Meet Keegan!

[EarlyUpLate]

Firstly, I'll start by saying it has ALWAYS been a dream of mine to own a Beardie. Ever since I was a kid, I once even saved up to like 150 bucks in a jar when I was like nine or ten but someone broke into our home and stole it (Friggen rude, right? Even had like, crayon writing on it from when I was a little kid with my future dreams or whatever. I was heartbroken) So, now that I am a proud parent of a little Beardie I can't stress enough (Literally, I feel like I'm doing everything wrong it's terrifying) about how much I'd appreciate any help offered.

So, on 4/19/2015 my girlfriend and I went to go adopt a cat at pet smart for our new apartment, since our work schedules are so opposite we felt a friend in our home while the other is away would be a good source of companionship! I don't think we actually made it to the 'adopt-a-cat' section since a captivating friend caught our eye! A father/son were handling one of the only two Beardies this pet store had, and it seemed they wanted it. They bought it, and being so entranced we decided to ask if we could handle the last remaining soul in his small little world. We couldn't help ourselves from binging on getting this lizards new world set up. Keegan (Celtic for Small and Fiery or "Bright Flame") is now living with us in our new apartment.

I've been using this site since then to educate myself, since I considered myself 'knowledgeable in the subject' before hand, I now feel as if I were an ignorant fool considering the endless flow of good information this community has offered. Even helped me out of a scare this morning, which, is why I decided to make it official and just sing up and say hi!

Anyway, I suppose now I'll introduce Keegan; my new friend whom I've spoken much about already.

http://imgur.com/aovtQ1r,gOWW919,ic3PZq8,syBcpPu,VlxNREi,Ppy4BkT,tovfTLR#0

So the last picture isn't accurate, we took the log/cloth bedding out to give more room. As well as the water dish because his bath is huge. (Bought the tank and bath expecting to not need another ever again or for a long while.)

He has three lamps on top of his cage, going left to right;
150w red night light, hot light, and sunlamp (For all those healthy sun-like rays!)
As you can see he has two climbing things while the one on the left with the green on it also has a pretty large cave like thing under it. He uses them, but I've noticed he sleeps on the back wall, clinging to it (Since it's Styrofoam, I assume) and simply hanging out. Odd, makes me tempted to try a Dragon Hammock out?

So I moved the climbing things away from the walls because crickets used to be harder to get, so the space, I feel, helps him out. Though, now I'm going to gush about the problems/questions I have.

Firstly;
I ordered SMALL silkworms, and I think they sent me medium. They're about an inch long, certain monsters ranging to two however (Like jesus these things get BIG) and I'm wondering if I should cut them up and use them as salad garnish or something? His diet is crickets, kale, mustard/turnip greens, carrots, occasional strawberry hunk dipped in Calcium powder as well as Dragon Chow (Idk the brand but it's for young ones.)

As of recent, however, he hasn't been eating more than two-three crickets a day and I'm wondering just how big of a problem that is. We've even tried taking his environment OUT of the cage and putting like ten-fifteen crickets in. Nothing, no interest. I was terrified he was impacted, tbh, since I spent a while reading horror stories so I bathed him in warm water and gently massaged where told to help with passing a dookie. He did so. Right on my stomach. I was to happy to care and well it's pretty easy cleanup lets be honest here. Still! He ate only two crickets today so far and my girlfriend and I are worried. No sunken eyes, he's fast as all hell and climbs a bunch so I honestly have no idea what's even going on.

Along with that massively worded question (Sorry, new owner. Hehe) I'm wondering if I should leave lights on 24/7. It's fine if I do, the red lamp doesn't bother either of us and as it is it kind of reminds me of some kind of erotic dungeon-esque mood lighting. HOWEVER, I live in California (Bay Area by San Francisco) and it's not exactly cold here... Ever. It stays between 60 to 70 year around and it's between 65 and 75 at night throughout the summer. Sometimes hotter. The days range between 70 - 90, even up to the 100's but not commonly. SO! Since he's so young should I keep the tank at 90 at night, and between 100-105 during the day? What do you suggest, cause that's what I read elsewhere.

Uhhh... Is there too much in the enclosure for him?

And what should I do to get him to eat more?

How long does it take him to get BIG? He's like, maybe six inches? Maybe seven?

Should I get him a brother or sister; will that help him be happier?

He still isn't the biggest fan of being picked up/held, even though I pet him and hand feed as much as possible. Been only a week since owning so I assume it'll just take longer, though idk how old he is actually.

Anyway! Any response to this will be a helpful one (Considering what I've seen of this site so far) and I honestly appreciate any help that is offered!
Again, Please help Keegan and I become the best of friends! :3

- EarlyUpLate

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Congrats o the newest member of the family . Definitely a cutie. First he probably has relocation stress that can last a week or 2. Second nix that red light as long as your house does not get below 65 he'll be fine. Beardies need complete darkness to sleep and a cool down period. I see you are using a coil/ compact uvb. Nix it also. They cause appetite, lethargy and eye problems. The most recommended on here is the reptisun 10.0 Tube or the Arcadia brand. How are you taking the temps? A temp gun or digital with a wire probe are the most accurate ways to get the temp on the basking surface. Do not get another one. They are solitary and territorial. They will fight. I have 3 and they have to be separated at all times. Each have their own room with their tank. Silk worms are soft bodied and he should be able to eat them with no problem.

 

[SDragon]

Agree with all of the above, how warm is his basking spot?

Also that bath is huge, I'd get rid of it' I'd be worried about it causing too much humidity. They rarely drink standing water. Use an oral syring and drip water on his snout, see if he drinks that way.

 

[EarlyUpLate]

Thank you so much for replying you two! So I got a small shallow bowl (For soy sauce but I only make sushi on new years eve so he has time before I want it back) as his water dish now. Gave him TONS more space. As soon as I switched off the coil bulb I noticed a difference. Next day he had six crickets and a silk worm in a single meal! No luck on veggies still. I got a piece of kale in rocket lettuce and wiggled it a bit and he ate that but he hasn't fallen for that trick since. Haha

His light was turned off for night (No red lamp) and I get home from work at two in the morning and I checked his tank and every night its been at roughly seventy five degrees each night since the light was removed. Reptisun bulb on the way. Hoping it fits in the old bulb holder but idk. For now blinds are open and his tank is getting tons of California sun day by day.

Bathing him every day and it seems to help move his digestion since he goes to the bathroom briefly after. He also climbs the top of the tree thing and it gets around a hundred up there so he hangs out there a lot. He is opening his mouth which I learned is regulating his temp often when there so it must be hot enough for him. Right?

No syringe yet. Got one on order cause I'm going to use my girlfriends nutribullet (Don't tell her) to make smoothies for the guy using all kinds of things. Maybe even add a silkworm with the salad shake. (I'll take that I'm going to be doing this to the grave)

I'll take a picture of his 'modified' enclosure soon enough! At work sending this from mobile and work had left me reaaaally busy. Thanks for your help though, I'll take any wisdom you all have to offer!

- Early Up Late

 

[CooperDragon]

Once you have the lighting and temps sorted out, that should make a big difference (I sent my recommendations to you via PM so I won't re-hash here). For a little guy, don't worry too much about the veges. Provide a salad for him in the corner every day so he knows it's an option for food, but he will want BUGS in a big way to support his growth. You'll see some crazy growth spurts in the coming months so be prepared to buy crickets by the thousand (a few weeks worth) or get a dubia roach colony started (or both). For salads, reference this chart for ideas. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html It will come in very handy about a year out when he goes to mostly veges for his diet. Keep it to small pieces of greens and veges - don't worry about making a smoothie for him. I did that for Dundee because he was sick and didn't eat on his own due to severe mouth problems.

Are you dusting the crickets with calcium when you feed them? You'll want to feed them in small batches a couple of times a day. 10-15 minutes per feeding session and maybe 5 dusted crickets at a time so you can track them easily. You don't want to leave any in the tank after feeding time because they can bite and cause problems so it's better to just keep repeating small batches until he's full or 10 minutes has passed. I'd get rid of the foam background (I tossed mine right away) because bugs love to hide behind it and removing it will free up some extra space. You can print out a nice background image to put behind the glass if you'd like instead. I agree with removing the water dish. You can replace it with a smaller one (I'd put it on the cool side - you want a basking side and a cool side of the tank) or just give him a bath every day. That will give him an opportunity to drink and will help regulate poops (this becomes easier to train him to do as he gets older than it is now). Keep the crickets well hydrated and that will be a big source of hydration for him.

I know it's a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll soon get a routine down and you'll do fine. Focus mainly on lighting and temps for now and go from there. The folks on the forum will be here to help you raise your buddy and answer any questions you have.