New baby. :)

[LemonyFresh]

Hi everyone!

I have recently become a beardie parent and have since been combing over this site almost daily. That being said, I come looking for some additional help. I picked up my beardie from a local PetSmart where they conveniently sold me a Zoo Med Bearded Dragon starter kit. Well, after getting over the initial excitement, having never owned a reptile before, and doing some reading, it became apparent that majority of the stuff that comes in the kit is...rubbish for a beardie. As a result, I need as much help as I can get in improving the initial setup, because unfortunately the guys at the store are of little to no help.

So, this is what I started with:

Current setup with the following changes:

1. Ditched the sand for reptile carpet.
2. Replaced the 5.0 compact UVB with a 10.0 compact as per PetSmart employee’s recommendation.
3. Replaced 100w basking with a 75w baskin as per PetSmart employee’s recommendation.
4. Replaced 100w night time light with a 75w one as per PetSmart employee’s recommendation.
5. Bought 2 dial thermometers to replace the strip thermometer that came with the kit.

As of this moment (after doing some light reading), it looks like I have to once again do some renovations. Primarily, replace the compact bulb which apparently is at best worthless for beardies and at worst can actually be harmful, with a ReptiSun 10.0 tube. Is it as bad as I think it is, or am I overly paranoid? Also, looks like I will be replacing at least one of the dial thermometers (basking spot) with a digital one from PetSmart. Lastly, it seems that the night lamp should also be replaced with a heat source that does not produce light because they like darkness at night....though mine seems to be sleeping fine. Need a bit of an advice here.

With all that said and done, I am open to, and welcome, any and all constructive criticism and help for improving Toothless’ living conditions. For example, what size ReptiSun tube (18”?) and how/where to mount the fixture as it looks like I’ll be going the DIY route due to being a little strapped for $$ around the holidays. Thought I would ask before I go scour my local home depot.

I know I probably forgot something so...fire away!

~ Happy Hollidays!

 

[LemonyFresh]

Oh yeah, here is the feeding regimen. I give her about 6-10 small crickets dusted with calcium on the daily basis as her main source of protein (once a week I dust them with multi-vitamins). Would phoenix worms be ok for her size (ones I found online are 7/16”)? Also, twice a week I give her a couple of meal worms as a treat. For her daily veggies, she only seems to like mustard greens and even those eats sparingly. Tried kale and squash, she wouldn't have anything to do with either. Though she seems to like cucumbers and a bit of apples.

Again, comments, concerns, and ideas for improvement are welcome!

 

[daner923]

Hi there! Looks like you know what needs to be done. The coil bulb is definitely a risk not worth taking. You can use a ceramic heat emitter at night if it gets below mid-high 60s at night in the tank. Don't use an under tank heat pad as beardies can't feel heat from below too well and can get burned. You should ditch the mealworms all together - they are not good (nutritionally worthless and can cause impactions). You should also be feeding way more crickets too. You should offer as many crickets as your little guy wants in 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day. Your dusting is good - once a day 5 times a week with calcium, and once a day the other two days with multivitamin. Phoenix worms are great, especially for small beardies. They aren't very big, soft bodied, and high in calcium. And don't worry if he doesn't like greens yet. Most babies don't, so if he's eating any at all that's great. Mustard greens are perfect, as would be dandelion or collard greens. the cucumber is good for hydration. You can also give him baths a few times a week to keep him hydrated - water warm to your wrist, no deeper than his shoulders. He may not drink, but he is absorbing water through his vent!

 

[LemonyFresh]

Thank you for the feedback!

Now I have some quick follow ups. For lighting, would an 18” ReptiSun tube be enough for the tank 20 gal (36”)? Or do I need to step up to a 24” tube? As far as placement, some cursory reading/looking at online retailers, it looks like most DIY fixtures are pretty bulky to be use INSIDE the tank so it would seem I am left with an external mount. That said, how much distance would I need between the light source and the little guy? Could I lay the fixture on top of the mesh or create some kind of stand-offs to make some room (4-6”)?

Regarding the CHE, I don't think our room gets below 70 at night but it can vary, so I will look into getting some kind of a “dark” heat source. What wattage CME would I need for thank and would I be able to use my current “double” fixture?

~LF

 

[daner923]

In the 20 gallon tank, an 18" light is fine (that's what I use). It should be 6"-8" from your beardie's basking spot (basking and UVB light should be on the same side). You can actually get an under cabinet light fixture for a fluorescent tube at Walmart or Home Depot or a similar store for not too much. You can mount it inside with 3M command hooks. I also am using a 20 gallon right now (really need a bigger tank soon though). I actually don't use any screen, have the lights clipped to the edge, and use a fluorescent hood resting on two corners - quite securely of course! You shouldn't have the UVB going through mesh though, because it filters out quite a bit of the UVB rays.

As long as your dual fixture has ceramic or metal, rather than plastic, housing for the twisty part of the bulb, you should be fine. It also needs to be rated for the size CHE you get. I use a 100W CHE in my tank, and the fixture is rated up to 150W. I also use a thermostat that I ordered on Amazon so it doesn't get too hot in there (those CHEs can get pretty warm). Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=pe_62810_26942580_pe_vfe_dt1. Let us know if you have any other questions!

 

[LemonyFresh]

Any chance you could put up a pic of your setup? My guy really likes to crawl all the way to tip of the branch, which is only a few inches from the top of the tank, to bask. Not sure how the no-lid method would work as I don't want her to jump out.

 

[daner923]

Ah, I do not have anything that gets that close to the top. I can post a picture later, but I'm at work right now :lol:. I feel bad because I've been so busy, and I plan to build a DIY viv for Max in the next couple weeks, but he's already over 14" and still in the 20 gallon :?. I will take and post a picture tonight for you. You should put up some pics of your baby too!. I'd be happy to share some of Max!

 

[daner923]

Alright, I'm finally home with photos taken. Here is a link to an album of photos of Max! http://imgur.com/a/8icAF#0

Also, here's a picture of his set up for you. The hammock and stuffed animal are new today - a gift from a co-worker!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[chasethegreat]

I love that pic. He looks like he's complaining that you got his bad side.

 

[LemonyFresh]

First of all, thanks for the pictures, your little (big) guy looks awesome! I've uploaded a few shots from the last couple of days to my dropbox.

HERE:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pdmhsnjkrb20la8/G266JwcAMk

Unfortunately, what I am noticing is that she always seems to have stress marks. She eats fine as far as I can tell (even takes crickets from my hand), poops on a daily basis (have pix if needed), get misted every day and a bath every few days (she doesn't seem to like them too much). She spends 95% of her time under the basking light on her branch (~105-110F) and never rarely goes on the cool side (~80F). I'm not sure if it's because we've only had her for just under two weeks...maybe she needs more time. I'm actually starting to get paranoid of the compact bulb stressing her out, because even when in the enclosure she has stress marks. She also seems a bit skiddish at times and tries to run the first chance she gets when shes out of her enclosure. Though sometimes, she will either crawl up on my shoulder or, if I am laying on the bed watching TV, she will craw up the side of my leg, plop down, and go to sleep. So, I'm not really sure what if she's scared ALL the time, or just needs time to acclimate.

 

[daner923]

Babies often are skiddish for a while. Just keep handling her, and she will warm up to you in short order I'm sure. If you want to get her used to you, you can put a shirt that you've slept in or worn in her tank so she learns your smell. As far as the stress marks, she is still probably going through some relocation stress. How prominent are they? Are they better or worse when you hold her? They can also be an indication of her being somewhat cold, so double check your temps from time to time. Have you ordered the Reptisun 10.0 tube yet? If you think you will have it in a few days, you should just shut off the coil. They're better off with no UVB for a few days than a coil bulb.

 

[LemonyFresh]

The temp near the basking spot is ~100-105F, however, this is measured with a dial thermometer on the glass near her branch. I will be picking up a digital therm with a probe today to get a better read on it. As for stress marks, they're definitely visible and get worse when you first pick her up, but they "seem" to get better after you handle her a bit even though she tries to run. And then there are those times she falls asleep on me. As for the light, I've ordered the tube and a fixture from Amazon, should be in in 2 days.

 

[daner923]

She's just still stressing. Make sure you get that thermometer to check the temps - those dials can be REALLY off, and you don't wanna cook your baby! You can definitely shut off the coil bulb until the new one arrives She will be just fine for 2 days.

 

[buterflymedic]

I to started with the kit from Petsmart, although the employee seem very knowledgable when I bought 2 babies, I am a couple weeks into it and so confused over which lights should be on when and how long, they both are eating well and I have learned a lot by reading the post on here. Was unsure what fruits and veggies I could actually feed them. If anyone can make it a little easier to understand this lighting thing I appreciate it.

 

[daner923]

You should definitely read through the rest of this particular post - I think it has everything you need to know in it. The right UVB bulb is the Reptisun 10.0 TUBE. Otherwise, you just need a basking light - clear/white, not neodymium coated. You can use a standard household bulb. This is just to get the temperature right on his basking spot. Also, you really shouldn't keep two together. Not sure if you've seen all the posts on that, but it often ends in tragedy for one or both of them. As for greens, check out http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html