New and need help

[Lkpickel]

I got my first breadie 2 weeks ago from petsmart. He is 5" long right now. We got the 20 gallon long tank kit that came with all kinds of stuff. Needless to say the top broke 2 days later and went back and got another cage. It's the exo terra medium ( 24"x18"x12"). Still using the lights and ect that came with the other cage. I know he will need a bigger cage later. I plan on building one. Any help with anything will be great. He only eats about 2-3 crickets a day. I try to feed him 2-3 times a day and that is all he still eats in a day. I put fresh greens in the cage every morning and remove in the afternoon. I don't know if he is eating any. Just want to know more about temps, lights, feeding ect. Please I don't want to loose the little guy. We have bonded. He climbs onto my hand and falls asleep. When I click my tongue he turns his head and opens his eyes to look at me. I love him. Well him/her. Can't really tell yet. I have had snakes and geckos in the past but man a breaded dragon is so much different.

 

[Lkpickel]

Also he has not shed yet. His tail looks dull but I don't know if it was from the vita sand that WAS in the tank. I found it leaves a dusty color to your hands. I have removed it and now have newspaper and slate tile in the bottom of the cage. I removed the sand about 5 days ago. And he does get a daily bath.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Congrats on your new little guy! He sounds adorable
Also, welcome aboard! Everyone here is super knowledgeable and helpful and nice. I'm a new beardie owner also, and all of my zillions of questions were either answered on previous threads (that Search tool is awesome!), or very nicely answered by forum users
I would like to warn you that you'll probably be buying more beardie equipment, since more often than not those pet store kits don't have the right items in them for bearded dragons. Especially the lighting. The coil-style UVB bulbs that usually come in those kits are okay for some of the other lizard species, but they can hurt beardie's eyes So make sure your UVB bulb is a tube, not a coil! ReptiSun 10.0 (not ReptiGlo) and Arcadia 12.0 are the types that are good for bearded dragons

I can't remember the temperature range for babies, and I have to leave in a sec otherwise I'd find the threads and link them for you. They're easy to find with the forum Search tool though. The Care Sheets on beardeddragon.org main page are also super helpful. And here's the best nutrition website EVER, it has tons of items on it- http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

Good luck with your new beardie! I'm sure others will chime in here pretty soon too

 

[Lkpickel]

Thanks and here goes on some pics
Cage setup

My baby

Side view

I can't tell the sex. I'm thinking girl?

What are the large bumbs at the base of his tail?

 

[Lkpickel]

Try again. Can't tell the sex. We are thinks maybe a girl. Any suggestions ?

 

[Lkpickel]

Oh no on the lighting. Where can I order one of those bulbs from at a descent price? I don't mind buying things as long as my animals need it. We have a mini zoo at our house that consists of my new breadie, hermit crabs, rabbit, fish tank, 2 dogs and 2 indoor and 2 outdoor cats. Everyone of them are spoiled in their own way. I have already started building him a rock climber.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

Hi and welcome! The bumps are just your babies hip bones- they will go away once he fills out.

And the best price for the Reptisun 10.0 tube I have seen is at www.petmountain.com.

The temps, since Snazzy couldn't get to it, are pretty tough to get right, but once you do- its grand! You don't NEED a fancy basking bulb, but I am assuming you have some that came with the kit. For future reference, you can use a clear household lightbulb- super cheap and easy to find.

Basking Spot- 100-105 degrees F. This is where they can get closest to the light, and is SURFACE temp. It should be measured by a probe thermometer, as the sticky ones can be very off! You can use 1 probe thermometer for all three temps, and it's only 9-13 dollars or so. There is a yellow one at petsmart, and then there is the Accurite brand at walmart.

Hot side- 85-93ish This is air temp.
Cool side- 78-85ish. Also air temp.

I hope this helps!

 

[snazzyglasses]

Thanks BeardieMommy
And Lkpickel- your little guy is super cute!

 

[Lkpickel]

That did help some. What size bulb would I need for his future cage that will measure 40"x22"x20"? Just wondering if I would need the 18" or 24" or bigger?

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

The general rule is to have it be 2/3rds the length of the viv. So I would go with the 24"

 

[Lkpickel]

Thanks. Ordering one in the morning.

 

[nikipop]

Hello and welcome! Your baby is super cute

This is what helped me when I first started out. Great how-to post on lighting.
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=148006

This one is a great post on thermometers digital vs. dial:
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=167279

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[kcarello]

Welcome and congratulations!!! Your little one is adorable!!

 

[Lkpickel]

Thank you all. I have ordered a reptisun 10.0 tube light, Turned the other off for the time being. I replaced the basking bulb(100watts) to a standard clear 60 watt bulb. I found that the 100 watt was getting a little hot on his basking ledge. I also ordered some roaches. Maybe he will eat them. Anything to get him to eat. As of 4pm today he has only ate 1 cricket and turns his nose up to the others i offer. I have tried hand feeding and i put him in another smaller container to feed him and give him about 10-15 min to eat. Could he be getting ready to shed? do their eyes turn milky right before a shed like a snakes do? His eyes are crystal clear.