Meet Toothless

[brittani299]

Sounds good . Some babies like temps a bit higher like 110 to 115

 

[OneBigDude]

Doing great! Just a couple small things. Is the UVB on top of a screen or inside the tank? If it is on top, it would filter out about 50% of the UVB, so you would want to mount it inside. You want the probe of the thermometer directly ON the basking spot, not above it. The surface temperature is the key here. Make sure to offer as many crickets as he will eat in 10-15 minutes at each feeding. If he only wants 10-12, that's fine, but if he eats all 15, you need to keep offering until he stops. You need to continue to gut load them at home, since they will basically poop out all the good stuff in a matter of hours. Dust with calcium at one live feeding a day 5 days a week, and with a multivitamin once a day the other two days. Are you offering greens?

Light mounted inside the tank. The thermometer lays on the basking spot, but the probe faces up so I was assuming an inch above. I go to the pet store twice a day and feed him when I get home. This first week I have been chopping up fresh collard greens and endive and refreshing it 2x a day. When that spoils in the fridge, I will swap out the endive for something different. Not like he eats it anyway. Its calcium and a multivitamin in one powdered mix.

 

[OneBigDude]

Sounds good . Some babies like temps a bit higher like 110 to 115

I started with a 50 watt and moved to a 75 watt to try and get it around 112-115, but it got to 120 so I figured that the 50 watt was a better option.

 

[daner923]

115F is really the max you want anyways 105-110F is just fine. I would suggest getting separate calcium + D3 and multivitamins - you don't want to over do the vitamins or calcium. That can also cause problems. Otherwise, sounds great! I might suggest trying to hand feed some greens before you offer any bugs in the morning. That is a good way to introduce them. Or you can sprinkle a tiny bit of calcium on the greens to get his interest up.

 

[OneBigDude]

115F is really the max you want anyways 105-110F is just fine. I would suggest getting separate calcium + D3 and multivitamins - you don't want to over do the vitamins or calcium. That can also cause problems. Otherwise, sounds great! I might suggest trying to hand feed some greens before you offer any bugs in the morning. That is a good way to introduce them. Or you can sprinkle a tiny bit of calcium on the greens to get his interest up.

Thanks. Any suggestions for the calcium and multivitamins?

 

[daner923]

I use and really like Rep-Cal and HerptiVite. I see them at PetSmart.

 

[OneBigDude]

I use and really like Rep-Cal and HerptiVite. I see them at PetSmart.

So use the Rep-Cal 5X a week on both daily feedings and HerptiVite 2X a week on both daily feedings?

 

[brittani299]

Give calcuim 5 times a week and multivitams 2 times a week

 

[daner923]

No, one daily feedings.

 

[OneBigDude]

So after reading some threads, which has become an addiction, I'm wondering if I'm measuring the basking spot temp correctly. I got an Accurite digital indoor/outdoor thermometer, that is 2 units. One has the display and measures indoor temps and the outdoor thermometer transmits the temp wirelessly to the unit with the display (outdoor unit looks somewhat like a remote control, tall white thing next to the basking rock in my photos). What I'm concerned about is that when I lay the outdoor unit on the basking rock is it taking the temp from the air above the basking rock? What I NOW think I understand is that the surface area of the basking spot should be 110-115, so in my set-up, the temperature of the top of the rock itself should be 110-115. The temperature of the surface that my beardies belly is touching should be 110-115, meaning the air temperature above the rock should be significantly higher than 110-115? Sorry if that's confusing, I couldn't figure out how to convey the question.

You can see the outdoor unit really clearly in the second picture of my first post in this thread.

 

[OneBigDude]

Well just to be safe I switched out the digital thermometer I had and bought one with a probe. I attached the probe to the top of the basking rock and the temp is measuring at 109F. I switched out the newspaper substrate for linoleum tiles. I fed him this morning and he gobbled down 18 of the 20 crickets and is laying on the probe now. Here is a picture of the new floor:

And here he is after his biggest meal to date:

 

[brittani299]

Ahh he is cute

 

[OneBigDude]

Thank you! Thank god I work from home because I worry non-stop about what he is doing, how are his temps, is he stressed,etc...

 

[brittani299]

Yea I had my sister check on mine while I am at work. I have to go to Montana this coming up weekend. I think I will worried about them the whole time

 

[OneBigDude]

Yea I had my sister check on mine while I am at work. I have to go to Montana this coming up weekend. I think I will worried about them the whole time

I had a beardie when I was younger and wasn't into forums, so it lived its entire (short) life under a set-up suggested by a pet store. I feel obligated to do right by this beardie so he lives a long, healthy, happy life