Say 'Hello' to Hugo!

[HandsomeHugosMa]

Hey there! Happy timezone wherever you are,

First-time beardie owner here, meet Hugo! (I'll be as brief as possible while trying to be thorough as possible, for any missed information I've filled out my profile so refer there if needed.)

After about six months of debating the right kind of reptile, doing a varied and healthy amount of research, and finding an established reptile store I made the leap! Yesterday, 6/4/2023 we brought home Hugo. I estimate his age to be juvenile, possibly 5mo based off size. We were informed that he was male but as "he" ages I'll be sexing him via tail method. To get him started I did purchase the Zoo Med Juvenile Bearded Dragon Kit with the knowledge that he'll be needing more appropriate tank items. I did want to create my own enclosure and am currently looking to upgrade to a front-opening enclosure, but since Hugo is still very small I assumed this would do fine as a quarantine/starter tank, with very little objects, so he doesn't feel overwhelmed or stressed by the sudden change. I'll be calling around to local vets tomorrow so we can set up his first appointment. I didn't intend to purchase a juvenile as my first Beardie, since they require a bit more care than a fully matured Dragon, but I truly felt like he and I bonded so here we are

A few things to note that I found odd when we purchased him:
1. He was kept in an enclosure with several other young dragons, all but one (kept in a separate enclosure but we were informed that at one time all were mixed together) appeared to be in good health.
2. They advised us to feed him crickets every other day, but I was under the impression that Juvenile's like Hugo need much more protein (about 60% insect 40% veg) about twice daily. Please, PLEASE help me to get him started out on the right diet!
3. The starter kit claims they include a 10.0 UV bulb but the box I pulled it out of had 5.0 on the front.

Current update:

• This morning at about 7:20 est he was fed 5-6 crickets all dusted with the Repti Calcium that came in the kit. He absolutely obliterated those little suckers, including one that tried to hop away and hide in his cover.
• He did bask briefly last night before bed, including some gaping, and was active/alert this morning after his feeding.
• To my surprise he actually crawled into his water bowl for a soak right before I left for work. I've been informed we should most likely be misting him x2 daily so he gets the moisture he needs to be healthy and not get overheated.
• I'll be picking up a wide variety of acceptable Beardie greens to offer him x2 daily and some 'treat' food just to see what he likes.

My questions:

1. What are your favorite calcium sources/how often should I be dusting his food?
2. How many insects/how often should I be feeding him? I've gotten varied opinions from several different sources, mostly beardie owners but none who've raised a Juvenile.
3. 'Dewormers' (anti-parasitic)... Yes/No? If so, how often?
4. Misting vs. Soaking? Which is better?
5. How old do you estimate he is? (Purely out of curiosity)
6. What type of Beardie do you think he is? And what color do you think he is? (I want to say he's a citrus type but this is very far out of my realm, help!)

I know this site already contains invaluable information regarding good sources for appropriate UVB lamps, decor, etc. but if you have any personal favorites help me out and drop a link Also if you notice anything outright that you see as amiss or needs immediate attention based off the pictures I've provided and uploaded onto my profile, please let me know! I'll be keeping up with this thread and posting updates ASAP, so I appreciate any and all helpful advice. I am very, very excited to start this journey and hope to provide Hugo the best possible home for many years to come.

Sincerely,
Handsome Hugo's Ma

 

[KarrieRee]

Hey there! Happy timezone wherever you are,

First-time beardie owner here, meet Hugo! (I'll be as brief as possible while trying to be thorough as possible, for any missed information I've filled out my profile so refer there if needed.)

After about six months of debating the right kind of reptile, doing a varied and healthy amount of research, and finding an established reptile store I made the leap! Yesterday, 6/4/2023 we brought home Hugo. I estimate his age to be juvenile, possibly 5mo based off size. We were informed that he was male but as "he" ages I'll be sexing him via tail method. To get him started I did purchase the Zoo Med Juvenile Bearded Dragon Kit with the knowledge that he'll be needing more appropriate tank items. I did want to create my own enclosure and am currently looking to upgrade to a front-opening enclosure, but since Hugo is still very small I assumed this would do fine as a quarantine/starter tank, with very little objects, so he doesn't feel overwhelmed or stressed by the sudden change. I'll be calling around to local vets tomorrow so we can set up his first appointment. I didn't intend to purchase a juvenile as my first Beardie, since they require a bit more care than a fully matured Dragon, but I truly felt like he and I bonded so here we are

A few things to note that I found odd when we purchased him:
1. He was kept in an enclosure with several other young dragons, all but one (kept in a separate enclosure but we were informed that at one time all were mixed together) appeared to be in good health.
2. They advised us to feed him crickets every other day, but I was under the impression that Juvenile's like Hugo need much more protein (about 60% insect 40% veg) about twice daily. Please, PLEASE help me to get him started out on the right diet!
3. The starter kit claims they include a 10.0 UV bulb but the box I pulled it out of had 5.0 on the front.

Current update:

• This morning at about 7:20 est he was fed 5-6 crickets all dusted with the Repti Calcium that came in the kit. He absolutely obliterated those little suckers, including one that tried to hop away and hide in his cover.
• He did bask briefly last night before bed, including some gaping, and was active/alert this morning after his feeding.
• To my surprise he actually crawled into his water bowl for a soak right before I left for work. I've been informed we should most likely be misting him x2 daily so he gets the moisture he needs to be healthy and not get overheated.
• I'll be picking up a wide variety of acceptable Beardie greens to offer him x2 daily and some 'treat' food just to see what he likes.

My questions:

1. What are your favorite calcium sources/how often should I be dusting his food?
2. How many insects/how often should I be feeding him? I've gotten varied opinions from several different sources, mostly beardie owners but none who've raised a Juvenile.
3. 'Dewormers' (anti-parasitic)... Yes/No? If so, how often?
4. Misting vs. Soaking? Which is better?
5. How old do you estimate he is? (Purely out of curiosity)
6. What type of Beardie do you think he is? And what color do you think he is? (I want to say he's a citrus type but this is very far out of my realm, help!)

I know this site already contains invaluable information regarding good sources for appropriate UVB lamps, decor, etc. but if you have any personal favorites help me out and drop a link Also if you notice anything outright that you see as amiss or needs immediate attention based off the pictures I've provided and uploaded onto my profile, please let me know! I'll be keeping up with this thread and posting updates ASAP, so I appreciate any and all helpful advice. I am very, very excited to start this journey and hope to provide Hugo the best possible home for many years to come.

Sincerely,
Handsome Hugo's Ma

Welcome Hugo and to beardie world

10.0 UV bulb but the box I pulled it out of had 5.0 on the front. Is this a long tube fixture or a coil? The calcium should be dusted on his crickets 5 x per week ONCE per feeding lightly coated and he should be fed 2-3 times per day eating around 20-25 crickets per feeding - please offer salads every day - he also needs vitamins w/ beta carotene dusted on the insects 2 x per week ONCE per feeding lightly coated - to me he looks like hes about 4 months -his diet should be 80% insects 20% salads -Nutrition Content ignore the kale info its outdated---- please get 2 digital probe thermometers - they are the most accurate for surface basking temps which should be 105-110 for now - at 6 months that will change to 95-100-- he looks like a normal regular pagoda dragon -- NO dewormers -- a fecal test would need to be done taken in to the vet --- NO enemas - I would wait at this time for a vet visit and fecal -- also you can drop water on his nose and see if he will lick -- bathing is very stress full so its best to drop water on their nose a few times a week - you can spray his salads before serving they get a lot of moisture from the salads - if hes not eating them please get some BSFL www.symtonbsf.com order large they are a small larvae - drop them on top of his salads in front of him to get his attention https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
this makes a great salad bowl -- I would look at switching his main insect to dubia roaches - the BSFL are a great staple for babies feed as many as you want and compliment them w/ the crickets / dubia roaches -- if you need anymore help please ask but we must get your surface basking temps and UVB on par or he will quit eating

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

Is this a long tube fixture or a coil?
- It's a coil and definitely not what I intend on keeping, I'll be upgrading him to a long tube fixture ASAP.

His diet should be 80% insects 20% salads...
-This is what I was expecting to hear and I'm ready to jump on a more vigorous feeding schedule to make sure he develops properly, thank you!

Please get 2 digital probe thermometers - they are the most accurate for surface basking temps which should be 105-110 for now - at 6 months that will change to 95-100
-The aforementioned items are in my Amazon cart, ready to ship! Thank you for the temp ranges, very very helpful.

I would wait at this time for a vet visit and fecal
-Will do! I wanted to be proactive but this puts me at ease.

You can spray his salads before serving they get a lot of moisture from the salads
-I'll do this tonight and for his future feedings, great advice

If hes not eating them please get some BSFL
-Noted! Thank you for the link

I would look at switching his main insect to dubia roaches
-This was the plan and they seem to be easier to keep/gut load so I'll source some out.

We must get your surface basking temps and UVB on par or he will quit eating
-You've found my main concern! We'll get those temps up and running.

THANK YOU!

 

[KarrieRee]

Is this a long tube fixture or a coil?
- It's a coil and definitely not what I intend on keeping, I'll be upgrading him to a long tube fixture ASAP.

His diet should be 80% insects 20% salads...
-This is what I was expecting to hear and I'm ready to jump on a more vigorous feeding schedule to make sure he develops properly, thank you!

Please get 2 digital probe thermometers - they are the most accurate for surface basking temps which should be 105-110 for now - at 6 months that will change to 95-100
-The aforementioned items are in my Amazon cart, ready to ship! Thank you for the temp ranges, very very helpful.

I would wait at this time for a vet visit and fecal
-Will do! I wanted to be proactive but this puts me at ease.

You can spray his salads before serving they get a lot of moisture from the salads
-I'll do this tonight and for his future feedings, great advice

If hes not eating them please get some BSFL
-Noted! Thank you for the link

I would look at switching his main insect to dubia roaches
-This was the plan and they seem to be easier to keep/gut load so I'll source some out.

We must get your surface basking temps and UVB on par or he will quit eating
-You've found my main concern! We'll get those temps up and running.

THANK YOU!

Please get a long tube fixture - either a Arcadia pro T 5 found at PetSmart you want a 12% bulb 24 watt- or a zoo med 24 "fixture w/ a 10.0 reptisun bulb or a sunblaster nano tech - I can post links if you like

 

[hdochow]

Another thing to mention: I didn't see them listed in the items for your kit, but a lot of them either come with red and blue bulbs, or the store talks people into buying them separately. If you do have them, do not use them. They are bad for beardies.

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

Please get a long tube fixture - either a Arcadia pro T 5 found at PetSmart you want a 12% bulb 24 watt- or a zoo med 24 "fixture w/ a 10.0 reptisun bulb or a sunblaster nano tech - I can post links if you like

Please do! Any and all links are welcome <3 I've attached some pics of him from the moment I arrived home (6/5/2023 appx 5:30pm est), these give a bit of a view on his strip that I'm using for the interm.

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

Another thing to mention: I didn't see them listed in the items for your kit, but a lot of them either come with red and blue bulbs, or the store talks people into buying them separately. If you do have them, do not use them. They are bad for beardies.

I was warned against using the colored bulbs and have not subjected the little princeling to them! Ty, as they did come with the kit.

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

Currently I have some tunes playing and he seems to like it, he's gaping at random and this is the first I've seen him on the tree limb. His original container had a climbing wall which he seemed to like, I'll probably be adding that back into his upgraded tank. Might get him another stick for now so he has options.

 

[KarrieRee]

Please do! Any and all links are welcome <3 I've attached some pics of him from the moment I arrived home (6/5/2023 appx 5:30pm est), these give a bit of a view on his strip that I'm using for the interm.

Here are the websites
24" Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO High Output Terrarium Hood comes w/ a 5.0 you want this bulb
22" Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5 HO High Output Fluorescent Bulb
this one found at PetSmart 24 watt 12% bulb
Arcadia Reptile ProT5 UV-B Kit | reptile Light Fixtures | PetSmart
you want the 24" or 2 ft fixture and will need to change out the bulb to the Reptisun above
https://hydrobuilder.com/sunblaster...mp.html?opts=eyJhdHRyaWJ1dGU5MDEiOiI2NjEwIn0=
once you get the UVB let me know the screen on the tank will determine distance and placement

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

Here are the websites
24" Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO High Output Terrarium Hood comes w/ a 5.0 you want this bulb
22" Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5 HO High Output Fluorescent Bulb
this one found at PetSmart 24 watt 12% bulb
Arcadia Reptile ProT5 UV-B Kit | reptile Light Fixtures | PetSmart
you want the 24" or 2 ft fixture and will need to change out the bulb to the Reptisun above
https://hydrobuilder.com/sunblaster...mp.html?opts=eyJhdHRyaWJ1dGU5MDEiOiI2NjEwIn0=
once you get the UVB let me know the screen on the tank will determine distance and placement

I'm leaning towards the Arcadia Reptile ProT5 kit based off reviews and longevity, ordering it for pickup tomorrow evening. Will I need to purchase the Reptisun 10.0 bulb for this kit or is the 12% that comes with it fine for use?

P.S. He has pooped! YAY! Hugo also let me hand feed him a few very small pieces of snap green bean (washed with filtered water) before feasting on crickets, he seemed disinterested or unaware of his salad bowl & wanted nothing to do with the fresh mango I offered. But I intend on picking up some more insect variety tomorrow & will continue to offer him fresh veg daily. He's currently basking post-dinner and he'll be lights out when an hour has passed.

 

[hdochow]

no, the 12% bulb it comes with is fine. i've used that kit for years.

the salads will come with time. just offer them daily. we give what sir henry doesn't eat to the roaches at the end of the day. that way everyone gets fed one way or the other.

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

no, the 12% bulb it comes with is fine. i've used that kit for years.

the salads will come with time. just offer them daily. we give what sir henry doesn't eat to the roaches at the end of the day. that way everyone gets fed one way or the other.

Genius idea about recycling the veg, hadn't thought of that - Thank you!

Really can't thank you (both) enough for the input and help, I'll be able to sleep at night now

 

[hdochow]

no problem. the person we rescued sir henry from had also fallen into the kit trap. finding this website literally saved his life, and karrieree was who helped me figure his lights and temps out. i love being able to pass that info on to people that need it. i remember being in your shoes!

 

[KarrieRee]

I'm leaning towards the Arcadia Reptile ProT5 kit based off reviews and longevity, ordering it for pickup tomorrow evening. Will I need to purchase the Reptisun 10.0 bulb for this kit or is the 12% that comes with it fine for use?

P.S. He has pooped! YAY! Hugo also let me hand feed him a few very small pieces of snap green bean (washed with filtered water) before feasting on crickets, he seemed disinterested or unaware of his salad bowl & wanted nothing to do with the fresh mango I offered. But I intend on picking up some more insect variety tomorrow & will continue to offer him fresh veg daily. He's currently basking post-dinner and he'll be lights out when an hour has passed.

They need 2-3 hrs of basking after eating and lights out

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

They need 2-3 hrs of basking after eating and lights out

Understood!