Meet Shenron

[Soconnor91]

Hi, I'm Sharon and this is Shenron. I am a first time beardy owner but I have loved reptiles my entire life. I am thinking he is about 3 months old from his size and what I have read, does that look about right? Anyway, I already love him. He is so smart! Whenever he hears me open the top of his tank, he runs to his food bowl and looks up and waits for me to drop in the crickets! :lol: He likes to fall asleep on me at night and he likes to run up and to lick the glass when people look at him. He LOVES butternut squash, he will pick it out of his salad. I'm excited to have him, and I'm glad I found this website.
He just shed.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Hello, and welcome to the forums!
Your dragon looks very cute! Good to see your beardie already comes to you and eats his veggies! Your beardie looks about right for that age.
You can always tell us about your setup if you wish us to go over it and offer suggestions.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Soconnor91]

I have a 20 gallon tank with carpet. I had sand at first because the store associate suggested it, but I swapped it out once I learned of the impaction risks, that and the sand was orange and stained his skin . I have a UVB bulb in a hood and a basking bulb and night time bulb in a double deep dome setup. I have a little hiding spot, two bowls (although he mostly uses his bowls for pooping haha) and some pieces of wood. I would like to get a bigger branch type thing for him to climb because he doesn't get very high and sometimes I worry he might not be getting as much out of the UVB bulb as he should. Right now I'm mostly just trying to find the best way to keep crickets. I was thinking of buying a plastic tub and poking holes in it but I feel like that wouldn't be enough ventilation. So my next thought was garage sailing for some cheap smaller tanks. I have a small cricket feeder, but they die quickly and stink so bad

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Good on you for removing the sand. Honestly, imo its a pretty bad option for a substrate, but you can still make a play box for digging, though you want to use playsand or a mix of it.
You don't need to have a night lamp unless your temps drop below 65F. Not only that, but most "night" lights that are sold are actually detrimental to a beardie's health, as it keep them up. Anything that produces any sort of light is a bad option. If your temps drop below 65F, than you should use a CHE, or Ceramic heat emitter. This produces no light and still gives off heat. Like I said, though, you probably don't need it.
What kind of UVB are you using, and how far is it away from your beardies basking spot? Compact bulbs are alright, but I highly suggest you get a tube light. It will provide a better range of uvb and makes it easier for your beardie to get the uvb he needs. Some really good tube lights include the Reptisun 10.0 and Arcadia 13%.
How are you taking your temperatures? If you are using a stick on thermometer, I suggest you replace it ASAP and use a more reliable thermometer. Some good thermometers include gun thermometers, infrared thermometers, and probe thermometers. Here is the one I use, and I suggest that you use it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018CK1IU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Doing that with a plastic tub is a very good idea, and its what I and many other members do to hold our insects. As long as you cut enough holes in the plastic tub at the top, you will be just fine.
You would be better off getting dubia roaches or BSF larvae (phoenix worms). I also suggest you order your feeders offline. Some good sites to use include http://www.dubiaroaches.com, http://www.abdragon.com, http://www.phoenixworm.com, and http://www.lindasgonebuggie.com/.
I can get into more details with anything if you are unsure. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

 

[BG23]

Hi Sharon, My name is Brandon welcome to the site, I joined about 4 months ago when I got my beardie and I also was a first time dragon owner who's loved them all my life I wanted to make sure I knew as much as possible before I got one and I learned so much from this site. I love your beardies name Shenron it fits him perfect and he's a great looking little guy, I have a 1 1/2 year old female her name is Sliptornavich here we are!! if you have any questions for me don't be shy: )