New beardie owner with concerns

[KarrieRee]

I tried putting her in a plastic container with a few crickets. She only ate one then kept trying to run through the container not knowing it’s a solid thing she can’t walk through. So far she’s only eaten one cricket today. Nothing else. Do you have any links or pics of what I can get instead of the hammock? Thank you. Wow your beardie has grown!

You can get cloth or fleece hammocks of of etsy.com search bearded dragons-- also try bsfl for a staple feeder www.symtonbsf.com

 

[AHBD]

You can get the reptile " tree" that Sue has at almost any pet store or online reptile supply. You can also get real branches + logs from outside , which is where I get most of mine. If you get ones from outside you can sanitize them either by soaking them in hot water in a large tub with about 1/4-1/2 cup bleach for an hour. Then rinse very well with plain hot water. Allow them to dry for a day or 2. For pieces that can fit, put them in a preheated 225F oven for an hour, making 100% sure that the wood can't touch the heating elements .Here are some that I have found + cleaned by either process. The piece in the middle is like an old, petrified heavy piece of root.

 

[Sue E.]

Try NOT taking her out of her container...she may be too stressed to eat, and they do need to bask after eating. You can try some calcium dusted mealworms, calcium dusted bsfl (black soldier fly larvae), phoenix worms or calci worms. Dont take her out to handle her...talk to her ans let her get used to your smell, your voice etc. This is all overwhelming to her and she doesnt know what to expect. Put the worms in a feeding dish with sides...they are slow, esp with the cacium dusting. Leave her be, let her explore and find them on her own. If you provide the fresh live worms, shell eat when shes ready. Check on her later but dont take her out. Just my two cents.

 

[Sue E.]

Try NOT taking her out of her container...she may be too stressed to eat, and they do need to bask after eating. You can try some calcium dusted mealworms, calcium dusted bsfl (black soldier fly larvae), phoenix worms or calci worms. Dont take her out to handle her...talk to her ans let her get used to your smell, your voice etc. This is all overwhelming to her and she doesnt know what to expect. Put the worms in a feeding dish with sides...they are slow, esp with the cacium dusting. Leave her be, let her explore and find them on her own. If you provide the fresh live worms, shell eat when shes ready. Check on her later but dont take her out. Just my two cents.

Not a bunch of worms...maybe 3 or 4? See if she eats those. Dont put them under the basking light though, theyll dry out. Once she gets used to where they will be always be, in her dish, you can add some greens. If she doesnt eat them, the worms will nibble on them and get gutloaded and more nutritious. For now, just put the worms in...they like to hide under the greens and she might not see them. I know its all a lot...deep breath lol! These little guys really do want to survive and what you are doing and learning will really help her do so.

 

[AHBD]

If she's eaten 1-2 since Sunday, that can be attributed to stress. Some beardies will eat right away, others are too stressed. The stores sell them yoo young [ afer being shipped this adds more stress ] so a tiny baby is touch + go. In reality, the plastic tote set up that I showed you is the ideal set up for a tiny beardie that may not be doing too well. The plastic tote is not as tall so the uvb set on top will reach Mooshoo even if she doesn't climb up high. Plus the insects can walk around the plastic tote in Mooshoo's plain sight and she can grab a few if she's hungry. Putting a tiny baby in a giant, tall enclosure it will be much harder for her to find the food. Mealewrms are not really great for babies, they can cause impaction if not chewed well. Black soldier fly larva would be better [ Calci-worms ] Shredded greens should always be available.

 

[xp29]

Everyone says not to use the sea grass hammocks. I've used them for years with zero issue. Could an accident happen? Sure. Could it happen with any other item you put in ABSOLUTELY! I lost Snicker Doodles to a piece of friggen mopani wood. She got stuck and couldn't breathe, I wasn't home to save her.
If we took out every single item that COULD cause a problem all our beardies would be living in an empty box.
Offer a flat piece of stone, sandstone, limestone, granite, basalt, slate/shale ect, something without sharp edge and that doesn't rock under their weight to keep the nails blunted. I've done that for years also. I've never seen my guys have a single issue with the sea grass.

 

[Mushu1]

@KarrieRee @Sue E.
I tested the basking spot, where the white rock is, and it stated 106.5F. Is that perfect? Also, how much water does your dragon drink per day? I have only seen mine go into the water bowl once in over a week. I have been putting drops with my finger on his mouth and along his back for moisture. What do you guys think of using a 5.5” deep dome instead of the wide ones I’m using now?
Thank you

 

[KarrieRee]

@KarrieRee @Sue E.
I tested the basking spot, where the white rock is, and it stated 106.5F. Is that perfect? Also, how much water does your dragon drink per day? I have only seen mine go into the water bowl once in over a week. I have been putting drops with my finger on his mouth and along his back for moisture. What do you guys think of using a 5.5” deep dome instead of the wide ones I’m using now?
Thank you

Make sure your dome is good for the wattage your using- I have / am using both types- for ceramic heat emitter you want a ceramic socket deep done- the temp your getting is good -- watch his poop it will tell you if he's dehydrated - dark poop moist and firm- urate white formed and moist - any dry crusty he's dehydrated - they do not drink every day they are a desert animal - offer water on his nose once a week and rinse his greens before serving

 

[AHBD]

Water dripped on the nose should be every day for a hatchling. When they get older it can be less but we are talking about a very tiny baby that doesn't have a good appetite yet and needs water daily.

 

[Sue E.]

@KarrieRee @Sue E.
I tested the basking spot, where the white rock is, and it stated 106.5F. Is that perfect? Also, how much water does your dragon drink per day? I have only seen mine go into the water bowl once in over a week. I have been putting drops with my finger on his mouth and along his back for moisture. What do you guys think of using a 5.5” deep dome instead of the wide ones I’m using now?
Thank you

Yes that is good but 110-115 is even better for a baby. Adults and subadults like it around 100 or so, some even a touch lower, like 98 or 99. I only saw Kai drink once in the year Ive had him. He mostly ignores his water bowl. You can buy a tiny empty spray (like gentle squirter) bottle and mist him occasionally esp when he is shedding but i dont even bother to mist Kai anymore. The drops of water is good too on the mouth area but not too much. They get their moisture from bugs, worms, and greens. Your greens should be moist or misted, not soggy, and you can put those flukers orange cubes in the bug keeper with your bugs. The cubes are not for the dragon to eat though. I put a clean fresh shallow water dish in his tank but dont fill the water level above the dragons elbow level when he is on all fours. Some people dont put a water dish in their tanks but I do. There are reasons why and why not I guess. If your current heat lamp is working for you, no need to switch to a deep dome at this point.

 

[AHBD]

That's what I use, a spray bottle. Some people use an eyedropper. All babies that I hatched drank water nearly every day, spritzing them in the tank is fine. Even living in a more arid environment they would have a chance to drink dewdrops early in the morning.

 

[Sue E.]

Yes that is good but 110-115 is even better for a baby. Adults and subadults like it around 100 or so, some even a touch lower, like 98 or 99. I only saw Kai drink once in the year Ive had him. He mostly ignores his water bowl. You can buy a tiny empty spray (like gentle squirter) bottle and mist him occasionally esp when he is shedding but i dont even bother to mist Kai anymore. The drops of water is good too on the mouth area but not too much. They get their moisture from bugs, worms, and greens. Your greens should be moist or misted, not soggy, and you can put those flukers orange cubes in the bug keeper with your bugs. The cubes are not for the dragon to eat though. I put a clean fresh shallow water dish in his tank but dont fill the water level above the dragons elbow level when he is on all fours. Some people dont put a water dish in their tanks but I do. There are reasons why and why not I guess. If your current heat lamp is working for you, no need to switch to a deep dome at this point.

When I say not too much drops of water, I mean not too much at once. A few drops at a time is good.

 

[xp29]

I personally use the eyedroppers. It's best to find ones made of plastic. When they get a little bigger their bite is sufficiently strong to break the glass ones.
The advantage of the eyedropper is that you can control the amount coming out much better than with a syringe.
Also aim is better.
I agree with @AHBD about how often to offer water. Babies are generally under higher heat and are smaller (obvious I know, but it leans into my reasoning) both of those factors leads to them dehydrating quicker than larger beardies.
Even with an eyedropper (or your finger) go slow, what's a tiny drop to us is huge to them. They could become aspirated fairly easily.
As for bowls of water, they generally will just poop in them and cause unsanitary conditions pretty quickly.
Most beardies won't drink from standing water. And if they will and they poop in it and then drink it the risk if a Cocidia outbreak becomes an almost certainty. (Cocidia has to be pooped out and reingested to multiple) It's also a real pain in the butt to get rid of once you have an outbreak.

 

[Mushu1]

Mooshu thanks you lol

 

[Sue E.]

I personally use the eyedroppers. It's best to find ones made of plastic. When they get a little bigger their bite is sufficiently strong to break the glass ones.
The advantage of the eyedropper is that you can control the amount coming out much better than with a syringe.
Also aim is better.
I agree with @AHBD about how often to offer water. Babies are generally under higher heat and are smaller (obvious I know, but it leans into my reasoning) both of those factors leads to them dehydrating quicker than larger beardies.
Even with an eyedropper (or your finger) go slow, what's a tiny drop to us is huge to them. They could become aspirated fairly easily.
As for bowls of water, they generally will just poop in them and cause unsanitary conditions pretty quickly.
Most beardies won't drink from standing water. And if they will and they poop in it and then drink it the risk if a Cocidia outbreak becomes an almost certainty. (Cocidia has to be pooped out and reingested to multiple) It's also a real pain in the butt to get rid of once you have an outbreak.

Thank you for clarifying why no standing water! Kai doesnt poop in his water dish (yet) but the exotic specialist told me he doesnt keep a water dish in his tank and I had wondered why. It seemed so cruel...but now it makes perfect sense. Should I eyedropper Kai too instead of misting? Mist/eyedropper how often? I rinse his veggies and give him fresh greens daily. He is an adult...a year and 2 months.