New Beardie owner

ERRA

Member
Beardie name(s)
Argyle
Hey all. Haven't been a member of ANY kind of forum in a long time. Used to having a snake and normal pets such as dogs, etc. Anyways, I jumped into the world of Bearded Dragons, and so far am loving it. Would like to ask a couple of questions though.

First and most importantly, his temp on the hot side is around 100 during the day with humidity around 35%. The scary thing is EVERY night it jumps to about 70% by morning. I know this can be dangerous for them, and I'm a little concerned.
I have hidden a sock full of rice in his enclosure, as well as started using a small dehumidifier. You can see this on my profile.
I also bought him a 60 watt ceramic heat emitter, hoping this would eliminate some of the night humidity issues. It seemingly hasn't. I'm getting very frustrated. It's a screen top enclosure. Plenty of air circulating through the house. We DO live in NC. so humidity is always a factor.
Only other real concern is he's only eating crickets and meal worms. I bought bananas and mustard greens, but he is NOT interested haha. Any tips on that? Thanks for having me and I look forward to learning from all you guys and girls.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
The day time temp depends on his age, babies want 105 to 110 basking adults want 95 to 100. 70% is on the high end but is within their range.
mealworms are hard on babies, they have trouble digesting the exoskeleton, dubia roaches would be a much better option. silkworms and hornworms are good options also. bsfl are also a very good staple but they are small so it takes a lot of them for an adult.
Bananas are a treat and should be fed rarely. collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, ect are staple greens. you can give none citrus fruit as an occasional treat. NO AVOCADOS.
there are some great guides available on this site, you should read through them.
Oh and welcome to the forum, feel free to ask about anything you need to know, there are a lot of very helpful people here.
 

ERRA

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Argyle
The day time temp depends on his age, babies want 105 to 110 basking adults want 95 to 100. 70% is on the high end but is within their range.
mealworms are hard on babies, they have trouble digesting the exoskeleton, dubia roaches would be a much better option. silkworms and hornworms are good options also. bsfl are also a very good staple but they are small so it takes a lot of them for an adult.
Bananas are a treat and should be fed rarely. collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, ect are staple greens. you can give none citrus fruit as an occasional treat. NO AVOCADOS.
there are some great guides available on this site, you should read through them.
Oh and welcome to the forum, feel free to ask about anything you need to know, there are a lot of very helpful people here.
His appetite is super healthy. Eats a ton. Very active. No real signs of any respiratory issues. I'm going to keep trying to lower it, but you don't think 70% will kill him? Thanks a lot for the reply.
 

Groggyfroggie

Juvie Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Draco
I feel you on the humidity. Where I live humidity is consistent 70-80 year round, so his tank would be at least 60 all day.

I find AC to be the best way to lower humidity, but since yours only spike at night I guess it’s not very practical? I also put a dehumidifier inside his tank and that really helps. I’ve seen people installing those little fans on the side of their enclosures and those bring down humidity well.
 

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ERRA

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Argyle
I feel you on the humidity. Where I live humidity is consistent 70-80 year round, so his tank would be at least 60 all day.

I find AC to be the best way to lower humidity, but since yours only spike at night I guess it’s not very practical? I also put a dehumidifier inside his tank and that really helps. I’ve seen people installing those little fans on the side of their enclosures and those bring down humidity well.
Do you happen to have a link to one of those fans?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
His appetite is super healthy. Eats a ton. Very active. No real signs of any respiratory issues. I'm going to keep trying to lower it, but you don't think 70% will kill him? Thanks a lot for the reply.
70% is pretty high and not recommended ---- optimal humidity is 40-50% --- are you getting the level w/ a digital probe hygrometer? If not I would get one and place on the back center wall of your tank --
 

ERRA

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Argyle
70% is pretty high and not recommended ---- optimal humidity is 40-50% --- are you getting the level w/ a digital probe hygrometer? If not I would get one and place on the back center wall of your tank --
I'm not unfortunately. Just the old school ones that come with his tank. Last night I was able to keep it to 60. Not optimal but better.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I'm not unfortunately. Just the old school ones that come with his tank. Last night I was able to keep it to 60. Not optimal but better.
yes better--- and your ok w/ that --- please get a digital probe hygrometer - the dial ones are / can be off --- have you tried a small dehumidifier in the room? Do you have air conditioning in the house?
 

ERRA

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Argyle
yes better--- and your ok w/ that --- please get a digital probe hygrometer - the dial ones are / can be off --- have you tried a small dehumidifier in the room? Do you have air conditioning in the house?
So we just bought the new place we're in from my in-laws. They are very good/frugal with money and had the central heat/air taken out years ago. We have window units but the only direct air in the room he's in is a ceiling fan. We have a company coming out next week to install a new HVAC system. We can't live without it haha.
Yes. If you'll click on my profile to see his setup, there is a small dehumidifier on top of his enclosure as well. Hopefully that one is sufficient. It definitely pulls moisture out of the air. Hoping that the new central air will also help. I gotta tell you, I had no idea how much of an investment these guys were. He's worth it. Such a fun little dude with lots of personality. But wow. Getting all this set up hasn't been cheap.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
So we just bought the new place we're in from my in-laws. They are very good/frugal with money and had the central heat/air taken out years ago. We have window units but the only direct air in the room he's in is a ceiling fan. We have a company coming out next week to install a new HVAC system. We can't live without it haha.
Yes. If you'll click on my profile to see his setup, there is a small dehumidifier on top of his enclosure as well. Hopefully that one is sufficient. It definitely pulls moisture out of the air. Hoping that the new central air will also help. I gotta tell you, I had no idea how much of an investment these guys were. He's worth it. Such a fun little dude with lots of personality. But wow. Getting all this set up hasn't been cheap.
The central air will help tremendously ---- we live in MN and it has gotten so humid here in the summer its terrible - we have central air plus I run a house dehumidifier in my dining room for the top floor of the house in the summer -- dragons tanks stay around 30-40 in the summer and in the winter I haft to run a humidifier which sits in between the two tanks because it gets too low closer to 20% and sometimes lower -- its gotten to be a battle between the two - more so in the winter than the summer - we just had new windows installed in July so now I am wondering how that is going to effect the humidity in the house --
 

ERRA

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Argyle
The central air will help tremendously ---- we live in MN and it has gotten so humid here in the summer its terrible - we have central air plus I run a house dehumidifier in my dining room for the top floor of the house in the summer -- dragons tanks stay around 30-40 in the summer and in the winter I haft to run a humidifier which sits in between the two tanks because it gets too low closer to 20% and sometimes lower -- its gotten to be a battle between the two - more so in the winter than the summer - we just had new windows installed in July so now I am wondering how that is going to effect the humidity in the house --
I appreciate all the input. Very new territory for me but I'm loving him. So fun.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Beardies are hands down the best pets period 👌 Noone ever expects the amount of personality they have, or how cuddly they can be. 2 out of my 3 are down right needy lol.
 

ERRA

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Argyle
Beardies are hands down the best pets period 👌 Noone ever expects the amount of personality they have, or how cuddly they can be. 2 out of my 3 are down right needy lol.
He's a baby, so he is definitely still a little jittery, but I hope he comes to love me and be excited to be around me. Wife and kids love him as well.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Zen , Ruby ,Snicker Doodles, Sweet Pea, Sinatra
Oh he will, try getting him out a few minutes before his lights go out, let him snuggle in on your neck, it helps with bonding, and it's gonna melt your heart the first time he wiggles in. I've never met anyone yet that don't get all mushy when they wiggle in lol.
 

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