New Owner - Need guidance please

[DavidH]

Hello,

My name is Dave, and my family decided to add a new member, her (we think its a her) name is Drago. I have a son who is 10 years old. My wife's friend Jessie works at a local pet store that carries reptiles so she has been very helpful. Drago is only about 2 months old, and its hard to tell if its a boy or girl but in Jessie's opinion she thinks its a girl. She is incredibly calm when we hold her, and she enjoys being picked up. Ive been trying to pet her everywhere so she gets used to being touched everywhere. She watches us when we're outside her cage and is very inquisitive it seems. My wife thinks she has a bearded dragon crush on me. In any event we set up vivarium for her. By the way, everywhere I have been reading says "viv" for short, and it took me quite a while scouring the internet to figure out what "viv" meant. Im active on quite a few forums for hobbies and recreation and its always interesting to learn new lingo.

Currently Drago is in a 10 gallon tank with a elevated log, a shelter, fake plant, and a water dish. Above her is two clamp lights that are turned upside down on top of the metal mesh screen top. One clamp light is a 100W full spectrum light, the other is a 75W blacklite. From my understanding this provides enough heat. During the day the full spectrum light is on, at night the blacklite is on. Today Im going to be picking up a thermometer and a humidity gauge. I mist the cage with two sprays from a spray bottle twice a day for humidity. The substrate is like a reptile carpet that the pet store recommended. The day we got her we gave her 10 crickets covered in the ReptoCal (spelling??), she ate 8 the first day (friday), 2 on saturday. Today I went and picked up another 10. Ive been giving her Kale for greens, torn into small pieces and rinsed with water. I change the Kale for fresh each morning and change her water dish. I read you can dip your finger in the water dish and rub your finger tip by her mouth, then she drank the water from my finger tip. Much different experience than my cats. My cats have been curious about her naturally, even gone nose to nose, Barley (cat) though is a bit more reserved than our other cat Hops (cat as well, we have cats named Barley and Hops, do we like beer, yes).

My biggest question at the moment is feeding. I have read lots of different things, but I dont know what applies to a 2 month old beardie. Its not what to feed, but how often? I read in one of the care articles to feed twice a day whatever Drago can eat in 5-10 minutes. Take uneaten crickets out. When do I increase? Can they be overfed?

I hope to raise my own dubia roaches when she gets a bit bigger for feeders. Around Christmas Ill finish nursing school and my family can move from out apartment into a house, which will enable us to have more room to raise feeders.

Anyway, we're trying to handle her a few times each day so she gets used to it and from what I hear they enjoy it. She definitely likes laying on my hand.

My father-in-law girlfriend has a 30 long tank, and then she said a 36" long tank with a stand that we could have, so we're going to try to make room and get ready to upgrade her to the bigger tank sooner than later. I got lots of reading to do here on the forum, but if anyone has any suggestions or advice please do. Ive put a few pictures at the bottom.

 

[Fizzylady]

My guy is two months old also and for feeding I keep one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Lees-Kritter-Keeper-X-Large-Rectangle/dp/B0002APZOY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367190360&sr=8-3&keywords=kritter+keeper And I use it as a "feeding tank." I will put maybe a dozen or so crickets in it and then put Trogdor in it. He eats as many as he wants and then starts scratching on the side of the glass when he's done and ready to get out. If I see that he only has 1-2 crickets left and he's still going then I will shake in a few more. It's works really well for us and cuts down on trying to hunt down stray crickets in his tank - and if he doesn't eat them all then I can just leave them in there until the next feeding.

I also keep one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Cricket-Pen-Size/dp/B0073KOGOG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1367189601&sr=8-2&keywords=cricket+pen

I will keep something like 100 or so crickets on hand at a time. My guy has been sick and hasn't had much appetite so 100 crickets has lasted us a long time. Before he got sick he was averaging about 40-60 crickets a day, so once his appetite picks up I will be keeping more on hand.

***Sorry forgot to add how often I feed him. I usually put some kind of "salad" in his tank around 7am. My schedule allows for me to come home around 11 which is when I put him in his cricket tank. I go by the "as many as he can eat in 15 mins" rule, but he's usually scratching to come out after 5 minutes. Then I feed him again somewhere between 4pm-6pm so that he has a few more hours of light time to digest. I also leave a bowl of phoenix worms in his tank all day in case he gets hungry.

 

[WyteOut]

Enjoyed your new post. So, here is some fellow advice/facts from one owner to another .

1. Make sure your dusting your crickets so they get the essentials they need
2. It's in the beardies best Interest for you to purchase a Reptisun 10. UVB (Give them same amount of stuff as the sun would, very important)
3. Basking Light (Temps. 100-115 F. for juveniles like yours)
4. No substrate flooring (Personally I use Tile, or Reptile Carpet)
5. If temps. get below 75 F. at night, buy a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter(Best thing I ever did))
6. Make sure you feed them nothing no bigger than the space between there eyes. (This is very critical, my Beardie just got over an Impaction and I swear he was near death but thankfully he survived and is healthy.)
7. Don't listen to what the pet stores tell you
8. You don't need to mist the cage everyday (BD/Bearded Dragons obtain their hydration through their food, veggies, and baths. I bath my once a day but no need to, I just like to make sure my reptiles are clean and hydrated. You can also sometimes depending on the dragon...dip your finger in water and drop some onto their mouth and they will drink that way.)
9. Humidity should be 30 percentish (Mine stays at about 30, but from what I have researched its not totally a big deal just because they are not naturally used to high humidity. THey come from a very dry climate.)
10. Cool side of the cage should be 85 F.
11. Don't put your basking light center of the cage pick one side of the tank(They need to be able to regulate their temps. By putting your light right in the middle, makes it a challege.)
12. You can put a water dish in your tank, but put in somewhere on the cool side and clean it daily. (I come in to see my beardie hanging out in his water tub. I only ever seem him in there for no more than 10 min. than he goes right back to basking.)
13. Before and After handling make sure you wash your hands (Salomanella spelling* is carried by up to 3/4 of reptiles.through their feces, and vent).
14. In the event you think your beardie is sick, go to the Vet. Rather be safe than sorry. (I can tell that you are beginning to love your beardie just from the sheer dedication you have already put into "her", so take her to the Vet ask questions later).
15. The sex is hard to tell when it comes to younger beardies like yours, but sometimes possible. There are various ways I have seen people do it but I recommend you search the web to find the answer. Here is a great youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjVo8oZ5r1I
16. don't ever house beradies together, some get along but most don't. Personall preference honestly.
17. go to beautiful dragons.com and look at their nutrition book on what to feed your dragon. Great info.
18. Invest in buying crickets online, going to petstores and your likely going to get screwed. (Found that the hardway).
19. When handling babie/juvies make sure you don't handle them to much as it might stress them out. If you would like to handle them a lot, work your way into it by picking them up for 14 min. than leaving them in there cage. for a little awhile just to let them know your not going to hurt them. They can get sick/die from to much stress.
20. Becuase baby beardies are so delicate, when picking a beardie up make sure you ease them into your hand don't ever push down on them against the ground(Don't know why one would do this to begin with, but you never know.), squeeze them, or pick them up by their tail.
21. clean their cage weekly with disinfectant.
22. Don't put foreign objects from outside in your beardies cage without proper cleaning etc. or at all, could home parasites, fungus etc.
23. don't rap your beardie in ducttape. (Someone on youtube is making beardie duck tape clothes! can't even watch.)
24. Baby beardies diet consists of 20% Veggies and 80% crickets as they get old it reverses.
25. Feed your beardie as much as they will eat in a 5-10 min window. (If starving, be cautions might over eat to fast like most animals would)
26. They love Mopani wood to hang, scrath, or bask on.
27. You might enjoy actually building your beardie and cage eventually so much fun.




Note: Tired

 

[DTRM30]

Some good info posted.

Just wante to add - the ReptiSun 10 TUBE light - not the compact flourescent. The compact and coils (as well as some other brands such as ReptiGlo tubes) are known to cause eye damage and do not emit the proper wavelengths of UVB when tested. They are OK for some reptiles, just not bearded dragons.

To hydrate - you should give a daily or every other day bath for 15 minutes in warm water while they are small. They don't tend to drink enough water and can dehydrate quickly under basking lights. This was told to me by both this site and my reptile vet. They absorb water through their vent (butt).

Dusting schedule recommened on here for young dragons is :
dust with calcium (no phosphorous !) 1 feeding per day 5x per week
dust with vitamins 1 feeding per day 2x per week.

it is correct that the humidity should only be around 30%. They come from an arid region and too much humidity can cause respritory infections. So they do not need to have their enclosure misted to incrase humidity like a tropical reptile would.

Beautifuldragons.com is an awesome site that lists great foods. Try to avoid spinich, kale and lettuce as an everyday food item.
Mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, and dandelion greens are all great everyday food choices. If you feed thawed frozen greens, be sure you are using a vitamin supplement.

Definitely look into bulk feeder insects on-line. For an example, I ordered 2,000 crickets and they cost .02 each (that includes the overnight shipping cost) as opposed to .10 each at most pet stores. When young, expect them to eat a lot of insects.

Use a digital probe thermometer - the stick on ones can be very inaccurate.

 

[XiDiS]

Maybe its just the picture.... but those crickets look pretty big for a beardie his size.

 

[DTRM30]

Oh, and Congrats on the new addition ! She is very cute BTW

Good catch on the size ....

Be sure all food items are no larger than the space between their eyes. A baby should be fed small crickets - around 1/4". This includes cut up greens, though those have a little more leeway as they are soft. The reasoning is that if the insects are too large, they can cause a blockage in the intestines (impaction aka constipation). Babies should poop every day, every other day at the most.

You may already know all of this, so apologies if this seems redundant or repetition. Just trying to cover all the basics just in case

 

[angelpaws]

I noticed no one mentioned, so I'll add to your information overload.. :lol:

You'll need to have this list.
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
This is an EXCELLENT resource! Scroll all the way down the page for food and plants that are safe for your dragon. I also recommend Barron's books on bearded dragons but any book written exclusively for bearded dragons should suffice. I was unable to get the Barrons book but "The Bearded Dragon Manual" ISBN 978-188277059-5 has been especially helpful and is written by veterinarians. I still refer to it and I've had my boy for a year.

They do grow quickly! You've probably experienced a shedding already but if not, don't be alarmed! When my guy first shed it was like a skin explosion! Shedding was everywhere! I was really concerned until I realized what happened.

My boy NEVER drinks water out of a bowl so soaking (bathing) is the way to go. I cant emphasize more how therapeutic this is all the way around. Just make sure the water does not go cold.

In my experience, Beardies are easy but still high maintenance - no matter how you slice it. You'll find alot of really good info here, (and some not so good). That's why I recommend a book to cross reference your findings. :study: I get an overall consensus from a few people before making a decision. . Most of the time you will get responses from reliable folks but if it doesn't make sense..it probably isn't completely correct. I use the search engine for this site to find info on issues I come across. Part of it will be trusting your instincts on the info you get. Many folks, myself included, post photos on here to help give examples of what you're experiencing. Pics on the viv's, pics of body condition or ailments, sexing, etc. BTW, when your baby gets a-little older you should be able to sex it easily.

Hope these little tidbits helped. Good luck and welcome to the Beardie world!

 

[DavidH]

WOW, thanks for all the great information.

Our beardie will soon be getting a larger tank, my father-in-laws girlfriend has a 36"x12.5", I think its a 35 gallon. It come with a wooden stand to sit on as well. This should be a good size till she gets a bigger and then can transition to a larger tank. The 10 gallon she is in now will become housing for crickets so I can order crickets online. I picked up two books at the library and read through one so far. It also included information on housing crickets and how to care for them (the crickets). I picked up some cat nip along with smaller feeder crickets today so my cats dont feel left out.

The crikets I was using were too big and I have switched to small crickets. I will also have to find this vitamin powder, I have the calcium powder, just not the vitamin one yet.

The tank is 105 in the basking area, the cool side is 85. The whole tank is around 10-12% humidity (with a small water dish in the tank too; and spritzing two times twice a day).

Ill be looking into the Reptisun 10 tube light when we upgrade the tank by this weekend. The full spectrum light she has now also gives UVB but Ill take your advice and switch to the Reptisun.

Ill try to give a bath again, Ive only done one so far. Ill do another tomorrow and try to get on a more regular schedule. Not sure if I should use the regular bath tub? or a tupperware type container for my juvenile?

Beautiful dragons .com looks like a great resource.

I have a few questions on behavior, so Ill post here and if I dont get much Ill try posting in the behavior section instead. Anyway my beardie likes sitting on my hand, then she kind of licks my hand/sticks her tongue out, and eventually move up to my shoulder and sit there. Occasionally she'll move on the couch and today just from the couch to the side table (maybe to get under the light?). Just asking if they are generally inquisitive and tend to explore their environment? Thanks.

Thank you for all the great information!

 

[Goodtruant]

Congrats on the new beardie!

Our guy, Draper, likes to explore....well, he used to, now he know's all the 'good spots', so he knows where to go everytime we set him down. Usually it's straight to one of his favorite windows. He'll actually climb straight up our couch and jump onto a window sill. We will usually leave a towel for him to lay on. I encourage you to let your beardie explore your house....safely. When they are young, they tend to be jumpers. Keep her off of high places, because she'll jump.

Draper will only poop in a bath, which is awesome in my opinion. It means less cleanup in the viv.

We also have cats, and we still keep an eye on them, but they've really accepted each other, and seem to like each other. It took a little while to shake the cat's hunting instincts, but they hardly flinch anymore. They would much rather curl up with Draper and take a nap.

Both of our beardies will drink when we spray them....just spray them right in the face! They will both also drink from an eyedropper.

I encourage you...and your son...family for that matter....to watch these series of videos by Carolina Classic Dragons (links below). GREAT information, and fun to watch!

We just got a new beardie also, and we're trying to teach her all the stuff Draper has learned. Funny how different their personalities are though! She's a handful so far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU-r0C5iZ8M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rVdhGsaUw8

Good luck!

 

[angelpaws]

Hi David,
I find Beardies to be very inquisitive and as GoodTruant mentioned just before, beardies will attempt jumps. Be careful, they really aren't limber so they fall flat, like a bellyflop right on their tummies. Personally, I was always concerned about internal damage from falls like that so I didn't let me beardie stroll until he developed some body thickness. I also keep him at levels where if he does decide to leap, the fall wont hurt him (6-8 inches?). They love to lick everything - its their way of checking out the environment so dragon-proof your floor. Also, keep in mind the floor is always colder than the room temp - at some point he'll need to go to a warm spot.

Another thought is with the cage. Don't give too much space too soon. You want to upgrade gradually - sorta like a puppy - start with a room first, then the house, then the yard. The reasons are two-fold. First, the crickets will escape him, making it harder for him to feed and second, he might be overwhelmed by the sheer size of his new environment. I made the mistake of going from a 10 gallon to a 40 gallon. I waited till he was pretty big before moving him but he still went through a couple of days of "discomfort stress". He looked healthy but stopped eating for about two days. He gradually adjusted and responded very well to his new space. I guess my point is, go slow and expect some mild stress from drastic changes like that. While on the topic, I recommend investing in a front-opening tank if you can get a hold of one. It helps you appear less like a predator when you reach in and will help your bonding. I know many people have done well with normal cages, but my beardie's response to this was hugely noticeable and immediate.

Sorry... I didn't want to preach I'm sure your books have covered these areas. Just tryin to be helpful.
All the best!

 

[DavidH]

I think Im going to partition off part of the larger tank so its smaller on the inside for her. I was cleaning the tank this morning and found a piece of shedded skin.

I'm going to use the Reptisun 10 UVB bulb, which from my understanding has the UVB reach deeper into the tank than the Reptisun 5.

Can anyone recommend a good calcium and vitamin powder? Im using Reptocal currently. Not using a vitamin so I want to get some soon. Even listing a few good reputable brands is appreciated. Thank you

 

[Goodtruant]

Repti-cal is a good brand, they also make a multivitamin. http://www.amazon.com/HERPTIVITE-Multivitamin-reptiles-amphibians-Bottle/dp/B00076HT3S/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1367422735&sr=1-3&keywords=reptical

I use Repashy Calcium+, which is calcium plus a multivitamin all in one. http://www.amazon.com/Repashy-Super-Foods-Calcium-Supplement/dp/B00CI6K6H6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1367422696&sr=8-4&keywords=repashy+calcium+plus