New Beardie Owner & Member

[IvanDaAwesome]

Greetings all. I'm New here and New to being a Beardie Owner.

My Beardie is a baby and he was a gift to me purchased at Petsmart. I have him in a 20 gallon glasss with some pretty cool decor.

I joined hear so I could be properly informed and have knowledge on raising a happy and healthy Dragon.

Started feeding crickets and gave him some kale. Looking to feed Jon done squash amongst other vegetables. I also have multivitamins and calcium that I'm going to start giving him.

What foods do you give your Dragon and how often do you give them the multivitamins and calcium and what else do you do or give to your Dragon?

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. What kinds of lights are you using? If its a uvb reptisun tube then he needs calcium with d3 5x a week and vitamins 2x a week. If you have a mvd then calcium w/o d3 and vitamins 2x a week.

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

Hi thanks for the reply. I'm using a Zoo Med 100w basking spot light

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

I had bought the Bearded Dragon Starter Kit. It came with the terrarium, thermometer, and two lamps but the basking light It came with wouldn't get the tank hotter than 88 degrees so thats why I went out and got the Zoo Med basking light

 

[destiny1998]

Hate to say this but those kits are crap. I bought one and had to replace every but the tank. The round gauges those are way inaccurate. The best way to get the proper temps are with a temp gun or digital with a wire probe. Second if you have a coil or compact uvb those also are no good. You need a reptisun 10.0 tube. I use a 24 inch. What kind of subtrate? I can tell in the picture his eyes are not open very wide. Like something is bothering them. Its probably the uvb. He's adorable.

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

Thanks For the compliment on my Dragon. As for the subtrate I'm using a carpet like lining for terrarium that I bought at the pet store. I have a digital thermostat with a wire probe on the basking side's the basking bulb is not the coil type bulb. On the other side of the tank I do have a uvb coil bulb. I do have a separate thermostat on that side as well but it's not digital. What bulb do you recommend I get for the cooler side of the tank? Thanks for the help I appreciate it.

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

Can I use the Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 UVB Compact dessert reptile lamp?

 

[destiny1998]

No get rid of the coil bulb. Those do not give off the proper amount of uvb and they cause eye, appetite and lethary problems. You need a reptisun 10.0 Tube. I use a 24 inch for mine they have a 40gallon breeder.

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

Will I still manage to fit the basking lamp If I get the tube? Might be a dumb question but I'm new to this and it looks like it will be a tight fit.

 

[diamc]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Your beardie has some nice colors & patterns. His eyes do look irritated, probably from the coil UVB. Would be a good idea to turn it off for at least a couple of days to see if they improve.

The only UVB lights we recommend using are the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent tube or the Arcadia UVB's. When you get one of those UVB bulbs, you should place the strip hood (18") behind the basking bulb so that he will get the benefit of both bulbs at the same time so they do need to be next to each other.

Good that you're using a probe thermometer. Make sure you get the basking SURFACE temp by placing the probe right on the basking log/rock and that you wait 45 min to an hr for the temp to stop rising before getting the final reading. Then you place the probe way over on the bottom of the cool side & wait the required time there before getting the final reading. What temps are you getting now with the 100 watt bulb?

Are you offering him all the crickets he can eat 2 to 3 times a day in a 10 to 15 minute time frame each time? Here's a site that shows the best greens/veggies to feed in green ink: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html Kale isn't a good staple green by itself.

How does he like his baths?

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

I turned off the UVB Light yesterday and haven't turned it back on. I'm going to get me they one you mentioned later today, should I install it today or wait to see if his eyes get better? Yes I have been feeding him all that crickets he could eat but yesterday he didn't go crazy eating them. The ones he don't eat stay in the tank tho. I have not given him a bath yet maybe I will give him one today, I haven't notice him soak in his water bowl but then again I'm not sitting in front of the tank looking all day. I picked up some butternut squash and collard greens but I don't think he touched it. Seems like he really doesn't have an appetite. Hopefully with me turning off the UVB light it will change

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

Just an update, I went out and got the Repti-Sun 10.0 UVB bulb. I just installed it so let's see how my Dragon reacts to it. From what I've been reading they tend to get more active and increase off appetite.

 

[diamc]

How are things going now? Hopefully better.

 

[IvanDaAwesome]

Things are better, his eyes are wide open and he's eating better. He loves his squash!! One thing I noticed he started doing today is that he opens his mouth and keeps it open for a a few while basking. I read it's normal and has something to do with keeping his temperature at a certain temp. (Not getting hotter than what he already is) but everything else is great!