Introducing Jimmy! and us! UPDATED PLEASE READ

[OurBoyJimmy]

Hi all x

Thought I should introduce ourselves before I bombard you all with many questions!!
We are Susie and Ollie and have just 'adopted' Jimmy a 10wk old bearded dragon. We live in the sunny (lol) UK.
We have been lurking here since bringing him home and have decided to join so we get the best advice for our beloved Jimmy!!
There are alot of questions that we would like answered but will post in the relevant sections.
Any advice for newbies always welcome xx

Our starting set up is 2ft wide which of course we will upgrade when he needs more room, we have a 40watt basking light one end, a temperature control thermostat connected to a heat mat specified for a 2ft viv, 5.0 UVB reptiglow fluorescent light system and calci sand substrate (was advised by pet shop but now have found contrasting advice so will change) Does this sound OK???

Look forward to any advice and getting to know you all xx

Susie and Ollie xx

 

[Venom508]

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
ditch the calci sand right now!!

i cant stress how bad this CRAP is!!

if ur beardie eats enough of this it will build up in his guts a eventually kill him. cuz it turns to concrete when water gets on it, and will do the same in the tummy!!

ur better off using non adhesive shelf liner, repti carpet, slate tiles or paper towels.

just please get rid of the sand!! this is from another post

I don't want to start a debate or anything but I do want to mention that calci-sand is NOT digestable. It is much less digestable than play sand. Calci-sand will actually clump in a beardie's stomach and can be fatal. Play sand is the best if you choose to use sand.

and cuz ur in the UK the best light you can get is the arcadia 12, the light ur using is ok but the arcadia is a better choice

also dont listen to pet shops they will almost always give wrong info on reptiles and they dont really care either they just want money.

oh yeah take out the heat mat too as this will burn his tummy (they cant sense heat underneath).

also welcome to the forums! i didnt meant to sound harsh but it freaks me out when people are housing lizards on calci sand
lemme guess, they said its good cuz if they eat it its calcium and its beneficial?? LOL it not.

i cant find it but if you type in calci sand in the search bar you will see many people sayin its bad

if you have ANY concerns or problems let us know and we will do our best to help you out

 

[fresnowitte]

Hello Susie an Ollie & Welcome to BD.org!


Look forward in seeing pic's of Jimmy. :wink:

True calcium sand is bad stuff look at it in this way like a Litter Box. It harbors the bacteria of the feces and beardies will end up with parasites that will need treating. Beside the fact that they will ingest it an it is NOT digestable...stay away from all particle substrates would be best. Hard surfaces they do much better on...it poses no threat of impaction...it helps to build muscles...files nails down naturally....an it is much easier to keep clean....way less inexpensive than changing a particle substrate out every 30 days.

As for heat you only need additional heat for night time if your house reaches temps below 65* then I suggest a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) it puts out no light but fits into a light fixture. Beardies don't have heat sensors on their bellies.

Venom508 is correct the arcadia 12 would be a better choice of UVB for your beardie.

Again Welcome Aboard!

 

[OurBoyJimmy]

Thank you very much for your replies.

I just get more and more confused the more I read!

OK the calci sand is coming out, strange thing is the man in the pet shop is crazy about his BD and so I thought he may know what hes talking about!

As for the heat mat coming out, how do I maintain the temp in the 'cool' side without it? If I take it out what should the thermostat be attached to?

I am concerned about Jimmys feeding, on the day we got him he ate 2 med crickets, the next day nothing then yesterday 1 cricket and a tiny bit of cress.

We got him out and bathed him which im not sure he liked too much!

Arrr this is so confusing, but we are greatful for your advice as we just want what is best for him xxx

Susie and Ollie x

 

[fresnowitte]

Arrr this is so confusing, but we are greatful for your advice as we just want what is best for him xxx

Okay let's see if I can do this without confusing you anymore than you already are...btw we were all where you are right now at one point.

As for the heat mat coming out, how do I maintain the temp in the 'cool' side without it? If I take it out what should the thermostat be attached to?

Your cool side temps should be somewhere between 70* and 80* can get as low as 65* at night this is okay they actually need the lower temps at night to sleep properly. Personally I don't use a thermostat on the viv's but I do use a thermometer. I like the infrared temp gun the best but you can also use a digital probe thermometer. If your house isn't below 65* then you shouldn't need any additional heat. If you need additional heat for daytime temps then add a bright white halogen household bulb right next to your UVB above the basking spot. If your house is under 65* at night then heat from above is better sense they can not feel it as well from below in which case the ceramic heat emitter is best.

What type of thermometer do you take your basking temps with? The basking temp is very important our your beardie can not digest food properly an can become ill. The basking temp needs to be taken directly on the basking spot that your beadies basks at. That's is one reason we recommend the digital probe or infrared temp gun...because the stick on dial or tape strips can be up to 20* off in readings.

I am concerned about Jimmys feeding, on the day we got him he ate 2 med crickets, the next day nothing then yesterday 1 cricket and a tiny bit of cress.

Beardies go thru what we humans call relocation stress this can last up to a couple of weeks. This stress occurs during the time a beardie is readjusting to a new invironment. While they are going thru relocation stress they normally do not eat real well...just be patient as you will have an eating machine in no time.

 

[OurBoyJimmy]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

We have changed the calci sand to kitchen roll, added a few more rocks and branches and have taken the heater out.

The temps are all ok but he still isn't happy.

We went back to the shop we bought him from and discussed stuff with the bloke who sold him to us (a bd owner) who laughd at all the advice we had been given on here!!! Dont worry we think he knows nothing! haha

Thing is hes still not eating, seems less happy than before and spends most of his time sitting on a rock (not basking area) with his eyes closed. We thought we would give small crickets a go but they just disappear under the kitchen paper. Hes just not interested in them, they can walk across his head and he wont bat an eye lid or sit in front of him, hes not bothered. We have had him for 6 days now, i know its not long but he looks so skinny and small.

Can anyone offer any other advice?

 

[fresnowitte]

Good Morning Susie and Ollie! :wave:

Beardies go thru relocation stress not just when they first come to you but anytime you make a change to their environment. Example...Not long ago I broke one of my beardies food dishes. Ms. Tiggs had this dish sense she was a hatchling she's now 3...anyway what I'm getting at is she stressed for about 3 days over not having the dish she was accustom to and getting a new one. I have had them stress when I've had to change hides out for larger ones. I have also had them stress when I rearranged the room their viv is located in because now what they are accustom to seeing everyday as they look out their viv's has changed. I remember with my very first beardie I had one of those worthless stick on dial thermometers....well even though I bought an infrared temp gun and started using it I still had to leave the dial on the viv. Rocky (my 1st beardie) had a fit that his clock was gone I guess. :roll:
So see any changes can cause this stress and now it will take a few more days to get over it because of the new changes you have made.

If Jimmy doesn't mind being held you could try some baby-food with supplements added in. If you can get him to lick it a couple of times this may trigger his appetite.

Looking forward to see pic's of your precious little one. :wink:

 

[OurBoyJimmy]

Thank you very much for your prompt reply!

I will keep perservering we do have some lovely photos of him when he was a bit perkier but will get ollie to so it later as he is good at that.

Cheers again xx

Susie x

 

[OurBoyJimmy]

Jimmy has just got in his water bowl, had a swim and a drink, then had a tiny bit of brocolli.

Thats good isn't it!

 

[chrismnc]

Hi. I got my baby about 3 weeks ago and he didn't start "eating like a pig" until about 10 days after we got him. In fact, he hardly ate at all and I was freaked!!! I got some phoenix worms and he ate some of them tho. Now he eats about 20 1/2" crix at every feeding, 2 - 3X a day plus the worms if I think he is still hungry. Sometimes I wonder where he puts it all!!!

Ziggy still hates the baths but they do help him because he will hardly ever drink water from the dropper or mister. I still give him baths every other day.

I read that the ReptiSUN is much better than the reptiglow UVB light also... I use a ReptiSun 10.0 tube.

Good luck. The previous comment about us all going through this is soooo true. Don't worry too much. It will get better! My baby still has light stress marks.

Chris

 

[OurBoyJimmy]

We have now had Jimmy 2 weeks tomorrow. He has good and bad days with eating and energy levels. He is very active when he comes out but when inside he doesnt do much. I have started giving him baby food by syringe which he loves and a couple of wax worms as he hardly ever eats crickets. When he does fancy a cricket he will have one attempt at catching it then give up!!! So we have to injure the cricket so he can catch them! Is it ok to give him baby food and I know waxworms are fattening but he needs building up. He only has 1 or 2 a day.

He was obsessed with his water bowl and I even caught him actually drinking from it!! However, one night as soon as we turned the lights out he got in it and stayed there all night!!! He has stopped doing this now but is getting water from the baby food as i water it down.

Anymore advice??

He poops roughly once a day

 

[chrismnc]

The first thing everyone will want to know is what are your temps? Cool side and basking spot? Also, how are you taking the temps?

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello and Welcome!!!!!!!

 

[Ruby2uesday]

We have now had Jimmy 2 weeks tomorrow. He has good and bad days with eating and energy levels. He is very active when he comes out but when inside he doesnt do much. I have started giving him baby food by syringe which he loves and a couple of wax worms as he hardly ever eats crickets. When he does fancy a cricket he will have one attempt at catching it then give up!!! So we have to injure the cricket so he can catch them! Is it ok to give him baby food and I know waxworms are fattening but he needs building up. He only has 1 or 2 a day.

He was obsessed with his water bowl and I even caught him actually drinking from it!! However, one night as soon as we turned the lights out he got in it and stayed there all night!!! He has stopped doing this now but is getting water from the baby food as i water it down.

Anymore advice??

He poops roughly once a day

WELCOME!
You may want to take the water bowl out. water dishes can raise the humidity in your tank to much. And as your beardie did, they may fall asleep in them, and may drown. So Beardies should get a bath about every other day in baby temp water for about 15-20 minutes. you can use your sink, or a rubbermaid tub while they're small. They actually hydrate through their vents.

Huego was pretty stressed when we first got him, and i really think a lot of his issues were the heat/temps. We played w/ ours a bit, keeping them w/in range and he's much better. but of course loves being out of his viv. can't wait to see pics!