Question about setup

[as89amanda]

George is in a 29 gall tank now (I also have a 55 gall when he is bigger) right now he has a 50w zoo med repti basking spot lamp and my question- is this a good light? If not what should I get I want the best!!! It also gets cold in my house at night and I use a reptile rays black light 60w for night it keeps the temp around the 60ies- is this light ok? I'm also not sure about feeding pet stores told me once a day 3 to 4small/ medium crickets...I have been reading and most feed their babies 3x a day all they want in a 10 to 15 minute time period.I've been feeding him 5 to 6 small/medium crickets once at lunch time and he has fresh mustard greens every 12hrs.and pealets are always there if he wants them.what's the best way to keep him happy an health? I also want to order some phoenix worm I heard were good! I also just found out I need to dust and gut load.what's the best calcium and multivitamin supplements to use? I have two thermometers one on hot side98 an one on cold side80ish I also have a thermometer with wire an probe. And the hydrometer is a stick on that the pet store told me to buy its in the 40IES I am going to buy a hydrometer and thermometer combo this week off line. The stupid pet store told me to put walnut down I quickly changed to a mat when I learned walnut could kill him if they eat it. I'll post pictures sometime soon of my set up for you all to see just to make sure I've got it right! My little guy likes to be where ever I'm at most of the time on my shoulder he likes to look at my other babies a 5year old pitbull and lab mix scooby doo and my 4year old rat terrier sassy! Thanks in advance for all the help!!!

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

ok first the tank size is good how big is george now? and do you have uvb? the 50 watt is good if the temp is right but if you dont have a uvb bulb hen you need to get one(and the people here will eat you alive if you dont have one lol trust me i know lol) the night lamp is good and dont listen to pet stores there not right your beardie should be fed 3 times a day and he should be fed as many crickets he can eat in 10 minutes and the crickets shouldnt be bigger than the space between your beardies eyes mustard greens are good and heres a link to a site to show you foods beardies can eat and shouldnt eat and lots of opther info (because beardies like a variety :wink: ) http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html yes phoenix worms are good and agin the same rule aplys that they shouldnt be any bigger than the space between your beardies eyes as for the calcium the link i gave you has info on that like how many times a week your should give it to them and stuff the baskind spot should be higher than 98 like 105 around there is the "mat" reptile carpet? because reptile carpert is good or what i prefer is tiles because its easy to clean and helps keep down the nail from getting to sharp because when beardies are small its hard to see were to cut and yes we all love pics of beardies loo i look forward to seeing pics of george

 

[as89amanda]

Yes the light has UVA rays. I do believe I want a new bulb reptisun 10.0. Yes its reptile carpet. He has had his breakfast this morning he ate 15 SMALL circkets.(they were smaller then the First ones I had. Like I said they were not to big but small/medium) I went last night and got them from petsmart. George has a 55gall. Tank also and I can put tile in there. I had room to move the light closer to the cage so I did and it reads 109.7 This morning. George is 7 1/2" nose to tail. George poops everyday once or twice even soild not hard or runny or anything. Won't the log and rocks in his tank kinda file them down...(off subject) george got a new tree last night too! He loved it I know this because he slept in the top of his new tree spread eagle all night! He is so adorable!!! He also got a new hammock! He like climbing his rock to his hammock and going from his hammock to the top of his tree!!! Thank you so very much for the information george thanks you too!

 

[as89amanda]

I post updates with my blackberry and I don't know if I can even post pictures this way I can't figure it out I'll have to wait to get a new computer!

 

[as89amanda]

My little guy steals my heart in just a week and I can't show him off this makes me mad!!! I want to show everyone what my adorable little beardie looks like!!!

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

ok that sounds good and your beardie is more active then mine they dont explore new stuff when i get it for them lol

 

[as89amanda]

ok that sounds good and your beardie is more active then mine they dont explore new stuff when i get it for them lol

I'm glad I got so lucky! He loves to play! I walk around with him on my shoulder (until he poos on my) he likes to wonder around when I put him down its a game of stop and go! Wide open! He likes to watch my dogs when they play and they play a lot and make lots of loud noise! We went to go see my brother last night and when we got back it was about 9:30 10:00 (george knows it night time)He was in his tree sleeping!!! So cute!

 

[as89amanda]

Does your beardie jump a lot? Today he went from basking log to tree about 7" or so away from each other (he loves his new tree he's sleeping there for the third night in a row!)an when I was holding him (on my bed) he would jump from me to jd trying to get to my curtains so he could climb them! Today was the First Time I've seen him jump that far. He's starting to shed (only one foot so far) Any tips to help the process? He got a bath twice today. A funny thing happened today jd has a beard and george loves hair but we weren't expecting him to climb his beard to the top of his head! He has been a fire ball of engrey today!

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

yes its normal for beardies to jump and no there isnt a way to speed up the shedding exept for baths and george sound so cute

 

[herpfreak]

George is in a 29 gall tank now (I also have a 55 gall when he is bigger) right now he has a 50w zoo med repti basking spot lamp and my question- is this a good light? If not what should I get I want the best!!! It also gets cold in my house at night and I use a reptile rays black light 60w for night it keeps the temp around the 60ies- is this light ok? I'm also not sure about feeding pet stores told me once a day 3 to 4small/ medium crickets...I have been reading and most feed their babies 3x a day all they want in a 10 to 15 minute time period.I've been feeding him 5 to 6 small/medium crickets once at lunch time and he has fresh mustard greens every 12hrs.and pealets are always there if he wants them.what's the best way to keep him happy an health? I also want to order some phoenix worm I heard were good! I also just found out I need to dust and gut load.what's the best calcium and multivitamin supplements to use? I have two thermometers one on hot side98 an one on cold side80ish I also have a thermometer with wire an probe. And the hydrometer is a stick on that the pet store told me to buy its in the 40IES I am going to buy a hydrometer and thermometer combo this week off line. The stupid pet store told me to put walnut down I quickly changed to a mat when I learned walnut could kill him if they eat it. I'll post pictures sometime soon of my set up for you all to see just to make sure I've got it right! My little guy likes to be where ever I'm at most of the time on my shoulder he likes to look at my other babies a 5year old pitbull and lab mix scooby doo and my 4year old rat terrier sassy! Thanks in advance for all the help!!!

The basking spot light is fine, as long as it keeps the basking spot warm enough. However, you do need a UV light. Without UVA/B radiation, beardies develop MBD (metabolic bone disease), which is an often-fatal disease in which their bones grow deformed. A UV light is necessary It is also very important that you get the right kind of UV light. A ReptiGlo, for instance, is a very bad choice and can harm your beardie. ReptiSun is the best brand.

Nighttime temps should be above 65*F. I reccommend a CHE (ceramic heat emitter), which doesn't give off any light and can be left on all day too.

For feeding.... way more than 5-6 crix. Yes, 3x per day is perfect for hatchlings, until they are 8 months old. Mustard greens are great, but beardies thrive on variety. I would suggest feeding him a combination... mostly mustard greens maybe with a leaf of kale, bits of a green bean, and a shredded carrot. And once you run out of salad material for him, get totally different things next time.
Awesome site concerning diets:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

For dusting: I reccommend the RepCal brand of Herptivite (multivitamins) and Calcium with D3.
Calcium: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=31
Herptivite: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=29
And for gutload, you can use things from beardie pellet food to some brands of dog food. Always give your crickets an orange slice to drink from.

I've never had a baby dragon, but from what I read, the basking temp should be at 105* until they are 8 months. Then it should always be around 100*.

I know how complicated this stuff gets! It sometimes takes a while to figure out, but I'm sure you'll get it.

Good luck! If you have any more questions, ask!

 

[herpfreak]

Woops! I'm sorry! I started typing the above post a long time ago then had to leave for an hour. So anyways, I didn't realize others had answered. My slip.

 

[as89amanda]

Like is said I have a 29 gallon tank now what size repti sun bulb is the best 5.0 or 10.0? and when I put him in his 55gallon tank what size do I need 5.0 or 10.0?

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

id say get a 10.0 thats what i have on all of my beardies

 

[herpfreak]

10.0, for sure. If I remember correctly, the numbers 5.0 and 10.0 are percentages; 5 and 10%, of what I'm not sure. Anyways, the 5.0s are meant for smaller lizards like geckos who don't need as much UV as beardies. Even for a baby, I beleive a 5.0 isn't enough.

 

[as89amanda]

Thank you for the very fast reply! I talked to a guy online at pet supply I told him I had a bearded dragon in a 29 gallon tank 12" high he told me that for my tank being 12" high I should get a 5.0 and anything taller then 12" to get a 10.0.I also have his 50w zoo med basking spot lamp too. That's a UVA light and then the UVA UVB repti sun light I'm going to order tonight off line. These two bulbs will be good won't they? I have a brand new heat emitter too instead of his blacklight for night.