New Baby - Birthday Present - Questions, Need Help

[prolecat]

my girlfriend got me a new baby bearded dragon for my birthday and a set up for him to start off in. I just had a few questions, i want him to be able to grow up as healthy and as big as he can be.

The first time i fed him he ate probably 8 or so crickets in 10 minutes and i decorated his cage with a hide spot and a big wide wood ledge for him to climb up to the lights. i have a exoterra reptiglo 10.0 and a 25w reptile bulb (white with bearded dragon on box).

a while later within the next day or two i noticed what looked like throw up cricket in his cage a few times, is this because he ate too much or because he isnt getting as hot as he needs to be? it got me a little concerned.

Also he seems to be spending all his time all the way up the branch directly under the light, and i mean like all day all night up there, this also has me worried a little bit.

Do i need a stronger heat source? or is the 25w ok until i increase the tank size?

I was just looking for some advice as to what i need to do to make sure he grows up the best he can and if any of these issues stated is a problem. any advice would be appreciated. below are some pictures.

 

[ocrage]

get yourself a probe thermometer, the kind that have a plastic probe on the end and a cord, you want his basking area(where he hangs out under the light) to be around 105-110 degree's as a baby. him hanging out under there is not a problem at all. you want to swap the reptiglo bulb for a ReptiSun from ZooMed, the reptiglo's are bad according to some members on this board. good to see its on repti carpet and not a loose substrate. also, they don't need hides, if you want something else for your beardy to climb/lay on you should look into making or buying a reptile hammock.

i dont know what to tell you about the throwing up and stuff though, hopefully someone else will help.

 

[prolecat]

also i see that some resources on this site say that he may be able to eat 20-60 live feeders a day i dont see him being able to do this, he really doesnt show much interest in the first few days besides the 1st feeding. its been almost 2 days and hes only eaten a couple crickets since the first feeding. the first feeding he ate maybe 8-9 crickets but threw up 2-3 times.

 

[ocrage]

it can take up to two weeks for your beardy to start eating normal due to relocation stress. just give it some time. it can also be a picky eater. my guy didnt start eating a lot until i got dubia, now he would eat as many as i would give him.