Hi! New here. My bearded dragon is staying on one side of his enclosure :/

KylieV

Member
Beardie name(s)
Chomper
Hi, im a relatively new owner, doing my best to care for this beardie. This guy was initially my families pet, as a christmas gift (strange gift), though after seeing how they were treating him, I offered to take care of him completely. My life is quite hectic right now, but I still find enough time to give the little guy his necessary attention. However, recently, he has not been nearly as active as he typically is. There are no real signs I've observed aside from lethargy, and it's concerning, since I may not know what to be looking for in the first place. If a vet is needed for this, please let me know 🙏.

If I could get any advice here, that would be great. I'm sorry if not everything is have here is perfect, but if there are any suggestions other owners have regarding this that would be great, i want to improve however i can. I have his diet and other specifications listed in my profile if that info is needed.

If this substrate is a concern, I can change it ASAP. Reading through other threads over the past few days has made me look at others options, and If this is a non ideal substrate, I'd like to apologize for not being better informed. Thank you ^^
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Hi, im a relatively new owner, doing my best to care for this beardie. This guy was initially my families pet, as a christmas gift (strange gift), though after seeing how they were treating him, I offered to take care of him completely. My life is quite hectic right now, but I still find enough time to give the little guy his necessary attention. However, recently, he has not been nearly as active as he typically is. There are no real signs I've observed aside from lethargy, and it's concerning, since I may not know what to be looking for in the first place. If a vet is needed for this, please let me know 🙏.

If I could get any advice here, that would be great. I'm sorry if not everything is have here is perfect, but if there are any suggestions other owners have regarding this that would be great, i want to improve however i can. I have his diet and other specifications listed in my profile if that info is needed.

If this substrate is a concern, I can change it ASAP. Reading through other threads over the past few days has made me look at others options, and If this is a non ideal substrate, I'd like to apologize for not being better informed. Thank you ^^
Ok I recommend you get a tank that is 4x2x2- you have a good uvb but it needs to be unobstructed - no cover over the bulb if there is one and no screen --6-8 inches directly above the basking decor - how are you getting surface basking temps? No stick ons please you need a digital probe thermometer- 16" high tanks are hard to keep temps - the substrate you can get that's easy to clean textured NON adhesive shelf liner- cut to the size of the tank
 

KylieV

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Chomper
Thank you so much <3 I've been testing my temps with the same stick on that is measuring the middle temp. I've been wanting to replace this with a digital one already, do the non electric ones tend to be unreliable? If it matters, where would you recommend it get the substrate from? It is definitely hard for me to get the basking set up properly. This tank is very new, so I'm still getting used to the setup. There is no cover over the uvb light but I could do better with it's placement, just need to screw more metal laches (which i dont have atm) on the top half for it.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Thank you so much <3 I've been testing my temps with the same stick on that is measuring the middle temp. I've been wanting to replace this with a digital one already, do the non electric ones tend to be unreliable? If it matters, where would you recommend it get the substrate from? It is definitely hard for me to get the basking set up properly. This tank is very new, so I'm still getting used to the setup. There is no cover over the uvb light but I could do better with it's placement, just need to screw more metal laches (which i dont have atm) on the top half for it.
Just make sure the UVB is 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor and not over 5 months old- the shelf liner you can get at Walmart or Home Depot etc -- and you want it w/ some texture but not a coarse or ones w/ texture that poop would get stuck in - something smooth so it can be cleaned w/ vinegar/ water 50/50- the stick on gauges are good for ambient temps only - you want digital probe Zoo Med makes them found at PetSmart or Petco or you can order them online from Amazon
 

Chris.

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Luis and Lilith
Hey Kylie,
personally I'm a big fan of loose substrate, like sand or dirt. It is much more natural and closer to what they would encounter in the wild. Both my dragons like to dig from time to time. They also like to climb a lot so make sure you got some branches in there as well.

As for the tank, I agree that a 120GAL is an absolute minimum, go bigger if you can.

Activity will go up and down during the year. Usually up in spring and down during the hotter parts of summer and the cooler parts of winter. This is normal and doesn't (always) mean something is wrong.

Is the diet part of your bio up to date? If your dragon is over two years old, you should feed him insects around twice a week and probably closer to halve the amount you mention.....
 

KylieV

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Chomper
Hey Kylie,
personally I'm a big fan of loose substrate, like sand or dirt. It is much more natural and closer to what they would encounter in the wild. Both my dragons like to dig from time to time. They also like to climb a lot so make sure you got some branches in there as well.

As for the tank, I agree that a 120GAL is an absolute minimum, go bigger if you can.

Activity will go up and down during the year. Usually up in spring and down during the hotter parts of summer and the cooler parts of winter. This is normal and doesn't (always) mean something is wrong.

Is the diet part of your bio up to date? If your dragon is over two years old, you should feed him insects around twice a week and probably closer to halve the amount you mention.....
Thank you! I will be looking at options for a new tank as soon as I'm financially able to do so. in the meantime, I can absolutely replace his substrate. I've never been informed on his exact age, only estimates, and have trouble getting him to eat if it's not something moving :/

I did not know that adults needed such few insects compared to juveniles, I'll be better about this. Should I be feeding him the same type of greens? (i.e. Dandelion Greens or Mustard Greens, not necessarily both?) I apologize for my lack of knowledge.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Thank you! I will be looking at options for a new tank as soon as I'm financially able to do so. in the meantime, I can absolutely replace his substrate. I've never been informed on his exact age, only estimates, and have trouble getting him to eat if it's not something moving :/

I did not know that adults needed such few insects compared to juveniles, I'll be better about this. Should I be feeding him the same type of greens? (i.e. Dandelion Greens or Mustard Greens, not necessarily both?) I apologize for my lack of knowledge.
Variety on salads / greens Nutrition Content
ignore the kale info its outdated
 

Chris.

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Luis and Lilith
Thank you! I will be looking at options for a new tank as soon as I'm financially able to do so. in the meantime, I can absolutely replace his substrate. I've never been informed on his exact age, only estimates, and have trouble getting him to eat if it's not something moving :/

I did not know that adults needed such few insects compared to juveniles, I'll be better about this. Should I be feeding him the same type of greens? (i.e. Dandelion Greens or Mustard Greens, not necessarily both?) I apologize for my lack of knowledge.
No worries, we are here if you have questions.
Look at the chart Karrie posted, it is a good resource. In addition I can tell you that mine both love arugula and romain lettuce. Squash sometimes yes, sometimes not so much. Also hibiscus flowers they love both very much!
He/she won't eat their salads if you overfeed them on bugs. If you are unsure of the age or gender we can get you in the right ball park if you post some pictures. Their diet varies quite a bit with age (the older the less bugs).
 

KylieV

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Chomper
Thanks so much :) I'll be keeping an eye on that! Had no idea hibiscus flowers and squash were good for them. I've been wanting to give more variety anyways, this is great information. I'll be sure to feed less bugs going forward.

Also, we were told he was a male, and from everything I'm seeing, that seems to be accurate. I could always post pictures for further confirmation though.
 

KylieV

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Chomper
I did have another thing. How do I tell if my beardie is simply brumating, or if something is wrong? Are there resources for this on the site? Don't wanna be asking unnecessary questions..
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
I did have another thing. How do I tell if my beardie is simply brumating, or if something is wrong? Are there resources for this on the site? Don't wanna be asking unnecessary questions..
If your lighting is on par and he is of good weight not losing it they do go into a slow phase during winter months look under resources on this site and at the brumation articles
 

Chris.

Sub-Adult Member
Beardie name(s)
Luis and Lilith
I did have another thing. How do I tell if my beardie is simply brumating, or if something is wrong? Are there resources for this on the site? Don't wanna be asking unnecessary questions..
Yes that is always a bit hard to tell and can be scary at first. Monitor his weight, if he is just brumating, he should stop eating and basking while not losing more than 1-2g per week.
This year my male brumated from October to late Decenber and lost a total of 2g during that time even though he did not eat or drink at all.
 

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Does this look like a healthy beardie
LarryTheLizard wrote on ForLeonard!'s profile.
Aww your profile picture is precious ❤️‍🩹
Hey! I'm planning on ordering a 4x2x2 for my next beardie but I'm worried about lighting. I have a UVA and a UVB but they are small (the UVA just being a bulb and the UVB being 12 ish inches?) My house is drafty so I need a strong light that puts off quite a good amount of heat, any suggestions?
cookie event at my library today, quite fun! Made some bracelets for my comrades too, to give them at church in the morning. Got a busy day tomorrow even though I’m off work… i go back on tuesday so atleast I’ll have 2 days off to rewind….then back to hell lol

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