So many questions

[Zombiepanda]

I saw a tank that had bathroom travertine tile. It was gorgeous and had that sandy type look to it. Only downside is that it was small tiles so you'd need more and it was very porous

 

[Rankins]

I would even consider trying tile for my beaded lizards and gila monsters tanks. Currently I use aspen chips (its perfectly fine for them...but not beardeds) and it doesn't look natural. But because they are large lizards and they eat rats, they make a stinky mess. It might make cage cleaning more difficult.

 

[Berryr386]

When mine gets bigger I might get a sand substrate, and that's a big maybe, lol. I might create something that looks like a natural environment that won't be harmful to him. He's just a little guy right now though ( 4 or 5 inches). I'm just focusing on getting him used to me. He is doing pretty well I guess. He is already spoiled, he only eats if I hand feed him. Any suggestions on how to get him to eat veggies?

 

[Rankins]

Don't spoil him too much
Only hand feeding is a pain...sometimes you might not have time to do it.
Sounds like your doing good with him/her
Dragons are typically really mellow and it will get use to you pretty quick. Probably why they are such a popular pet. The are fairly simple to take care of and they can be handled easily.
(Edit...forgot veggie question. Its normal for young dragons to eat less veggies. Keep offering them...as it gets older it will eat more of them)

 

[Berryr386]

Thanks for the advice. I can definitely see where only hand feeding can be a pain. Its been ok these past few weeks when I've been on Christmas break but come Monday I go back to teacher mode and hand feeding might be difficult in the morning. I'm gonna miss my buddy during the day. ? I'm thankful you told me not to worry too much about the veggies, he sure won't eat them, but I offer them daily, and will continue to do so. I finally got him to eat some baby beardie food from his bowl this morning. He only tried a bite, and hasn't eaten any more, but at least he tried something other than crickets that didn't come from my hand, lol, go Denathor! Good dragon.

 

[Zombiepanda]

Yep it's pretty rare for a baby to eat veggies. As long as you're offering it daily best bet is hopefully he'll take a bite here and there. Baby beardie food? Like the pellets?

 

[Berryr386]

No, it's some sort of moist food. It looks like worms, but smells fruity. It's called Baby Bites for juvenile Bearded Dragons. Made by Nature Zone.

 

[diamc]

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As promised, here is my set-up. Sorry the image is up-side-down. I could not figure out how to rotate it. Hardly figured out how to upload it.

Hi, I noticed in your pics that the wire & probe are all wrapped up and stuck to the side of the glass. In order to get the basking SURFACE temp, you place the probe right on (touching) the basking spot and then wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising. Is that what you have been doing? Is that how you got the 115 reading?

 

[Berryr386]

Nope, I had no idea I was supposed to do it that way. Now that I think of it, dang, that should have been common sense. Thanks. I kinda feel dumb now, lol, but I will fix that problem

 

[Berryr386]

Wow, what a difference moving the probe made. The temp rose from 102 to 115 in a matter of minutes. I bet it was way too hot for my little guy which Is why he almost never basks. I have since made some light adjustments. Thanks for the info. Here is a link to photobucket where you can see a better picture of him and his set-up. If you spot any other issues. Please let me know. http://s557.photobucket.com/user/berryr386/media/image_zpsgao6pi7w.jpeg.html

 

[diamc]

Nope, I had no idea I was supposed to do it that way. Now that I think of it, dang, that should have been common sense. Thanks. I kinda feel dumb now, lol, but I will fix that problem

No reason at all to "kinda feel dumb", some owners don't realize that you have to have the probe right on the basking spot to get that reading and that you need to wait that long. What wattage basking bulb are you/had you been using? Please let us know what the new basking surface temp is. When I saw the probe attached to the glass & read that he was hiding instead of basking, I realized that must be the problem, too high of temps. Would also be a good idea to place the probe way over on the bottom of the cool side & wait the 45 min to get that reading.

What brand & type of UVB do you have?

What substrate do you have on the bottom of the tank now? I know you were using walnut shells before but it's hard to tell in the pics you posted here.

Here's a site that shows the best staple foods in green print: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html A lot of us refer to it a lot. Have you thought about getting him some phoenix worms? Those are high in calcium and great for small beardies. Small silkworms would be another great feeder.

Your beardie is so tiny & adorable. His colors looked amazing when he was on your hand. You might want to think about sectioning off part of a room where he can't get underneath anything so he can be safe & get some exercise. Another thought is a small leash. If you'd like links to those, let me know as that helps take the worry out of them jumping & getting hurt.

Please let us know if you have any questions and also fill us in on the temp adjustments you made.

 

[Berryr386]

The basking bulb I have is a 150 watt and a 75 watt. After moving the probe, I realized the temp was way too high. It shot up to 115 in a matter of seconds. I turned off my 75 watt and adjusted my 150 watt a little higher. It stays at 105 now and he seems to love it, almost never comes off the antler, and he sits up high instead of flat. He seems alert and looks around, just seems much happier. I have probes on both sides. One sits on the skull where he goes to cool off. I just leave them in there, is that ok?

I don't know what brand of UVB bulb I have just know it's a T8. I did not know the brand mattered. All I can say is I bought it from petsmart ( I think it may be Zilla).

My substrate right now is a towel. I will be getting slate tile soon.

Thank you for the link to the website. I will definitely check that out, and yes I would like a link to where I can get a leash. Thanks for your help.

 

[Zombiepanda]

I leave my probe right on the spot all the time. I actually took a small peice of paper tape and taped it down so that all I have to do I walk by and check the temp at any given time. So I think that would be just fine leaving it. Glad to hear he's perked up a ton since the temps got regulated ^_^

 

[diamc]

Link to leashes you can purchase. Come in all different sizes & colors. http://www.oglerpets.com/lizard-leashes.php Here's her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/OgleRpets

I will write more later.