*NEW* Cleveland

[rclay]

not usually good with intro's but my name is Rob, i'm from BC, Canada and Cleveland is my first bearded dragon.
however i'm not new to Reptiles. i've owned a Mountain Horned Dragon, 2 Chameleon's, 50/50 Cali King Snake, Iguana, Scorpioin (not really a Reptile i guess) and i'm sure there is a few more.
i will say this is the first time i've ever joined a Reptile forum and have been this involved in a specific species.
i use to go get the care sheets, use wikipedia and exoticpets.about.com on the previous Reptiles.
i'm looking to put alot more effort and fun into Cleveland though.

as for my Beardie, his name is Cleveland. i named him after the Family Guy character because my brother in law also owns a Beardie and he named is Quagmire so i thought i'd follow with the names.
Beardies use to remind me of 'Spike' from 'The Land Before Time' kids movie series and i did wanna name my Beardie Spike but the name was to common so i decided to look for something a little more unique.

Cleveland was purchased on Friday at PetSmart.
i was currently looking for a morphed bearded dragon and i actually found a local breeder but before i ordered with them i decided i would check the local petstores.
first petstore had a bunch of the usual Beardies so i went to PetSmart.
i figured PetSmart would be a lost cuase as i've never seen a morphed Beardie or more then 2-3 Beardie's there in the first place but i was in the area and thought what the heck, y not.
i go inside the store and see 3 Beardie's as usual and take a quick glance and walk away. my wife then calls me over and says one of them looks lighter than the rest and has yellow, so i go look and shrug it off as if she didn't know what she was talking about.
i turne for a second glance and decide to look a bit more and notice she was right, it was very light with alot of Yellow so i had the employee pull it out of the tank and sure enough it was yellow with some orange so without hesitating i made the purchase.
i was too excited with the find that i forgot to ask it's age and sex but it's extremely little in my opinion.
after searching youtube and google images my wife checked and states Cleveland is indeed a boy, either way i was not picky.

Cleveland is currently in a 10gal tank while i'm deciding how i want to decorate my 120 gal tank for him. my 120 gal tank is 60"L X 23"H X 17"W so 5' long.
the tank was given to me because it could no longer be used for fish as it's got a fair size crack on the bottom glass.
i'm thinking i should be able to use clear duct tape, a proper supporting stand and very little movement it should be fine until i get the skill to build a Crossfire type tank like i see alot of ppl have on here.
i don't have any pic's of the 120gal tank as it needs a bath and some fixing but when it's ready i'll have pic's
i didn't bother taking pic's of the 10gal either has it's a temporary tank and very basic.
currently it has a ReptiGlo Coiled 26W 10.0 UVB bulb, Exo-Terra Electronically Thermal Controlled Heat Rock, Reptile Carpet, a plastic plant, a cave/rock, 2 Fluker's Digital Thermo-Hygrometer's (only using one at the moment), Zilla Digital Power Center bar and Exo-terra medium water dish.
after viewing this site i'm undecided on a Bulb set up, i do like those MegaRay's but dunno if i need two or what other Bulbs with that one?
i'm still deciding if i should keep the heat rock, it is electronically controlled so it will not burn the dragon but i've heard mixed reviews on it. if i dont use it i'm wondering what a replacement could be because Cleveland does enjoy it and his plastic leaves alot.
i will be switching my Reptile carpet over to slated or cermanic tiles for sure, which do you guys prefer and should i feel the tile gap and secure them to the tank, what should i use for that?

i have so far have been feeding Cleveland 6-12 crickets a day, not sure the size as the store showed me the size of a Beardie and asked if my was that size and it was so they gave me 30 of them.
i've also used a small plastic lid as a food dish and put shredded carrots, mushed strawberries, mushed banana's and some butter leaf lettuce as a start. i plan to add a few different things in there like apples, maybe grapes and take out the butter lettuce for a green leaf lettuce, would that be ok?
well i will put up a pic or two of Cleveland. i am new to Beardie's so all your help and opinion's are very needed as i'm looking to keep him a long time.
sorry for the Essay by the way!

* my fav *

anyone have an estimate on his age?

 

[B3ardi3Lov3r]

Congrats and Welcome,

That is incredible that you found him at Petsmart. So cool. Cleveland is so adorable!

 

[taylor123221]

he is a little topper!!cleveland seems to be around the same size as my 2 and i have only had them 10 days and the breeder said they were 10 weeks old when i got them which am starting to think they are a lot younger than that. how long is he??? i got a growth chart on one of my post which gives you an estimate by size how old he will be i will post it

 

[taylor123221]

http://www.dachiu.com/care/charts.html growth chart

 

[rclay]

thanks for the chart i'll have to measure him in a bit when i get home from work

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello and Welcome!!!!

 

[rclay]

thought i'd post a few questions i had above a bit more simply and shorter so you don't have to re-read the essay again haha

i'm currently using a ReptiGlo Coiled 26W 10.0 UVB bulb, should i switch for a different blub? like the MegaRay and if so do i only need the MegaRay or do i need another bulb with it? my tank i'm preparing for is 120 gal: 60"L X 23"H X 17"W so 5' long, as mentioned above, i'd assume that'll factor into the bulb setup.

i've also got the Exo-Terra Electronically Thermal Controlled Heat Rock, it's suppose to be safe from burning the dragon as it's electronically controlled to a certain temp, should i keep using it or what's your guys' opinion's on that? if not, what should i replace it with?


since i will be switching from the reptile carpet to tile, what do you guys think is better, ceramic or slated? also should i feel the gaps between the tiles? should i secure the tiles to the side of the glass and all the way around or try something different so i can atleast remove them if needed? if yes to securing what should i use that will be safe?

as for food goes i plan to add a few different things in there like apples, maybe grapes and take out the butter lettuce in exchange for a green leaf lettuce, would that be ok?

 

[Twobeardieguy]

I'm not to sure about the ReptiGlo Coiled, but I do no that the coiled bulbs are not good. The reptisun 10.0 is a tube and the best bulb out there but using this you will need a heat source as well!! With the Mega ray it is an all in 1 bulb! As for the heat rock I would say ditch that cause they can malfunction and cause serve burns to your baby's belly! If the temps fall below 70 at night you can use a heat element from above that does not give off light! As for ceramic or slate ether will work just as long as you seal it off. You can use 100% silicone to seal the edges and in between that way you can still remove them if needed! But if you use this be sure to let it dry at least 36-48 hours! Or you can grout it but then it will be permanent! And here is a great chart= http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html ... I hope this helps...........

 

[rclay]

directing all answer's to the above question to this link, thank you

http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=109911

 

[rclay]

well i measured Cleveland today and he is a weee 6 inches from head to tail so by the growth chart he'd be 6 weeks old.
now that been said i've been feeding him 3 week old crickets. 12 crickets a day, should i change any of this?

also i gave him his first bath, was too scared to use the bathtub as it's pretty big so he went in the bathroom sink instead. as you can tell he didn't know what to think. sat in there for a 10 mins then decided to scramble around and try to climb out so i took him out. he drank the water but didn't poo this time will try again in a day or two.

 

[dragons1222]

definatly get rid of the uvb buld those have been causing major problems i would reccoemend the reptisun 10.0

and definatly get rid of the heat rock those can cause severe burns and i would just never risk it

for foods beautifuldragons.com has a great food list staple diet should be mustard greens,collard greens, turnup greens any squash

fruits should be given only a few times a week b/c they are high in sugar and carrots are a rare treat b/c they are too high in vit A

anything with the word lettuce in it is really not that great b/c it has little nutritional value and is mostly water

as for crickets he should be given however many he will eat in a 15 minute period 2-3 times a day that should be anywhere from 40-100 crickets a day

what suppliements do you use and how often

as for the tank a 120 sounds awesome but it will be a while before he can be moved into that as he is just way to small now
also a 10g is much to small b/c you cannot get a proper temperature gradient

basking temp ahould be 110-115 degrees and cool side should bein the 80's

are you measuring with a digital thermometer? the stick on/ dial ones are useless what are your temps?

megarays are great and i highly reccomend them just put an additional light(just any florescent tube light) above the tank to make it extra bright
as long as temps dont go below 60 at night you dont need any additional heating they need a cool down period at night

ok i think that is all let us know if you have any more questions and please let me know the answers to the q's i asked

thanks

 

[rclay]

ya i'd love to use a florescent kitchen tube bulb and a MegaRay but i can't find the MegaRay's in Canada
may just have to use a Repti-sun 10.0uvb
heat rock is now turned off and used as decor
good thing u mentioned carrots because i was making them his main veggie
my beardie has only been eating like 13 crickets a day? i think he is 7 weeks old or atleast 6.5 inches
i haven't used supplements only the calcium powder
my tank temp is usually 87.5F as its a 10 gal tank doesn't really have a super cold side and basking side but i do have the bulb on one side, doesn't make a diff
as for thermo gauge, i've got a digital Flukers thermo/hydro gauge (well 2 but don't need both)
night temp is perfect as well
but since my 10gal is the temp i'm prepping the 120gal to be the main tank, may section it off if need be because i'm not going to go buy more tanks, don't have the $$$ or room.
10 will turn into my cricket tank eventually

 

[dragons1222]

go to http://www.reptileuv.com you have to pay $10 additional shipping for one b/c your in canada but it is worth it

as for suppliments should be dusting with pure calcium 5x a week
a calcium w/ d3 1x a week
and a multivitamin 1x a week

no calcium w/ d3 if you use a mvb

he is new so it takes some time to adjust before they really start eating but the basking temp is VERY important

if it isnt 110-115 he cannot digest his food properly and cannot absorb the nutrients/suppliments he needs it is hard to get those temps in a 10g b/c he cant have a cool side this may be why he isnt eating much b/c it is way too cold

you will deff need to section it off or feed in a seperate container will be hard for him to find food plus it will be difficult for you to get whatever he doesnt eat out

i think that is all i have to say but i am in a hurry to go so hopefully i didnt forget anything