Took on a beardie, need help!

[DandyDuster]

So my 9 year old son and his step brother, each got a bearded dragon about 4-5 months ago at his dads. About a week ago my son told me that his step brothers beardie died and that he was scared his was going to die too. After talking to him and his dad I came to realize that the beardies weren’t being properly cared for. They weren’t being fed regularly, they didn’t have uvb lighting, there was no vitamins or calcium or greens being provided. There was no monitoring or temps, very small dirty enclosure, etc.

I managed to convince his dad to let me take my sons beardie so I could give it everything it needs. So with the beardie (Benny) came 2 household lightbulbs with shades and some rocks. Thankfully I had an empty 100 gallon tank that I’ve been trying to make him a nice enclosure with.

So here’s where I’m at so far (please excuse my makeshift stuff I have on top, just working with what I have til I can make it better):

In the pictures you can see the lighting set up, I have a Repti Zoo T5 HO UVB light across the top, along with a 150 watt with a 150 watt compatible shade hanging on top. I also have the two shades with the household lightbulbs on each end.

As you can see in the pics, the temps aren’t adequate and I don’t really know where to go from here. You can see Benny is at the top of his tank basking. But the surface temp of the spot he is in is only around 80-85F. Oh, the house temps are around 70F.

Please help me figure out how to get it warmer in his enclosure and to get his basking area warmer. I just want to give him the best life possible and help him be the healthiest and happiest he can be! Thanks!

 

[KarrieRee]

So my 9 year old son and his step brother, each got a bearded dragon about 4-5 months ago at his dads. About a week ago my son told me that his step brothers beardie died and that he was scared his was going to die too. After talking to him and his dad I came to realize that the beardies weren’t being properly cared for. They weren’t being fed regularly, they didn’t have uvb lighting, there was no vitamins or calcium or greens being provided. There was no monitoring or temps, very small dirty enclosure, etc.

I managed to convince his dad to let me take my sons beardie so I could give it everything it needs. So with the beardie (Benny) came 2 household lightbulbs with shades and some rocks. Thankfully I had an empty 100 gallon tank that I’ve been trying to make him a nice enclosure with.

So here’s where I’m at so far (please excuse my makeshift stuff I have on top, just working with what I have til I can make it better):

In the pictures you can see the lighting set up, I have a Repti Zoo T5 HO UVB light across the top, along with a 150 watt with a 150 watt compatible shade hanging on top. I also have the two shades with the household lightbulbs on each end.

As you can see in the pics, the temps aren’t adequate and I don’t really know where to go from here. You can see Benny is at the top of his tank basking. But the surface temp of the spot he is in is only around 80-85F. Oh, the house temps are around 70F.

Please help me figure out how to get it warmer in his enclosure and to get his basking area warmer. I just want to give him the best life possible and help him be the healthiest and happiest he can be! Thanks!

Ok so we need to do some adjusting --- first you need 2 digital probe thermometers -- you want surface basking temps of 95-100 for a 6 month old dragon and up --- how old is the dragon? We need accurate surface basking temps before any adjustments are done on that ---- If its under 6 months 105-110 --- these things I am going over are critical for the dragon to survive --- next the UVB bulb please change out to a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb they are a much better bulb --- fixture is fine but you want a good UVB bulb-- that bulb needs to be changed out in approx 10-11 months -I see you have a wide hole type screen the UVB can stay on top but please get a piece of basking decor directly under it 8-10 inches--- next I would get rid of the substrate and replace w/ some textured NO grooves NON adhesive shelf liner easier to clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50 wipe down w/ a wet dish rag / cloth towel --- you want 3 temps in your tank surface basking temps --- middle of the tank 90' s and cool side 80ish-- you can use the digital gauge you have for ambient but you must have the digital probes for accurate surface temps -- the household bulbs are good for light but you must get your temps in the tank correct - the surface basking temps start digestion the UVB helps the dragon absorb/synthesize the calcium hes ingesting -- this is crucial for the dragons over all health and behavior --
hes going to outgrow those long sticks you have so I would work on getting some good decor for him to perch on as he gets bigger --- he also is going to need a hide - think big -- the tank size is good but I would get it off the floor- its glass which makes it harder to heat and the floor is cold and drafty--- a good used dresser w/ drawers works good to keep extra bulbs etc for the dragon --
Diet --- fresh salads every day Nutrition Content ignore the kale info its outdated and a good staple feeder-please rinse the greens before serving so hes getting hydration -- he needs a good staple insect I recommend dubia roaches they need to be dusted lightly on the insects ONCE per day 5 x per week -- vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week lightly dusted ONCE per day -- please go by the chart on the website I am posting for size -- get the insects NO bigger than the space between his eyes ---you also need a digital probe hygrometer placed on the back center wall of the tank -- Exo Terra Digital Hygrometer | Dubia.com
www.dubiaroaches.com
I will help you as much as I can but please work on getting the temps in the tank on par along w/ your UVB ---