CooperDragon":100uuu13 said:I'll do my best to address your questions.
UVB is quite important, so it's very much worth investing in a high quality UVB light. Typically the bulbs that come with kits are inadequate, unfortunately. Since you have a 20g tank, it's fairly small and won't require quite as much power as a full size enclosure. So you only have to buy a fixture once, I recommend getting a 24'' T5 fixture and use a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% bulb with it for now. When you upgrade the enclosure in a few months to accommodate your dragons growth, you can just upgrade the bulb and use the same fixture.
You only need to provide overnight heat if the temps in the enclosure drop below about 65 or so on a regular basis. I use a heat projector (no visible light) in the winter months when my house gets cold but it doesn't turn on in the summer (it's on a thermostat). When it is on, I only heat the enclosure to 70-73 or so. It's natural for them to cool down a bit at night.
When you are using lower power UVB bulbs, it's best to use a calcium with D3 supplement. Addressing a couple of questions at once, I recommend picking up a jar of Repashy Calcium Plus. Dust the bugs you offer in a light, even coat at every meal and that should do the trick. I use a small cup to do this. Put the bugs in a few at a time, add some supplement and gently shake so they have a light even coat. Offer a few at a time and then repeat until your dragon loses interest.
I would avoid force feeding a young dragon. I tend to reserve that for dragons who are ill or can't otherwise eat on their own. Their appetite will fluctuate. Just make a variety of bugs and salad available and let them take what they're want. Keep a log of their weight (easiest to measure in grams using a kitchen scale) and make sure the weight is trending upward over time or is stable (small fluctuations day to day are normal and OK).
If you are gutloading the bugs with fresh veges and are offering salads with fresh veges, that may be all the hydration needed. Some dragons will drink from a shallow water bowl if you flick at the water to create some movement. Otherwise you can drip some water on their nose using a dropper or plastic syringe so they can lick it up. Their poop is a good indicator of hydration. If it comes through looking hydrated or if it has a bit of extra water with it, that's a good sign. If it comes out dry and the white urate looks chalky, then more water may be needed in their diet.
Hopefully this helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
TillyPilly":zgk8j9c2 said:Hello,
1. As long as it outputs UVB, you should be fine, however I would get calcium with D3 and around 1-2 a week switch the other calcium with the calcium with D3.
2. Bearded Dragons do not need a heat lamp at night and the temperature should go down at night. Unless your tank goes lower than 70-75, then I would invest in a night bulb, I personally like the Zilla Night Black Heat bulb.
3. I dust my bearded dragons food everyday. I use three different supplements and have assigned days for each of them. On Sundays, Thursdays, and Saturdays I dust her food with a multivitamin. I would only use Rep-Cal Herptivite if you choose to give them a multivitamin. I’ve read that others can actually cause bad health because they have too much vitamin A, and this one has beta carotene in it, which allows for them to create their own vitamin A without the worry over giving them too much vitamin A. Then on Mondays and Wednesdays I dust her food with normal calcium. And on Tuesdays and Fridays I dust her food with calcium with D3.
4. This question really has no one answer. I have a UVB tube, but I still use Calcium with D3 twice a week, because there is a very small chance of overdosing. Also even if the bulb is still shining, that doesn’t mean the UVB is still coming through, so it also somewhat of a safety net as a just in case. UVB tubes need to be replaced every six months. In addition, using a Multivitamin is optional, but personally I find that there really is no down side to using one and it makes sure that your bearded dragon is getting all the required supplements to be healthy.
5. There could be many reasons why he is not eating. Here’s a link that goes into more reasons why he might not be eating. Lots of bearded dragons are picky eaters and they might not eat if it’s not something that they want. I always have a bowl filled with food in my bearded dragons tank and she will go eat when she wants to. I would definitely do more research what to do because I don’t remember what to do for a baby bearded dragon since it’s been so long.
https://oddlycutepets.com/why-is-my-baby-bearded-dragon-not-eating/
6. Baby bearded dragons can eat repashy products, but I personally don’t use it. From what I’ve read many people like it. I myself would only use it as a treat or if there is a shortage of insects and not as a partial meal replacement.
7. I always leave a water bowl for my bearded dragon in her cage and give her new clean water everyday. You could also give your beardie a bath one every 1-2 weeks.
As a tip to save you money, one your beardie starts to outgrow this cage, just immediately upgrade to the 120 gallon tank. It’ll save you money in the long run.
I hope I was able to answer all your questions.
Thank you for your response, I will do this also. I have been putting it in the middle as his food bowl goes in the middle of his tank , I will put it more towards the cool side. Thank you all for everything. I will come back If I have further questions by making a new post.CooperDragon":1tm8n1xh said:The salads will dry up as the day goes on. You can mist them a bit in the morning and put them on the cool end of the enclosure, that will help extend them a bit more.
I have this blub. not sure if its coil or not. Is it okay if i can ask you to link me a fixture to buy and the tube light to buy? I will try to buy it.KarrieRee":1djxjmgf said:Your going to have health issues w/ the coil bulb--- the first year of the dragons life is extremely important to prevent mbd setting in-- please ditch the coil ASAP-- -- the basking temps and UVB are the most important things in that tank - your dragons health is at risk w,l the coil
KarrieRee":36tyed4d said:Yes you need to ditch that bulb ASAP- get this please https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html 24" for a 40+ gallon tank this comes w/ a 5.0 bulb hang onto it for a backup distances-and placement is different from the 10.0 get this bulb please
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html 22"
These people are fast and they sell fast they ship FedEx shipping is cheap
Let me know when you get it I will help you place it
CooperDragon":1m04nno0 said:Using a good T5 is probably the way to go in the long run. For now if the budget is tight you can use the same fixture but replace that bulb with an ExoTerra UVB100 or UVB200 26w which should fit your existing fixture. These will be adequate for your 20g enclosure. Otherwise like I mentioned earlier using a T5 fixture that comes with a 5.0 bulb will do the trick (The ReptiSun hood comes with one) then you can just upgrade the bulb when you get a larger enclosure.
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