I was given a neglected bearded dragon . I need help and answers

[Angiejan1421]

Hi there, it's really great that you're trying to help the poor thing, I hope everything falls in to place ! It may take time for Cheeto to feel like being handled so it's O.K to leave him alone until he settles in except if he needs a bath because of being dirty. Can you post a few pics of Cheeto to show body condition and also pics of the enclosure ? BTW there are resources on the sidebar to help getting the light/heat right as well as general care. The humidity is not bad so that's not really a problem. For greens, try kale and collards [ also turnip + mustard greens ] but don't buy a lot at once since he may not eat them right away. Crickets are better than mealworms but you can't leave them loose in the cage. Dubias are even better, silkworms too. Those are just a few tips, you'll learn more from other people here as well as the resources on the side.

 

[Angiejan1421]

Thank you so much. I’ve only had him almost a week and he was eating collard greens with some apples then I got mealworms and he loves them. But I read they’re too fatty so he needs crickets. So Ive been feeding him a dozen at a time a day then some mealworms at night with veggies. I’m not sure about how his feeding schedule should go. Any ideas? So this is his cage now and the light he has in there I’ll show you pictures of the box and I also got a sand mat to put half way across the tank and sand on the other in case he wants to dig. That’s some advice I got today. We’re redoing his whole tank tomorrow and I wanna try to give him a bath. I’ve read some instructions online and that is creature soil in his tank not poop just so u know lol

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you so much. I’ve only had him almost a week and he was eating collard greens with some apples then I got mealworms and he loves them. But I read they’re too fatty so he needs crickets. So Ive been feeding him a dozen at a time a day then some mealworms at night with veggies. I’m not sure about how his feeding schedule should go. Any ideas? So this is his cage now and the light he has in there I’ll show you pictures of the box and I also got a sand mat to put half way across the tank and sand on the other in case he wants to dig. That’s some advice I got today. We’re redoing his whole tank tomorrow and I wanna try to give him a bath. I’ve read some instructions online and that is creature soil in his tank not poop just so u know lol

The power sun uvb is a good basking light but expensive - your still going to need a long tube fixture to back up the mvb- it's not going to give enough uvb he needs- please look at the post I posted earlier - the sand mat is going to be hard to keep clean- I have used them years ago and they are expensive to keep changing out- he should be fed fresh salads everyday- insects 2-3 times per week dusted w/ calcium D 3 one a week w/ proper uvb- that would be the T 5 posted earlier calcium w/ out D 3 no phosphorus 2 times per week

 

[Angiejan1421]

Hi there, it's really great that you're trying to help the poor thing, I hope everything falls in to place ! It may take time for Cheeto to feel like being handled so it's O.K to leave him alone until he settles in except if he needs a bath because of being dirty. Can you post a few pics of Cheeto to show body condition and also pics of the enclosure ? BTW there are resources on the sidebar to help getting the light/heat right as well as general care. The humidity is not bad so that's not really a problem. For greens, try kale and collards [ also turnip + mustard greens ] but don't buy a lot at once since he may not eat them right away. Crickets are better than mealworms but you can't leave them loose in the cage. Dubias are even better, silkworms too. Those are just a few tips, you'll learn more from other people here as well as the resources on the side.

The power sun uvb is a good basking light but expensive - your still going to need a long tube fixture to back up the mvb- it's not going to give enough uvb he needs- please look at the post I posted earlier - the sand mat is going to be hard to keep clean- I have used them years ago and they are expensive to keep changing out- he should be fed fresh salads everyday- insects 2-3 times per week dusted w/ calcium D 3 one a week w/ proper uvb- that would be the T 5 posted earlier calcium w/ out D 3 no phosphorus

 

[Angiejan1421]

Thank you so much the lady told me all I needed was that one light cause it’s all in one but I will get him the T 5 and is there a specific watt for it?

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you so much the lady told me all I needed was that one light cause it’s all in one but I will get him the T 5 and is there a specific watt for it?

Usually they are 24 watt-

 

[Angiejan1421]

Hi there, it's really great that you're trying to help the poor thing, I hope everything falls in to place ! It may take time for Cheeto to feel like being handled so it's O.K to leave him alone until he settles in except if he needs a bath because of being dirty. Can you post a few pics of Cheeto to show body condition and also pics of the enclosure ? BTW there are resources on the sidebar to help getting the light/heat right as well as general care. The humidity is not bad so that's not really a problem. For greens, try kale and collards [ also turnip + mustard greens ] but don't buy a lot at once since he may not eat them right away. Crickets are better than mealworms but you can't leave them loose in the cage. Dubias are even better, silkworms too. Those are just a few tips, you'll learn more from other people here as well as the resources on the side.

 

[Angiejan1421]

What kind of UVB please ? NO coils --- we can guide you on that --- please get two digital probe thermometers to get accurate surface basking temps? You want those 95-100 -- what size tank is he in now? Your humidity should be taken w/a digital probe hygrometer placed on the back center wall Exo Terra makes them-- but for now we need to get those surface basking temps and UVB on par - his appetite will pick up w/ those good - please do not listen to the Petco people --- please get him some crickets for now and feed fresh salads Nutrition Content ignore the kale info its outdated -

 

[Tigger_14]

got a bearded dragon a couple days ago from a 11-year-old and it was severely neglected. It stayed in a small cage. It hadnt eaten in a month and a half or two. It had one basking rock with one basking light and had no sand or gravel in the cage And it never had a bath and his nails are super long and he smells really bad ,when I first brought it home he flared up at me and opened his mouth but now when I go in his cage and change his food and water, he doesn’t do that anymore and he lets me pet his back, but I only do it like three times I want him to get used to his new environment because it is chaos here and he was stuck in a hoarders room so he has no socialization skills and he’s never been held so I don’t know how to go about this. I made the best home that I thought would be good. I’m getting my UVB light today or in the morning so all he has is a basking light and he also has a basking black light and that one is 75 watts but his temperature only goes to like 88 and its humidity is between 50 and 55. I have no idea if it’s a male or female and they say he’s probably a little over a year old. So I don’t know how to get my temperature in the cage warmer and then I don’t know how to lower the humidity. I’ve been going to Petco and getting all my information pretty much from them. The reptile store told me to feed him meal worms for right now five a day because he was so malnourished but he’ll only eat that I’ll make him a little bit of apples and lettuce and I’ll put his vitamins on it and he won’t eat it, so I don’t know if it’s because he’s full of the meal worms I think I need to go get crickets .

Arcadia t5 12% uvb is the best and last the longes bulb wise id recomend a basking light that has uva in it also it will say on the box i get mine from petsmart if your using a 75 watt bulb and its not warm enough go up try 100w bulb i use a 150 watt as my cool sode was to cold so i got 150watt bulb and i use a light stand to get the basking spot warm enough i have a baby so i need my basking about 100-110 so you could probably get away woth a 100watt without a light stand since your beardie is older of he lets u pet him try picking him up just to gage how he react if he puffs up or hisses give him more time if he doesnt you can start handeling 1-2 times dailey to show he is safe and loved make sure u get calcium powder for the bugs/salads humitity is inpossible my basking areas humidity is always 10 it will be diffrent at every part of the tank 50-55 is abit high move the water bowl away from the heat lamp a male will have two bulges and a female will have kind of a line i will post a photo u just lift there tail up and look at what is considered their bum to tell gender your going to want fatty/bigger bugs id recomend crickets and some wax worms to get the weight up hornworms for dehydration jist get like 1-2 hornworms to many will cause diareah wax worms are really fatty so it should help get weight up bsfl or crickets are better then mealworms or even silkworms are staple foods too he might not like the veggies u give my guy wont eat salad to try some new food like carrots or somthing my guy ate some carrots and strawberrys try some bukchoy or some mustard greens just try new veggies put some bugs in the salad somtimes it can trick them 5 meal worms is not alot for a guy who wont eat salad and is malnurished just try new things till u find what works they can be very picky from what i hear

 

[Tigger_14]

Oh hes tiny for a year old

 

[Tigger_14]

got a bearded dragon a couple days ago from a 11-year-old and it was severely neglected. It stayed in a small cage. It hadnt eaten in a month and a half or two. It had one basking rock with one basking light and had no sand or gravel in the cage And it never had a bath and his nails are super long and he smells really bad ,when I first brought it home he flared up at me and opened his mouth but now when I go in his cage and change his food and water, he doesn’t do that anymore and he lets me pet his back, but I only do it like three times I want him to get used to his new environment because it is chaos here and he was stuck in a hoarders room so he has no socialization skills and he’s never been held so I don’t know how to go about this. I made the best home that I thought would be good. I’m getting my UVB light today or in the morning so all he has is a basking light and he also has a basking black light and that one is 75 watts but his temperature only goes to like 88 and its humidity is between 50 and 55. I have no idea if it’s a male or female and they say he’s probably a little over a year old. So I don’t know how to get my temperature in the cage warmer and then I don’t know how to lower the humidity. I’ve been going to Petco and getting all my information pretty much from them. The reptile store told me to feed him meal worms for right now five a day because he was so malnourished but he’ll only eat that I’ll make him a little bit of apples and lettuce and I’ll put his vitamins on it and he won’t eat it, so I don’t know if it’s because he’s full of the meal worms I think I need to go get crickets .

 

[Angiejan1421]

Arcadia t5 12% uvb is the best and last the longes bulb wise id recomend a basking light that has uva in it also it will say on the box i get mine from petsmart if your using a 75 watt bulb and its not warm enough go up try 100w bulb i use a 150 watt as my cool sode was to cold so i got 150watt bulb and i use a light stand to get the basking spot warm enough i have a baby so i need my basking about 100-110 so you could probably get away woth a 100watt without a light stand since your beardie is older of he lets u pet him try picking him up just to gage how he react if he puffs up or hisses give him more time if he doesnt you can start handeling 1-2 times dailey to show he is safe and loved make sure u get calcium powder for the bugs/salads humitity is inpossible my basking areas humidity is always 10 it will be diffrent at every part of the tank 50-55 is abit high move the water bowl away from the heat lamp a male will have two bulges and a female will have kind of a line i will post a photo u just lift there tail up and look at what is considered their bum to tell gender your going to want fatty/bigger bugs id recomend crickets and some wax worms to get the weight up hornworms for dehydration jist get like 1-2 hornworms to many will cause diareah wax worms are really fatty so it should help get weight up bsfl or crickets are better then mealworms or even silkworms are staple foods too he might not like the veggies u give my guy wont eat salad to try some new food like carrots or somthing my guy ate some carrots and strawberrys try some bukchoy or some mustard greens just try new veggies put some bugs in the salad somtimes it can trick them 5 meal worms is not alot for a guy who wont eat salad and is malnurished just try new things till u find what works they can be very picky from what i hear

Oh my goodness thank you so much for that information I really appreciate everyone on here. I’ve been putting his meal worms in with collard greens or romaine and he’ll eat the 5 worms but that’s all. He’ll let me move him to clean his cage so that’s been so good. He hasn’t hissed anymore. We engage with him all day long but sometimes he puffs up and I don’t wanna overwhelm him as his situation before was no good. I’m gonna start picking him up and petting him more but how will I know when he’s had enough?

 

[Angiejan1421]

Arcadia t5 12% uvb is the best and last the longes bulb wise id recomend a basking light that has uva in it also it will say on the box i get mine from petsmart if your using a 75 watt bulb and its not warm enough go up try 100w bulb i use a 150 watt as my cool sode was to cold so i got 150watt bulb and i use a light stand to get the basking spot warm enough i have a baby so i need my basking about 100-110 so you could probably get away woth a 100watt without a light stand since your beardie is older of he lets u pet him try picking him up just to gage how he react if he puffs up or hisses give him more time if he doesnt you can start handeling 1-2 times dailey to show he is safe and loved make sure u get calcium powder for the bugs/salads humitity is inpossible my basking areas humidity is always 10 it will be diffrent at every part of the tank 50-55 is abit high move the water bowl away from the heat lamp a male will have two bulges and a female will have kind of a line i will post a photo u just lift there tail up and look at what is considered their bum to tell gender your going to want fatty/bigger bugs id recomend crickets and some wax worms to get the weight up hornworms for dehydration jist get like 1-2 hornworms to many will cause diareah wax worms are really fatty so it should help get weight up bsfl or crickets are better then mealworms or even silkworms are staple foods too he might not like the veggies u give my guy wont eat salad to try some new food like carrots or somthing my guy ate some carrots and strawberrys try some bukchoy or some mustard greens just try new veggies put some bugs in the salad somtimes it can trick them 5 meal worms is not alot for a guy who wont eat salad and is malnurished just try new things till u find what works they can be very picky from what i hear

Would this be it?

 

[Tigger_14]

Oh my goodness thank you so much for that information I really appreciate everyone on here. I’ve been putting his meal worms in with collard greens or romaine and he’ll eat the 5 worms but that’s all. He’ll let me move him to clean his cage so that’s been so good. He hasn’t hissed anymore. We engage with him all day long but sometimes he puffs up and I don’t wanna overwhelm him as his situation before was no good. I’m gonna start picking him up and petting him more but how will I know when he’s had enough?

With mine if hes had enough hell start moving around tryna get away if he just sits on you they say that means they feel safe if you see him puffing hissing or running away put him back but you could even do a safe spce on the floor put him on the floor just to get more use to interaction out of the tank put him on the floor and maybe after abit give him a bug my guy loves crickets the most for a staple bug 5 seems little for him to only eat he might just want new bugs could be sick of them when u take a break from bugs and re introcude they get excited i live in canada so i order from the worm lady fast reliable and cheap if u live in the states try dubia.com i hear good things about dubia roaches ive also read they like to play so a small ball ( bigger then the space between the eyes so he cant eat it) or even a cat toy on a string u know the ones cat chases on a stick ive seen videos of beatdies chasing those you could also try dandilions ( make sure no sprays of pesticides) have gone on them ive also heard rose pedals id recomend a new bug my guy is bsfl and crickets silk worms waxworms horn worms and wax worms he enjoys havent tried butter worms you could also try superworms i hear there good staple foods just if you see him antsy moving alot not sitting still he might want back in the tank start small hold him for 1-2 mins as long as hes not puffing or hissing and work your way up he just beeda to feel safe it took a few weeks for mine to get a good appitote and stop running away from me new envierment new people freaks them out for awhile dont over do it so start maybe 1 a day 2 at most u could even get a little container i got mine from the dollarstore and put warm water a inch at most as long as hes strong and can keep his head up to bath him with that said im not sure if you know but they somtimes drink bathwater and when this happens they will have their mouths in the water do not pick him up as he could drown due to how their mouth is they will gulp up water and put their head up to swallow durring this process if u pick him up he could drown there tougne covers a valv thing under their tougne so they dont drown ive done exsensive research feel free to message me with questions or anything i am also a new beardie owner and did months of research before i got mine

 

[Angiejan1421]

With mine if hes had enough hell start moving around tryna get away if he just sits on you they say that means they feel safe if you see him puffing hissing or running away put him back but you could even do a safe spce on the floor put him on the floor just to get more use to interaction out of the tank put him on the floor and maybe after abit give him a bug my guy loves crickets the most for a staple bug 5 seems little for him to only eat he might just want new bugs could be sick of them when u take a break from bugs and re introcude they get excited i live in canada so i order from the worm lady fast reliable and cheap if u live in the states try dubia.com i hear good things about dubia roaches ive also read they like to play so a small ball ( bigger then the space between the eyes so he cant eat it) or even a cat toy on a string u know the ones cat chases on a stick ive seen videos of beatdies chasing those you could also try dandilions ( make sure no sprays of pesticides) have gone on them ive also heard rose pedals id recomend a new bug my guy is bsfl and crickets silk worms waxworms horn worms and wax worms he enjoys havent tried butter worms you could also try superworms i hear there good staple foods just if you see him antsy moving alot not sitting still he might want back in the tank start small hold him for 1-2 mins as long as hes not puffing or hissing and work your way up he just beeda to feel safe it took a few weeks for mine to get a good appitote and stop running away from me new envierment new people freaks them out for awhile dont over do it so start maybe 1 a day 2 at most u could even get a little container i got mine from the dollarstore and put warm water a inch at most as long as hes strong and can keep his head up to bath him with that said im not sure if you know but they somtimes drink bathwater and when this happens they will have their mouths in the water do not pick him up as he could drown due to how their mouth is they will gulp up water and put their head up to swallow durring this process if u pick him up he could drown there tougne covers a valv thing under their tougne so they dont drown ive done exsensive research feel free to message me with questions or anything i am also a new beardie owner and did months of research before i got mine

That’s awesome thank you so much. I got him a little ferret toy ball that I want to start letting him play with it but idk if I should wait until he’s used to me or just put it in his cage so he’s used to it. A lady said to put worms in it as a treat and that’ll get him used to it. We’ll tomorrow we’re gonna change his whole tank around we got some new stuff for him and I wanna try a bath but would that be too much change for him?