New beardie owner x2!

[Babybeardie3]

I could use some help...about a month ago I got my 1st beardie baby, Ridge. He's a generic baby from Petsmart but he's eating and pooping well and loves bathes + cuddles. About 5 days ago I got my 2nd beardie at a reptile show from a designer breeder and she is beautiful! She has orange + red markings and is super chill. Oh and her name is Rogue. The only thing that worries me is that she doesn't eat as much as Ridge. Where he eats like 7-12 crix in one sitting, Rogue only eats 1-4 and most of the time its only 1. Is this normal? Any other useful info is welcomed. Btw they both turn their noses up to a fresh salad!

 

[Babybeardie3]

 

[YoursTruly]

Welcome! Can you give us a rundown on the tank setups? I am hoping you have seperate tanks as it is dangerous to house them together. What bulbs are you using? What are the basking and cool end temps? What type of substrate (flooring) do you use? How big are the tanks? Also, don't worry so much about the salads at their age. Live feeders are the most important. Continue offering the salads so they become accustomed to seeing them, but don't be shocked if the bowl stays full most days.

 

[Babybeardie3]

I'm not really sure what kind of lamps and such I have. I just bought the 20 gal viv setup at Petsmarts and it came with heat lamp and UVB. I can see if I can find more info on that. As for them living together, it is only temporary till I can save enough money to buy another. I need to get two 40 or 60 gal for when they get bigger. Sorry for the limited knowledge on my setup. I know that sand is bad for them because it can cause impaction so I use a repti carpet

 

[YoursTruly]

Even though you plan on it being temporary, you absolutely need to separate them immediately. They are solitary animals and even if it seems like they are harmless to each other, they are just as territorial as beta fish. An attack can happen within a moment and then it will be too late.

Here's what you can do temporarily: get a large tote, cut a hole in the lid, and give that viv proper lighting. It will suffice until you can get a new tank.

I too was duped by the garbage Petsmart kit, so you're not alone. The UVB bulb that comes with it is no good. I used it at first, and it gave my girl an eye infection. You'll need to get a reptisun 10 as well as a fixture for it. It is the best bulb you can find.

Also, could you post a picture of the whole setup?

 

[Mysty]

Its great that you're looking to get seperate vivs soon. Please be aware tat even if they appear to be getting along they still want seperating and will be happier for it.

What might look like cuddling is actually dominance (the dragon on top) and it can be difficult for both dragons to get access to bask, food etc if one is generally more dominant.

So yeah, I'd make viv number two the priority even if its a temporary second hand viv for the time being. If you buy a decent second hand one you can probably resell for the same amount when you go to upgrade.

Best of luck.

 

[Babybeardie3]

Ok thank you!

 

[Babybeardie3]

Don't really have $ to make a seperate temporary viv right now. I'm a teen and its hard to find good paying jobs. Just babysitting that brings in a barely helpful amount

 

[Babybeardie3]

Should I be worried about my girls eating habits? She barely eats anything whereas my boy eats until I cut hime off. Again she eats only 1-4 mostly just 1 and he eats 7-20. Bad?

 

[Babybeardie3]

Here's the viv
(Ignore the calcium powder I had just fed them)

Sorry it's upside down idk why its doing that

 

[YoursTruly]

I would be more worried about one killing the other in a fight than eating habits.

 

[Babybeardie3]

Sorry I am. I am really trying to get one...but still worried about her eating. It won't matter about her fighting if she dies from being sick. So I'm asking again, is her eating very little normal? I don't enjoy being told I am doing something terribly wrong when I know that I am and I can't fix it because I don't have enough $. It's going to take a little while so for present tense I want to know if she's okay. Please let me know and keep in mind that I'm doing my best for my babies ?

 

[Savanah1998]

If you got rouge 5 days ago he's probably still going through some relocation stress and your uvb light could be the issue also. I've had my beardie for almost 2 weeks and she's just now starting to get use to her new home. Also when I got my beardie I was using the "all living things" uvb light and I noticed when I switched to the reptisun 10.0 her appetite was waaay better within a few days. Hope this helps, and I do agree you should separate them soon as possible.

 

[Gormagon]

It's most likely a combination of things.
Relocation stress Is one of them for sure. This will pass with time.....1 to 2 weeks with good conditions.
Tight living quarters can lengthen relocation stress. A 20 gallon tank is small for one dragon, let alone 2.
Bad lighting is another one. Proper uvb is a must. As the others have stated, those uvb bulbs that come with the kit aren't good for dragons at all. They can cause eye irritation, eye infections and/or blindness in some cases. This can also make them not want to eat.
These are but a few of the problems I can think of from what you have posted.

I also urge you to separate them asap, things can turn ugly in an instant. I don't know how you feel about those beautiful little creatures but, I would hate to see something bad happen. Here is the results of just such an attack....
These dragons lived together for two years and boom....

 

[Babybeardie3]

Again really trying hard to find some sort of inexpensive living quarters for my newest one while I save up. Thanks for all the help everything has been noted and I'll try my best to keep up with it. I really just want to do whats best for my babies :wink: :| :?