New Owner and Beardie Duo- totes confused

[GlassesTho]

Hey everyone!

This is Skywalker

I've never owned a beardie before, and already I'm suffering from over-protective-new-mom-syndrome.

He's a cool little lizard! (or she...quite frankly I can't tell yet.)

Quick as lightning, likes to lick everything (lol), but doesn't seem to have much of an appetite. Although I'm sure that has something to do with being in a new environment. I've only had the little booger for six days.

I look forward to learning as much as I can here =)

 

[JessPets]

Hello, welcome to the forum! Could you give us a complete run down of everything? Lights, temps, food, thermometer, UV, etc

 

[GlassesTho]

Hello and thank you for the welcome!

Skywalker was a christmas gift from petco, so my grandparents gave me one of those "desert lizard" kits. It came with a white day bulb (it gets pretty hot) and a sort of purple-looking night-bulb that also gives off heat.

I purchased a UVB bulb (it's a small coil light bulb), because that's what I was able to get at the moment. As for temps, I can't give you accurate temps. The tank came with a stick-on temperature gauge and the needle doesn't really seem to move up or down more than 2 degrees past 80 no matter where I put it...so I have a feeling that's not very accurate. Especially since that light gets too hot for me to touch it. I'm in the process of waiting for a more accurate thermometer from Amazon.

Skywalker has eaten crickets, and dubia roaches. But never more than 8 small crickets in a day...even if I offer more later, he just isn't interested. He wouldn't eat anything yesterday- but did lick up some blended fruit I dabbed on his nose. And so far today, hasn't seemed interested in eating either. I did just notice his foot has started shedding though?

 

[JessPets]

Okay, to be honest, those kits are junk. Did it come with sand? If so, take it out immediately. Change the UV bulb from a coil to a ReptiSun 10.0 t5 tube one. Get a new thermometer, and IR temp gun is preferable. Crickets and dubia are great staple insects. How often are you feeding him? he should be eating 2-3 times a day.

 

[GlassesTho]

Okay, to be honest, those kits are junk. Did it come with sand? If so, take it out immediately. Change the UV bulb from a coil to a ReptiSun 10.0 t5 tube one. Get a new thermometer, and IR temp gun is preferable. Crickets and dubia are great staple insects. How often are you feeding him? he should be eating 2-3 times a day.

The kit actually came with carpet, but I do also have a bag of sand as well. I'll make sure to take the sand out and use the carpet. =)

Do you need one of those over-tank hoods to use the tube lights?

He only eats once a day- even if I offer food 2-3 times. He refused food altogether yesterday. The only exception would be today, he did eat twice. Once in the morning when he ate a bit of reptaboost, and then about 5 little dubia roaches in the afternoon. (I guess...the vitamins perked him up?)

 

[JessPets]

You don't necessarily need a hood. Just a under the counter fluorescent fixture form Home Depot or Walmart would work