meet Gustavo Fring

[ve11a]

I had recently bought him at petmart last week on friday (An impulse buy with no research HORRIBLE IDEA I know) But I really like him. His story so far.

I had originally bought the Kit the had there http://www.zilla-rules.com/products/deluxe-xl-bearded-dragon-kit.htm that came with everything out of ease and talked to the lady for an hour on care and raising I thought I was set I'd get him home and take care of him and look online for tips and it would all go smoothly... I was wrong. When i got home both thermometers were broken and it was a PAIN to get at him every time. I let it slide for now. I set up the cage for him I bought some climbing basking spots for him and put down the carpet and let him run free for the day. The next day the socialization was started. I tried to put my hand in to touch him from the side not from the top but every time he backs up and hisses at me and I don't know why, When I do touch him he seems unsure and if i try to pick him up he scoots away frantically. I didn't know if I was doing something wrong or he wasn't friendly. I went to my local pet store I never knew existed till a quick google search reavealed it to me. I went in and they sold bearded dragons too ( for a fraction of what I paid) and they NEVER scooted away they let you touch them and hold them I though for sure something was wrong with gus. The owner of the store reccomended I bring him in to here and she can see if there is something wrong with him so I did. He scooted from her and hissed as well but she held him just fine so I don't know if this is a phase and will pass or permanent? I am being dedicated to feeding him by hand and trying to handle him often as well. This morning i noticed the 200$ kit i purchased had something ELSE wrong with it now... it was melting. So I did some research and found a terrarium at petsmart that I heard was good and a decent size too, http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...ats+&+Accessories&f=PAD/psNotAvailInCA/No I called and complained that it was full of problems and wanted a refund sure enough (after 20 minutes of complaining and sweet talking) I got them to match the price and i kept everything in the original kit.

My questions are:
for starters sorry if i tend to run on I'm not the greatest with grammar, and a little tip about me is I overthink and over react a lot so all my research online has scared the *%* out of me.
1. is loose substrate 100% out if I care for the safety of Gus?
2. this tanks down fall is the plastic cross across the top preventing me from using the lighting i had before on my tank, has anyone had experience with http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12462455&f=PAD/psNotAvailInCA/No ? It would be perfect for the size for my basking area if it preforms well.
3. will this be big enough for gus? I am a welder by trade and am able to construct something but It wont ever be as nice looking as store bought.
4. is he always going to be aggressive? I nearly had a panic attack today from worry wondering if I should take him back because he was aggressive but I couldn't because he is part of the family now and I'd feel horrible I just can't deal with him being mean for his whole life and I'd love to be able to handle him and love him.
5. what are some alternative lighting/heating solutions? Exo terra makes a nice canopy that's made for this unit but I can't justify the 250$ price tag plus bulbs. I want something that will ensure his health while still appealing to the eye.

Again I apologize for the slew of typos and poor grammar I'm sure is in this post and I appreciate any help.

Gus basking

His Old setup

Gus sleeping

 

[psychgrl]

Hi there!

I am by far not the most experienced person out there but I'll give this a start and I'm sure the more experienced people will chime in. I have two beardies, one is an adult rescue and the other a baby purchased from a breeder. My adult rescue was actually quite aggressive when I got him so I'll get into that in a second.

In answer to your questions, though:

1. I would avoid loose substrate regardless of how carefully you watch and care for Gus. Some people seem to use it with no problems but there is definitely a huge risk. Even if you don't feed him on the substrate, beardies often use their tongues to explore the environment so there is always the chance he could ingest some. I use slate tiles for my adult and am using paper towels right now for the baby but will switch him to tile soon. I find the tiles are actually easy to clean and keep nails worn down!

2. I haven't used that particular dome so I can't help there. One of the biggest things is just making sure it can handle the wattage of whatever light you're using

3. It looks like the tank has the measurements of a 40 gallon breeder, which is the minimum size for an adult. Both of mine have 40 gallon breeders and are fine. However, if you ever wanted to make something bigger, go for it! If you don't mind that it isn't as "nice looking" then your baby won't mind!

5. I'm answering this first since the aggression question is a longer answer. I personally just use a household flood light in a hood with a dimmer for the basking spot and a regular 60 W bulb to warm the cool side (which you may not need depending on the temps in your house). I get the smallest hood that will work with the wattage of the bulbs and it has worked pretty well. The only "reptile" lights I use are the UV and CHE to heat at night. Others may have more creative lighting/heating ideas.

4. Okay, for the aggression. Short answer is, yes there is hope! I got my adult beardie as a two years old who had pretty much had no handling since he was a small baby. He was a very angry boy-hissing, puffing, and biting. It took weeks of daily interaction (not always handling) and lots of patience but he eventually calmed down. So, if an adult was able to become more friendly, I'm sure you'll be able to make a lot of progress with a baby. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by feeding him by hand-this way he learns that you bring yummy things! Wax worms are a treat that most love, just don't feed too many too often as they are fattening! Handling him often is also good. They key is to make sure that you don't put him down or back away when he hisses as you. If you do this, he'll learn that he can continue to act aggressive and it will work to get rid of you. If he's still pretty upset at being held, take a step back and just hand feed him. While you don't want to let him know he can scare you away, you also don't want to stress him out too much. The goal is to make being with you a positive thing. You can also just put your hand in his enclosure next to him and let him get used to that before picking him up. I had to do that for a while with my boy because there was no way he was going to be held! A lot of people suggest putting a t-shirt in the enclosure with them so they can get used to your smell too. He's a little baby (at least I assume so, I actually can't see your pics ) and has gone through a lot of changes. Just be patient and keep working with him.

I hope this helps. As I said, I'm still a relative newbie but I had to learn a lot very quickly when we found out we were getting our first guy about a year ago! Good luck!

 

[ve11a]

Awesome lol. Since I put him in his new cage he has been eating like a PIG. atleast 10-15 crickets at a time. I also am glad to know that persistence will pay off for him I like the little dude!
I had 2 more questions come up.

1. In his new cage it has a custom rock wall background but he is climing it to the top and getting close to my UVB and heat lamp, Is this bad?
2. I saw "jess" 's post about lighting and it said to get reptisun 10.0 and a mount for inside the tank. is there anyohter comparable healthy solutions? Americans hate us Canadian Reptile owners apparently and for the bulb for me would cost around 80 dollars and another 30 for the mount (Not 9 dollars like the states).

 

[ohmybandit]

The reptisun 10.0 tube is the most recommended here because it's given the least amount of problems, coils and reptiglo can irritate the eyes.
http://www.petmountain.com/product/...42-504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10-0-uvb-bulb.html I paid $50 for my first UVB bulb... Oh the monetary mistakes I've made because of Petsmart... If he's climbing up to those my guess is that the tank isn't hot enough. I have a big branch in my cage that let's my beardie get about 4 inches from her UVB and she seems to love it but I also haven't mounted the UVB inside yet so she's not getting as much as she should yet :/

 

[psychgrl]

Glad to hear that the new enclosure seems to be a hit! I'm sure as he gets more comfortable his appetite will increase even more.

As for the Reptisun, they can be expensive depending on where you get them. Fortunately, my Petco has them for about $30. However, since you are in Canada, you may want to look into the Arcadia 12% bulb. It is the same as the Reptisun but easier for some people to find and may be less expensive outside the US. As for fixtures, just look for any household fixture that will hold a tube light. Depending on what you find and costs, you may have to do some shopping around. There are quite a few folks from Canada on here so you may want to do a couple quick searches and see what they're using.

Sounds like things are falling into place for you! It's great that you're taking the time to figure it all out and really committing to your new guy-it will all be worth it!