gulfbrzdawn
BD.org Addict
Hello,
I just wanted to tell you again how very sorry I am that you lost your sweet little beardie. I know it must have been very difficult for you and your boyfriend, trying to save the little guys life. I wish we could have done more for you.
I want to make you up a care sheet. I want to ensure that your other beardie has a proper set up and gets what he needs in order to grow and thrive. It might be a good idea for you to print this out for future reference.
Set Up
All you need in your beardies tank is a UVB light and a bright white Basking bulb.
The best fluorescent uvb light that you can get is the ReptiSUN 10.0( Not ReptiGLO 10.0). If you cannot find this bulb at a local petshop you will need to order it online. This site has the ReptiSun 10 at a reasonable price http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
The uvb fluorescent tube needs to cover at least half the length of your tank for good coverage. You want to have the uvb light and the basking light next to one another. This way your beardie will benefit from both lights at the same time.
Your beardie should be able to get within 6-8" of the uvb light and 10-12" of the basking light.
The temperatures for a baby beardie need to be 105-110 on the basking side and 80-85 on the coolside. If basking temps are not high enough your beardie will not be able to digest properly. If basking temps are too high your beardie may become dehydrated.
The temperatures are extremely important to the health and well being of your bearded dragon.
In order for you to get accurate temperatures in your beardies enclosure you must use either a digital thermometer with a long wire and probe end or an infrared temperature gun. No other thermometer will do! The stick-on or dial thermometers are not accurate and can be off as much as 20 degrees.
You can get a great digital thermometer at Walmart. It is called AcuRite and sells for $12. You can find it in the home thermometer section(not the pet section) This thermometer will give you the basking, coolside and humidity readings all at once.
When using a digital thermometer...place the probe(on end of wire) directly on the basking spot. Leave it there for 45 minutes to get the reading.
Substrate
The best substrates for your enclosure are papertoweling, reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, non-adhesive lino, newspaper, tile(ex:slate). Tile needs to have a rough surface for traction or your beardie will slide on it.
Do Not use any loose particle substrates such as walnut shells, sand, pellets, etc....(these are dangerous for a small beardie, due to the risk of impaction and harboring bacteria)
Feeding
For a baby beardie....never feed them a live feeder that is bigger than the space between their eyes. Pinhead crickets or Phoenix worms are great staple feeders for a young dragon. Your beardie should be offered live feeders 2-3 x a day. Allow him to eat all the feeders he can in a 10-15 minute period of time.
Along with live feeders your beardie also needs veggies/greens, a fresh serving daily. Here is a food chart that tells you what to feed and what not to feed your beardie http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
If feeding your beardie crickets they must be gutloaded. Here is an example of what to feed them http://www.petmountain.com/product/cricket-insects-food/504509/cricket-total-bites.html
Vitamins
Your beardie needs vitamin supplements. They need Calcium and Multivitamins. Both of these come in a powder form that you dust their live feeders with.
The Calcium should be given 5 x a week(only dusting their feeders one feeding per day).
The Multivitamins should be given 2-3 x a week(dusted their feeders only one feeding per day)
Since you will be using a fluorescent uvb light(ReptiSun 10) the Calcium you use will need to be Phosphorus Free and with Vitamin D3
Bathing
You will need to bathe/soak your dragon at least 3-4 x a week. This is very important to keep your beardie hydrated. When bathing...put your beardie in a sink or rubbermaid type container filled with warm water only up to his armpits. You can put a washcloth in the bottom so that your beardie does not slip and feels safe. Allow him to soak for 15-20 minutes. Never leave your beardie unattended while in the bath!
You do not neccesarily need to spray or mist your dragon. they will get water from their veggies and bathing.
I hope this helps!
If you have any questions at all...feel free to ask!
Good Luck with your beardie!
I just wanted to tell you again how very sorry I am that you lost your sweet little beardie. I know it must have been very difficult for you and your boyfriend, trying to save the little guys life. I wish we could have done more for you.
I want to make you up a care sheet. I want to ensure that your other beardie has a proper set up and gets what he needs in order to grow and thrive. It might be a good idea for you to print this out for future reference.
Set Up
All you need in your beardies tank is a UVB light and a bright white Basking bulb.
The best fluorescent uvb light that you can get is the ReptiSUN 10.0( Not ReptiGLO 10.0). If you cannot find this bulb at a local petshop you will need to order it online. This site has the ReptiSun 10 at a reasonable price http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
The uvb fluorescent tube needs to cover at least half the length of your tank for good coverage. You want to have the uvb light and the basking light next to one another. This way your beardie will benefit from both lights at the same time.
Your beardie should be able to get within 6-8" of the uvb light and 10-12" of the basking light.
The temperatures for a baby beardie need to be 105-110 on the basking side and 80-85 on the coolside. If basking temps are not high enough your beardie will not be able to digest properly. If basking temps are too high your beardie may become dehydrated.
The temperatures are extremely important to the health and well being of your bearded dragon.
In order for you to get accurate temperatures in your beardies enclosure you must use either a digital thermometer with a long wire and probe end or an infrared temperature gun. No other thermometer will do! The stick-on or dial thermometers are not accurate and can be off as much as 20 degrees.
You can get a great digital thermometer at Walmart. It is called AcuRite and sells for $12. You can find it in the home thermometer section(not the pet section) This thermometer will give you the basking, coolside and humidity readings all at once.
When using a digital thermometer...place the probe(on end of wire) directly on the basking spot. Leave it there for 45 minutes to get the reading.
Substrate
The best substrates for your enclosure are papertoweling, reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, non-adhesive lino, newspaper, tile(ex:slate). Tile needs to have a rough surface for traction or your beardie will slide on it.
Do Not use any loose particle substrates such as walnut shells, sand, pellets, etc....(these are dangerous for a small beardie, due to the risk of impaction and harboring bacteria)
Feeding
For a baby beardie....never feed them a live feeder that is bigger than the space between their eyes. Pinhead crickets or Phoenix worms are great staple feeders for a young dragon. Your beardie should be offered live feeders 2-3 x a day. Allow him to eat all the feeders he can in a 10-15 minute period of time.
Along with live feeders your beardie also needs veggies/greens, a fresh serving daily. Here is a food chart that tells you what to feed and what not to feed your beardie http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
If feeding your beardie crickets they must be gutloaded. Here is an example of what to feed them http://www.petmountain.com/product/cricket-insects-food/504509/cricket-total-bites.html
Vitamins
Your beardie needs vitamin supplements. They need Calcium and Multivitamins. Both of these come in a powder form that you dust their live feeders with.
The Calcium should be given 5 x a week(only dusting their feeders one feeding per day).
The Multivitamins should be given 2-3 x a week(dusted their feeders only one feeding per day)
Since you will be using a fluorescent uvb light(ReptiSun 10) the Calcium you use will need to be Phosphorus Free and with Vitamin D3
Bathing
You will need to bathe/soak your dragon at least 3-4 x a week. This is very important to keep your beardie hydrated. When bathing...put your beardie in a sink or rubbermaid type container filled with warm water only up to his armpits. You can put a washcloth in the bottom so that your beardie does not slip and feels safe. Allow him to soak for 15-20 minutes. Never leave your beardie unattended while in the bath!
You do not neccesarily need to spray or mist your dragon. they will get water from their veggies and bathing.
I hope this helps!
If you have any questions at all...feel free to ask!
Good Luck with your beardie!
