Meet Kona! :)

[caylafay]

Hi! I'm Cayla, and I just got my first bearded dragon a couple of days ago, I'm not sure how old she actually is but Petco said 6 months, and she's teeny so I don't think thats right.. and I've also heard maybe 2-3 months. I'm just not sure. I'll let you take a look. Anyways, I'm excited to be a part of these boards and I hope you guys love her as much as I do.

This is the most recent picture that I took yesterday morning, sorry for the dirty keyboard.

Her home

She loooves Evan <3

Up to 11.4 now.

One day after grocery shopping I came home and looked in her cage, I couldnt find her anywhere! I was freaking out and getting so upset that I had lost this little dragon when my boyfriend pointed out that she was hiding in the tree. Its now her new favorite sleeping spot.

 

[Static]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on the beardie, she might be younger then two to three months because of her wieght she looks small but don't be afraid to ask a questions a lot of knowledgeable people on this sight

 

[caylafay]

Thanks, she is very small but that could be due to the fact that she was in a tank with maybe seven other dragons at Petco, she was the largest one though.

 

[lauraj1055]

By her length, I would guess 3 months, but her weight is that of a 6 week old. Now that she is in your care, she might catch up and grow to her actual age if she is actually 6 months old..

But here is a good thing to go by (but note this is for 'normal' dragons) Mine is 2 months old and weighs 47.2 grams, but she's on the bigger side for her age..

normal for 2 months is 30-40 grams, 3 months 40-60, 4 months, 60-90, 5 months 90-120 gram, 6 months 120-180, and so on.

 

[caylafay]

Oh gosh, thank you so much. That is so helpful. She eats pretty well and I can definitely see her getting bigger, it's disappointing that she is so underweight though.

 

[Static]

Well I have seven that are at a month and are five inches and about the same weight (prior to my scale getting broke

 

[lauraj1055]

Oh gosh, thank you so much. That is so helpful. She eats pretty well and I can definitely see her getting bigger, it's disappointing that she is so underweight though.

Use the correct UVB, feed her the right feeders, and she will grow before you know it. What type of UVB are you using? I'm guessing you bought something from the pet store where you got her from.. The one most people on here will recommend is the reptisun 10.0 flourescent tube light:

http://www.beardeddragon.co/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_47&product_id=75

This will need to be changed out every 6 months.

What are you using for feeders? Are you dusting with calcium 5x a week, and 2x with multivitamins?

 

[randommonks]

Oh gosh, thank you so much. That is so helpful. She eats pretty well and I can definitely see her getting bigger, it's disappointing that she is so underweight though.

I got the largest beardie at Petsmart when I got Darwin. He was a bit on the thin side, but was the largest, brightest, and most curious of the bunch that I saw. I had my eye on one that was almost white, but it was lethargic compared to him, and health was more important to me than anything else. I managed to fatten him up since I got him almost 2 months ago to the consistency of a rolly-polly and he has grown more than 4 inches since I've had him (10.5 inches yesterday). It won't take long for your guy/gal to become a healthy weight!

 

[caylafay]

Use the correct UVB, feed her the right feeders, and she will grow before you know it. What type of UVB are you using? I'm guessing you bought something from the pet store where you got her from.. The one most people on here will recommend is the reptisun 10.0 flourescent tube light:

http://www.beardeddragon.co/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_47&product_id=75

This will need to be changed out every 6 months.

What are you using for feeders? Are you dusting with calcium 5x a week, and 2x with multivitamins?

I'm not sure what brand it is, but it came in a starter kit and its 10.0, its not a tube light though. I'm using small crickets dusted with calcium, haven't tried mealworms yet, and we put a salad of collard greens, squash, and some other veggies in there.

 

[lauraj1055]

Unfortunately the kit that comes for bearded dragons is crap. Most likely you got the coil light that came with it, and those are very harmful to beardies, and have been known to cause eye problems. I would ditch that ASAP. Get the reptisun 10., I had given you the link for it.. And I believe those kits come with the dome lamps, so you can use those for basking lights.

Also, do you have a thermometer to test the temps? The digital one with a probe works really well. Trust me, ditch the coil. If you start a new thread asking about it on here, everyone else will tell you the same thing. It's not good at all for them. I honestly can't believe they sell those still. What are you using for substrate? Sand is the worse thing for them. Repti carpet or tiles are the best to use.. You can get tiles really cheap at Home Depot. You will probably only need 2 of them. I use them, and put non andhesive shelf liner under them to cover the spots the tiles don't reach...

Good luck! Follow these steps, and you will have a healthy and happy dragon!

OH!! and don't use mealworms.. they have a hard shell that has been known to cause impaction in beardies. Those are very very bad. Stick with the crickets, or you can try small dubia, or reptiworms which are a little more pricey..

 

[caylafay]

It did come with a coil light, but I think I'm going to compare prices with pet stores and Amazon to see if I can get a Reptisun light, I want the best for her. I have one of the stick on circular ones that came with the tank in the kit. I'm using reptile carpet now and I think when it gets time to change that out, i'll look at tile. Thanks so much, you're really helpful!

 

[lauraj1055]

Those stick on ones don't work, and can be off anywhere from 10 - 20 degrees. Most pet stores will sell the digital thermometer with the probe, and they are about $7.00

This is what they look like:

http://www.beardeddragon.co/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_47&product_id=177

Or:

http://www.beardeddragon.co/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_47&product_id=79

 

[caylafay]

Yikes.. I will be investing in one of those as well. Thanks!

 

[caylafay]

Just purchased the thermometer and am in the process of buying the UVB light on Amazon right now

 

[lauraj1055]

Good job! I don't know how they get away with selling those stupid kits..