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[QUOTE="J4ckdaw-, post: 2032817, member: 117954"] Hi there 👋 The first thing I’d like to discuss is your [B]lighting fixtures[/B]; to begin, what [B]basking bulb [/B]do you use? Make sure the one you are using is [B]not a coloured bulb[/B], coloured bulbs will cause eye irritation and/or other issues. The bulb you need will have a [B]white[/B] light, sometimes it comes in shades of [B]light yellow[/B] as well. Make sure it is not a deep heat projector, those will dry out your bearded dragon. Best to use [B]halogen or reptile bulbs[/B]. Your basking spot should be between [B]105-110 degrees Fahrenheit[/B], since a bearded dragon’s preferred core tempura tire is [B]97[/B] degrees which can be achieved by a basking spot of roughly [B]107[/B] degrees. Make sure you are measuring the temperature and humidity with a [B]digital probe[/B] thermometer and hydrometer, [B]stick-ons and temp guns [/B]are[B] inaccurate[/B] 90% of the time. Temperatures are incredibly important. The cool side (the side without the basking bulb) should be around [B]70-75[/B] degrees, with an ambient of [B]85-90[/B] degrees. Night temps shouldn’t be below [B]50[/B] degrees. The humidity in the tank should be [B]30-48%[/B]. Onto [B]UVB[/B]; what type of fixture do you use? Please [B]no coils[/B]! They are super inadequate, and provide minimally no UV for a reptile. If it’s a tube fixture, what brand is it? You want either a [B]Reptisun[/B] or [B]Arcadia[/B] bulb. [B]Other brands[/B] like [B]Zilla[/B] or [B]Zoomed[/B] are [B]inferior[/B] and aren’t recommended. Make sure if it’s placed [B]above the mesh[/B] it is [B]14%[/B] or if it’s placed [B]below the mesh[/B] it’s a [B]12%[/B], KarrieRae can help you with distance. The labels you’re looking for on a UVB fixture is T5, HO, D3+ (if Arcadia), 12-14%. It should cover 3/4 of the enclosure with a variety of different UV levels on higher and lower areas in the tank. With that out of the way, what is your bearded dragon’s [B]diet[/B]? Absolutely [B]don’t listen to anyone who says feed as much as he wants[/B], he will become overweight. An [B]overweight beardie doesn’t need protein[/B]. You say he’s 3 years old? He should be eating [B]mainly greens and vegetables[/B], [B]no fruit[/B] please as it attracts [B]fungal life[/B] and causes [B]tooth rot[/B]. Live feeders should be fed [B]2-3x[/B] a week, [B]5-6 appropriately sized[/B] feeder insects. Good staple insects are crickets, roaches, superworms, mealworms, pheonix worms, and silkworms. [B]Avoid[/B] bugs like [B]Waxworms[/B] or [B]butterworms[/B], they are very, [B]very fatty[/B], they are meant to be used as a [B]rare treat[/B]. Make sure you are supplementing [B]calcium[/B] at least [B]5x[/B] a week, adult beardies don’t need multivitamin as much though as yours won’t eat salad I’d suggest using some [B]2x[/B] a week to provide additional vitamins. [B]Calcium doesn’t need vitamin D [/B](D3) if you have the [B]proper UVB[/B] fixture, since it acts as the sun which provides us vitamin D. Vitamin D toxicity can occur if your bearded dragon is getting too much of it. If you have plain calcium without D3 you can mix it with the multivitamin or get a premix to provide calcium [B]7x[/B] a week, since bugs don’t have bones but instead exoskeletons they have phosphorus. Wild bearded dragons need a ratio of [B]2:1[/B] for calcium but bearded dragons in [B]captivity[/B] nowadays will need a [B]much higher ratio [/B]as they were grown too quickly. In the wild it would take [B]2 years[/B] to fully grow. Bearded dragons can be [B]VERY picky[/B] animals, salad is commonly dejected by many from time to time. Try and get him to eat it by [B]spraying[/B] it with [B]water[/B], sometimes they like their food [B]shiny[/B]. You could try sprinkling [B]plain bee pollen[/B] on top, my boy loves it. You could try adding some [B]food toppers[/B] (I like flower food toppers) or you could put some [B]worms[/B] in the salad as a [B]lure[/B] of the sorts. Most importantly, give him a [B]variety[/B]. Do [B]trial and error[/B] to see what he likes. Make sure you [B]don’t use calcium binders[/B] though, like spinach or broccoli. My boy loves collard greens and bell peppers. Bearded dragons [B]don’t need[/B] a [B]water bowl,[/B] most won’t drink from it and it can be a hazard for [B]drowning[/B] (rarely) and it will [B]increase[/B] the [B]humidity[/B]. Take it away immediately and mist his salads. Don’t move him back to his old enclosure, the enclosure you have now (120 gallons) is the bare minimum for adults. Also ABSOLUTELY no sand, ever, unless it’s mixed with reptisoil/topsoil. Tile is fine. Bearded dragons go through something called relocation stress which may be the cause for dejecting salads, it will take a few days, weeks or even months for him to fully adjust. It varies depending on the dragon. Also, I thought I’d mention baths. They are completely unnecessary unless he visibly soils himself. The idea that they intake water through their skin or cloaca is a myth, mist his salads or food instead. Hope this helped, if you have any questions feel free to ask. [/QUOTE]
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