Questions about bearded dragon husbandry

[eleethesontai]

Hello,

i bought my daughter a bearded dragon for Christmas which she named avery. I have done allot of research but with the exception of the temp levels, there a few things that i cannot find a

concensus on so i am just going to ask this here to get some answers. I am not sure on her age but she is about 5 inches. not sure that she is a girl yet but my daughter wants her to be lol so she

insists that she is a girl. i pray she is so i don't have to tell her otherwise haha.

Lighting:

UVB:
ok i was wrong there does seem to be a consensus on the uvb light being a reptisun 10 tube light. however petsmart has this

(http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16657396&lmdn=Lighting&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo) which seems like it should be ok and it comes with the light and the mount.

Does anyone know if this light will be ok. If not i keep seeing references to a cheap under counter light fixture at Walmart but i cant seem to find it any links and/or pictures would be greatly

appreciated. The viv i have has a mesh cover and so im not sure how it would work inside the tank unless i cut a hole in the mesh.

Basking Light:
the basking light that i have been using is from a kit i bought at petsmart (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16624486&lmdn=Brand&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo). Is

this sufficent (assuming i have the proper uvb light discussed above)? Or do i need to buy a special basking light that has uvb or someother feature as well. Some sites i read say that any standard household light will do.

Nighttime:
the petsmart lady says that i have to have a infrared red night light, but from what i have seen i would only need this if the temps get to cold and since they have not (live in socal) then it seems to me that i dont need it.

Humidity:

what percent range should the humidity be. mine has been between 10-20%. The only consensus i have found on this is that to high will cause respiratory issues but i don't know what to high is lol.

Habitat Setup:
(picture attached. Could not figure out how to upload from iPhone) i have a log that i found that seems to work but im worried it may be to close to the basking light. temps read consistently between 100 and 110. i have the cave under so that she can sit on that if she wants to bask under it but not as high then the water and food on the other cool side which is 80 - 90 degrees. is this setup ok? i am open to any advice about the viv set up.

Feeding:

Crickets
i have been feeding her med crickets once a day (twice if i can get home early enough) as many as she will eat and then trying to take them out (little buggers hide fast and she seems to lazy to

chase them). She is starting to eat better now. at first i did not have the uvb light (the pet store lady did not mention it, my fault for not researching more) as well as the guy at the pet store said

that big crickets would be fine. so i fixed those two things and there were huge improvements. but some mornings i drop the crickets in and she just looks over and goes back to basking. i have

been turning the lights off at 8 and then on at five so that she can wake up and warm up a little before i feed her at seven(this is when i leave for work). have also tried meal worms she don't

seem to go for them (heard they were bad for juveniles anyways so its ok i guess). I have been gut loading them with the veggies (payday i will buy the cricket feed) and lacing them with calcium powder everyday.

veggies:
not much success here i make her a salad every morning i have been trying different things. first kale & mustard greens she tries one piece then moves on. found some dandelions and clovers

ate one piece and moved on. today i tried squash (yellow) and some turnip greens. with escarole still nothing. i know as kids they are more into the protein so should i worry or just keep

trying or just give up till she is older.

window dancing.
i here that this is bad and means something is wrong others say its normal. however i always check when i see her doing this and everything seems fine. could it be cuz she sees herself and i

need a background?

misting / bathing:
again i have seen lots of different things on this. some do it everyday ect. so should i and how often should i be misting / bathing her?

Handling:

is there an issue with over handling? if so what is the appropriate amount of time to handler her. she is really calm.

fyi: she is shedding and has been for about two weeks and is not completely finished.

i think that is everything. if you need more information please ask away and i would like to thank you for your help in advance. this community has already helped out so much, i can't wait for

the day that i am knowledgeable to return the favor.

god bless.

 

[Taterbug]

Welcome to having a dragon! There really is a lot of conflicting advice out there, and the initial set up can be complicated. I'm convinced a lot of pet store employees get their information from the packaging, which can be misleading.

UVB: The reptisun and Arcadia lights are recommended because people consistently find them safest and most reliable. Some but not all other bulbs have problems with too much or too little intensity, or the wrong spectrum. Hopefully some can advise if that light is ok, I personally only use reptisun 10. The under cabinet fixture may or may not be in your area. Most bulbs are a T8 style and will fit any T8 fixture if the right length. There is a good lighting guide on here as well that has some links and pictures. It's to the right in the top content area.

Basking: a reptile basking light should be ok, but a regular White House light will work as well. No need to replace it, but when it's time too there isn't anything special other than the package.

Night heat: you are fine not supplying night heat if your home doesn't get colder than 65. A drop in temperature at night is a good thing for these guys.

Humidity: normal house humidity is usually fine, unless it's a humid area. 40-50% is getting too high.

Viv: Your setup sounds ok, but if you have the tank in that link then it will be too small in a couple months. As long as the temps are reading correctly, it sounds like it is set up fine. The lights and temp are the most critical part.

Food: crickets should be about the size of the space between her eyes. Not sure how that translates to s m l at your store though. If they are too big or too small she might not want to eat/chase them. Your routine sounds fine, letting her warm up especially. If you can avoid leaving crickets in that is best, they can be annoying and even chew on her.
Little ones really aren't so interested in the veggies. It's great she is trying them, just keep offering and hopefully she will eat more as she grows up. One little bite goes a longer way on such a little critter too

Glass dancing: I check the temps and to see if there is a poop, and then don't worry. It can mean a lot of thing (too hot, wants out, wants over there, bored, saw reflection, wants to poop, wants away from poop) but if the temps are ok and Viv is clean it's usually fine.

Water: I give a water dish most days and a bath 1-2 times a week. Some do it everyday and their dragons poo in the bath, other do it less frequently. I don't mist, it messy and seams to irritate my guy.

Handling: Some people have differing opinions but I handle my little guy almost daily. Especially with the little ones (they don't hold heat as well) it is important to make sure she isn't out too long that she doesn't get enough time basking. She needs heat to digest and grow. They will also let you know they have enough by trying to get away, or getting dark "stress" marks on the belly. Other signs of stress are closing eyes when touched or looking frozen. Little ones are usually pretty flightly so it's nice that she is calm with you!

Dark colors and "stress" marks don't always mean they are stressed, it can be for a lot of reasons. Usually it's a sign that something they don't likes going on. (too cold, bad mood, need to poo, scared etc).

They can take a little while to shed, and the little ones do it pretty frequently.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[TheGreganater]

Hello,

i bought my daughter a bearded dragon for Christmas which she named avery. I have done allot of research but with the exception of the temp levels, there a few things that i cannot find a concensus on so i am just going to ask this here to get some answers. I am not sure on her age but she is about 5 inches. not sure that she is a girl yet but my daughter wants her to be lol so she insists that she is a girl. i pray she is so i don't have to tell her otherwise haha.

We all can hope for you! Was hoping to have a girl from my newest leopard gecko but is a boy with an attitude lol

Lighting:

UVB:
ok i was wrong there does seem to be a consensus on the uvb light being a reptisun 10 tube light. however petsmart has this (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16657396&lmdn=Lighting&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo) which seems like it should be ok and it comes with the light and the mount. Does anyone know if this light will be ok. If not i keep seeing references to a cheap under counter light fixture at Walmart but i cant seem to find it any links and/or pictures would be greatly appreciated. The viv i have has a mesh cover and so im not sure how it would work inside the tank unless i cut a hole in the mesh.

Reptisun is the perfered but I dont have an reliable source for the reptisun so i use exoterra bulbs(Oh i know horrible me :roll: ) I still use an exoterra coil uvb source and surprise surprise he isnt on his death bed yet! But i still would recommend using an tube as it gives a wider spread of uvb. As for fixture, whatever suits your needs. sometime buying reptile hoods are the best bet, sometimes building your own is the best all on individual needs

Basking Light:
the basking light that i have been using is from a kit i bought at petsmart (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16624486&lmdn=Brand&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo). Is this sufficent (assuming i have the proper uvb light discussed above)? Or do i need to buy a special basking light that has uvb or someother feature as well. Some sites i read say that any standard household light will do.

If it gives enough heat for basking you are good to go.

Nighttime:
the petsmart lady says that i have to have a infrared red night light, but from what i have seen i would only need this if the temps get to cold and since they have not (live in socal) then it seems to me that i dont need it.

If goes below 65 you need it. I use an blue moon bulb(on far side of tank so keeps everything about 70 on the side he sleeps) from exo-terra and it has never bothered his sleeping. CHL is still perferred.

Humidity:

what percent range should the humidity be. mine has been between 10-20%. The only consensus i have found on this is that to high will cause respiratory issues but i don't know what to high is lol.

About right, thats the lowest you will ever get it, whatever your house humditity is usually what your cage will be.

Habitat Setup:
(picture attached. Could not figure out how to upload from iPhone) i have a log that i found that seems to work but im worried it may be to close to the basking light. temps read consistently between 100 and 110. i have the cave under so that she can sit on that if she wants to bask under it but not as high then the water and food on the other cool side which is 80 - 90 degrees. is this setup ok? i am open to any advice about the viv set up.


No Picture attached But i have my log go straight up to the top and below the heat lamp, and moved my hammock 4-6 inches below the lamp as exo-terra includes an chart of heating values for how far away from bulb they are. normally around 110 normal basking heat is fine but give option to get warmer or cooler according to what they want

Feeding:

Crickets
i have been feeding her med crickets once a day (twice if i can get home early enough) as many as she will eat and then trying to take them out (little buggers hide fast and she seems to lazy to chase them). She is starting to eat better now. at first i did not have the uvb light (the pet store lady did not mention it, my fault for not researching more) as well as the guy at the pet store said that big crickets would be fine. so i fixed those two things and there were huge improvements. but some mornings i drop the crickets in and she just looks over and goes back to basking. i have been turning the lights off at 8 and then on at five so that she can wake up and warm up a little before i feed her at seven(this is when i leave for work). have also tried meal worms she don't seem to go for them (heard they were bad for juveniles anyways so its ok i guess). I have been gut loading them with the veggies (payday i will buy the cricket feed) and lacing them with calcium powder everyday.

For cricket or any type of live food feeding I invested in an $10 bin from walmart that allows me to pick up spike(my lizard) place him in the container and dump him food in, tall and big enough for an fully grown lizard to eat out of, but now since he is on the largest crickets i just feed him in his cage to keep him active.
Feeding in this extra container means, easier clean up and easier time for lizards to actually catch and eat their prey instead of trying to get that one cricket that is hiding in the log cracks.

veggies:
not much success here i make her a salad every morning i have been trying different things. first kale & mustard greens she tries one piece then moves on. found some dandelions and clovers
ate one piece and moved on. today i tried squash (yellow) and some turnip greens. with escarole still nothing. i know as kids they are more into the protein so should i worry or just keep trying or just give up till she is older.

One bonus from my local pet store was that they buy from an company that tong train their reptiles to eat off of the tongs so this was easier for me.
I had some small mealworms(yet again give me heck) that I would put into my spike's salad to promotoe him to eat out of the dish instead of the tongs

window dancing.
i here that this is bad and means something is wrong others say its normal. however i always check when i see her doing this and everything seems fine. could it be cuz she sees herself and i need a background?

Could be relocation stress or any of what taterbug said.
Mine has glass agression since male... :lol: So i had to tape blackpaper along the back and sides (never did to the front) to prevent this. it has to be inside the enclosure as it still reflections if its along the outside

misting / bathing:
again i have seen lots of different things on this. some do it everyday ect. so should i and how often should i be misting / bathing her?

I mist everyday and give warm baths whenever he goes into shed

Handling:

is there an issue with over handling? if so what is the appropriate amount of time to handler her. she is really calm.

Dont over do it when they small and do it according to what they want to do, dont make them do what you want

fyi: she is shedding and has been for about two weeks and is not completely finished.

Spike sheds different body parts at different times. First his head, legs, body, then finally tail in totally takes about 1-2 weeks

i think that is everything. if you need more information please ask away and i would like to thank you for your help in advance. this community has already helped out so much, i can't wait for the day that i am knowledgeable to return the favor.

They are but just be aware their are very opinioned people, take what people say mostly as an suggestion, not everything is available to you, such as my lack of reptisun products, and lack of an reptile vet(but hey getting one in a couple months! ) Just do what you can to make your lizard happy and thats all that people can ask for!
And being knowledgeable comes with experience that one thing you find that makes your life easier can make someone else's life easier later on,

god bless.