The adventures of angel,Christine and Isabella!!!!

Hello everyone one of my close friends bought this little baby bearded dragon about a week ago and someone in his apartment told the owner and he had to get rid of it he was going to sell it to this one kid and he had like 3 of these and all died i think the oldest was 5 months so i steped in and said ill buy it so i have this little guy/girl.
I could really use any advise i can get this is what i got set up a 20 gallon tank "guy gave me a 10 gallon but thought it was to small rit now"a basking rock 2 temp and hum gauges 2 domes and got a day white light incandescent spot,uvb bulb and a night black heat.
this little guy/girl is 5 inches she eats like 20 crickets a day "had him or her for 3 days" and greens 3 times a day which it loves big time i spray him or her onces a day with water.
Any advice would be great how long to get the basking light on uvb light ect anything will help also on other things i need to get that i didnt just bought some of that calcium powder to
thanks for looking!!!1

 

[ghostkid90]

i will try tonight i ordered a power strip with 2 timers on it so i can make sure shes getting what she needs and not over doing it either

 

[diamc]

Hi, thought I would check in too. Your baby is adorable. He has gone through a lot of changes already so could take him a little time to adjust.

You've gotten some great advise already. Good that you got rid of the coil UVB and that the pet store gave you credit for it, that must have made you feel better. Great that you were able to get the Repti-Sun 10.0 fluorescent tube at the pet store, some pet stores don't carry them so you lucked out. 8) Unfortunately, the digital temp gauges that you got won't give you very good readings UNLESS it has a long wire and probe end. Is this the type you just got?

OR like this one?

Here's a few pictures of the digitals with probes that are much more accurate than the 2 pictured above.

Here's the digital with probe that Walmart carries that will give you the basking, cool side and humidity level all at the same time for only about $12.00.

Rather than needing to know the temp of the glass on the hot side and the temp of the glass on the cool side, you need to know the basking SURFACE temp and the temp on the BOTTOM of the cool side. What wattage heat bulb(s) are you using now?

I see that Deb posted the link to the beautiful dragons site that we all use here, that is an awesome site for healthy veggies and all sorts of greens. As far as the crickets go, make sure they are no larger than the space between your beardies eyes. Babies need LOTS of protein so we recommend feeding them all the crickets they can eat 2 to 3 times a day in a 10 to 15 minute timeframe each time. Make sure he has at least 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to digest under the heat light before putting him to bed.

The black light that you are using now will work but make sure that it isn't right over your beardie at night because they need it cooler to sleep. Also, you don't want it shining in his eyes or it will prevent him from sleeping. If you do need to use the black light at night, be sure that his back is to it instead.

I also wanted to mention that if you mist your beardie, take him out to mist him because misting in the tank can raise the humidity too much which can cause an upper respiratory infection. Babies can get dehydrated very quickly so a bath at least 3 to 4 times a wk is a good idea.

What type of substrate do you have on the bottom of his tank? The reason I ask is because beardies are known to lick everything and babies can be clumsy eaters so if you're using a loose substrate, he could ingest it which could cause him to become impacted. Also, it's impossible to clean all the waste from a loose substrate so that can cause bacteria to go which is very bad. Reptile carpet, paper towels, newpaper, slate tiles, non-adhesive shelf liner are all safer substrates and easier to clean.

Good luck with your baby. If there is anything else that you need help on, just let us know. :wink:

 

[ghostkid90]

Hello,
i am using a 75 watt basking light i just picked up a digital temp with the probe thing on there not sure where to put that tho rit now its rit in front of the rock that shes basking on i am using reptile carpet also how do i give her a bath do i just let her walk around in the water or what shes not eating that many crickets any more the first 2 days she ate like crazy now she eats like 7 3 times a day give or take and alot of veggies i spray them with water before giving it to her she eats them up they fall all over the place she jumps down and eats them up she did shed today after i had her out in the sun for like 35min

 

[diamc]

Hello again, that's awesome that you did get a digital with probe end. What you need to do, is place the probe end right on the rock, it should actually be touching it, then wait about 45 min to an hr for the temp to stop rising before getting the final basking temp reading. With a 20 gallon tank, you might find that you only need a 60 watt standard (non-coil) household bulb though. You will probably have to check the basking temp when your baby isn't in the tank because they are known to lay right on the probe itself. :lol:

Great that you are using reptile carpet too, no worries there.

As far as the bath goes, you can use a transparent plastic container that has sides on it. You will test the water by the inside of your wrist, it should feel warm but not hot or cold. Add enough water to go up to his shoulders but be sure to watch him very closely because they can drown very quickly. Sometimes they will put their head down to get a drink but be sure to keep a close eye on him. Also, put a washcloth or small towel down in the bottom of the container or sink so that he has something to grip on to so that he feels more secure. Babies are very fast and he may run up your arm the first few times so be prepared for that. Putting your hand in the water should help him relax too and he may either grasp on your fingers or just be content sitting on your hand while it is in the water.

She will eat more crickets as she gets adjusted to her new home. It's normal for them to go through relocation stress for a few days and even up to a wk before they get their huge appetite. Great that she's shedding already.

 

[ghostkid90]

i think i will try to bath her tonight for alittle and see how she likes that lol ill probley put her in a container and put that in the tube so if she takes off i can get her

 

[ghostkid90]

OK she got a bath lol it was kinda cute i think she liked it she just layed on my hand and i put water on her body and head and then let her run around in it..it almost looked like she was playing idn i just wanted to share that with you guys it was a really cool moment

 

[diamc]

That's awesome that she loved her very first bath. It is so much fun to watch them enjoy themselves. Good for you doing so well with her already.

 

[sweetiepie9]

No kidding, normally babies don't like baths, so good for you. Glad you got such a good deal at the pet shop & got everything that you needed. She's do so much better now that she'll have the right light & you'll know what her basking spot temp is now with that probe. So keep us all updated & more pics when you have a minute, as you can see we all love babies here.

 

[ghostkid90]

im so happy that she likes the bath but i put her back in after holding her in a blanket for like 5 min i put her back in the tank i put some more crickets in there and i went to eat dinner when i came back her mouth was open i looked at the temp and it says 101 and at the other end its 85 thats to hot for her isnt it she didnt move off her rock but 85 is a little hot for a cool side

 

[ghostkid90]

and also her stomach is like poking out you can see in these pictures it looks like shes laying on a angle let me know
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg626/ghostkid63/DSC03946.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg626/ghostkid63/DSC03942.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg626/ghostkid63/DSC03945.jpg
i love this picture of her with her little beard lol

 

[ghostkid90]

or is she fat lol she didnt have it before she got her bath

 

[sweetiepie9]

She's got a good size beardie belly, which is important for a baby beardie. She's doing fine. She's already basking, but notice her eyes aren't really open? That's what the reptiglo coil does, affects their eyes as well as their appetite. So she should get back to normal within a few days, she'll be fine. I had the same thing happen with one of my babies & she was right as rain within 3 days of being under the right light. Good pics, by the way & her tummy is normal, was just the angle of the camera.
Deb

 

[ghostkid90]

yea i notice she has her eyes closed but i thought she was sleeping because shes laying down.this is a weird question but everytime i come into the room or go up to the tank so moves her tail back and forth like twice then stops my girl friend came up to the tank and she didnt do anything it cant be that she nows me already rit

 

[sweetiepie9]

Yes, she already knows you by your scent & sight. She knows you're doing your best to care for her, too. They're very smart, dragons, & know who their slaves are, so keep doing what you're doing & she'll be just fine. When you get her new set up done, make sure she gets at least 10 hours of UVB daily for now at least & if you can get her out into the sun, do so as much as possible. Diane's idea of having the night light on the opposite side of the side she sleeps on is a good one, too, as they don't like light when they sleep. My guys are adults & I cover them up, they all have their own blankies (not too spoiled, eh :mrgreen: ) and like to snuggle underneath them. It also keeps them a bit warmer, they're all made out of fleece. When she gets bigger you can do that for her, too, especiallly when she grows into a bigger tank. But she'll be alot bigger than she is now before she'll need more than the 20 gallon.

 

[ghostkid90]

ok im going to start her tomorrow with the uvb light for 10 hours i have a 75 gallon tank i was thinking one putting her in when she gets larger if not geting the power tools out lol