Howdy folks,
Thought I would begin my foray into Beardom with an introduction of Samson and Delilah....please excuse the poor quality of a cell phone.
Both beardies were aquired from a local hobbyist who was getting out of the hobby. I was told they are 4 years old and the previous owner has housed them together since babies with reportedly no problems at all. They came with their home, an 80 gallon or thereabouts Oceanic "Lizard Lounger"..... (interested Pooch did not come with package deal)
Immediately I realized the lights were inadequate, using a Klein tools multimeter with digital temperature probe I was reading mid 80's temp, and there was no UVB bulb - apparently hasn't been one for "awhile". Zoomed out to the Tye-Dyed Iguana (plug) and picked up a dual "deep dome" Zoo-Med fixture and a Flukers Mercury Vapor Bulb. Also picked up 50 Superworms as these guys came with like 10 pounds of the Rep Cal pelletized food - apparently that is all they ever ate.
First day together they got along super, albeit as the earlier pic shows Samson on top of Delilah in a dominant position might of been a foretelling of things to come. Samson looked "dry" with lots of wrinkles in his skin, Delilah looks nice and plump, previous owner thinks she might be pregnant. (is that the right term or "with eggs" ? ) Put them in a bath, along with a couple of rolled up washclothes which was suggested here on the forums to give them a sense of security.....
I left them in there for 20 minutes, Delilah drank alot of water with her tongue, Samson did not - however I assume he absorbed some via skin. They both ate a half dozen of those pellets that I put in with some water which caused them to soften and swell. They each went to their own side of the tank which had a large branch for them to bask and crashout on....lights out.
Next morning having realized they did not have a "hide" in the tank I picked up one of those half circle pieces of wood with bark on it. I combine both pieces of drift towards one side of the tank, and left the hide on the other. Samson ruled the drift wood it appeared, Delilah basked on the half moon bark. There was no obvious reason for what transpired next, best I could tell ol' Samson wanted to check out the half moon where Delilah was basking when all hell broke loose.....some pretty good scrapping wherein I seen Samson's leg in Delilahs mouth and Delilah got bit on the "lip" which drew blood.
I kept a gripper tool between them for awhile but realized I couldn't do this all day. I took the glass top and split the tank in two in order to keep the fighting damage to a minimum. That only POed the both of them off worse as they went at each other from either side of the glass. A stroke of genius by my better half resulted in a phone call to GoodWill...they just so happened to have a "Critter Cage" for sale, included a big light, some wood, a few bowls, and a man made plastic "cave"/hide. All for 50 bucks....
During my intial introduction to this board earlier in the week, a few members noted you can't keep two beardies together....I should mention two dozen others said it wouldn't be a problem...regardless, my plan always was to be prepared for any eventuality so the purchase of another tank, although very disheartening to my hopes they would get along in one good sized tank, was part of the plan. I took the intiative and setup a second tank within hours of the fight breaking out. Here's a picture of Samson's new home, a 40 gallon breeder tank.
I had to put kraft paper on the side of the large tank as Delilah would just go crazy glass dancing and head bobbing when looking at her old tankmate. Other issues that I need some help with.....the 40 breeder came with a Phillips 250W UltraViolet bulb - or is it an "Infrared" bulb....the bulb itself is clear, its not red. I got the temp right at 95-100 under that light hanging over a basking log, Samson is closing his eyes alot, he likes the temperature however. Is this bulb not good for Bearded Dragons ?
Its bothered me so much that I put it on the other side and put a 100W basking bulb fixture in its place...getting about 90 degrees with it 6" from the highest point of the basking log. (that concerns me as being too close) The 250W which I raised to 18" off the sand bed...yes "sand" but that will change....but even then it was getting the plastic cave way too hot to the touch. The probe showed temps in the low 80s, but that darn plastic cave was awfully hot to the touch so I pulled it out. Can those things even be used with a bearded dragon given their inability to feel temps on their belly ?
Lastly, a concern about food. The first day the gobbled up their standard "swollen" pellets, the next day they each ate 6 Superworms. They have not eaten any of their "greens" we have mixed up for them the last three days, nor will they now touch those pellets. I have given each 6 Superworms yesterday and today, that sure doesn't seem like enough...is it ? I thought maybe if they were hungry they would learn to eat the greens, which if you believe the previous owner they have never had before. As a matter of fact the previous owner, still swearing they never fought in 4 years, believes it was the delicious Superworms that might of caused the fighting problem....I'm not so sure.
No matter what started the fighting, nature, new surroundings, stress....how is it that breeding ever occurs in a tank if these guys can't live peacefully together ?
What should I do to encourage eating their greens....I assume make sure temps are in the mid 90s to 105, and keep offering it to them in the mornings after the lights have been on for an hour or two. Should I keep feeding Superworms and if so, how many should I be feeding them each day and still hope to get them to eat their greens ?
Thank you for your time and any replies in advance.
Thought I would begin my foray into Beardom with an introduction of Samson and Delilah....please excuse the poor quality of a cell phone.
Both beardies were aquired from a local hobbyist who was getting out of the hobby. I was told they are 4 years old and the previous owner has housed them together since babies with reportedly no problems at all. They came with their home, an 80 gallon or thereabouts Oceanic "Lizard Lounger"..... (interested Pooch did not come with package deal)
Immediately I realized the lights were inadequate, using a Klein tools multimeter with digital temperature probe I was reading mid 80's temp, and there was no UVB bulb - apparently hasn't been one for "awhile". Zoomed out to the Tye-Dyed Iguana (plug) and picked up a dual "deep dome" Zoo-Med fixture and a Flukers Mercury Vapor Bulb. Also picked up 50 Superworms as these guys came with like 10 pounds of the Rep Cal pelletized food - apparently that is all they ever ate.
First day together they got along super, albeit as the earlier pic shows Samson on top of Delilah in a dominant position might of been a foretelling of things to come. Samson looked "dry" with lots of wrinkles in his skin, Delilah looks nice and plump, previous owner thinks she might be pregnant. (is that the right term or "with eggs" ? ) Put them in a bath, along with a couple of rolled up washclothes which was suggested here on the forums to give them a sense of security.....
I left them in there for 20 minutes, Delilah drank alot of water with her tongue, Samson did not - however I assume he absorbed some via skin. They both ate a half dozen of those pellets that I put in with some water which caused them to soften and swell. They each went to their own side of the tank which had a large branch for them to bask and crashout on....lights out.
Next morning having realized they did not have a "hide" in the tank I picked up one of those half circle pieces of wood with bark on it. I combine both pieces of drift towards one side of the tank, and left the hide on the other. Samson ruled the drift wood it appeared, Delilah basked on the half moon bark. There was no obvious reason for what transpired next, best I could tell ol' Samson wanted to check out the half moon where Delilah was basking when all hell broke loose.....some pretty good scrapping wherein I seen Samson's leg in Delilahs mouth and Delilah got bit on the "lip" which drew blood.
I kept a gripper tool between them for awhile but realized I couldn't do this all day. I took the glass top and split the tank in two in order to keep the fighting damage to a minimum. That only POed the both of them off worse as they went at each other from either side of the glass. A stroke of genius by my better half resulted in a phone call to GoodWill...they just so happened to have a "Critter Cage" for sale, included a big light, some wood, a few bowls, and a man made plastic "cave"/hide. All for 50 bucks....
During my intial introduction to this board earlier in the week, a few members noted you can't keep two beardies together....I should mention two dozen others said it wouldn't be a problem...regardless, my plan always was to be prepared for any eventuality so the purchase of another tank, although very disheartening to my hopes they would get along in one good sized tank, was part of the plan. I took the intiative and setup a second tank within hours of the fight breaking out. Here's a picture of Samson's new home, a 40 gallon breeder tank.
I had to put kraft paper on the side of the large tank as Delilah would just go crazy glass dancing and head bobbing when looking at her old tankmate. Other issues that I need some help with.....the 40 breeder came with a Phillips 250W UltraViolet bulb - or is it an "Infrared" bulb....the bulb itself is clear, its not red. I got the temp right at 95-100 under that light hanging over a basking log, Samson is closing his eyes alot, he likes the temperature however. Is this bulb not good for Bearded Dragons ?
Its bothered me so much that I put it on the other side and put a 100W basking bulb fixture in its place...getting about 90 degrees with it 6" from the highest point of the basking log. (that concerns me as being too close) The 250W which I raised to 18" off the sand bed...yes "sand" but that will change....but even then it was getting the plastic cave way too hot to the touch. The probe showed temps in the low 80s, but that darn plastic cave was awfully hot to the touch so I pulled it out. Can those things even be used with a bearded dragon given their inability to feel temps on their belly ?
Lastly, a concern about food. The first day the gobbled up their standard "swollen" pellets, the next day they each ate 6 Superworms. They have not eaten any of their "greens" we have mixed up for them the last three days, nor will they now touch those pellets. I have given each 6 Superworms yesterday and today, that sure doesn't seem like enough...is it ? I thought maybe if they were hungry they would learn to eat the greens, which if you believe the previous owner they have never had before. As a matter of fact the previous owner, still swearing they never fought in 4 years, believes it was the delicious Superworms that might of caused the fighting problem....I'm not so sure.
No matter what started the fighting, nature, new surroundings, stress....how is it that breeding ever occurs in a tank if these guys can't live peacefully together ?
What should I do to encourage eating their greens....I assume make sure temps are in the mid 90s to 105, and keep offering it to them in the mornings after the lights have been on for an hour or two. Should I keep feeding Superworms and if so, how many should I be feeding them each day and still hope to get them to eat their greens ?
Thank you for your time and any replies in advance.