Hi peoples. O: (Please help me? ;___; <3)

[zhoushijie]

You guys make me feel bad; my beardie prolly isn't doing half as well as yours. ;____;

But, yah, I'm new. C: And I'm here cause I want to give my beardie more time and better care. His name is Elric and my aunt gave him to my family when she moved from NJ to CA. I really need to ask her how old he is... though I have a feeling she doesn't know. x____x;;

Yuppers. <3

I'm still very amateur-ish at this 'noticing subtle behaivior' thing, too, so it worries me that when I touch his head, he closes his eyes sometimes.

...And I'm not sure we're feeding him enough. arggghhhh.

>______> I'm such a bad pet owner.

(Oh, btw, I'm 16 years old. xD; )

 

[Catalyst]

Hello and welcome to the site If you're honestly looking to make things better for your dragon, then we're more than happy to help!
Here are some questions that will get us started:

How old is your dragon?
How long (nose to tip of the tail) is your dragon?
How long have you had him?

What size tank is he living in?
What are you using as a substrate (ground covering)?
What are you using to heat the tank?
What are the temperatures (basking spot and cool side) in the tank?
What do you use to measure the temps?
Are you using a UVB bulb?
If so, which kind and how old is it?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB bulb?

What are you feeding your dragon?
How often?
Are you using supplements (i.e. calcium, etc.)?
If so, which ones and how often?
Do you mist or bath your dragon?
If so, how often?

 

[zhoushijie]

Hello and welcome to the site If you're honestly looking to make things better for your dragon, then we're more than happy to help!
Here are some questions that will get us started:

How old is your dragon?
How long (nose to tip of the tail) is your dragon?
How long have you had him?

What size tank is he living in?
What are you using as a substrate (ground covering)?
What are you using to heat the tank?
What are the temperatures (basking spot and cool side) in the tank?
What do you use to measure the temps?
Are you using a UVB bulb?
If so, which kind and how old is it?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB bulb?

What are you feeding your dragon?
How often?
Are you using supplements (i.e. calcium, etc.)?
If so, which ones and how often?
Do you mist or bath your dragon?
If so, how often?

Finally, I have measured him and can answer now. O:

He's five or six years old.
He is 18 inches long.
I've had him for around two years.

His tank is 35.5 inches by 18 inches.
Substrate is sand bought from the pet store.
A heat lamp that rests upon the top of the tank is used.
It ranges from 65 degrees to 80 degrees.
We have a stick-on temperature meter. I know it's inaccurate, but my parents don't believe me when I say so.
Yes.
75W "moonlight lamp"
Several inches.

He is fed greens, carrots, and crickets.
He gets crickets every other week and only today have we started dusting them with protein supplement. (He used to eat them ravenously though. Nowadays, we put them in and he just stares at them. They're eventually eaten, but not all at once...)
I've misted him a couple times, but it's not regular. Never bathed.

 

[redn3ckkittycat]

Hopefully these two sites (care sheet and nutrition guide) will help you!! Happy Reading! http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
http://blackninjakitty.com/herps/dragons.php

 

[Catalyst]

A heat lamp that rests upon the top of the tank is used.
It ranges from 65 degrees to 80 degrees.

This isn't warm enough for him. His basking spot (right under the light) should be in the 100-110*F range, and the cool side of the tank should be around 80*. You can increase the temps by changing the bulb - either getting a higher wattage or a different type of bulb. You don't need to use a petstore heat bulb - a regular light bulb or a halogen flood light work just as well and cost much less. I prefer the halogen flood lights because they kick out more heat per watt (the 75w halogen floods I use now give me the same temps as teh 150w regular bulbs I used to use).

An accurate digital thermometer with a probe should only cost you $6-$10 either at the petstore or at places like Walmart or a home improvement store.

75W "moonlight lamp"
Several inches.

A moonlight lamp is not a source of UVB. You have two options for UVB for a dragon:
(1) flourescent tube light - the best is the reptisun 10.0 and then the reptiglo 8.0 and reptisun 5.0 are acceptable. These fit into a flourescent light fixture and run the whole length of the tank. Your dragon needs to be able to get within 6-8 inches of the light at some point in his tank and the bulb should be replaced every 6 months. Avoid compact versions of these bulbs (look like energy saver bulbs) and any ESU brand light bulbs since these are junk
(2) mercury vapor bulb - stronger UVB bulb that screws into a normal dome light fixture. Your dragon should be no closer than 12-18 inches to the light, and they need to be replaced every 6-12 months depending on the type of bulb. These usually put out heat as well as UVB. The good ones are the megarays (see http://www.reptileuv.com) and the T-Rex Active Heat Flood bulb.

Good UVB is essential to the continued health of your dragon. Without it he isn't able to properly use/absorb calcium and can develop a severe condition called MBD (metabolic bone disesase I beleive is what that stands for).

He is fed greens, carrots, and crickets.
He gets crickets every other week and only today have we started dusting them with protein supplement. (He used to eat them ravenously though. Nowadays, we put them in and he just stares at them. They're eventually eaten, but not all at once...)
I've misted him a couple times, but it's not regular. Never bathed.

What types of greens do you feed him? Some are great, while others aren't.
How many crickets does he get a week? As an adult, he shouldn't get more than 50 live bugs a week or his risk for fatty liver disease increases. He should get both calcium (2x a week) and multivitamin (1x a week) supplements added to his diet - either dusted onto the crickets or his salad.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions you have.

 

[jennybud]

my best advice would be to read all the care sheets on this site but a few things would be about him closing his eyes its a contentment thing your petting him and he likes it and he trusts you enough to close his eyes.

and i would give him a bath he would probably like it. clean or you tub with a damp cloth with maybe a little vinagar tub cleaner and such might hurt you beardie and the vinagar will help clean out any chemicals from earlier. then rinse with clean water. fill your tub with slightly warm water about two inches or so then hold him under his stomache and lower him into the water especially his vent (where he poops) that will help him absorb water. then use your other hand to drip water over him. he may walk or swim around but keep your hand in so that he can come back to it for reassurance. you may also get a soft bristle toothbrush to gently rub him with to clean him. some beardies love it. i just got one for my bindi he is unsure of wheather or not he likes it. once he closed his eyes in enjoyment then a few minutes he opened his mouth and hissed at it. lol.

glad you decided to do the right thing for your beardie! good luck.

 

[zhoushijie]

my best advice would be to read all the care sheets on this site but a few things would be about him closing his eyes its a contentment thing your petting him and he likes it and he trusts you enough to close his eyes.

and i would give him a bath he would probably like it. clean or you tub with a damp cloth with maybe a little vinagar tub cleaner and such might hurt you beardie and the vinagar will help clean out any chemicals from earlier. then rinse with clean water. fill your tub with slightly warm water about two inches or so then hold him under his stomache and lower him into the water especially his vent (where he poops) that will help him absorb water. then use your other hand to drip water over him. he may walk or swim around but keep your hand in so that he can come back to it for reassurance. you may also get a soft bristle toothbrush to gently rub him with to clean him. some beardies love it. i just got one for my bindi he is unsure of wheather or not he likes it. once he closed his eyes in enjoyment then a few minutes he opened his mouth and hissed at it. lol.

glad you decided to do the right thing for your beardie! good luck.

Ah, that makes me happy! ;D

xD; I'll see if I can give him a bath on one of the warmer days around here.

 

[zhoushijie]

A heat lamp that rests upon the top of the tank is used.
It ranges from 65 degrees to 80 degrees.

This isn't warm enough for him. His basking spot (right under the light) should be in the 100-110*F range, and the cool side of the tank should be around 80*. You can increase the temps by changing the bulb - either getting a higher wattage or a different type of bulb. You don't need to use a petstore heat bulb - a regular light bulb or a halogen flood light work just as well and cost much less. I prefer the halogen flood lights because they kick out more heat per watt (the 75w halogen floods I use now give me the same temps as teh 150w regular bulbs I used to use).

An accurate digital thermometer with a probe should only cost you $6-$10 either at the petstore or at places like Walmart or a home improvement store.

Eek! Okay, I'll see what I can get for him. No wonder, I read in another thread that if it's not warm enough, he won't poop. He hasn't been. D;

Okay, I'll check next time my family goes to buy crickets.

75W "moonlight lamp"
Several inches.

A moonlight lamp is not a source of UVB. You have two options for UVB for a dragon:
(1) flourescent tube light - the best is the reptisun 10.0 and then the reptiglo 8.0 and reptisun 5.0 are acceptable. These fit into a flourescent light fixture and run the whole length of the tank. Your dragon needs to be able to get within 6-8 inches of the light at some point in his tank and the bulb should be replaced every 6 months. Avoid compact versions of these bulbs (look like energy saver bulbs) and any ESU brand light bulbs since these are junk
(2) mercury vapor bulb - stronger UVB bulb that screws into a normal dome light fixture. Your dragon should be no closer than 12-18 inches to the light, and they need to be replaced every 6-12 months depending on the type of bulb. These usually put out heat as well as UVB. The good ones are the megarays (see http://www.reptileuv.com) and the T-Rex Active Heat Flood bulb.

Good UVB is essential to the continued health of your dragon. Without it he isn't able to properly use/absorb calcium and can develop a severe condition called MBD (metabolic bone disesase I beleive is what that stands for).

Oh! Well, there's already a flourescent light running the length of the tank. (Well, uh, most of it. The tank is bigger than the heat lamp.)

He is fed greens, carrots, and crickets.
He gets crickets every other week and only today have we started dusting them with protein supplement. (He used to eat them ravenously though. Nowadays, we put them in and he just stares at them. They're eventually eaten, but not all at once...)
I've misted him a couple times, but it's not regular. Never bathed.

What types of greens do you feed him? Some are great, while others aren't.
How many crickets does he get a week? As an adult, he shouldn't get more than 50 live bugs a week or his risk for fatty liver disease increases. He should get both calcium (2x a week) and multivitamin (1x a week) supplements added to his diet - either dusted onto the crickets or his salad.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions you have.

Bok choy... I read that squash is good, so I'll try to get him that. (But he doesn't seem to eat any of it... It is winter, though.) We used to give him carrots all the time, but I read that he might get poisoning from too many so I'm trying to switch it up...

Uhh. He got eleven last time, but only ate four off the bat. (He didn't even move much. They just disappeared.) The rest died after a week or he ate them slowly throughout. (No, I know we're not supposed to let them stay there, but there were some circumstances that made it difficult to get them all out including unwilling family. D; I have a plan for next time, though!)
So... he doesn't actually get much per week.

Oh, and that was the first time we dusted them. O: