Help with a new beardie

[BeardedBoroshlav]

Just acquired a great looking 14 month old yellow citrus. She is very mild mannered.

I know that new beardies take some time to get used to their environment. She is currently housed in a large 40 gallon tank with paper towels and a large piece of driftwood. She seems a little uncomfortable; though she can be seen basking in the daytime she will usually try to dig under the towels and hide behind the driftwood by late afternoon. I was just wondering if there was anything else I could do right now, besides wait.

She also isn't accepting greens from my hand or the dish... though she seems mildly interested in crickets. Any advice there?

Thanks!

 

[dragonlover3]

Hi,
What are you measuring temps with?....dial?...strip?....digital probe?....temp gun?
What are the 3 temps....basking surface?....hot end?....cool end?
What UVB bulb do you have?....how far from the basking spot is it located?
What are you using for heat/light?...what's the wattage?
Sounds like she could possible be to hot and trying to hide and escape from the heat.
The cool end is as important as the heat as she needs to be able to cool down.
Amanda

 

[sweetiepie9]

Welcome to our forum. New beardies get something called relocation stress & can sometimes not want to eat for a few days. The previous questions are very valid, as temps for basking & UVB lights are very important for dragons to feel good. A few other things in her tank might help. Did the previous owner give you anything from her previous tank? I wouldn't worry about food, just keep offering it to her every day, she'll eventually get used to her new surroundings and start eating. Just make sure you have the correct temps, for her about 100F on the basking spot would be a good place to start.

The UVB light is very important, as dragons need at least 8-10 hours of good sunlight a day. What type do you have right now & how old is it? The best tubes are Reptisun 10.0 and Arcadia T-5. I don't use tubes, I use a mercury vapour light called a Power Sun and I've been using them for over 5 years. I like them because they give heat & UVB at the same time.

So any questions, don't hesitate to ask. The size of your tank is fine, I have 5 adult males & 4 of them are in 40 gallon breeder tanks. My big beardie, who's 4 yrs old and 800g & 22 " long is in a 75 gallon tank. The 4 in the 40 gallons have more than enough room to move around, as they're not greatly active reptiles.

Have you tried to get her to go onto your hand? What can also help to get used to you is if you put a piece of T-shirt that you've worn that has your scent. They like soft things to lie in.

As for the hiding, could be relocation stress, could be you don't have the right temperature at the basking spot (I use a temp gun that is very accurate, the dial type of thermometers can be inaccurate up to less or more 20F) so check into that. Beardies are a bit expensive to set up, but once they have the right temps & UVB light, you'll find a different beardie.

Good luck with your new one & any help I can provide, please feel very free to ask.
Deb

 

[BeardedBoroshlav]

Thank you both for responding.

After using a probe, I found that the basking spot was at 106F (a little over?), the hot end is at 94F and the cool end is at 80F.
She is still hanging around under the basking light in the hot end, and doesn't seem eager to escape to the cool end.
I'm using a Reptisun 10.0, which is about 12 inches away from the basking spot. As for the basking light, right now it's just a plain old 75W bulb, because my first "real" basking light just burned out. Should I switch to something else in particular?
She seems to be ok with being picked up, but she definitely isn't eager to rush up to me like Linnaeus does. I will try the t shirt trick.

A few more things regarding my other dragon, Linnaeus: he is about 5 months old and is only around 6 inches long... is he undersized for his age?
Also, his poop, though relatively solid and normal-colored, is always accompanied with some considerable runny-ness surrounding it.
A large portion of his diet consists of collard and turnip greens... is there anything to worry about?

Thank you!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Ryan, he has parasites & needs medication. He's way too small for his age, if you're measuring him from snout to end of tail. Do you feed him bugs, he needs lots & lots of protein. Do you feed them both crickets of the right size? He should be more like 14" if that's the case. Please let me know, if he's 6" from snout to end of tail, he's way too small, so need to know what size of tank, what bugs he's eating & he really needs a vet visit re: those poops. Please let me know as soon as possible. Also what UVB you're using & what the temps are at the basking spot, just like you answered for your younger beardie.

For the little one, he should be closer to the UVB, that will help alot. He should be between 6-8" away, 12" away is too far. The basking can be down a bit, so change the light to a 60W & see if you can get the temps down to 102, sounds like 106-110 is too hot for him. Some babies like really hot temps, others not so hot.

Please get your older beardie to a vet asap, as parasites don't go away, they just get worse & they can prevent him from growing. Also what supplements are you giving both of them. They both need powdered calcium with Vitamin D & no phospherous, they should both be getting 1 feeding of bugs per day dusted with calcium & 2 times per week dusted with vitamins/mineral supplement. Without calcium, they won't grow. The greens you're giving your oldest beardie are fine, but he should be eating at least 80 bugs a day & your little one should be eating at least 100 bugs a day, depending on what type of bugs you're feeding them. The older one, once he's done the meds for parasites, would probably be better eating phoenix worms & hornworms, they're both full of calcium & other good things, don't have to be fed & the phoenix worms are especially good for beardies deficient in calcium. All of this is very important, if you don't want your older beardie to get sick. So please get a vet visit right away. I just got a new beardie that has parasites & is on a med called panacur, it's harsh on his system, so instead of bugs I've been giving him chicken with 5 veggie babyfood & butternut squash babyfood. That helps him stay at a good weight, too.

Please keep me informed of how your two are doing,
Deb

 

[dragonlover3]

Hi,
Nothing to add to Deb's advice, she's one of the respected experts on this forum
so I follow her advice too!
As for your question on bulbs, you don't need a fancy, expensive basking bulb.
That's just pet shop hype...and they make a lot of money charging the unsuspecting
new keeper for an unnecessary bulb. The "plain old" lightbulb is perfect but as Deb
suggested investigate a smaller wattage.
Amanda

 

[BeardedBoroshlav]

Hi Deb,

Thank you for your quick response. Just to clear things up, the questions I answered regarding lighting were for the older beardie I just got (Chloe, 14 months, about 18 inches), while the issue with the runny stool was my younger one that I've had for a longer amount of time (Linnaeus, 5 months, 8 1/2 inches). Sorry for any confusion.
I've been feeding Linnaeus about 40-50 (I've seen so many different numbers out there... guess I'll increase the amount) crickets a day, divided into two feedings. I supplement the first feeding with Exo Terra Calcium/Vitamin D3 powder. He gets a tray of collard greens with every meal, and I replenish it whenever I see that it's empty.
I will call the nearest herp vet asap. Until then, is there anything else I can do?

Glad to hear that I can stick to regular bulbs, Amanda. Those basking lights in the pet shop are indeed very pricy.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Ryan, is Linnaeus's poop really stinky? The water could just be because he's well hydrated. And he's definitely eating the right amount of crickets for his age, but he's still small. Are you using Reptisun 10.0 for him as well. They should both be able to get 6-8" from the light. I'm concerned that he's so small, 8 1/2" is still small for a 5 mo old. The calcium you're using, does it have phospherous? It shouldn't, as that can inhibit the absorption of the calcium, so make sure it shows no phospherous on the label. He should also be getting 5 dustings a week of calcium, so make sure he's getting that for sure. Two feedings are fine a day, too. Do you give him vitamins/mineral supplements, too? They need that 2 dustings/week. Those are both very important for bone growth & healthy auto-immune systems. A vet visit wouldn't do any harm, just to make sure and take a fecal with you when you go. Just wrap it in tin foil and put it in the fridge & make sure it's from the day of or the day before you go to the vet.

It can be difficult to get everything right for a beardie when you first get them, the right UVB, the right basking temps, etc. Sometimes it can be a pain in the neck, but it's all worth it in the end.

So yes, increase the amount of crickets you offer Linneaus at each feeding, he should eat as much as he can within 15 min on each feeding. He still has plenty of time to catch up, not to worry. As long as the UVB, basking spot (and 106+ for your other beardie is too hot. Mine like 95-100, over that they hide from the basking spot, too). I know it's alot of information, but it's all worth it to have healthy happy beardies. And just to make you smile, here's my beardie Rubio, he's my big boy at 22" & 772g. He's now 4 years old & started really tiny, he was 24g at 3 mo old, believe it or not. I love showing off this pic, as he has the most delightful smile & you can't help smiling back!

So let me know how Linnaeus is, please.
Take care
Deb