New Beardie!

[Mtmplasse]

Hey everyone! I work in a special needs class and we have a beardie named Frank. I got the chance to take him home over summer break and he was the absolute coolest! Once I brought him back, I knew I had to get one for myself. Meet Anze!

Just a few questions since I'm new to this. He's very skittish right now. Prob about 3 months old, maybe a little older. I just want to make sure that even tho he's very scared right now, that he will calm down with age. And is it. Good idea for me to be handling him a lot to get him used to me now? Or should I let him be? I've heard so many different opinions but would love to know from experience!

Thanks!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, so you've been bitten by the beardie bug. Anze is a cutie, I'm guessing about 6-7" ? If so that would make him [ average ] about 6 weeks old or so. It depends on genetics + the care he received before you got him.

How is he eating ? If he's settling in pretty well, you can just put your hand in the tank slowly + let him get used to it....he might hop on which is a good sign. Don't chase him around though, that will stress him out.

What exact type + brand of lights do you have, and can you post a pic of his set up ?

 

[Mtmplasse]

Hi! Thanks for the response!

I got him July 9th and I was told he was about a month old so I am guessing he is almost 3 months right now. Hes about 7 inches and he loves to eat. At first I was feeding him crickets and he'd eat 30-40 small ones a day easily but unfortunately I made the mistake of giving him a few superworms as a treat but he loved em so much that he stopped eating the crickets. I went to a reptile store and they suggested repti-worms since he might like the consistency of the worms and are way more nutritious and he loves them! I just recently started giving him yellow bell peppers and he loves that as well!

In the past few days hes been letting me take him out with no problem but sometimes sudden movements startle him. I am guessing with time he is going to get more and more comfortable.

I have a 40 gallon tank because I did not want to have to buy two tanks. I basically just put all of his stuff on one side of the cage and it seems to be working nicely. He LOVES his basking spot which is where he spend most of his day and he loves his fake plant that he slept on every night until he got too heavy. Now he sleeps with his legs dangling off the branch he has. It is pretty adorable.

I am at work right now but once I get home I will take a picture of his setup. He has a long UV bulb light that stretches across most of the tank. He also has a red basking light gets his basking area anywhere from 90-110. He usually hangs in the 105 area. Cooler part of his cage is about 78 at the coldest.

Again thanks for the response! I am very excited to have him.

 

[Mtmplasse]

The picture of Anze I posted is about a month old. Here is one I took this morning

 

[Mtmplasse]

and here is one showing his coloring. He's very red.

 

[daughterofMyou]

He's so beautiful! What a gorgeous dragon.

 

[Savora]

I agree, what a stunning beauty! Did you get him from a breeder? If so, did the breeder say he was a translucent?

Also, I notice that you're using a loose substrate with him. Juvenile beardies are especially prone to impaction (they're messy and reckless, lol) when on a loose substrate. Some people opt for a paper towel substrate because it's easy to replace when soiled, some people opt for reptile carpet because it's natural-looking and pretty, and lots of people go to their local Lowe's or Home Depot to pick out some tile, which is both pretty and easy to wipe clean. Personally, I have half of my tank covered in tile and half in reptile carpet.

Otherwise, you have a beautiful beardie. Keep us updated with him!

 

[Mtmplasse]

Here is his enclosure! He loves it. I read up on the loose substrate as you had mentioned and because I only feed him in his bowl at the moment, I am not worried about him accidentally eating them. I appreciate the concern tho The substrate is what he had at the reptile shop so I was trying to make him as comfy as possible in the move.

As for his breed, I can't remember exactly what he is but I know he was a special breed because he cost more than the other beardies. Ill find out tho!

Do you know much about repti worms? Are those ok for him at this age? Thanks again for the response!

 

[Mtmplasse]

He's so beautiful! What a gorgeous dragon.

Thank you! His whole litter was really cool looking. It was hard to choose.

 

[Terry15]

He is a beautiful dragon, love the colors. You could also use the non adhesive shelf liner, very inexpensive and easy to clean. Bugs can't get under it and would be great until you decide on the tile. Reptile carpet is ok, but you really need 2 since you will have to wash them & let them dry. I love the shelf liner.