I'm not sure I'm taking proper care of my beardie

[Iwilburn135]

So my boyfriend has had a bearded dragon for about a year, and I soon became concerned that he hadn't been told properly how to care for it. So I began doing research and we've been adjusting based on what I've found, but I'm tired of looking up something just to get 7 different answers. So I want to post how we're caring for him and get tips.
He is 15 months old and lives in a 55 gallon tank.
He refuses to eat anything but sweet basil and mealworms/superworms, and we typically feed him every other day, which I know isn't good.
He refuses to drink still water, so we water him every other day, either by spray bottle or by dripping water into his mouth with a spoon. (He won't drink every day)
He's only ever had 2 baths because he wasn't socialized at all when I first got with my boyfriend
He enjoys riding on shoulders and is no longer afraid of being held, and we've recently started letting him run around on the ground and bask in real sunlight (we weren't able to before, too many places to hide and get stuck, too many cats around)
His tail is often pointing straight up, but never twitches or anything else
He has never waved at us
His glass surfing is out of control, but has gotten better since we started letting him out. However it's still pretty bad.
He doesn't swim when we bath him, he will eat mealworms out of our hand in the bath, so I don't think he's stressed out, but he doesn't seem to like swimming
We got him commercial wet food and tried mixing it with his worms but he still won't touch it, he picks around it and if he can't, he won't eat.
He has a 26 watt UVB and a 100 watt basking light with UVA
His substrate is play sand with a layer of thermal calcium sand on top, and he has a lot, a cave, and some sticks to climb, plus his tiny food dish (we don't often drop food in, we usually hand feed him)

I think I've covered anything, and I would just like some advice and pointers, I just want to make sure he's getting everything he needs to be healthy, and if he isn't, how to fix that.

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

Most beardies wont drink from still water so its good your spraying him with water at least. I prefer bathing my beardies 3 times a week even if they dont like it. Usually beardies will dig in the water but ive never noticed them swimming unless its too high or they feel like they need to.

As for the food there needs to be serious rearranges. Stop feeding superworms and mealworms completely, these two are the worst feeders out there for bearded dragons of any age. They cause impaction in younger beardies and they cause beardies to be addicted to them like a drug because of how fatty and tasteful they are to them. They can cause fatty liver disease as well.
You should be feeding once a day with crickets, red runners/turkish roaches, dubia roaches, silkworms when you can get them and calciworms when you can get them all the time. I usually feed 5 crickets, 5 of each roach, and 10 calciworms to my adults on feeding days. Which is 3 times a week or every other day however for a 15 month bearded dragon they need to eat once a day for insects until 20 months old or soh is when i like to switch them to every other day or 2-3 times a week insect feedings. Make sure your dusting calcium 5 times a week and multivitamins twice a week, i recommend repti-cal supplements.

As for the salad part offer more greens like turnip greens, collard greens and mustard greens just to name a few staple greens and fruit once or twice a week like blue berries or red raspberries.

For the enclosure usually 55 gallons is a bit too narrow but can work, however the substrate your using will eventually most likely lead to his death. He could most likely already be impacted as impaction happens over time. Usually beardies on particle substrates live 6-10 years or so with non particle substrates having beardies live up to 15-20.
On top of that particle substrates can bother their eyes, its bad for their joints and is a bad bacteria breeding ground. Even if your bearded dragon doesn't noticeably eat it he still licks at it everyday.
The uvb lighting is also a problem, for that size enclosure you need a tube light not a compact/coil bulb, compact/coil bulbs tend to cause eye problems in some cases and need to be placed inside along with having the beardie sit within 4-6 inches of it.
You'll need to get a 46" reptisun T5 HO 10.0 tube light along with a reflective fixture. You can get on amazon and easily order one.

Sorry for the somewhat long post.

 

[EllenD]

Well said by Venus, as you've got some serious husbandry and very serious diet issues, and I say this respectfully because you're trying to get help with it, and I appreciate that. His diet is completely inadequate for an adult bearded dragon, as is his UVB lighting. And you made no mention of the temperature gradient inside his tank. Part of the reason he is not eating anything but "junk food", i.e. mealworms/superoworms, is because of inadequate UVB lighting and most likely improper temperatures. Either way, you need to stop the mealworms completely, they are at best an occasional treat to be fed 2-3 a week, but there are better "treat" insects. He is very likely to end up with Fatty Liver Disease as well as MBD, so let's work on getting his lighting and temperatures corrected ASAP.

You can keep your 55 Gallon tank, it's narrow but doable, adult dragons do need at least a 40 Gallon Breeder tank, so you can make the 55 Gallon work, but either way you need to purchase A T5 strength UVB tube, as already stated by Venus. This is not optional for a Bearded Dragon. The UVB light you have is not adequate even if he was in a tiny tank, let alone a 55 Gallon tank. Amazon.com is by far the cheapest place to order T5 UVB tubes because they will offer you a "Package Deal" that includes both the UVb tube and the Fixture for it.

I would order a Reptisun 10.0 (NEVER ORDER A REPTISUN 5.0), so a Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube, which comes in lengths of 16", 22", and 34". The UVB tube needs to go across the entire Hot Side of his tank and then into the Cool Side of his tank, so you at the very least need to order the 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube, and if you search on Amazon.com for it just as I just typed it in, you'll find a retailer selling this exact tube new for $23, which is a steal. If you click on the $23 retailer it will bring up the page for that exact 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube, and then if you scroll down you sill see them offering a "Package Deal" with several different 24" T5-rated tube Fixtures to house the UVB in. DO NOT JUST CHOOSE THE CHEAPEST T5-RATED TUBE FIXTURE, AS YOU MUST ORDER ONE THAT INCLUDES A METAL REFLECTOR INSIDE IT!!! This Metal Reflector sits inside the tube Fixture behind where the UVB tube sits, and will reflect the UVb light throughout the large tank. So choose the cheapest T5-rated (24 watts) tube fixture that has a Metal Reflector included with it. You should be able to get both the 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube and a matching 24" fixture that is rated for a T5 UVb tube, 24 watts, with a Metal Reflector included, for under $50 shipped (yes, the 22" tube fits into a 24" fixture).

Also on Amazon.com, please order a "Digital Probe Thermometer), which should only cost around $5 or less, if you don't already have one, and you're only using stick-on thermometers. I don't know if that's the case, but I'm guessing it is. You cannot measure the Basking Spot Surface Temperature with a stick-on thermometer at all, and besides that they are horribly inaccurate, often off by between 10-20 degrees to the low-side when tested. So this is also not optional. You can also buy a Digital Probe Thermometer at any Petco or PetSmart for $9.99, but cheaper on Amazon.com when you order the new T5 UVB tube.

BASKING SPOT SURFACE TEMPERATURE (located within the Hot Side of the tank): Between 105-110 degrees for a baby or juvenile, and between 100-105 degrees for an adult over a year old. *****110 degrees is the absolute hottest temperature that should be anywhere inside a Bearded Dragon's tank.****

HOT SIDE AMBIENT (air) TEMPERATURE (side of the tank surrounding/containing the main Basking Spot/Platform): between 88-93 degrees maximum.

COOL SIDE AMBIENT (air) TEMPERATURE (side of the tank opposite the Hot Side): between 75-80 degrees maximum.

***Be sure to allow the Probe of the Digital Probe Thermometer to sit on each spot for at least 20-30 minutes each time before reading the temperature.

As far as his Basking Bulb, it should only be a Bright White Basking Bulb, and not any colored bulbs, like red, blue, yellow, green, black, purple, etc. You can either use a Reptile Specific, Bright White Basking Bulb, like the ZooMed Intense Basking Spot Bulb, or just a regular, household, Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb like you buy at Tractor Supply, Home Depot, or Lowes, the PAR38 Halogen Indoor Flood Bulbs. That's what most of use use.

****For most 40 Gallon Breeder Tanks, it takes a 100 watt Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb over the Hot Side of the tank to get all 3 temperature zones/gradient within the correct ranges, so for a 55 Gallon tank I would ry a 125 watt Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb first, that should work fine, and then you can adjust the BAsking Bulb up or down to tweak the temperature up or down a few degrees.****

PROPER LIGHTING SET-UP:

-You need to have a Hot Side of the tank and a Cool Side of the tank. His main Basking Spot/Platform needs to be located within the Hot Side of the tank. When you receive the T5 UVb tube it needs to be mounted under the mesh lid of your tank, as he is most likely suffering from a calcium deficiency and the start of MBD, and it's best to not have the UVb tube obstructed by anything. Some people allow their T5 UVB tubes to sit on top of the mesh as long as their Basking Spot/Platform can get within at least 10"-11" of the T5 UVB tube, but in this situation I suggest poking 4 holes in the mesh and then using either large, plastic Zip Ties, Shoelaces, Twine, Wire, etc. to attach the entire Fixture to the underside of the mesh lid.

-Both the T5 UVB tube and the Bright White Basking bulb need to both be over the Hot Side (the Bright White Basking Bulb can sit on top of the mesh lid) and be RIGHT ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER! You need to center the UVb tube and the Bright White Basking bulb so that they are both sharing the Hot Side of the tank, and then move his Basking Spot/Platform so that it's directly under both lights, so he gets both lights at the same time while basking. This is replicating natural sunlight for him. Both of these lights need to be on every day for at least 13-14 hours.

-Be sure that the Basking spot/Platform is always within at least 10-11" of the T5 UVB tube. You cannot raise the UVb tube or lower the Basking spot/Platform away from each other to adjust the Basking Spot temperature or the Hot Side Ambient temperature, you can only move the Basking Bulb.

-If by chance the single, higher wattage Bright white Basking bulb that is over the Hot Side of the tank does not get the Cool Side to at least 75 degrees, then you may need to add a second Bright White Basking Bulb over the Cool Side in a Clamp Lamp or another Dome Lame, but it will only need to be a much lower wattage of Halogen Indoor Flood Bulb, usually only a 30 watt or so will do it. You may not need one at all, you just have to measure the temperatures once you get the lights set up correctly.

PROPER DIET:

First of all, an adult dragon should get a large, fresh salad of appropriate, healthy greens every single day, which include Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Dandelion Greens, Escarole, Endive, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy and Pak Choy, and Arugula/Rocket. Try to avoid all types of Kale and Spinach, as they both contain very high amount of Oxalates, which will bind to all of the Calcium he eats, and then he will just excrete all of the Calcium he eats out and not absorb it (this is how people get Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones). You can also add healthy, fresh veggies, the good ones are any types of Squash (Butternut, Spaghetti, Yellow, Green, Acorn, etc.), Bell Peppers of all Colors, Green Beans, Peas and Pea Pods, and a little Broccoli and Carrot. Fruit should only be given once or twice a week at most as a treat in small quantities, as it contains a very high amount of sugar. NEVER FEED ANY CITRUS FRUIT. So he needs to get this large salad of appropriate Greens and Veggies every single day.

You need to also feed him healthy, LIVE, staple insects at least 2-3 times a week, and give them to him in the morning before you give him his salad. You are much better off money-wise to order your LIVE staple insects online in bulk than buying them in a pet store, which is ridiculously expensive. You can keep them in a big, plastic tub, like one you buy a Walmart (50 Litre works well), and you should gutload the insects with the exact same greens, veggies, and fruits that you feed him, once every day just throw in few greens and veggies into their bins.

Proper live, staple insects for Bearded Dragons include Crickets, Several different species of Roaches, BSFL/Phoenix Worms/NutriGrubs/Reptiworms/Calciworms (all the same thing), and Silkworms (these must be fed either Mulberry leave or Silkworm Chow). The cheapest places online that I've found for most insects are www.dubiaroaches.com (they have all types of insects) and www.symtonbsf.com Amazon.com has live Silkworms available, but in small quantities.

 

[Mellowmalt]

some very good extensive advice but extensive is the word.
At the end of the day they are just a reptile.
Some people here seem to spend as much on their beardie as a dog.

At the end of the day your beardie has survived this far and with a bit of tweaking you can have him live a good life, doesn't need to be perfect.

Yes a non varied diet is not as healthy as a varied one.... But I smoke. Now which is more important, that I quit smoking or that a beardie gets more than 3 different types of greens...

So my advice would be, to give your beardie what you can but don't go changing your daily routine over a reptile...

So although all the advice above is sound, see it as a long term goal to achieve over the next year. For now just make some minor changes.

1. Get rid of his substrate. I keep mine on cardboard. It's easier to clean and replace than sand. The disadvantages of sand have been listed

2. Find an alternative to mealworms. Locust are the best beardie insect but also quite pricey

3. Like said divesity is great but also expensive. Just focus on giving him collard greens as his main diet. These are also known as spring greens or leafy greens. They are an open top cabbage and the cheapest in the supermarket.
He might not eat them straight away. Keep at it, maybe tempt him with some tastier watercress to start him going for greens, then daily chopped up leafy greens.
Better than what he's getting atm and really not complicated, my leafy greens usually last a week in the fridge. Then at weekends you can give him different varieties if you want.

 

[Iwilburn135]

I'm happy to state that we've made some changes and he's a much happier boy. Mealworms are now a rare treat although we basically has to starve him for a week, he now gets crickets regularly, as well as his veggies, and is surprisingly willing to eat dry food now too, so when we accidentally skip a day feeding him, we don't have to panic. I've decided to keep his sand because he loves to dig and play in it, but I bath him much, much more frequently now and he poops every time I bathe him as well as sometimes in the tank. He's had a good shed lately, just finished the day before yesterday. He's lazier than he used to be, but no longer lethargic. He rarely gets upset, loves bath time, and loves being held. He has two basking lights and we switched his UV light, I honestly can't remember what to, but I like to take him to the window in the morning and we bask together in the morning sunlight for an hour or two. He seems happy now, and that's good enough for me! I appreciate all the feedback, you've helped Smaug have a happier life!

 

[Beardiesforlife333]

I know you said you want to keep the sand because he loves to play in it, but it's really dangerous and is it worth the risk of eye issues, impaction, shorter life span, breeding bacteria etc? If he really likes the sand maybe get a box and put some in it and let him out to play in it that way you avoid breeding bacteria and the risk of impaction is a lot shorter, although eye issues might still become a problem. If you don't want to do that you can also just feed him in a different tank or bin, that also makes impaction less likely. It's your choice, but personally i'd highly recommend removing it from the enclosure he is in all the time. It's really nice of you to take your time to work on making Smaug and his environment healthier. A lot of people I know wouldn't do that.

 

[3magpie3]

I'm so happy you made some diet and UV changes!

The heat temps and UV light are important things in order to have them process their food best and not get an impaction. There are people that do a topsoil/sand mix but husbandry has to be on point. I would say to be sure that you are not using calci-sand if you're going to keep the sand. Just play sand. Calci-sand is what has been known to cause big issues (outside of incorrect husbandry).

One thing - they don't need baths unless they're dirty. If they poop every time you bathe them, then that's food they're not done with yet and they can actually get dehydrated from it unless they actually drink the bath water. (They get much of their hydration typically through their food.) So I'd go back to the spray on the nose thing and keep the baths for shedding or when he walks in his poop. You can also sprinkle water on the greens and that helps, too.

It's great that he's eating more veggies now and more appropriate bugs!

Usually beardies on particle substrates live 6-10 years or so with non particle substrates having beardies live up to 15-20.

Where did you get this statistic?

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

Personal experience, research, and a somewhat estimated guess as most beardies on particle substrates do have a few problems or the possibility of it, usually eye infections, impaction, fungal infections, etc which could possibly shorten the life span depending on how serious it is or at least eventually kill them.
For the personal experience part it was with two beardies, both died of impaction, one being a baby beardie on sand, died within a week or so, and the other being a 3 year old male on the same substrate. He lived for around 3-4 years more. During that time it was when i knew nothing about beardies as i was only around the age of 7 or so when i first got them.
However im sure with proper lighting, diet, an reptile vet for any problems a beardie could manage to live over that estimated guess.

For the non particle portion of that, its more of research rather than anything. As with non particle substrates they have the less likely chance to die from any of the things that could kill them like particle substrates do. Which means they could and can live up to their fullest lifespan safely.

 

[3magpie3]

OK, so it's your opinion/experience. With those numbers thrown out there it seemed like a fact, so that's why I was thrown off. It's a little tricky to base specific numbers like that without good science behind it.

I'm honestly not trying to be argumentative, but there is so much anti-loose substrate information out there, and a lot of it isn't all that accurate. Again, if your lighting and temps aren't on point, loose substrate can be a problem, but impaction is a husbandry problem, not a loose substrate problem.

I do think that most people agree that babies shouldn't be on loose, and again calci-sand is supposed to be problematic because it clumps, but the infection and impaction risks of proper loose substrate are over-stated or over-simplified most of the time.