Leatherback from Blood Bank Dragons. Expecting him to arrive on Tuesday and I need to have his temporary vivarium setup for him. I say temporary because I am building the Crossfire Enclosure for him but have a 37 gallon long tank for him until building is complete. I was wondering how big of a UVB I need for the Crossfre Enclosure (4' x 2' x 2'). I need to buy lighting for the temporary viv as well and would like to be able to transfer it to the larger one later on. The 37 gal. tank is 36" long so I was thinking about going with the 24" Reptisun 10.0 and leave enough room for a basking light. As for the basking light, which wattage should I look for to achieve the 95°-105° basking temp? Other things I plan on picking up are a digital thermometer, IR temp gun, calcium and vitamin powders and other misc. cage accessories.

Am I missing anything?

Oh, here is a picture of my dragon. Still contemplating a name, but I'm leaning towards Thor or Alan.

 

[Beardie818]

Im going to build the same cage :lol:

 

[jeschardies]

I believe that the UVB should cover 1/2 to 3/4 of the viv. This would put you at a 24" to a 36" Reptisun. I would be curious of the length of time he will be in the temp viv. In the Crossfire enclosure, I'd go with the 36" but in a 36" viv, I'd go with the 24". Looks like you are caught right in the middle of them both and can really be safe either way.

 

[bkelley]

I believe that the UVB should cover 1/2 to 3/4 of the viv. This would put you at a 24" to a 36" Reptisun. I would be curious of the length of time he will be in the temp viv. In the Crossfire enclosure, I'd go with the 36" but in a 36" viv, I'd go with the 24". Looks like you are caught right in the middle of them both and can really be safe either way.

He shouldn't be in the temp viv for more than a month. I went down to Petsmart today and all they had were the compact Reptisuns. I grabbed one just because he is arriving tomorrow morning and need something until I get the tube. Also got a digital thermometer, jars of Rep-Cal calcium and herp. multivitamin, Gutload and a few dozen crickets.

How often should I feed him and what ratio of insects:greens should I do?

 

[Hellstrom]

First of all, he is wayyyyy too cute! He definitely looks more like a "Thor" in that picture...he looks regal and mature...but he'll probably look a little different in real life. How exciting!!!

Most people here recommend feeding small meals a couple of times a day. As many crickets as he can eat in 10-15 minutes twice a day or so. Personally I try to keep leafy greens in the bowl all the time, he's not exactly a glutton. He only gets veggies or fruits once a day and not too much (he'd eat a whole mango every day if I let him). Opinions differ on how much and when to feed. Eventually you'll figure out when works best for both of you, so just try a few different things. Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[Trogdorpheus]

The compact bulbs aren't good for your dragon. They're fine for a little while without UVB, and if you're really concerned with it you could just take them outside for like, half an hour a day or something. I'd return the compact and get your money back if it were me.

 

[bkelley]

The compact bulbs aren't good for your dragon. They're fine for a little while without UVB, and if you're really concerned with it you could just take them outside for like, half an hour a day or something. I'd return the compact and get your money back if it were me.

I've already got a 24" 10.0 tube on order. I'll be taking the compact back when the tube arrives.

 

[Trogdorpheus]

No UVB for a day or two is probably better than the compact for the same amount of time. Probably for 4 or 5 days even. Granted you'd probably be fine with the compact for such a short period of time, but with as much info that's out about how bad they are I wouldn't even wanna mess with it.

 

[bkelley]

No UVB for a day or two is probably better than the compact for the same amount of time. Probably for 4 or 5 days even. Granted you'd probably be fine with the compact for such a short period of time, but with as much info that's out about how bad they are I wouldn't even wanna mess with it.

What is it that's bad about them?

 

[Trogdorpheus]

I don't remember exactly, but its either they put off the wrong wavelength of UVB, or they put out too much of it and its bad for their eyes.

 

[ClydesGirl]

The issue with the compacts is that they have been known to cause eye problems because of the visible spectrum of light they produce. I'm sure you would be fine with it for a couple of days or without it at all if you already have a tube on order.

As for feeding, juveniles eat approximately 80% protein and 20% veggies. As they age they should eat more veggies and less protein until they eventually get to about 80% veggies and 20% protein. Mine is a juvenile right now and I feed him crickets twice a day and salad once a day, which I just leave in his viv. You want to make sure you don't feed him until after his lights have been on for at least an hour in the morning so he has a chance to warm up. And you want his lights to be on for at least 1.5-2 hours after his last feeding so he has time to fully digest. I give Clyde a fresh salad every day made up of various greens. He usually gets mustard greens, dandelion greens, and endive. There are a couple of fantastic charts on this page. The first will tell you how often to dust his food with calcium and/or multivitamin. The second chart shows all the best foods to give your beardie. The veggies printed in green are the ones you want to stick to for everyday feeding.

 

[bkelley]

The issue with the compacts is that they have been known to cause eye problems because of the visible spectrum of light they produce. I'm sure you would be fine with it for a couple of days or without it at all if you already have a tube on order.

I'd rather not risk it. I have his viv next to a window that gets direct sun in the mornings so hopefully that will be good for a few days until my tube comes in.

As for feeding, juveniles eat approximately 80% protein and 20% veggies. As they age they should eat more veggies and less protein until they eventually get to about 80% veggies and 20% protein. Mine is a juvenile right now and I feed him crickets twice a day and salad once a day, which I just leave in his viv. You want to make sure you don't feed him until after his lights have been on for at least an hour in the morning so he has a chance to warm up. And you want his lights to be on for at least 1.5-2 hours after his last feeding so he has time to fully digest. I give Clyde a fresh salad every day made up of various greens. He usually gets mustard greens, dandelion greens, and endive. There are a couple of fantastic charts on this page. The first will tell you how often to dust his food with calcium and/or multivitamin. The second chart shows all the best foods to give your beardie. The veggies printed in green are the ones you want to stick to for everyday feeding.

How early should I set the timer for the lights to kick on? I get up and leave for school at 8:30 AM three days a week. So should I set the lights to go on a 6:30 AM and feed him before I leave? Or wait until I get home at around 12-1 PM and feed him then?

Thanks for the link. I'm gonna read through it and keep it bookmarked.

Oh, and my temps are basking spot at 103° - 105° and the cool side at 78° - 81°. Good to go, right?

 

[ClydesGirl]

How early should I set the timer for the lights to kick on? I get up and leave for school at 8:30 AM three days a week. So should I set the lights to go on a 6:30 AM and feed him before I leave? Or wait until I get home at around 12-1 PM and feed him then?

Thanks for the link. I'm gonna read through it and keep it bookmarked.

Oh, and my temps are basking spot at 103° - 105° and the cool side at 78° - 81°. Good to go, right?

I have my lights set to come on at 6:30 and then feed Clyde before I leave for work. I think waiting until noon would be a bit harsh on him, since he's likely to be hungry in the morning. My lights are on from 6:30am-8:30pm (14 hours is the max you want to leave them on). I feed him crickets in the morning before I leave for work, around 8:30. I give him fresh salad on my lunch break around 12:30. Then I feed him more crickets when I get home from work, around 6:00.

Your temps seem pretty good.

 

[Trogdorpheus]

The glass filters out the UVB, so that won't make a difference either way... but you'll still be fine w/o the UVB for a few days regardless.