NEWBIE ALERT!! Am I doing it right??

[KimNartemisia]

Hi ya'll. I am a new bearded dragon mom and always worried if I am doing everything right. Unfortunately, I found this website after I purchased Artemisia... I did a month's worth of research before getting her but I am still learning more and more everyday. I've almost had her for a month, I got her from an ad. She's 18 inches, estimated to be 2-4 years old. I LOVE her dearly, but being new to this is very stressful! Vet says I am doing things right but I like to hear opinions and confirmation...

Current Enclosure Set Up: (still in the process of getting things just right!)
-Terrarium: 75 gallon, 4 ft x 18 inches wide x 21 inches tall, glass with screen lid
-UVB: Zilla brand slim fixture (36 inches) T8 full-spectrum desert lighting, 15 watt, 50 UVB (currently on top of screen, working on this...) Arty can get within 6 inches of the light.
-Basking: 100 watt light, 105-112 F, has a second basking spot that reaches 90 F
-Zoo Med heating pad on side of glass for extra heat (ambient temp, not for contact)
-Cool side of tank is 70-75 F and warm side is 80-85 F, night time temps do not go below 65 F
-Shallow pool, hiding cave, logs for climbing and a rock for basking
-Sand substrate from Home Depot (I get mixed feedback on this)

When I got her, her owners called her a sandfire, she didn't have any coloration or markings. They said they never changed her UVB light so I immediately bought new ones and within a week she was beautiful orange with black back stripes. She has been acting funny the past couple of weeks but I think it could be due to oncoming shed. I'll post more on that in behavior. THANKS for looking and helping!!

 

[BeardedLion]

Congrats on getting your dragon! I'm a new owner too, so I definitely understand the stress. I'd definitely look into getting a Reptisun T5 10.0 HO for your UVB. It's a great light to put above the screen. What kind of feeders and veggies do you have lined up?

 

[KimNartemisia]

I know so bummed, I replaced the old UVB that came with her with the only UVBs available at our local pet store, then I learned that everyone with a dragon uses Reptisun! More $$, it's on the ever-growing list!

I provide her with salad daily, which consists of 80% greens (turnip, romaine, collard, mustard, etc.) and 20% vegetables (sweet potato, broccoli, bell peppers, squash, carrots, etc.) with the occasional fruit (apples, berries), but she really doesn't care too much for fruit. Her salad appetite has decreased in the last 2 weeks, perhaps due to shed?

Her insects are mainly crickets, mealworms and superworms. I am trying to get in a rhythm of having all available and gut-loaded, then I hope to diversify her insect regime. I feed the crickets a high-calcium poultry feed (for laying hens) and I feed the worms bran and oats. I am in the process of getting the worms super calcium charged by giving them a mixture my vet recommended. She gets fed everyday, as much as she can eat in ten minutes (usually around 30-40 insects). I dust them with cal and vitamins twice/week. Her insect appetite has grown ravenous in the past couple of weeks, she really livens up when she sees insects.

Congrats on your new beardie as well!

 

[HitokiriBattousai]

if there are any around you can check out expos for supplies i got a 24 inch T5 Reptisun 10.0 for $21 (Vs 36$ or higher anywhere else locally)


also with sand and mealworms keep an eye on her pooping as both of those have a risk of impaction


and i also got a Beardie recently (got him at an expo as well) here is the little guy

he is around 6.5 inches and 5-6 weeks old

 

[BeardedLion]

I got my reptisun T5 fixture off of Amazon and it was relatively more cheap compared to my local retailers. Yeah, sand seems to be more acceptable if it's being used for adults as opposed to juveniles/babies. In combination with mealworms though, impaction is definitely a greater risk. Tile and reptile carpet is always a safe bet though

Nice veggie variety as well. I've been having trouble getting mine to eat veggies, but he loves greens. He's a juvenile, so he's mainly been feasting on dubias, phoenix worms, and horn worms though.

 

[Taterbug]

Hopefully we are all constantly learning, I know I am
I'd say your doing great by your little lady

I prefer the T5 UVB too, they are just much more versatile. I can't speak to the quality of the zilla bulbs, I've only ever used reptisun and not seen charts for the zillas. Read around, there is more than just one solution for lighting

At her age I might slow down on the insects and even offer them every other day, to make sure she is eating her veggies. It sounds like the increase on one and decrease of the other are lined up? Supers and mealworms in particular are higher in fat and if she is sedentary like many captives are it could be a problem down the road. That said it sounds like you have a good vet and I'd defer to their advice on the matter.

I'm curious what regimen they advised for the superworms?

For the heating pad, do you see a difference with it? I have never had luck with them raising air temps very well (I used to use them for my snakes) and the typical ones are usually only good for conductive heat. If you need more ambient levels (especially for at night) ceramic heat emitters are a low cost solution, or I really like radiant heat panels but they are more expensive.

My understanding with sand (play sand mind you, not the pet store stuff) is that so long as your dragon is healthy and well supported (well hydrated, temps, fibre, minerals etc) natural particles should pass along fine just like anything else. I don't personally care for how dry/dusty and soft/shifting it can be. I wouldn't nessisarily say it compounds with the mealworms though.

 

[KimNartemisia]

if there are any around you can check out expos for supplies i got a 24 inch T5 Reptisun 10.0 for $21 (Vs 36$ or higher anywhere else locally)


also with sand and mealworms keep an eye on her pooping as both of those have a risk of impaction


and i also got a Beardie recently (got him at an expo as well) here is the little guy

he is around 6.5 inches and 5-6 weeks old

I am going to a reptile show this weekend so hopefully I can find some good deals. She poops (a GIANT poop!) about every four days which seems unusual to me. Her poop is runny and foul, that's why I took her to the vet. I'm treating her for protozoans and it does seem to be helping but she still only goes every few days. She doesn't spend a lot of time basking, I think it's because she is in the process of shedding, so maybe that is the reason for her inconsistency. Nonetheless, she doesn't seem constipated.

Your beardie is adorable! Very similar colors to my girl! I'll try posting a pic at the end of this thread, I've been struggling with the uploader. Thanks for the tips!

 

[KimNartemisia]

I got my reptisun T5 fixture off of Amazon and it was relatively more cheap compared to my local retailers. Yeah, sand seems to be more acceptable if it's being used for adults as opposed to juveniles/babies. In combination with mealworms though, impaction is definitely a greater risk. Tile and reptile carpet is always a safe bet though

Nice veggie variety as well. I've been having trouble getting mine to eat veggies, but he loves greens. He's a juvenile, so he's mainly been feasting on dubias, phoenix worms, and horn worms though.

Hmm, I'll look up the prices on Amazon and compare them to the expo this weekend. I've kept her on sand because I got that book, "The Bearded Dragon Manual", which recommends sand.... contrary to what everyone else says ha! She's always been on sand and she seems healthy for the most part. I love the natural look of the sand, we'll see. I always feed her outside of her terrarium because it's easier for me to control and not lose insects in her habitat.

Her salad appetite has been low lately, not sure why. I'd love to get my girl on a bigger variety of soft-bodied insects, but still trying to find a company who can ship in cold weather (OH, US!). Doing the best with what is available to us!

 

[KimNartemisia]

Hopefully we are all constantly learning, I know I am
I'd say your doing great by your little lady

I prefer the T5 UVB too, they are just much more versatile. I can't speak to the quality of the zilla bulbs, I've only ever used reptisun and not seen charts for the zillas. Read around, there is more than just one solution for lighting

At her age I might slow down on the insects and even offer them every other day, to make sure she is eating her veggies. It sounds like the increase on one and decrease of the other are lined up? Supers and mealworms in particular are higher in fat and if she is sedentary like many captives are it could be a problem down the road. That said it sounds like you have a good vet and I'd defer to their advice on the matter.

I'm curious what regimen they advised for the superworms?

For the heating pad, do you see a difference with it? I have never had luck with them raising air temps very well (I used to use them for my snakes) and the typical ones are usually only good for conductive heat. If you need more ambient levels (especially for at night) ceramic heat emitters are a low cost solution, or I really like radiant heat panels but they are more expensive.

My understanding with sand (play sand mind you, not the pet store stuff) is that so long as your dragon is healthy and well supported (well hydrated, temps, fibre, minerals etc) natural particles should pass along fine just like anything else. I don't personally care for how dry/dusty and soft/shifting it can be. I wouldn't nessisarily say it compounds with the mealworms though.

I might try feeding her insects every other day and see if her salad appetite increases. When I got her she was a little thinner than I'd like, so I was comfortable giving her insects everyday, but she has gotten to a better weight. Her past owners only fed her insects once a week and the only veggies they gave her were canned :/ I provide her with fresh veggies, which she happily ate at first, just slowed down in the last couple of weeks. She went from being hyper-active the first couple of weeks with a high salad appetite and a low insect appetite (then she laid eggs, hmm..), and now she is relatively inactive with a low salad appetite and a high insect appetite. Her skin is much duller so I am expecting a shed...

My vet didn't give me a specific regimen for superworms. I'll try them on the same mixture and see if they eat it...

Yes, my heat pad raised my temps a good 10 degrees, I put it on the warm side of the tank and it gave the habitat a nice gradient. Who knows how long it will last, it doesn't seem that hardy.

So far I have liked the sand. It's pretty and heats up nicely. When I clean it I never sift, and I mist it every morning and night (watching the humidity levels) to mitigate dust. When she's active she loves digging in it. I watch her closely for respiratory/impaction symptoms... I don't know, maybe I'll end up switching it! Thanks for your input!

 

[KimNartemisia]

Some pictures of Artemisia Thanks all for the input!

 

[Taterbug]

What a pretty one she is. poor thing, I'm glad she found you to take care of her.

I am in central Ohio. Columbus has a good monthy show and the better selection of feeders for the area. Many booths have crickets, dubia and superworms. There is a bug vendor who also has healthy waxworms and sometimes hornworms. I've also seen less common roaches (red runners) a few times. I think Cincinnati and Cleveland also have shows.

Otherwise I've been mostly dissapointed with what I can get locally.

For the sand - Its worth having a read around and do what you are comfortable with. There are lots of blind opinions on both sides of the loose substrate debate, and pros/cons too. Personaly I use a sand/soil mix - it allows digging but holds a burrow and can be compacted pretty solid for a stable surface.

 

[KimNartemisia]

What a pretty one she is. poor thing, I'm glad she found you to take care of her.

I am in central Ohio. Columbus has a good monthy show and the better selection of feeders for the area. Many booths have crickets, dubia and superworms. There is a bug vendor who also has healthy waxworms and sometimes hornworms. I've also seen less common roaches (red runners) a few times. I think Cincinnati and Cleveland also have shows.

Otherwise I've been mostly dissapointed with what I can get locally.

For the sand - Its worth having a read around and do what you are comfortable with. There are lots of blind opinions on both sides of the loose substrate debate, and pros/cons too. Personaly I use a sand/soil mix - it allows digging but holds a burrow and can be compacted pretty solid for a stable surface.

Thank you! I am in Port Clinton, nothing here for reptiles and Sandusky isn't much better. I am headed to the Cleveland show this weekend, hoping to come home with an assortment of feeders Getting into a good feeder-rhythm is something I am struggling with right now.

Soil/sand sounds like a good idea! I bet the soil helps with the dust too. What type of soil do you use?

 

[Taterbug]

Mine is a mix of topsoil, sand and cocohusk. It's kept moderately moist (the top is allowed to dry out) to encourage beneficial microorganisms (like a cycled fish tank). It's better to have a deep layer (I have 8-10") to be effective, and since it requires water good ventilation is important to prevent humidity or stale air. I do find it less dusty and annoying - but it's still messy. There's a few guides out there, it's more popular with snake and monitor keepers, but folks are trying it on their geckos and beardies too.

I hope you enjoy the show in Cleveland! Let us know what you are able to find