I'm totally new to this, so I have some questions

[MichelleKirk]

The beardie that I rescued was from a pet store. He had had "yellow fever" and had successfully been treated for it. My understanding of it, however, is that it can and often does just go into remission. I hope that it never comes back.

Anywho, on to my questions.

First and foremost, why has my beardie been running back and forth in his tank, clawing at the walls? He's done that all day today up until it seemed like he got tired after he had dinner.

Which is where my second question comes into play. He was sitting on top of his basking stone (it isn't a heat rock, simply something he can perch on) and after a while, he had shut his eyes while laying on top of the rock. I'm guessing he's tired 'cause shortly after that he curled up in a corner in his tank.

The point to the above: Is he tired? Was he really just trying to sleep? If so, should I turn his basking light off and let him sleep? He was given dinner about three hours or so ago. I'd hate for him to get constipated because that light isn't on.

Which is something else I wanna know. How does a beardie's digestive track work? I did my research on what would be good for him and also included foods to avoid, but I'm more interested in the actual process itself.

Last question: Did I feed him a tad too much tonight? I gave him a few crickets and some greens, but his belly seems to be a tad bit bloated. If I did, what should I do tomorrow? Feed him like normal, or less, or more (though I don't know how this would be helpful)?

Edit: I'm new to owning and raising a beardie. In the past I have caught geckos and stuff (I live in Arizona) that looked like they were too small or what have you to live. I would take them put them in a fish tank, then wait till they were healthy (or larger in size) and release them again.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Congrats on your new family member. How old is he? Also need a more specific run down of the set up.

 

[MichelleKirk]

Hi. Congrats on your new family member. How old is he? Also need a more specific run down of the set up.

To the best of my knowledge he is between six to seven months old.

The setup I have is a 30 gallon glass fish tank. It is a foot wide, three feet long, and 17 inches tall.

I have a dish in a corner that is made to be stuck in corners that I typically put his food in. A few inches from there is another dish that has water in it. I read all over that they get most of their water from their food, but can't hurt to have a backup.

There is one medium sized fake rock that he climbs on and his basking bulb is directly above that. I unfortunately do not have the money just yet to get his UVB fixture or bulb, but here in a couple weeks (if not much sooner) that problem will be resolved. I hear not having UVB is quite a bad thing.

Obviously the food/water is on the other side of the tank from the lamp.

I feed him live crickets, mustard greens, and collard greens. We tried to give him acorn squash, but he ate around that for the most part and ignored the squash. It was recommended to me by the pet store that I get this... well, pink stuff that is supposed to be rich in nutrients. That is being mentioned because he does the same thing with it as the squash.

If you need any more details, I'll provide them to the best of my ability.

 

[sue09]

He needs his lights on for 10 hours winter and 12 hours summer,even if he goes to sleep leave them on. You need to get the UV asap as he needs it or will get sick. All babies have little fat tummies after eating so no dont change his feeding carry on as you are.
I'm sure one of the more experienced can give you even more info when they come on . Best wishes with your new dragon.

 

[MichelleKirk]

He needs his lights on for 10 hours winter and 12 hours summer,even if he goes to sleep leave them on. You need to get the UV asap as he needs it or will get sick. All babies have little fat tummies after eating so no dont change his feeding carry on as you are.
I'm sure one of the more experienced can give you even more info when they come on . Best wishes with your new dragon.

I would like to have the UVB light now but I haven't the money just yet to get it. Will likely be before the holiday when I get it, though. That is my second top priority, right behind keeping him fed and happy.

Thank you very much for your advice and kind words. I do appreciate what I'm told from more experienced owners of beardies, and take almost all of it to heart.

As for his current light, so an 8pm to 8pm regiment should be fine? We've had some nights get to near freezing - in Arizona, no less - and when I picked him up this morning to hydrate his tank a bit he was really, really cold. I should probably get him a night time red bulb, huh?

 

[sue09]

Please dont use a red bulb,beardies can see it and it disturbs their sleep,use a ceramic bulb for night heat. As long as it doesnt go below 65 he should be ok.

 

[MichelleKirk]

Please dont use a red bulb,beardies can see it and it disturbs their sleep,use a ceramic bulb for night heat. As long as it doesnt go below 65 he should be ok.

A ceramic bulb. Gotchya. Made a note of it.

I'm sure that at night it gets much lower than 65 in here. We've been having really, really odd temperatures here, below freezing like I said. That causes me some concern because when I wake up in the mornings it's veeery cold according to the weather thing I have on my desktop. Like upper 40s, lower 50s some days.

Edit: Next post might be late by about two hours or so. I've something personal I need to take care of. Will be back later.

 

[ferretgirl]

How long ago did you get him? The pacing/scratching could be because he just isn't used to the new place! dont worry too much there. Beardies need a few days, a week is better, to acclimate so don't worry too much about behaviors until after that. As for the basking/uvb..you do need to get the UVB ASAP! Without UVB beardies cannot Digest their food, and they cannot absorb calcium. Long term this causes a bone disease (MBD) in which the beardies body leeches the calcium from the bones in order to survive.
Beardies are PIGS when they're young, my gal wasn't an extreme pig, but some people say they can eat 50-100+ crickets a day. They won't eat themselves to death so don't worry about feeding too much food, just give him as much as he can eat in about 15minutes. Their bellies are usually bloated after eating and stay that way till they poop. My gal won't (usually, unless Im late for her nightly bath)poop anywhere but in the bath so I'm lucky that way lol
As for temperatures, the basking spot needs to get to between 105-110 and the cool side around 80. As long as the temps don't go below 60(which you say it does) than its good. Since your tempsdo go too low get a ceramic heat emitter (as said above). I have to have mine on 24/7 to keep the temp warm enough.
A digital thermometer/hygrometer combo is the best thing to use to measure temps. Again the basking temp is important for digestion as well.
The size of tank she is in is kind of small. You probably already plan on getting a bigger cage for him though Beardies can get up to 2 foot long, and at your guys age (if the pet store was right) than he's probably over or around 10-12"?? He will outgrow that enclosure FAST! The bare minimum suggested out there for a full grown is 4'X2'X2' but that's still kinda small in my personal opinion. My gal is in a 55gallon aquarium at the moment and she is almost 14"long. Its too small for her, she has trouble turning around and there just not much floor space to provide hides,dishes,basking log etc
Also do you dust his crickets with calcium powder? This is a MUST since even the most well gutloaded insects don't have as much as your beardie needs.
There's a lot of good info on this site on care of beardies to look through, but remember to take the time to research yourself and come to conclusions rather than only taking advice from people on forums, take it all with a grain of salt. Even breeders can spout off some weird ideas that don't make sense.
Good luck!

 

[MichelleKirk]

Lots and lots of advice.

Let's see if I can answer all the questions and conjectures addressed in your post. Not saying it's too long; there's no such thing in my opinion.

We'll start this reply by saying that you've echoed pretty much every website I've been to to do research on him, before and after he came home. I'm simply confirming this via third (or more) parties.

He was brought home on Friday night. My research did show that he'll likely spend quite some time testing his boundaries, like you said, and he'll eventually get used to it.

I'm very, very well aware that the UVB bulb is an absolute must. I'm just having some financial trouble at the moment so I'm trying to see if I can ask some friends or family for it. It's roughly forty dollars for what I'd need - the shade and the bulb - which isn't exactly cheap, but I'll figure that out. I know about MBD which is why that is one of my highest priorities.

Yes, he's a bit of a pig. He's also picky about what he eats. I feed him collard greens and either turnip or mustard greens (forgot which we got) and he chows down on that like nobody's business. We tried adding apple one day and a few days later acorn squash and he just ate the greens that were around it. He seems to lose interest in crickets after the fifth or sixth one and focuses on the greens. Eventually the bug will vanish, though.

He tends to poop wherever he chooses at the moment. I was starting a routine where I'd bathe him right after I get up in the morning before I feed him and he still pooped in his cage a few times. Yesterday he was good about it, today not so much. I'll just have to keep working at that so my research has told me.

What type of bulb or something is that ceramic heat emitter? I was just in an argument with my mother about it. She's strongly saying infrared saying that it's fine for her chickens, but I seemed to shut her up a bit when I told her they're chickens, not reptiles. I'll still look it up after I post, but just wanna double check. Will probably add an edit.

Yes, I plan on getting him a larger tank. The one we found was at Goodwill and only $20 and we figure that it'll last a few months. After the holidays are done and over with, we'll be in a better position financially to get a bigger tank. I'm going to try my best to get the UVB MUCH sooner, though. The tank size I'd like to get is a 60-70 gallon, which I know are not cheap, but I may or may not have some money of my own coming in soon. We'll see.

Calcium powder is something I'm going to get tonight probably. I kinda ran out of money the night we got him so it was put in the same boat as the UVB lamp. My father gave me the money as Christmas money, but then my phone came up missing. I can call him later and explain the situation and test his reaction.

My primary websites I did my research on were beautifuldragons.com and thebeardeddragon.org. I was also directed to beardeddragonsden.info last night, which I read the guides that were suggested to me. I didn't just Google 'bearded dragons info' and pick random things. The first was suggested by the pet store, second by a friend, third on another forum I signed up for.

Thank you all whom have posted so far, and who may post in the future, for all your advice. It is greatly appreciated. I'd really like to give this guy something he's yet to have; a loving owner who cares greatly about him and provides the absolute best she can. It pains me to think how many times he probably got passed by because of yellow fever, despite it having been treated.

Edit: Did look up the CHE at the above websites, but I couldn't find what exactly it is. I may have missed something, though, but in case I didn't, could somebody describe what it is/what it looks like? By 'what it is' I don't mean what is its function, but more like is it a light bulb or something.

 

[sue09]

A che is a ceramic bulb that doesnt give off light just heat so ideal for night time and also if its really cold as extra heating.

 

[maci]

I can't answer all of your questions, and the posts before me pretty much have except the digestive track. The only thing I know about that is it's short when the beardie is younger, and as they grow, it lengthens. You know the rule about feeding a dragon nothing bigger than the space between its eyes? It's because of this. Once a dragon is over 15", it can be fed bigger insects, at a reasonable rate. A 1 1/2" dubia roach won't hurt your beardie, as long as it's over 15", same as with veggies.
I also use a moonlight(blue) bulb at night in the winter for heat, a little cheaper than a CHE, and my beardie does not mind it. He actually sleeps within 6" of it all night long, moving around only once or twice. I think it really just depends on the beardie, and what your prefer to use.

 

[Germ]

This is a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) fits in a regular light socket, which must be porcelain or ceramic, the socket can not be plastic.

 

[Germ]

I also use a moonlight(blue) bulb at night in the winter for heat, a little cheaper than a CHE, and my beardie does not mind it. He actually sleeps within 6" of it all night long, moving around only once or twice.

A BD who has an undisturbed sleep, you will find in the morning, in the same spot, generally in the same position as it was in the night before. If your BD is moving a couple of times a night, consistently, your light is very likely bothering it. Lights of ANY color in the enclosure at night will bother most BDs sleep. A CHE is the only way to go if night heat is needed & ONLY needed if the ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60sF at night.

 

[maci]

I also use a moonlight(blue) bulb at night in the winter for heat, a little cheaper than a CHE, and my beardie does not mind it. He actually sleeps within 6" of it all night long, moving around only once or twice.

A BD who has an undisturbed sleep, you will find in the morning, in the same spot, generally in the same position as it was in the night before. If your BD is moving a couple of times a night, consistently, your light is very likely bothering it. Lights of ANY color in the enclosure at night will bother most BDs sleep. A CHE is the only way to go if night heat is needed & ONLY needed if the ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60sF at night.

Temps in my house fall below 50 in the winter, even with our heat up. And what I meant when he moves is he will move once when the lights go out, and he will scratch once or twice on his log to get closer to the heat, but he basically stays in the same spot, only moving an inch or so up. His sleeping is not disturbed. Lights may disturb many Beardies, but there is always exceptions with any pet.