Power outage - new baby beardie 😓

[AHBD]

How's everything going ?

 

[ArtClassBeardie]

He seems to be doing good. He ate really well yesterday and even ate some butternut squash. He also pooped yesterday. He hasn't pooped today, though; I think he ate one cricket today, as I don't see it in his enclosure; he also ate some veggies. He hasn't pooped today, is it okay to feed him more crickets if he hasn't pooped yet?

 

[AHBD]

That's good to hear ! How many crix did he have yesterday ? And yes he can have more today, be sure to use a slight dusting of calcium powder.

 

[ArtClassBeardie]

That's good to hear ! How many crix did he have yesterday ? And yes he can have more today, be sure to use a slight dusting of calcium powder.

He had quite a few. 15 or so.

 

[AHBD]

O.K, that's plenty. But yes he can have some everyday, 10-15 and be sure to lightly dust some of them with calcium powder.

 

[ArtClassBeardie]

O.K, that's plenty. But yes he can have some everyday, 10-15 and be sure to lightly dust some of them with calcium powder.

I was surprised that some sources say 20 - 70 crickets a day for baby bearded dragons. He just ate a cricket dusted with calcium. The new crickets I got from the pet store seem bigger than the last batch.

 

[AHBD]

No, 70 is waaaay too much and promotes super fast growth that is harmful in the long run.
So be careful if the crickets are bigger this time, can you post a pic of them ? They're prob. still fine but you might not need to feed him quite as many.

 

[ArtClassBeardie]

No, 70 is waaaay too much and promotes super fast growth that is harmful in the long run.
So be careful if the crickets are bigger this time, can you post a pic of them ? They're prob. still fine but you might not need to feed him quite as many.

I did add a pic of the crickets to the other post. I'm trying to choose the smaller ones. I got him to eat two dusted crickets, and he didn't seem to want any more. There is another cricket running around his enclosure that I can't catch. He seems to be good at hunting them when he wants.

On another note, the 75 watt basking bulb seems to be too hot, his basking spot was 120 when I got home! Can you recommend a lower-wattage bulb? I've read people recommending the halogen flood lights and found a 39 watt on Amazon.

 

[AHBD]

Funny, that pic didn't show up right away, but those are still fine to feed him 15 -20 per day.
As for the heat, if his tank is still near the stove you can move it away now. Otherwise definitely get the lower watt bulb.

 

[hdochow]

this is the basking bulb i use and have never had any problems with it. i have a 50, 75 and 100W that i swap out depending on the time of year and ambient room temps. right now i have the 100W in, in the summer i only run the 50W

brand of bulb i use

 

[ArtClassBeardie]

this is the basking bulb i use and have never had any problems with it. i have a 50, 75 and 100W that i swap out depending on the time of year and ambient room temps. right now i have the 100W in, in the summer i only run the 50W

brand of bulb i use

Great thanks! It's only in that spot right under the heat lamp that is super hot.

 

[hdochow]

Great thanks! It's only in that spot right under the heat lamp that is super hot.

and if i am remembering correctly, you are measuring with an IR gun? if so, get digital probes. they are much more accurate. the IR guns can be off depending on what material they are reading off of.

 

[magicmagni]

Great video for new owners to watch as well as older ones like myself that can use a reminder... I found this quite helpful for setting up my little guy.

 

[AHBD]

That was a very informative video, especially important info about the calcium /phosphorus ratios, getting babies to eat veggies, natural substrate etc.
Myself and others on this forum have been promoting the use of a sand/soil substrate for years.

A few VERY important things that must be addressed are with the feeding of hatchlings + babies. First I'll mention that many people today start out with a baby that is much smaller than the one in the video, unfortunately even 5" from a pet store. [ It is better to start off with at least a 6-7" beardie as a rule ] These babies can't eat a prey item like the one in the video in most cases that are about the size of it's own head, they need smaller insects and more of them than 5 a day. For instance, the O.P's beardie has crickets which are much smaller than the [ relatively ] huge dubia seen in the video. So for the O.P's dragon on this thread, 15-20 is closer to the correct amount. So the SIZE of the insect makes all the difference, and not everyone can get or is allowed to have dubias.

Size of enclosure : If a person has a 5-6 " beardie and for some reason it's fearful or just not in the best shape it should be started off in a much smaller enclosure, such as a 20 gal. that the family has laying around or even a plastic tub. As for beardies not being afraid of wide open spaces, they are not born in the wild....they are hatched and often first raised in plastic rearing tubs. That's some, not all. But back to having a fearful or slightly unwell baby you can start them off in a smaller set up like the one I'll post here at the end. I edited to squeeze in that a small or sickly dragon can drown in a water bowl and some disoriented babies sleep in them so if you use a water bowl you could take it out at night to be on the safe side.

I agree that many health problems could probably be avoided by not over feeding insects to our beardies, that's good, sound advice presented there. I disagree with skipping to every other day insect feedings when a beardie reaches 30 grams though. Will it survive ? Yes, but so could our children survive eating skimpy meals every other day but it's not something anyone would promote. So I agree that there's a lot of good info in the video but the raising of babies on 5 insects a day, then skipping insects every other day is not something I think we should do. With adults, yes but babies, no. And yes, I've hatched + raised loads of babies starting back in the early to mid 90's . Here's a pic of a simple set up that could be appropriate for a new baby that is not doing so well. [ There's no baby here, just a display ] With a small area for basking, an appropriate watt heat bulb and uvb. You'd also add a small log on the cool end.

 

[magicmagni]

"Myself and others on this forum have been promoting the use of a sand/soil substrate for years"

This is great news I've had great success with my leopard gecko and Osolated Skink when I switched them to sand soil/ bioactive even. Lived over 15 years and 30 year respectively. I expect the same with my BD as well.

"First I'll mention that many people today start out with a baby that is much smaller than the one in the video, unfortunately even 5" from a pet store. [ It is better to start off with at least a 6-7" beardie as a rule "

My breader wouldn't even sell me my little guy until he hit 20 grams and about 6".. A lot of that had to do with being strong enough to survive transport, they are more delicate when so small. It's to the detriment of the hobby that we have these "bad actors" that want to make a quick buck and sell substandard animals that put people "often beginners" at a disadvangage right from the start. For this I always advised people start with an adolecent.. especially beginners

For instance, the O.P's beardie has crickets which are much smaller than the [ relatively ] huge dubia seen in the video. So for the O.P's dragon on this thread, 15-20 is closer to the correct amount. So the SIZE of the insect makes all the difference, and not everyone can get or is allowed to have dubias.

Obsolutely Guidelines are just guidlines.. not set in stone.. If the bugs are smaller than the width between the eyes then more number of bugs is needed to get the same amount if that makes sense? Dubia.com makes getting feeders very easy and affordable.. I really recommend them. Variety is key.. Dubias and crickets good stables.. I add in Hornworms and occational mealworm too. Always dusted with calcium.

I agree that many health problems could probably be avoided by not over feeding insects to our beardies, that's good, sound advice presented there. I disagree with skipping to every other day insect feedings when a beardie reaches 30 grams though. Will it survive ? Yes, but so could our children survive eating skimpy meals every other day but it's not something anyone would promote

I watched an interview with Dr. Howard aka "the Beardie vet" who was recalling his study on BD in the outback noting that the animals were growing way slower in the wild then in captivity. Often in captivity he was noting dragons hitting adult sizes in only 8 months to a year ,but in the wild they often take up to 2 years to reach same size! In his practice he is seeing a lot of complications because of this, thus the recommendation to just back off on the protein and slow down their growth. He was saying that slowing down the growth seemed to yield healthier results in his experience since the animals isn't growing faster than the calcium it can obtain through supplementation and diet. I liken it to driving a car.. You can drive 100+ mph to the supermarket, but there is a good chance you crash and don't make it compared to driving the speed limit. Both ways you make it to your destination, but the faster way may not get you there at all or if it does with some extra wear and tear maybe a fender bender etc.. ;-)

And yes, I've hatched + raised loads of babies starting back in the early to mid 90's . Here's a pic of a simple set up that could be appropriate for a new baby that is not doing so well

That's awesome. Experience is so valuable. Can you believe the advances in husbandry since the 90's? It's so much easier now than when I starting this hobby in the 80's I think the biggest challenge is all the information out there.. and old outdated stuff too, but it's great to see things evolve and the welfare of our animals increase as we learn more and try new things and grasp new concepts and ideas. That's what it is all about.