Introducing Loki! *new pic*

[lori2plus1]

Photo at the bottom, though not a very good one. I'll try and post a better one later, I just didn't want to bother him too much right now. He had a 45-minute car ride from his old home to this one.

I've got him in a 40-gal breeder tank with a T8 Reptisun 10.0 tube and a basking bulb of unknown wattage in a clamp lamp. Ceramic tile substrate. No screen top for now because I don't have a way to mount the UVB inside the screen. Gave him a salad of dandelion greens, collards and acorn squash, plus a few Phoenix worms to see if he can be tempted. So far he hasn't wanted to move much - he seems pretty laidback for someone named Loki! (That name may change, we'll see.)

Question: Are any markings on the belly considered signs of stress? I noticed some fairly dark markings on his belly and sides when I got to the guy's house to get him, although I'm fairly sure he's been well cared for. I can't tell right now but will keep an eye on him.



Here's another pic I snapped this evening:

 

[diamc]

Congratulations on Loki, he's a very handsome guy. We have a Loki too.

He looks quite content for just arriving so that's a good sign. Good that you're using a Repti-Sun 10.0 tube. The wattage of the basking bulb isn't printed on it? It seems like you're gonna need a larger clamp lamp as that one seems quite small and won't really throw out much heat into the rest of the tank but only in one small area instead. What are the tank temps and what type of thermometer do you have? Hard to tell from the picture, but is the T8 within 6 to 8" from him when he's in his basking spot?

Love the look on his face in the bottom picture. He sure seems to like his stone hide.

 

[lori2plus1]

Thank you, we all love him already. He got to wander the living room furniture a bit this evening and went to sleep on my lap.

I did fiddle with the basking bulb a good bit. The one you see was the one that came with the setup, but I quickly realized it wasn't going to cut it (and yeah, I looked hard for a wattage but found nothing) so I found an extra clamp lamp (ceramic, the other one wasn't) and a different bulb that we used for raising chicks in the spring. The new bulb is a 125W. I didn't have time to see how the temps will work yet, so I'll check it closely tomorrow. The clamp lamp has a dimmer switch so I can fine tune. The T8 is unfortunately not that close to the basking spot, I'm going to see if I can find a different fixture that I can mount inside the tank, or else some bricks to make a higher basking spot. I did see a T5 under-cabinet fixture for $10 at Walmart the other day, but I'm not sure if I'd end up regretting it. I'll check at Home Depot tomorrow and see what I can find there. If I have to buy a new fixture anyway I'd really rather go with a T5 that I can put on the screen top, but it will depend on what I can afford right now. Bricks would be a lot cheaper!

Edited to add: The thermometer is a "Pro Exotics" Temp Gun.

 

[lori2plus1]

Okay, I got his temps sorted, 100 deg on the basking spot and 78 in the cool spot, that's good right?

Also I measured and weighed him: 18" nose to tail tip (about 8" body) and 335g. Is that good for a 10 month old? About how much more can I expect him to grow?

Thanks!

 

[diamc]

He sure seems to be settling in well. Bet he liked wandering in the living room & falling asleep on your lap.

Great that you found a ceramic top clamp lamp, that will be much safer to use especially since you have a 125 watt bulb in it.

Awesome that you're using a temp gun, those are a time saver. Make sure you hold the gun 2" from the area you're checking. The 100 degree is fine but if he spends all day on the basking spot, he may want it a few degrees hotter. The 78 cool side reading is perfect.

The wt & length for him sounds good. He may not grow much more in length and just fill out instead. Any idea how old he is? Beardies continue to grow until about 2 yrs old.

How was his appetite today?

 

[lori2plus1]

I'm told he was hatched probably in Nov 2013 so about 9-10 months old. He ate 15-20 phoenix worms this morning but hasn't touched his salad yet. Had a big poo this morning too, and then a bath, with a good drink. Now he seems to be exploring his cage a bit. I'm going to try (!) to leave him alone this afternoon - he's hard to resist but I don't want to stress him out.