Nervous New Owner

[jmmcdavid]

Hi,
I just got my new BD on Dec 23rd. I think I am realizing that my local pet store (who I love and trust for advice on my snakes) may have given me incorrect information. Gosh, I don't even know where to start.
-I don't know how old he is...he is about 6 inches.
He has spots on his belly, which I think I am finding out means they are stress spots.
-I have him in a 20L tank as of right now (my ball pythons old tank)...I plan on making him a custom tank in the next couple of months.
-I think the crix that the pet store gave me are too big.
-I dont really see him eating a whole lot of greens. I offer turnips, collard greens, zuicchni, grape (seedless)...thats what I have tried so far.
-I am realizing the Exo Terra 150w SunGlo light may not be adequate-it says desert/tropical. Does not say anything about UVB though.
-I had to travel the day after I got him (about an hour and a half drive) and then brought him home 4 days later. Not sure if I freaked him out bad by doing this.
-I have a piece of driftwood that he can get on to get close to the light-which he does often. I have a "rock" that is hollow for him to get into.
-I did not know about the baths until tonight and I gave him one and he seemed to not mind it. Was able to get him to drink water from my finger.
-I tried giving him two meal worms and he did not eat them, but they were not moving around a whole lot once I took them out of their container.
-The pet store reccomended sand (they successfully have their babies in sand-and breed their two BD regularly.)-I am going to take the sand out tomorrow.
-When I firt got him he would chase the crix, now he does not so much-and not eating as much. the pet store guy said 5-6 crix a day, but on here people are saying a lot more....how many?
-He sleeps in a corner with his nose in the corner and his legs sprawled out.
-He does not seem to mind me holding him.

I know this is a whole lot of questions/thoughts/concerns. This discussion forum seems to be very informative. PLEASE HELP me with some of these questions!! Thanks so much!!!

 

[haleygirl272]

Ok, so what is exactly wrong with your dragon?
Sand is bad for babies! Use paper towels or newspaper at his age.
Buy a heat lamp and UVB, I reccomend a MVB, It's two in one.
Try to offer him different veggies.
Have you had a fecal done?
What are his temps?
Make sure food is no bigger than the space between his eyes. Feed him as much as he will eat in 15 mins twice a day. He probably isn't ready for worms yet.


WELCOME TO BD.ORG!!!

 

[dreshany]

Let me start by saying welcome to the forum. You have come to the right place. Secondly, thanks for being a concerned beardie owner and for educating yourself on the best care. I am a first time beardie owner myself and have been addicted to this board. I can tell you it has saved my beardie's life twice.
Since I am new I will offer as much info as possible but there will surely be others who can help you more than myself but I will at least get the ball rolling

Hi,
I just got my new BD on Dec 23rd. I think I am realizing that my local pet store (who I love and trust for advice on my snakes) may have given me incorrect information. Gosh, I don't even know where to start.
Sounds like you are correct and the pet store gave you some very poor advice.

-I don't know how old he is...he is about 6 inches.
It is really hard to determine age by their size since growth varies so much and depends on their care. I know my beardie was 7" at 4 months but is considered to be way underdeveloped. At 5 months and 9" he should be almost double that in size. Best guess is 2-3 months, but I could be way off.

He has spots on his belly, which I think I am finding out means they are stress spots.
You are probably right, it sounds like stress marks, especially if they are circular and dark in color. I would most likely attribute that to relocation stress, especially if it was a difficult move.

-I have him in a 20L tank as of right now (my ball pythons old tank)...I plan on making him a custom tank in the next couple of months.
I would say that is fine for now but would definitely need a bigger tank, sooner than later. I have heard tank estimates on a full grown beardie range from a minimum of 50 gallons to 75 gallons. It is usually recommended to get a large tank and section it off, that way you can adjust the size as needed when it grows. Most people simply use cardboard.

-I think the crix that the pet store gave me are too big.
I would say the crix are probably too big. He should have nothing bigger that pinhead crickets at that size. The rule of thumb it to feed them nothing bigger than the space between their eyes. Good advice that I have read... There is nothing harmful in feeding insects that are too small but can be life threatening if they are too big, always be cautious.

-I dont really see him eating a whole lot of greens. I offer turnips, collard greens, zuicchni, grape (seedless)...thats what I have tried so far.
Baby beardies really don't eat veggies, so anything he does eat is a bonus! It is always important to offer them fresh veg everyday, even if they don't touch it because as they grow and age their dietary needs change. When they are small they need all the protein they can get because of their high growth rate. As their rate of growth slows, so does their need for protein and most beardies will naturally gravitate to more veggies at that time.

-I am realizing the Exo Terra 150w SunGlo light may not be adequate-it says desert/tropical. Does not say anything about UVB though.
I am not very knowledgeable about the different bulbs. I do know that MVB (mercury vapor bulbs) are highly recommended but are very expensive.

-I had to travel the day after I got him (about an hour and a half drive) and then brought him home 4 days later. Not sure if I freaked him out bad by doing this.
Relocation is always stressful. Even changing around their cage can cause some beardies stress. Give him time, he will settle. I have read that this can take from a few weeks to over a month. I wouldn't worry too much.

-I have a piece of driftwood that he can get on to get close to the light-which he does often. I have a "rock" that is hollow for him to get into.
The driftwood. is it from outside or did you purchase it from a store? Either way I recommend that you sterilize. If it is from outside I suggest that you soak it in a weak bleach solution for a few hours, rinse it very well and scrub it with a brush and some mild dish soap then rinse again, then heat it in the oven to at least 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes to kill off the parasite. Just watch that the wood can withstand the temps. I just did this with a piece of wood from a pet store and it withstood everything quite well.
If it was purchased from the pet store I would still recommend washing it down with soap and heating it in the oven. I know when I brought my wood hope it has some sort of bug crawling on it. Better to be safe than sorry.

-I did not know about the baths until tonight and I gave him one and he seemed to not mind it. Was able to get him to drink water from my finger.
Great that your beardie had a good bath and that he drank from it! If it is made part of their routine, a lot of them get quite used to their baths and some really learn to love them. It is basically a beardie cure all. It is great for keeping them hydrated and healthy and can also be a lifesaver in the event your beardie does become impacted. besides it is so cute to watch

-I tried giving him two meal worms and he did not eat them, but they were not moving around a whole lot once I took them out of their container.
Most people here advise against meal worms because their outer shell is hard chitin and is a high risk for causing impaction. From what I understand they are not great nutritionally speaking, so why risk it? There are lots of great alternatives such as phoenix worms, butter worms, roaches, silkworms, etc just make sure they are the right size. I personally love phoenix worms because they are highly nutritious, Very easy with care for and not very big so there is no risk of impaction. Check out http://www.phoenixworms.com

-The pet store reccomended sand (they successfully have their babies in sand-and breed their two BD regularly.)-I am going to take the sand out tomorrow.
Sand = No NO NO enough said. Huge impaction risk, yes remove it right away!

-When I firt got him he would chase the crix, now he does not so much-and not eating as much. the pet store guy said 5-6 crix a day, but on here people are saying a lot more....how many?
5-6 crix? must be very big crickets. Easy rule of thumb is to feed them 2 x per day as many feeders as they can eat in 10-15 minutes. My beardie at that size, who was a very poor eater, would eat at least 15 in one feeding. Some babies I hear will eat in excess of 100 per day!

-He sleeps in a corner with his nose in the corner and his legs sprawled out.
Sounds pretty typical sleeping habits for a beardie. They will sleep in the oddest positions! and they sleep very deeply too. My sister in law woke me up one morning because she thought my beardie had died, he was just fast asleep
-He does not seem to mind me holding him.
That is awesome!! keep holding him and socializing him and you will have a great beardie relationship.

I know this is a whole lot of questions/thoughts/concerns. This discussion forum seems to be very informative. PLEASE HELP me with some of these questions!! Thanks so much!!!
I hope I could help a little, Like I said there are a lot of very knowledgeable people on here that will be able to offer more advice than myself. Congrats on your new bundle of joy!

 

[dreshany]

On I also forgot, It is important to monitor their temperatures. Their basking area should be between 100-110 degrees with a gradient temp lowering to 90-95. with a cool side temp between 85-95 degrees. I also recommend buying a temp gun, they are great, easy to use and not very expensive. just google it.