I need help first time owner here

[Nubbie123]

I just my first beardie at the socal reptile expo at the pomona fairplex.
i had the vita sand stuff by zoo med but have read its really bad so i have paper towels over it. i have a bulb for heat and i have a rock under it. i have a shallow water dish and a small bowl for the dry food/veggies.
i was wondering what are the best bulbs to get and and good stuff for the bottom of the tank.
the quicker you guys get back to me would be awesome!
let me asap im going to the pet store today.

 

[lovemybabies]

Well first off get rid of the sand all together, You can either use the paper towels or get repticarpet, or slate tile. As far as the lights....The reptisun 10 is the best floro tube, not the compact. For the bask site you will need to get a digital probe thermometer, you can get them at walmart for like 12 bucks. Tha is a must. His or her basking site needs to be 105-110, and the cool side of the enclosure around 80. There are some care sheets posted all over the web that give a pretty good description of you need to do and have for a healthy beardie. 2 main things...Reptisun 10 uvb bulb, and a digital thermometer with a probe.

 

[rottnbull02]

Your post didn't say whether you are feeding live prey. It just says dry food, veggies, and water. Not sure how old your dragon is but if it is a baby or juvie you will need to feed it live prey daily totaling up to 50-10 crickets.

Who did you purchase her from? You can always call the breeder and they will help with anything you need.

Definitly get rid of the sand. Not only is it an impaction hazard but a bacterial playground. No matter how clean you think you got it, their pee will penetrate and dry everyday leaving a nasty environmental mess that your dragon is breathing in. Newspaper, paper towels, tile, or lenolium are all great substrates.

You also didn't say if you had a uvb bulb or if you purchased a 2 n 1 mercury vapor bulb. If you purchased the mvb you are good, those produce both your uva and uvb that are necessary for your dragon to grow and have healthy bones. If not you must purchase a uvb bulb quickly. It will work together with your heat bulb to keep your dragon healthy. I have rescued a baby that is suffering from metabolic bone disease (what they can get if they dont have uvb) and it isn't fun.

I dont know where you live but if you like buying online petmountain.com has the best pricing around for bulbs.

 

[WolfTinDragons]

well, as for substrate, i use papertowls and sometimes non adhesive shelf liner.

 

[Nubbie123]

ihave a halogen bulb right now it was left over from a snake i used to have.
and im feeding her crickets that i dust with Reptivite by zoomed w/d3 i only dust the crickets once a day
her basking spot is at about 107.5 degrees f
the cool area is at 79.4
i dont know how old she is but she is about 3 1/2 inches long (body) and plus tail is about 7 1/2 inches long
i feed her mustard greens and yellow squash(boiled/cooled/minced)
i clean (disinfect) her water dish every day as well as bathing her everyday
for substrate i took the sand out and now there is only paper towels down
most importantly i hold her everyday and play with her (let her run around, set her on me and let her chill etc)

her name is nubbie she has nubbie toes on her back right foot but is all healed so not sure if gotten from birth or not and she gets around just fine

 

[Nubbie123]

here is a pic of her
http://api.photoshop.com/home_e25e1...be-px-assets/1ca7e376d5994304a1bb33fffa7ddc19

 

[mpinsky]

I agree. Get the vita sand out of there altogether, PRONTO. Not only can it be lethal, you shouldn't have sand in your beardie's tank until they are a good-sized juvie (I waited until mine was an adult), and even then, it must be SIFTED, washed, unbleached playsand. Many people here, I have found, use tile, which reduces a large amount of impaction risk right in the bud.

As for the nubbie toes, I'm willing to bet that they were from some cagemates nipping at her before you bought her.