New mommy to 2 Bearded Dragons...

[LadyGodiva]

Hi everyone...

I am a new mommy to 2 5week old Bearded Dragons...
As far as I know, they are still to young to sex, so im not sure if they are boys/girls yet.
What I can tell you, is that they are different colours. One dark, one light - although I am not sure if colour matters.

Here they are:

As I'm new to owning these beautiful creatures - i need some advice, just to know that what im doing so far is right...

They get fed their twice daily on small crickets...morning(2each) and evening(2each). Sometimes, the one gets greedy and will eat an extra one, before the other one has managed to have his second cricket.
I also put out a small bowl of chopped up cucumber or some mango daily. It's about 1 slice chopped fine. They seem to eat most of that in a day. I also make sure they have fresh water daily.

Temperature wise - they have an Infrared heat lamp 100watts, as well as a UVA/UVB light lamp which both stay on during the day. So the temp stays between 34 - 39degrees Celcius. Is that too hot??
At night, i switch off the light lamp, and just keep the infrared lamp on. And that keeps the temp at about 24degrees Celcius.

I also have a spray bottle of water, which i spray them a little once every 2nd day or so - just to cool them down. Is that right?

I'm also too scared to take them out the Viv just yet as I've heard that because they're so small, they're very quick - and i wouldn't like for them to take a run for it...etc. Especially with having other animals around.
So all I'm doing at the moment, to get them used to human contact, is after they've eaten - il put my hand in and rub their heads a little, etc... Then when they are a little bigger, i will start picking them up and taking them out the cage a little.
Is that ok? Will they tame that way?

I had a little scare yesterday - our power was out in the whole area from 6am till about 9pm... and it was chilly. So they never woke up, and at one stage, one of thems eyes were open, but NO movement whatsoever. They didn't want to eat, etc. Even when they did wake up for a little while(but not active at all). The temp dropped to about 18/19degrees Celcius. When the power came on that night...they one ate like 4crickets, the other ate about 5(the piggish one)... I was soooo worried that it was too much and that I overstuffed them. But i was told, if they not hungry, they wont eat - so i dont need to worry about that - but do i?
Then the lighter one, kept lying on top of the other one, and opening his mouth... I don't know if this is dominance?? At such a young age?? And it's also strange, because I thought that the darker one(who always runs for the food, etc) was the one trying to dominate??
Any thoughts?

Another thing they like doing, is rubbing their head on a piece of wood that we hav in their Viv... What is the purpose for this??

Comments will be appreciated. I'm a new mommy as you know, and would really like my dragons to grown up healthy... I wouldn't like to jeopardize their health in any way whatsoever.

Thank you for reading my very long post...x

 

[aperson120]

Hi

I am new here as well and a major lurker...
it sounds like you are doing alright HOWEVER
1) Did you say you only feed them 2-5 crickets each? Baby beardies need at the least 20 crickets each twice a day because they need to grow
2) Although cucumber is good for water it does not have a lot of nutritional value so you may want to check out this website for information on good ingredients for the "beardie salads"
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Anyone else who knows more can correct me if I am wrong on anything

 

[Kacymyree]

They get fed their twice daily on small crickets...morning(2each) and evening(2each). Sometimes, the one gets greedy and will eat an extra one, before the other one has managed to have his second cricket.baby bearded dragons need a feeding schedule. You will need to have about 3 feeding sessions a day. Each feeding session will need to be about 10 minutes long. within this ten minute time period you will need to let them eat as much as they can. This can be 60 or more crickets a day EACH.

I also put out a small bowl of chopped up cucumber or some mango daily. It's about 1 slice chopped fine. They seem to eat most of that in a day. I also make sure they have fresh water daily. These are not the best things to be feeding your dragon. I suggest mustard greens, collard greens, escarole, butternut squash.

Temperature wise - they have an Infrared heat lamp 100watts, as well as a UVA/UVB light lamp which both stay on during the day. So the temp stays between 34 - 39degrees Celcius. Is that too hot??
At night, i switch off the light lamp, and just keep the infrared lamp on. And that keeps the temp at about 24degrees Celcius. I'm not familiar with Celsius but for your basking spot your temps should be between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Most go for the 105 mark. the cool side of your tank should be about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. At night time the temps should not drop below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

I also have a spray bottle of water, which i spray them a little once every 2nd day or so - just to cool them down. Is that right?Babies need to be bathed daily to ensure that they are hydrated. never spray your dragon. this is a NO NO

I'm also too scared to take them out the Viv just yet as I've heard that because they're so small, they're very quick - and i wouldn't like for them to take a run for it...etc. Especially with having other animals around.
So all I'm doing at the moment, to get them used to human contact, is after they've eaten - il put my hand in and rub their heads a little, etc... Then when they are a little bigger, i will start picking them up and taking them out the cage a little.
Is that ok? Will they tame that way? You should NEVER keep two bearded dragons in the same tank. They each need their own space where they wont have to be stressed out from one another. You should take your dragons out of their vivs when you are doing your scheduled feedings. Feedings should never be done in your viv.

I had a little scare yesterday - our power was out in the whole area from 6am till about 9pm... and it was chilly. So they never woke up, and at one stage, one of thems eyes were open, but NO movement whatsoever. They didn't want to eat, etc. Even when they did wake up for a little while(but not active at all). The temp dropped to about 18/19degrees Celcius. When the power came on that night...they one ate like 4crickets, the other ate about 5(the piggish one)... I was soooo worried that it was too much and that I overstuffed them. But i was told, if they not hungry, they wont eat - so i don't need to worry about that - but do i?They may be suffering from what is called relocation stress. this can last up to two weeks until they are comfortable to eat everyday.
Then the lighter one, kept lying on top of the other one, and opening his mouth... I don't know if this is dominance?? At such a young age?? And it's also strange, because I thought that the darker one(who always runs for the food, etc) was the one trying to dominate??
Any thoughts?This is an early display of an agressive, dominant behavior! This is why you need to seperate your dragons ASAP. they laying on top of each other may look like a cute behavior but it is the one dragon being dominant over the other, other dominant behaviors would be one claiming the basking spot, laying on the other one, one eating more food than the other.

Another thing they like doing, is rubbing their head on a piece of wood that we hav in their Viv... What is the purpose for this??Are they shedding ? I would assume they are trying to rub shed off their heads.

I also see that you have sand as a substrate in your viv. This is VERY dangerous to young beardies and i would remove it ASAP.
If you have anymore questions please dont be afraid to ask.

 

[LadyGodiva]

Thank you so much for your comments...

I will increase their cricket intake...
Its just I've had them for about 10days now... and they never want more than 4each per feeding session... they'll just watch them...
But i will definately increase it.

Regarding the temp... Yes in Celsius that sounds about right.
Quick question? how do i check the temp in all areas of the Viv?

How do I bath them?? I thought thats what the 'water bowl' is for... They're tiny still(finger length)

My friend raised to dragons in the same viv, and they're about 2yrs old now - and they're perfect...
I thought it's bad having one in a viv, as they could get lonely.

Regarding the shedding?? It doesn't look like they're shedding at all. Can you maybe tell from the pics??

About the sand - when I went to the pet shop, I asked them for everything I will need to make sure they're ok. And the sand substrate, is what they told me to use?? It even says on the bag, that its for bearded dragons and other reptiles.

Now I'm even more confused than ever

 

[Kacymyree]

You'll need to get a digital probe thermometer. to check the temps

Bearded dragons wont drink from a water bowl and it increases the humidty in the tank too much, i would just take it out. You can put warm water in a container so it comes up to about half way up the dragons arm and just let him/her soak. they soak up water through their vent, this will hydrate them.

I understand that your friend raised them in the same tank, they got lucky. Do your reasearch and check out what happens 99% of the time that dragons are raised in the same viv. Bearded dragons do NOT get lonely. they are solitary animals and in the wild they only come together to mate. they do not live together . housing them together is putting your dragons in danger and causes them stress. Your dragons are already displaying behaviors to be worried about, i strongly suggest getting another viv set up.

Believe me when i say DO NOT trust what the people at the pet shop tells you. Sand is the most dangerous substrate for bearded dragons, especially babies. Your babies will get impacted and very likely could die. Check out the "care sheets and articles" at the top of the page, look under substrates and read about sand. I would go against EVERYTHING that the pet store person told you, they're in it to sell a product and make money, not the health of the dragon. The people on here will help you with questions and concerns you may have.

Lets go over your lighting set up, what are you using for UVB?