Typical life?

[Blitz_153]

hey, i just got my lil one (Chase) yesterday, he/she ate like like 8 crickets this morning and since then has just been relaxing on his basking site which is at 97F, hasn't pooped yet since i brought it home. I'm pretty sure he will poop soon. Also the girl at the store told me that he is still a baby that i could give Chase a bath in a small plastic container, is that ok for me to do? AND a beardies typical life is just bathing in his basking spot almost all day?

 

[peera]

You should really try to boost his basking spot closer to 110*. Babies need the extra heat. Did you only offer 8 crickets, or was that all he would take? Babies need to eat A LOT of live feeders. (50+ a day. I know, he's small, it seems impossible, but it's very possible.)

The bath is definatly a good idea, since most dragons won't drink out of their water dishes, that's the best way to keep them hydrated, and once he starts shedding it'll help with that too. Put a towel down on the bottom so he doesn't slip. A lot of them also like to be able to put their front feet on your hand while they're bathing, it makes them feel secure, but don't let him crawl up your arm to escape unless he's been in there at least 10-15 minutes.

They do spend a lot of time basking, while they're in their enclosure it will be most of what they do, but they like getting out and exploring your house with supervision too.

Enjoy your new little friend!

 

[Blitz_153]

Hey, well I was feeding him the crickets one by one, b/c I heard that giving them a lot at the same time will intimidate a beardie, but I even left 5 crickets and he didn't even bother going after them, but he seems to be sleeping a lot too, is that ok? I'm just worried, right now the MVB 100 watt is on top of the screen of the tank, should I buy a higher power light?

 

[diamc]

What size tank is he in and what the brand of the MVB? Also, how close is it to your baby? And what type of thermometer are you using to check the temps?

 

[Blitz_153]

What size tank is he in and what the brand of the MVB? Also, how close is it to your baby? And what type of thermometer are you using to check the temps?

My tank is a 40G viv and my MVB is by ZooMed PowerSun 100 watts and it's 6 inches from its basking spot, I'm using a digital thermometer and place the probe right where he basks. Is that good?

 

[KairaandTaz08]

I don't know for sure...but I think MVBs are supposed to be about 10" away...not sure, though. I know the 40 gallon is large enough for an MVB, not sure about brands/wattages on them though. Digital probe thermometer is perfect, along with placing the probe right on his basking spot(just make sure he isn't laying on it all of the time lol...I have that problem with my 2 a lot :roll: , so I just move the probe a bit to their side)!
If you have a tiny baby, the 40 gallon maybe "freaking" him out. I'm sure he'll eat more as he adjusts. Just make sure you get an answer about the MVB & its distance...I don't know much about them :? . You could also try feeding him in a smaller, rubbermaid plastic tub...that way he wouldn't have to chase them so far & they couldn't hide...and don't leave crickets in his cage over night (or maybe even after 20 mins or so for a baby)...the crickets will "chew" on him/stress him out (I'm sure you knew that, just making sure ...sounds like you have things figured out...I just feel that I should "make sure").
Enjoy your little one ...they grow so fast!
Abi

 

[diamc]

What size tank is he in and what the brand of the MVB? Also, how close is it to your baby? And what type of thermometer are you using to check the temps?

My tank is a 40G viv and my MVB is by ZooMed PowerSun 100 watts and it's 6 inches from its basking spot, I'm using a digital thermometer and place the probe right where he basks. Is that good?

Since the MVB's throw out so much ultra violet rays, the distance of a 100 watt should be a minimum of 12 inches from your beardie. The PowerSun's don't throw out as much heat as a 100 watt Megaray or T-Rex though, but it's very important that the distance is right. When you test the temp, make sure to wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before you get the final reading. If that's what you're doing now and the basking temp is only 97 and since he is a baby, you might want to consider using a 25 or 40 watt household light bulb to raise the temp up closer to 110 (but no higher.) Also, since he is continuously relaxing in the basking area, it sounds like he may not be warm enough. What is the cool side temp?

 

[Blitz_153]

What size tank is he in and what the brand of the MVB? Also, how close is it to your baby? And what type of thermometer are you using to check the temps?

My tank is a 40G viv and my MVB is by ZooMed PowerSun 100 watts and it's 6 inches from its basking spot, I'm using a digital thermometer and place the probe right where he basks. Is that good?

Since the MVB's throw out so much ultra violet rays, the distance of a 100 watt should be a minimum of 12 inches from your beardie. The PowerSun's don't throw out as much heat as a 100 watt Megaray or T-Rex though, but it's very important that the distance is right. When you test the temp, make sure to wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before you get the final reading. If that's what you're doing now and the basking temp is only 97 and since he is a baby, you might want to consider using a 25 or 40 watt household light bulb to raise the temp up closer to 110 (but no higher.) Also, since he is continuously relaxing in the basking area, it sounds like he may not be warm enough. What is the cool side temp?

Ok I just placed a household 40 watt bulb and I'm gonna wait to see how that works out, should I buy a megaray or t-rex mvb instead then? The cool side is at 83F, could it be that he is just trying to digest his meals? Because at night my beardie crawls down to the bottom where the tiles are at and sleeps close to the glass. Is that normal?

 

[diamc]

How long have you had him, if less than 2 wks, he could be having relocation stress which can make him less active & not eating as much. Watch the temp very closely now that you added another bulb if he is in the tank while you are testing it, wouldn't want it to get too hot. Are you bathing him or giving drinks on his nose for him to lick off? If not, that would be a good idea to do because babies can get dehydrated very quickly.

Yes, you could certainly get one of the other MVB's I mentioned if you wanted to.

Babies sometimes even sleep standing upright with their bellies pushed up to the glass, they can sleep in the strangest positions. You aren't using a bulb at night, are you?

 

[Blitz_153]

How long have you had him, if less than 2 wks, he could be having relocation stress which can make him less active & not eating as much. Watch the temp very closely now that you added another bulb if he is in the tank while you are testing it, wouldn't want it to get too hot. Are you bathing him or giving drinks on his nose for him to lick off? If not, that would be a good idea to do because babies can get dehydrated very quickly.

Yes, you could certainly get one of the other MVB's I mentioned if you wanted to.

Babies sometimes even sleep standing upright with their bellies pushed up to the glass, they can sleep in the strangest positions. You aren't using a bulb at night, are you?

Well I just got Chase this past Friday, but when i got him and placed him in i didn't see any stress marks, now when i looked at his belly(cuz a side of it was out) i saw it was a lil dark with little white circles. How long normally does it take for them to settle down?(Estimated, from your experience) Is there anything I can do to help Chase through it? Also yesterday I bathed him and I put him back because he wanted to get out and like a minute later he vomited a cricket he had ate. So i'm a lil nervous trying to handle him alot now. Another thing was that i saw a cricket hiding in his branch(the long one) should i get rid of it? (i don't want a cricket to come out at night and bite him while it sleeps) The first night I got Chase he(i hope) slept with his belly against the glass. I do have a bulb i use at night a red one 60 watts b/c the person at the shop said it was ok that they don't see the red, what is wrong with the red bulb? BUT i am planning on changing that to a ceramic emitter today, i just need to step out and get that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBuIAEPCxcE
This is my tank with my beardie(only missing is the hut to hide, i took it out for a moment right before recording) but let me know if i remove the long branch he is on and keep the one on the corner(Also if you could tell me how to clean the wood and how often? Please)

 

[peera]

Remember that "stress marks" is a misnomer. Babies will often display them for no reason at all. There's also some speculation that it helps them warm up faster (Like wearing a black shirt on a sunny day, the darker skin absorbs heat). Unless he's doing it really darkly constantly, don't let it worry you.
Relocation stress can last up to 2 weeks. I'm of the opinion that the more you can handle them during that time, the better. I constantly handled Gibby and Dora both before and after bringing them home, and neither one ever suffered from it. Miss Priss, on the other hand, is a little too feral to be easily handled and she went off her feed for a few days.
The best thing to do about the crickets besides completely denuding his enclosure is to feed him outside of it, either in a 10-20gal tank or a rubbermaid container.
They can, in fact, see the red light, and it disturbs their sleep since they detect light even when their eyes are closed (Look at the top of his head. See that little gray spot in the center that looks kind of like a bubble? That's their "third eye", which they use to detect light and heat.) My oldest boy was kept on a red light for years, and is much, much happier now that he gets to sleep at night! It's unnessisary and even bad for them if you keep the temps up at night, as long as your home stays at 60*+.