New owner getting conflicting information

[Jes]

Hi everyone. I am new to beardies and want to do things right. I bought Obidiah from Petsmart (have been told that was not the best place to get one) July 29 and was told he was around 2 months old. On line I read you should feed babies 2 or 3 times a day and feed them as much as they will eat within 10-15 minutes, so that's what I did. Then I talked to a breeder and she said only feed him 1 or 2 times a day and only 10-15 crickets a day. She said to dust insects everyday, one day with calcium and d3, next day vitamins and d3, and jut keep alternating. She also said he probably has parasites because I bought him from Petsmart so I should bring him to a vet. I brought him to vet who said all reptiles have a certain amount of parasites but Obidiah was within normal ranges but that he was a little under weight. So for a month and a half I went from feeding him 25 or more crickets a day to 15 a day and am now feeding him 3 times a day and between 20 and 30 small crickets a day. He also gets and devours a salad every day. He has never acted like he was full yet, always acts like I have starved him and can't get enough food. I really would like to know how much is average for a 3 1/2 month old beardie. Also he has been going to the bathroom twice a day, very regular, until today, he has had all 3 feedings and still hasn't gone, is this normal? I really appreciate any help you can give me and Obi

 

[RangoRocky]

Have you tried dubia roaches? They have more nutrional value than crickets does. A cricket is like a hot dog to us and a roaches would be like steak to us. But in terms of feeding my baby 2-3 times a day and she gets about 10-20 roaches which is what she eats in that 10-15min span. If your interested in trying roaches I recommend www.betterthancrickets.com. He ships daily and I offer both 2 and 3 day shipping. Also, if you use DUBIA15 you can get 15% off your 1st order

 

[Jes]

Have you tried dubia roaches? They have more nutrional value than crickets does. A cricket is like a hot dog to us and a roaches would be like steak to us. But in terms of feeding my baby 2-3 times a day and she gets about 10-20 roaches which is what she eats in that 10-15min span. If your interested in trying roaches I recommend www.betterthancrickets.com. He ships daily and I offer both 2 and 3 day shipping. Also, if you use DUBIA15 you can get 15% off your 1st order

Thanks I'll try that, do you think it's normal that he hasn't gone today? It's funny that the only one that mentioned dubia roaches and she said they are very expensive and that the crickets would be enough for his needs. Do you get small or extra small?

 

[RangoRocky]

the person I mentioned price are the best that I’ve seen with shipping. I get the smalls. Extra small are to small. For me with the oldest one when he was a baby once he ate his first roach he didn’t want crickets any more. So be prepared that. I know it sound like a lot but I would either get the 200 to start out with. My last 100 count barely lasted a week feeding her 2-3 times a day and then I had to buy more and pay for shipping again.

 

[RangoRocky]

200 with the 15% off on betterthancrickets is $13.60 with 2 day priority shipping $7.90 its $21.50. Best part is they last longer than crickets, they don’t smell, and no chirping.

 

[Jes]

The extra small were sold out so I ordered small, should be getting them by end of week and we'll see how it goes. Thanks RangoRocky

 

[DorgEndo]

What is your enclosure set up? UVB light ideally should be a T5 10.0 or 12% (Zoo Med Reptisun or Arcadia are good example brands). It's very important to get the long florescent tube light. No compact lights! At least 24" long with a reflector good to direct all the light downwards. Mounted inside the enclosure with nothing between the bulb and your dragon is best. Babies need a lot of UVB and a lot of heat.

A basking hot zone around 104-110°F then the cool side of the enclosure can be 75-85°F with the middle of the enclosure in the 90°s.

Baby beardies, about 0-6 months old, grow fast. You can feed at least 3 meals a day. Calcium powder (phosphorus free), calcium with vitamin D3, and a multivitamin powder are all needed. Keep that up

Offer greens every day, you can add supplements to the greens too. This will help him get used to supplement on greens which is important for an adult.

Make sure food is no larger than distance between the eyes. Small insects and you can cut up leafy greens and vegetables to be easier to eat.

Some good feeder options, because variety is nice. These can all come in small sizes, but some like hornworms grow huge

Black soldier fly larvae (aka phoenix worms) these have enough calcium where you do not need to add calcium dust

Dubia roaches

Crickets

Silk worms (only eat Mulberry)

Horn worms (grow big fast, very hydrating)

Lots of leafy greens/vegetables are great foods. Fruits are okay in limited amounts. Can help with hydration and getting bowels moving

Collard greens

Mustard greens

Butternut squash

Dandelion greens (and flowers)

Bok choy

Curly endive

Escarole

Carrot (shredded)

Bell peppers

Blueberry

Strawberry

Not a complete list. You should gut load insects, mostly crickets and dubia roaches. Give them the same vegetables and fruits to eat so the insect is more nutritious for your baby.

You can add a dish with knee high water for your beardie to "swim" in. Gives them a chance to drink, it can be hard for a beardie to understand a water dish, water they can splash in or moving water makes more sense to them as a place to drink. Supervise the water dish and take out when you're not there, especially overnight.

 

[DorgEndo]

Pooping. Every day is normal for a baby. Try giving a dish with water to "swim" in. Knee high water. That also can stimulate poo to swim in water. I'm not there to see how he is acting. Any changes in ability to move or loss of appetite and no poop are concerning. If it's a day or two between poops that can be normal too. I hope he poops soon

 

[xp29]

Lets take a minute to go over your lighting as well, it is the most critical component to their well being. I'm guessing that since you got the beardie at petsmart they sold you a "desert kit" as well. If they sent you home with a compact/coil uvb, they are setting you up for failure. Those lights should be banned. You need a long tube fixture that is 2/3 the length of your enclosure. I personally recommend the Arcadia t5 12%, a lot of folks here recommend the ZooMed with the reptisun, but i personally have bought 4 and had all 4 fail since January. If you go with the t5 it needs to be 12 to 15 inches from your beardie, if you should go with the t8 it needs to be much closer 6 to 8 inches. It's better if it's unobstructed but workable on top of the screen. Just be aware the screen blocks like 30%of the uvb.
For basking, you need a clear white incandescent bulb, no colored bulbs ever for any reason. (if you need extra heat at night use a ceramic heat emitter they produce zero visible light). The basking temp for a baby needs to be 105 to 110 degrees, as he ages you will reduce it a bit. Adults need 95 to 100 degrees. Please use digital probe type thermometers those dails they sell are junk, and the ir type thermometers are inaccurate on certain materials as well. If you don't get your uvb and basking on point, very quickly your beardie will likely stop eating and will not be able to digest what he does eat, you might also see behavioral issues. And ultimately if the uvb isn't correct and sufficient he will suffer from metabolic bone disease. Please look up pictures of that, its a cruel disease and very painful for them.
I'm not trying to scare you or be mean, i just want you and your beardie to have a happy life together. Once you learn the lighting everthing else kindda falls into place.
CONGRAZZ ON YOUR BABY!!!

 

[Jes]

What is your enclosure set up? UVB light ideally should be a T5 10.0 or 12% (Zoo Med Reptisun or Arcadia are good example brands). It's very important to get the long florescent tube light. No compact lights! At least 24" long with a reflector good to direct all the light downwards. Mounted inside the enclosure with nothing between the bulb and your dragon is best. Babies need a lot of UVB and a lot of heat.

A basking hot zone around 104-110°F then the cool side of the enclosure can be 75-85°F with the middle of the enclosure in the 90°s.

Baby beardies, about 0-6 months old, grow fast. You can feed at least 3 meals a day. Calcium powder (phosphorus free), calcium with vitamin D3, and a multivitamin powder are all needed. Keep that up

Offer greens every day, you can add supplements to the greens too. This will help him get used to supplement on greens which is important for an adult.

Make sure food is no larger than distance between the eyes. Small insects and you can cut up leafy greens and vegetables to be easier to eat.

Some good feeder options, because variety is nice. These can all come in small sizes, but some like hornworms grow huge

Black soldier fly larvae (aka phoenix worms) these have enough calcium where you do not need to add calcium dust

Dubia roaches

Crickets

Silk worms (only eat Mulberry)

Horn worms (grow big fast, very hydrating)

Lots of leafy greens/vegetables are great foods. Fruits are okay in limited amounts. Can help with hydration and getting bowels moving

Collard greens

Mustard greens

Butternut squash

Dandelion greens (and flowers)

Bok choy

Curly endive

Escarole

Carrot (shredded)

Bell peppers

Blueberry

Strawberry

Not a complete list. You should gut load insects, mostly crickets and dubia roaches. Give them the same vegetables and fruits to eat so the insect is more nutritious for your baby.

You can add a dish with knee high water for your beardie to "swim" in. Gives them a chance to drink, it can be hard for a beardie to understand a water dish, water they can splash in or moving water makes more sense to them as a place to drink. Supervise the water dish and take out when you're not there, especially overnight.

The tank is a 40 gallon 36 x 18 x18. I have a 100 watt heating bulb white, and a 36" t5 39watt uvb attached inside diagonally across tank. The warm side reads between 90 and 93 with the basking rock surface 102 to 107. If that side of tank gets warmer the rock has gone up to 125, which I thought was too hot. Do you think I should raise the Temps on the hot side?
I have given him a bath every 3 days and I do give him a salad every day and he eats it all, I have not dusted the salad but will start doing that. My vet said I should get calcium and vitamins without D3 because he gets the D3 from uvb light, what is your thoughts on that, can a bearded get too much D3 and/or uvb?
Other than not pooping he is acting normal.

 

[xp29]

Yes they can, uvb triggers the boby to produce d3 which is then inturn used for the absorption of calcium. If your uvb is up to par they don't need alot of d3 in their supplements. To much can cause toxicity. Without a solarmeter to measure exact output of your uvb light it's a bit of a guessing game. But your lights are new so they should be good for several months. (As long as your beardie can get close enough to the light for it to be effective). I would only give d3 mayve a couple times per week.
Consequently uvb has the same effect on us hoomans. Thats why it's healthy for us to get some exposure to the sun.
Which reminds me, if you can get your beardie out in the sun for 30 minutes to an hour a few times a week it's the best uvb they can get. Just be careful not to overheat him, or let him have a chance to escape.

 

[Jes]

His basking rock is about 8" from uvb light and there is a log about 11" from it. The tank is only 18" high so he would have to be on floor to be 15" away. Is there harm if he is as close as he is? The brand I bought is ReptiZoo and I got a 36" which cover the whole tank, I am thinking about getting the Acadia and am wondering if I should get a shorter one. To keep him at 11" I could take the rock out but the basking temps are lower on the log because it's further from the basking bulb. I will try taking him outside for some real sunlight and see how he reacts. Thanks for your help and any more advice on those lights is greatly appreciated.

 

[KarrieRee]

The extra small were sold out so I ordered small, should be getting them by end of week and we'll see how it goes. Thanks RangoRocky

Make sure the dubia is no bigger than the space between his eyes -- you dont want him impacted

 

[Groggyfroggie]

Hi Jes! Your baby is adorable.

I see you have quite a similar setup as I do. Tank size and beardie age are about the same as mine. Regarding the uvb lighting I would say the distance is ok, no need to take decors out. The temps are good as well. No need to change the current setup imo

Baby beardies do eat A LOT. But you don't really need stress and get the exact amount everyday, just depends on her mood and how many hours she has after eating to bask and digest. Mine would eat around 30 small dubia plus small portion of greens. Recently as he grows up I've been cutting down the insects a bit.

Did she poop after your post? I've noticed as Draco gets older his pooping schedule changes a bit, sometimes skip a day or two, I usually give him warm baths and some pumpkin/apple puree if he hasn't gone in two days. Initially I stressed about it too, but if he looks fine, tummy don't feel weird when you touch it, no black beard, then I'd just give fewer insects and more hydration til he poops.

Obidiah is very lucky! You've got everything she needs and more, I'm sure she'll grow up happy and healthy.

 

[Jes]

Thanks and yes when I got home he had pooped, not as much as I was expecting just his usual amount but I am happy with that!