new beardies :D

[chucksaurus]

im soooo happy. I got two baby beardies(10 months old) for 1/4 of what i would normaly gotten them for($50<$200). their names are Dust and Dune. :mrgreen: but i am a little worried that they might be too cold. so far Dune looks very lethargic. I've fealt the sand in their cage and it feels cool,the lamp that came with them feels like it might be just for uvb and not for heat. also the under tank heater that came with also is broken so ya. :?

 

[dolcedragon]

Congratulations on your new babies!Cute names. Proper temps are incredibly important to BDs. Test the temperature with a digital thermometer- basking area should be 110F and cool side should be about 80F for their age. I'm not a huge fan of the undertank heaters anyway so I wouldn't worry about replacing that. The UVB should be tubestyle not a bulb- some brand of fluorescent desert 10.0.

Unfortunately beardies are solitary animals and usually don't do well being kept together. They have been known to bite off toes and eat each others food. If they are same sex they will probably begin sparring as they grow more mature and territorial and if they are opposite sex then they will try to mate early and the female's growth would be stunted and health compromised. I don't know, you may have them separated! But I thought I would let you know anyway.

Please let us know how they are doing. Bearded dragons can make the absolute best pets with proper husbandry and lots of love! Feel free to ask any questions and welcome to the site!

 

[fresnowitte]

:wave: Hello & Welcome to BD.org!
And......
Congratulations on the New Beardies!
Look forward to seeing pic's of Dust & Dune. :wink:

The best UVB's are the reptisun 10.0, mega ray, or the MVB's(Mercury Vapor Bulb). MVB's are the best at simulating the natural sun meaning that it is UVB and heat all in one. But not recommended for viv's
under 40gal. Stay clear of the reptiglo or any compact or coil bulbs these can be harmful to your beardies.

For measuring your temps I recommend a infrared temp gun or a digital probe thermometer. The dial or tape strips are known to be up to 20* off. To measure the basking temps you must do so exactly in the basking spot not the ambient temp at the basking end.

For additional heat during the day you can use a regular household bulb placed closely to your UVB. If your temps drop below 65* during the night-time hours I recommend a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter). If your temps do not drop below 65* there's no need for additional heat at night. If you must use a under tank heat pad I suggest you apply it to the back of the tank rather than the bottom. Beardies heat sensors are not located on their bellies and can get burnt by these under tank styles.

I must agree with dolcedragon beardies are solitary creatures an only come together in the wild for the purpose of mating. Even if they appear to be tolerant of each other doesn't necessarily mean they are okay together. One beardie will be more dominate than the other which may cause a depression in the less dominate one. Depression can lower or should I say compromise your beardie's immune system leaving them more susceptible to illness. Also one... the less dominate will not get sufficient food and will many times not grow at a thriving pace. Also I have read many horror stories of beardies that had coexisted with others for long periods of time when all of a sudden in the blink of an eye blip. Causing serious harm an even death to the weaker of them.

On the sand if it is not a sifted play sand then it is bad for your beardie. Any particle substrate carries risk of impaction as well as a place to harbor bacteria(Like a Litter Box). Many of our member myself included use tile as a substrate and love it. It is easy to maintain and clean, also helps them to build their muscles, and helps them to naturally file their nails so you don't have any need of clipping them.

Being your beardies are 10 months of age they could possibly try to brumate this winter and then again they may not. But you might find this article very useful for understanding brumation.
http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/

You didn't mention the sex of your beardies if you aren't sure how to tell or don't know their gender this link might be helpful. http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/sexing/

This is a good link for nutritional values things you should or shouldn't feed them.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
I also link this link on nutritional value of some live feeders.
http://www.feedersinc.com/insect-comparison/

Again Welcome Aboard!