Shedding Question

[SuperMom30]

I have a shedding question. I got Vivid on the 3ed of March and McLuvin on 17th, I was told they should be shedding once a week (McLuvin only been here 7 days) My temps are good, there eating good, they both get a bath everyday and misted 3x a day but not shedding. Is this something I should worry about or was I told wrong?



How old is your dragon? Vivid 3mo this week McLuvin 3mo on the 4th of April
How long have you had your dragon? Vivid 3ed of March McLuvin on the 17th of March
How long is your dragon? Vivid 8in McLuvin 7in
What is the sex of your dragon? Vivid Female McLuvin Male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?Both tanks are 3ft lg 17in high x 12in deep
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? Paper Towels
Do you use UVB lights? Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb? 3weeks old
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 6in
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Fluker 100watt
What are the basking temps? 105
What is the cool side temp? 85-90
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? digital thermometer
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? On the spot where they sit under the light
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? yes
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. crikets salad 3x a day is Acorn squash, collard greens,celery leaf bits, sweet potato, and apple bits every so often as a treat.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? crickets in the morning and a few around 1pm they have fresh salad offered to them all day.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? yes
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? yes flukers calcium w/ vitamin D everyday
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? yes
Do you bath your dragon? How often? they soak for 5min everyday
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? they get misted 3x a day
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no they both came with a health screening


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[dolcedragon]

Wow it sounds like you've really done your research... husbandry sounds good, only thing I would change in no heating pad/heat rocks as they can cause burns and the tummy of a beardie is not made to absorb so much heat and perhaps only doing the calcium 5 times a week to avoid hypercalcemia. Thanks for taking the time to fill that out.. if will help us with future questions as well.

Now in regards to the shed question... some beardies shed more than others and they all have a different growth rate. Hatchlings shed the most, obviously as they are growing quickly, but not necessarily every week. Some beardies may take up to a month for a good shed. If the skin starts looking milky like it's about to shed you can help loosen it up with a soft toothbrush during bathtime. Otherwise, since you're misting it should come off with no problem in its own time. DON'T be concerned. Here is a growth chart: http://www.dachiu.com/care/charts.html This should give you an idea if your beardies have healthy growth, though every dragon is different. Another suggestion may be to add a multivitamin a couple of times a week. As adults they will only have a full-body shed about twice a year.

 

[SuperMom30]

THANK YOU!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. I only have the heat pad on because the temps drop Way to low at night it under the tank and on low...it also has a kill switch if it goes nuts. I'm going to look into a Heat emitter for them. I'm really happy to hear I should not be stressing. First time with baby's some guy freaked me all out when he asked if they had shed yet and I said no...so I started freaking out. :shock:

 

[dolcedragon]

Your welcome. Do you have pictures of them posted yet? I'd love to see them.

 

[Embee]

THANK YOU!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. I only have the heat pad on because the temps drop Way to low at night it under the tank and on low...it also has a kill switch if it goes nuts. I'm going to look into a Heat emitter for them. I'm really happy to hear I should not be stressing. First time with baby's some guy freaked me all out when he asked if they had shed yet and I said no...so I started freaking out. :shock:

Arg, it's so hard when people scare you like that! And when our babies are new, it's so easy to worry. I was constantly checking on ours! Ah heck, I'm still checking in on her all the time. :mrgreen:

Your set up looks very good, as Dolcedragon mentioned I would have mentioned the pad too, but it sounds like you're using it about as lightly as possible, and already looking into a CHE so, good to go. One thing you CAN do to make a under tank heater a little more safe, is to affix it to the side of the tank, so that may be an option for you.

The only thing I didn't see an answer for on the questionnaire is your BRAND (ReptiSun, ReptiGlo, etc.) and TYPE (10.0, 5.0, etc.) of UVB tube. Do you happen to know the particulars there?

Congrats on your new babies!

The best,
Em

 

[SuperMom30]

I have an exo-terra 8.0 repta glo tube, a repta*sun daylight bulb 75watt, and a flukers 100watt basking light, I know it's a lot of lighting but the cage temps stay spot on with all 3 anything less and they drop to low and they both started eating better when I put the 3ed light on.

 

[Embee]

I have an exo-terra 8.0 repta glo tube, a repta*sun daylight bulb 75watt, and a flukers 100watt basking light, I know it's a lot of lighting but the cage temps stay spot on with all 3 anything less and they drop to low and they both started eating better when I put the 3ed light on.

Thanks for sharing that information. The ReptiGlo 8.0 tube is one of the alternative tubes recommended here (the only ReptiGlo that is, actually). It's a safe tube, but just "ok" in terms of UVB output. When it's time to change out in a few months, you might consider swapping it for a ReptiSun 10.0 tube, good price here: http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html which can give the beardies a little more "uplift." :mrgreen:

The best, and enjoy your new babes!

Em

 

[Embee]

Oh, I know what you mean about the heating, all cages/environments are different. We use a supplement heat bulb in our 40 breeder, and we have a MVB which should be strong enough to heat the entire enclosure, but well, just doesn't. The extra flood keeps the cool side temps right at 78-80. I think room temp really makes an impact as well. I think once summer hits however, we'll be able to remove the supplement flood, at least for a couple of months.

 

[SuperMom30]

Thank you so much for the info!

 

[SuperMom30]

Something strange: I was pulling everything out of there cage to clean and for feeding and they both went back to there normal colors?!?!? If I put back the rock or branch they go right back to being dark...take it back out and BAM back to normal...they are sooo strange. Does this mean they don't like these items? There always on them sunning...Nothing in there but there sun rock, branch, and water and feed bowls :?: :?: