Hi all the new guy

[hyperc]

First time posting here although I've been lurking for the past 2days ...I just came back from my first animal expo TONS of snakes...I have been looking for a bearded dragon for about one month got him today lol forgot to ask how old he was but he is 7.5inches long so thats around 2 months i think I also got him an 70 gallon tank with reptisun 10.0 18" with dual hood for basking...Now I do have some questions I also own a veiled chameleon and use repashy Calcium plus can i give my beardie the same vitamin supplements?

Thanks for you time and help, I'll post some pics soon

 

[sweetiepie9]

Beardies need more calcium, so best you get him calcium without phospherous and with Vit D3, they need this to keep their bones strong. Reptivite is a good brand, but there are others. Oyster shells are supposed to be the best calcium, so check into that. Your dragons needs to have 1 bug feeding dusted with calcium per day, 5 times per week. The vit/min supplement is probably ok from Repashy, but not sure if it's complete for a dragon, but either way, needs that 1 feeding dusted 2 times per week. That's until he's 1 year old, then it reduces to calcium 3x/wk and vit/min 1x/wk. You'd have to check the ingredients of vit/min powder for dragons as opposed to the Repashy. I'm not sure if it's the same. I have a crested gecko & 5 bearded dragons (adult males) but I don't give the dragons Repashy, I actually never thought to check into it.

Your dragon also needs to eat bugs at least twice a day at his age, needs all the protein he can get to grow. Also the bugs bodies need to be no longer than the space between his eyes, it's difficult for them to digest bugs that are too big. Just wanted to let you know.

And for the large tank you have, you might want to put a partition in, as sometimes babies feel better in a smaller space. As he grows you can move the partition to give him more space. The UVB light should cover at least 2/3 of the length of the tank so he gets it almost all day.

Hope this helps!

 

[jezwolf175]

I just wanted to say welcome to the forums. when you get a chance, post pictures of your beardie.

 

[hyperc]

Hmm, do I have to upload them to a different site first?

 

[fancybearded]

I use photo bucket app on my phone. Its easy to use and to post pictures here.

 

[hyperc]

He looks good but seems very inactive..I pretty much have to pick him up...He does eat and this morning I got him to drink outta his bowl








I know someone is gonna b*****h about the sand...That UV light is getting replaced once Todd from lightyourreptiles ships it

 

[sweetiepie9]

Did you get rid of the sand yet? I use newspapers instead of sand and have been for 5 years. Course it helps that I get 3 free papers at the apartment building where I live, but they're so easy to change out & my guys can still dig to China if they want to, they just shred the paper to bits and then I replace it. I used to use sand but when I read what nasty things can happen to a dragon on sand, I found the cheapest way to replace it and it's worked great.

Thanks for the pics, you have a great enclosure for your little guy, he's so cute! Check the basking temps, they should be 105F and you'll see a big difference when you get the Reptisun 10.0. If you can get an under counter fixture, it would be better for him, as he'd get full UVB. I've been told they're available at hardware stores and don't cost alot, but look into it, it's worth it for your little guy. The basking can be thru the top, it doesn't make a different, but the temp is important.

There are so many things to get right for a dragons, but once it's all done, your little guy will be alot healthier. I learned alot from this site on what works best for dragons and have been following those suggestions and have really healthy dragons as a result. I'm very grateful for the help I've received over the years and learn something new almost every day!

So again welcome to our site, thanks for the lovely pics!
Deb

 

[hyperc]

Just giving an update...I put tile over the sand just incase he wants to dig when he gets older, He is doing great, not very active but very alert....He loves to pretty much bask eat and basks some more he seems very tame never runs away just hope he stays this way...He is just starting his first shed around his mouth...About the only thing I've noticed tho is he does have some stress marks

 

[daner923]

Even when he's older, I wouldn't use sand. You can always make a dig box with some alfalfa pellets or flax seed, which don't pose the same risk of impaction. You just need to make sure to change it regularly so it doesn't harbor bacteria or get moldy.