I purchased a Beardie one week before Christmas, I live in Chicago and it has been very cold lately.
Our Beardie is about 3-5 inches long so I assume he is relatively young.
Here are some details abut his home:
Enclosure = 36L x 18w x 24T tank with mesh screen.....the tank has vents at both ends of the tank and a feeding opening at the front.
Lighting = ESU Reptile Slimline Light Fixture with 18 Super UV Lamp, 18"L x 4"W x 1"H, that sits on top of the screen mesh.
Heating = (1) Fluker 8.5" lamp with one 150watt ZooMed Repti Basking Spot Lamp at one end of the tank
Heating = (1) Fluker 8.5" lamp with one 150watt ZooMed Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp at the opposite end of the tank
Heating = (1) Zoo Med Repti Therm Under Tank Heater on the same end where the Infrared Heat Lamp is located
Substrate = Reptile Carpet
We do have a cat in the house, who is unable to reach the height of the Beardie Tank, so she sits on the floor outside of the tank with her head looking up.....almost in a trance state and at times I can swear I hear the Beardie teasing her...'you can't get me, you can't get me'.
We live in a loft so it can get down to 65 at night.......thus my heating applications
I have Digital Thermometers at both ends of the tank. One at the basking spot which is about 95-110 during the day and down to 70-85 at night....and this is at the end of the tank where he bask.
I keep the water on the front right corner of the tank and try to change it daily.
At the opposite end of the tank where the Infrared Lamp and heat pad is located the temperature hangs around 95 in the day and 85 at night.
During the day I keep the Infrared lamp on, I keep the flourescent lamp on and I keep the basking lamp on.
During the night the only light left on is the Infrared lamp and the heating pad is always on.
Since we have had him he was very active, he successfully shedded his first skin and he was very active and watches every thing that takes place in the house....pretty cool.
My wife and daugther handle him every day.....I am just the cage cleaner.
This guy hangs around alot and just chills out......when we open the from opening and dump crickets into the opening he responds and goes straight to the opening and waits for the crickets.
We give him greens which he eats quickly.
Last night he did not go to sleep in his normal position perched on a vine, last night he seemed to be lethargic and he just stretched out on some silk plants that we have in the tank for decoration and hiding spots.
I have stressed the importance of calcium dusting of the crickets during the feedings.....but do we need to dust the Beardie with calcium?
We feed the Beardie 10 -15 crickets a day.....should we feed more?
Is this Beardie OK???? Why the sudden change in behavior, how do we know if he is sick?? Our gut feeling is that something is wrong.....any suggestions?
He went from active or at least responsive to just laying around on leaves with his limbs not giving me that same feel that when I saw him hanging on to the vine.
Is he OK?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Our Beardie is about 3-5 inches long so I assume he is relatively young.
Here are some details abut his home:
Enclosure = 36L x 18w x 24T tank with mesh screen.....the tank has vents at both ends of the tank and a feeding opening at the front.
Lighting = ESU Reptile Slimline Light Fixture with 18 Super UV Lamp, 18"L x 4"W x 1"H, that sits on top of the screen mesh.
Heating = (1) Fluker 8.5" lamp with one 150watt ZooMed Repti Basking Spot Lamp at one end of the tank
Heating = (1) Fluker 8.5" lamp with one 150watt ZooMed Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp at the opposite end of the tank
Heating = (1) Zoo Med Repti Therm Under Tank Heater on the same end where the Infrared Heat Lamp is located
Substrate = Reptile Carpet
We do have a cat in the house, who is unable to reach the height of the Beardie Tank, so she sits on the floor outside of the tank with her head looking up.....almost in a trance state and at times I can swear I hear the Beardie teasing her...'you can't get me, you can't get me'.
We live in a loft so it can get down to 65 at night.......thus my heating applications
I have Digital Thermometers at both ends of the tank. One at the basking spot which is about 95-110 during the day and down to 70-85 at night....and this is at the end of the tank where he bask.
I keep the water on the front right corner of the tank and try to change it daily.
At the opposite end of the tank where the Infrared Lamp and heat pad is located the temperature hangs around 95 in the day and 85 at night.
During the day I keep the Infrared lamp on, I keep the flourescent lamp on and I keep the basking lamp on.
During the night the only light left on is the Infrared lamp and the heating pad is always on.
Since we have had him he was very active, he successfully shedded his first skin and he was very active and watches every thing that takes place in the house....pretty cool.
My wife and daugther handle him every day.....I am just the cage cleaner.
This guy hangs around alot and just chills out......when we open the from opening and dump crickets into the opening he responds and goes straight to the opening and waits for the crickets.
We give him greens which he eats quickly.
Last night he did not go to sleep in his normal position perched on a vine, last night he seemed to be lethargic and he just stretched out on some silk plants that we have in the tank for decoration and hiding spots.
I have stressed the importance of calcium dusting of the crickets during the feedings.....but do we need to dust the Beardie with calcium?
We feed the Beardie 10 -15 crickets a day.....should we feed more?
Is this Beardie OK???? Why the sudden change in behavior, how do we know if he is sick?? Our gut feeling is that something is wrong.....any suggestions?
He went from active or at least responsive to just laying around on leaves with his limbs not giving me that same feel that when I saw him hanging on to the vine.
Is he OK?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Thanks