Newbie STILL having potential issues:

abby2121

Member
Beardie name(s)
Dart
So I believe, with help from this forum, we've finally gotten the lighting and tank situation where it needs to be. We have a 10.0 linear UVB and two basking spots, one is 100W, the other is 150W and the surface temp of those is close to 108 degrees. General tank temp on other side is 80...humidity is 50 or 40 depending on the day.
We've been feeding, mainly crickets, fresh greens such as spinach, collard greens and kale, some fruit in small amounts. We give meal worms but he only goes for them occasionally. He is definitely not food motivated. I will put crickets in, he might eat one right away and then the rest he either eats or doesn't eat when we are not looking. I would say at the outside maybe he's getting 8 crickets a day and a mealworm or two. We bought him at 4 months old and he's not much bigger now (it was 2 months ago). Poop is daily, often in the water so hard to tell if it's wattery but it does not smell super bad or anything. When I went to the Petco where we bought him, the other Beardie's in his old cage are HUGE. I insisted they must have replaced them but they seem to think it's the same group as when I bought Dart. Dart is about four inches long with a 5 inch tail and still pretty itty bitty. The other dragons were gigantic - easily three times his size. So is Petco wrong and they must be different dragons or could they triple their size (and then some) in two months. And if so, why isn't Dart getting much bigger? He's been to the vet when we first got him and they said he looked good, fecal sample normal. Halp.
 

abby2121

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Dart
So I believe, with help from this forum, we've finally gotten the lighting and tank situation where it needs to be. We have a 10.0 linear UVB and two basking spots, one is 100W, the other is 150W and the surface temp of those is close to 108 degrees. General tank temp on other side is 80...humidity is 50 or 40 depending on the day.
We've been feeding, mainly crickets, fresh greens such as spinach, collard greens and kale, some fruit in small amounts. We give meal worms but he only goes for them occasionally. He is definitely not food motivated. I will put crickets in, he might eat one right away and then the rest he either eats or doesn't eat when we are not looking. I would say at the outside maybe he's getting 8 crickets a day and a mealworm or two. We bought him at 4 months old and he's not much bigger now (it was 2 months ago). Poop is daily, often in the water so hard to tell if it's wattery but it does not smell super bad or anything. When I went to the Petco where we bought him, the other Beardie's in his old cage are HUGE. I insisted they must have replaced them but they seem to think it's the same group as when I bought Dart. Dart is about four inches long with a 5 inch tail and still pretty itty bitty. The other dragons were gigantic - easily three times his size. So is Petco wrong and they must be different dragons or could they triple their size (and then some) in two months. And if so, why isn't Dart getting much bigger? He's been to the vet when we first got him and they said he looked good, fecal sample normal. Halp.
ETA he won't take any food from us either hands or large tweezers.....is he just not that hungry or is he eating the right amount for his bitty size?
 

Groggyfroggie

Juvie Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Draco
How often does he get his supplements? Also the spinach isn’t good for beardies, please remove it from his diet entirely. Can you post some pictures of Dart just so we can see if anything else is going on with him. Does he have a black beard at all?

The pet store might be wrong about his age, but there’s also the possibility that he was disadvantaged in his clutch and wasn’t getting as much resources. I don’t know what the technical term is, but essentially he could be intimidated by his siblings and grow much slower. Anyways I’ve seen your other posts and with all the effort you put into his care, he should recover from that (if that’s the cause), just give him time to adjust.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
ETA he won't take any food from us either hands or large tweezers.....is he just not that hungry or is he eating the right amount for his bitty size?
How are you getting the surface basking temps - I am assuming w/ a digital probe thermometer- he has two separate basking spots correct? How long is he basking for? How many crickets is he eating at a feeding? Please feed him some super worms in place of the meal worms 1-3 every other day and you can use them as salad toppers -- you can get him some BSFL / nutri grubs from this site along w/ some roaches -- go by the chart on their website - get the size no bigger than the space between his eyes --- if all your lighting UVB is good w/ good distance and placement and temps are good he should be eating you out of house and home --- use the nutri grubs as salad toppers as well --- drop them in the bowl in front of him -- it will get his attention-- roaches are more nutritional and easier to care for
www.dubiaroaches.com
 

abby2121

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Dart
How are you getting the surface basking temps - I am assuming w/ a digital probe thermometer- he has two separate basking spots correct? How long is he basking for? How many crickets is he eating at a feeding? Please feed him some super worms in place of the meal worms 1-3 every other day and you can use them as salad toppers -- you can get him some BSFL / nutri grubs from this site along w/ some roaches -- go by the chart on their website - get the size no bigger than the space between his eyes --- if all your lighting UVB is good w/ good distance and placement and temps are good he should be eating you out of house and home --- use the nutri grubs as salad toppers as well --- drop them in the bowl in front of him -- it will get his attention-- roaches are more nutritional and easier to care for
www.dubiaroaches.com
Honestly I'm terrified to bring roaches into the house. I know it's good for him but based on the number of crickets I find loose in my son's room....roaches could be a disaster. Is there anything else similar? I thought spinach was ok but we use kale and collard greens way more often. I'll pull the spinach. I'll try to upload some photos tomorrow as he is already asleep for the night now. When I put crickets in....he eats one, maybe two and then stops. I come back later and he has usually eaten most of them...maybe 3-4 in the a.m and 3-4 in the pm. I was worried that he should be eating like crazy but he just isn't. He seems so great though in other ways....likes to be held.
 

abby2121

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Dart
Also today I moved the temp probe from the sand under his basking spot to the actual stone he basks on and it may be too hot, it was coming in at 112/113 and I have noticed he is basking half on the rock and half off. Should I get rid of the hot bulb (the 150) and just keep the 100? or should I raise the entire light housing a few inches? I doubt it could be too hot for him but if he's suppiosed to be eating like crazy...he's just not doing that. I'll put his crickets in with greens and a raspberry and he just walked away from it.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Honestly I'm terrified to bring roaches into the house. I know it's good for him but based on the number of crickets I find loose in my son's room....roaches could be a disaster. Is there anything else similar? I thought spinach was ok but we use kale and collard greens way more often. I'll pull the spinach. I'll try to upload some photos tomorrow as he is already asleep for the night now. When I put crickets in....he eats one, maybe two and then stops. I come back later and he has usually eaten most of them...maybe 3-4 in the a.m and 3-4 in the pm. I was worried that he should be eating like crazy but he just isn't. He seems so great though in other ways....likes to be held.
Temps are too hot drop down to a 100 watt and get the temp w/ the probe- 95-100-- the roaches are not hard to keep- crickets are escape artist and stink - I would switch to roaches - set up a 10 gallon aquarium feed dubia find and dubia dew and what you feed the dragon- it will be much easier and less hassle-
 

Samandcharlie

New member
Beardie name(s)
Charlie
I hope things are better for you now. I just wanted to let you know if you put Dubia roaches in something with smooth sides they cannot get out. So they’re actually less likely to escape than crickets. We got a small hamster food dish to put in our beardies enclosure. They can’t get out of that.
 

abby2121

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Dart
Hi
So he loves his roaches. He eats them happily 2x per day. Probably about 7 roaches each time. And they don't get out. I am considering doing a habitat for the roaches but not sure how to breed them? He refuses crickets now altogether and is not so crazy about his greeens even though I do switch it up. He's a picky eater for sure.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Hi
So he loves his roaches. He eats them happily 2x per day. Probably about 7 roaches each time. And they don't get out. I am considering doing a habitat for the roaches but not sure how to breed them? He refuses crickets now altogether and is not so crazy about his greeens even though I do switch it up. He's a picky eater for sure.
try this website and see if it will help w/ the starting the colony
www.dubiaroaches.com
 

Groggyfroggie

Juvie Member
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Draco
Hi
So he loves his roaches. He eats them happily 2x per day. Probably about 7 roaches each time. And they don't get out. I am considering doing a habitat for the roaches but not sure how to breed them? He refuses crickets now altogether and is not so crazy about his greeens even though I do switch it up. He's a picky eater for sure.
You can put them in a plastic or glass container, with smooth walls so they don’t get out. Just put egg crates in and find an empty spot to put a small food dish in (like a Pringle’s lid). They breed best with the right temperature. Diet wise you don’t wanna use high protein foods like dog food pellets, leftover veggies and fruits would be good. It’s likely a several months process before you can get your first adult pairs, then they’ll breed.
 

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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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