Meet Petey!

[Herdous]

Hi everyone!
Meet Pete:

Completely new to owning a beardie, but hoping to get the hang of it quickly. I have always wanted one and finally took the plunge a week ago cause the person (CURSE YOU) at the pet store fooled me into thinking they were easy to take care of, even when really young...
Well, not according to all I've been reading!
Anyway, so I have a 35 gallon tank (36L"x12W"x18H") for a juvenile beardie named Petey (just over 6 weeks old) that both my wife and I absolutely ADORE; we have a 13 watt reptile UVB 150 bulb, a 75 watt basking light, a 60 watt nightime light, a heating pad, two thermometers, a hygrometer, a spray bottle, calcium powder, little juvenile beardie pellets full of nutrients; we have a tree that has a hiding spot underneath, a rock that's also a cave; we have a food and a water ceramic dish; we feed him crickets (kept in a small special pet store holding tank with nutrients) and kale and the occasional banana and whatnot - and yet, despite my best efforts, he seldom eats and seems a bit lethargic most times. But when he goes, he really lets loose!
I think it might have something to do with the humidity and temperature: again, despite my best efforts, the humidity hovers between 40 and 50% and the temperature is almost constantly around 25-26 Celsius (~77 fahrenheit) on the cool side and 28-30 Celsius on the warm side (~84 fahrenheit) during the day...
Now, I am thinking about buying a ceramic heat emitter to help things a bit heat-wise. However, living in Canada and having poor Petey in the basement, I also have to deal with high humidity in the summer: despite having a dehumidifier running all day and set at 30%, the hygrometer on the tank reads constantly between 40 and 50%. Should I be worried? Is there anything I should be doing?
I am just so worried about the little guy... I want him happy and eating and excited to be ALIVE!
Thanks everyone

 

[wicket15]

Aw, Pete is such a cutie! He looks so tiny against that big tree. I know it seems overwhelming right now, but once you get his husbandry settled, which is just a blink compared to how long you'll have him, all you really have to worry about are food and play!

First off, what is the brand of UVB you're using? I'm from America so I think we have a different recommended brand, but I think the one for Canada is Arcadia 12%? You'll want the tube shaped one. A lot of spirals and other brands have actually been shown to be harmful on beardies' eyes. I know if you're using a bad UVB, it can really affect how active your little one can get.

As for temps, what kind of thermometer are you using? You'll want to aim for either a handheld or digital with probe. Other kinds of thermometers can be way off measurement, and you wouldn't even know it! You'll want to measure what the temperature is of your basking spot, so the actual spot where Pete will be spending most of his time. The cool side sounds fine, and so does the warm side if you're just measuring the air. You won't need any type of heat during the night if it doesn't drop below around 65F. If you do need the extra heat then, I strongly suggest a CHE instead of whatever night bulb you're using. From what I've read, they can sense pretty much all nightlight colors, so to have one that doesn't emit anything is a good idea so he can sleep well. You actually won't need the heat pad since beardies absorb heat from up top, but I've seen they can be handy if you have him out to explore and he needs a little warm resting spot.

When I bought my hygrometer, I ended up wasting money because it didn't even work. I know on some of those thermometers I was talking about earlier you can get an accurate hygrometer read too, but I don't have much experience with that. If you need to lower the humidity, you might take out Petey's water bowl, or if you're misting him, you can stop doing that. Instead, you can give him a bath every couple of days and he can stay hydrated that way and through his food. I keep a water dish in my Wicket's cage and it's super humid in my state, too, but my enclosure is a little bigger, so maybe that has something to do with him being okay? I'd mostly just watch for any wheezy kind of sounds.

As for feedings, how long have you had him? He might still be adjusting to the move, which could account for his lethargy and lack of an appetite. Also you mentioned you bought calcium powder, did you get the kind with D3? You'll also want to pick up a multivitamin to dust with twice a week! It should be located near the calcium.

Sorry if that was a lot! It sounds like you're off to a good start, and Pete is lucky to have owners who are worried about him and his care and happiness! I think I covered the main bits, but maybe someone with more knowledge/experiene will chime in and cover anything I missed! Good luck! Let us know if you have anymore questions!

 

[Herdous]

Hi. Thanks for the reply!

The type of UVB we are currently using is unfortunately the spiral kind, it's the Exo Terra Reptile UVB 150 (formerly Repti Glo 10.0 compact). We are indeed thinking of switching to a tube one.

For the thermometer, we are using the digital ones with probes measuring the air about halfway down the tank. One of them has a digital hygrometer as well which seems to measure the same as another I had laying around.

As for the night light, I think you're right. I will get rid of it and simply buy a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Also try to see if I can bring the heating pad back, because it seems to make absolutely no difference.
Calcium powder is Fluker's with vitamin D3, like the person at the pet store recommended.

I know Pete's probably still getting used to his new environnement right now because we've only had him since Monday, but I thought he'd only need a day or two to settle in enough to have a decent appetite...

Also, as for the multivitamins, my wife was about to buy some when the girl at the pet store told her the little pellets we bought for Pete were all the vitamins he needed. They're National Geographics juvenile bearded dragon entrée pellets. Do you think we should still buy the multivitamins?

Thanks again!