I realized something

[Kuhli]

So Manny, juvie beardie, always wants to find a corner and sleep. Anytime i take him out, he finds a corner and sleeps. Anywhere. His bedtime is 7, but he decides to sleep at 5. Sometimes he doesnt even move to his coolside, just falls alseep on his basking rock. I thought it was because he was shedding, because he used to be extremely active.
I was reading about bearded dragons and then i remembered that if their temperatures arent high enough, they arent as active. I asked before on this same forum if my temperatures were fine, and people replied sayin they were fine. Now, I dont think that theyre ok. It gets to mid 70s on the cool side DAYTIME, and stays the same at night. Also, I doubt the basking spot reaches 95. His basking lamp is a household bulb, which was recommended to use instead of a marketed reptile basking lamp.
I also asked on this forum recently if Mannys eating habits were ok. I think his minimal eating and diet of freeze dried insects with live supplemented isnt ok anymore. Also his temperatures.
This is going to be a lot to redo. His whole entire diet, constantly buying live feeders, somehow raising the temperature which means buying a ceramic heat emitter and new hardware to set that up too.
I love Manny but is it better to just rehome him? Even if it sucks I would gladly rehome and animal if it means they will recieve a better life. And if i dont do everything soon, would he die?
Also, im not trying to place the blame on anyone else but myself but I believe I was given misinformation. I was told on this forum and various websites that freeze dried bugs are completely fine to feed ur beardie, and live can only be supplemented. Also that my temperatures were fine. I have to change A LOT to get Manny "better".[emoji853][emoji853][emoji853][emoji853][emoji853]


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[Rex Carnage]

I dont have any research in freeze dried bugs but i doubt they have any nutrients other then the supplement you put on it so i would stick to live feeders such as crickets, dubias if their legal where you live, sometimes superworms and silkworms. you can use on market reptile heat bulbs but i would recommend 50 or 75 watt halogen flood bulbs. they are alot less sensitive then normal reptile bulbs so alot less likely to break at least in my experience. At almost two feet away the 50 watt halogen gives off 95 - 100 degress F and i live in a basement so its usually cool down here. having a good UVB can mean alot as well, usually the most recommended uvb bulb is reptisun 10.0 and i think it is a good bulb and works great, the reason the compact uvb bulbs are sometimes frowned upon is because they say they cause eye problems, which was true a few years ago, the reason they caused eye problems was because they were giving off way too much uvb but the higher more well known brands have fixed this so i wouldnt trust the cheap small brands, if you don't feel like you have time for the beardie and cant take care of it much anymore then maybe it is a good idea to rehome it, at the end of the day its up to you. if you have any questions feel free to respond.

 

[PatsyB]

Hmmm, I don't see that you ever asked your question about lighting. Back in 2016 you said you had questions but never made a post about them. As far as the diet of dried bugs and wax worms, we all told you that they were bad and that more healthy feeders would be dubia, hornworms, silkworms, BSFL etc. You say you doubt the basking spot gets to 95, well don't you measure it? It takes lots of trial and error to get the temps to where they need to be. You will buy a lot of bulbs and return a lot of bulbs until it gets right. What works for one person, may not work for another person. There are so many factors built into like how high is your basking spot in correlation to where your light is? Rex may use a 50 watt for the same size tank I have but a 75 may work better for me. There is no set answer, it's not one size fits all, we have to do trial and error. Some people have luck with reptile branded basking bulbs and some people have luck with household bulbs and some have luck with halogen bulbs. You have to try them all and see what works for you.

 

[Hdrydr31]

We have never said that freeze dried foods are fine here are the posts involving this topic... You are the response in the end...

1. Live feeders is always best! as those freeze dried ones have zero nutrients left in them not to mention they get most of their moisture from the foods that they eat. And live foods keep their interest in prey items..
   Dubia roaches, superworms, silkworms, phoenix worms, hornworms are all excellent staple items waxworms, butterworms are treat items as they have alot of fat in them and they should be given in moderation as they LOVE them and will often hold out and wait for them instead of eating bugs that are better for them...
   http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/general-info-set-up-1st-timers.13863/
   http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/diseases.13956/
   Food link:
   http://greathousefarm.com/Greathouse-Reptile-Nutrition-List.pdf
   Lighting Info:
   http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/An-In-Depth-Look-At-UV-Light-And-Its-Proper-Use-With-Reptiles/
   Hdrydr31, Sunday at 7:27 AMEditDeleteIPReport
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   PatsyBSuper ModeratorStaff Member3 Year Member1,000+ Post Club
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   Agreed, freeze dried insects offer no nutrition, it's like us eating chips everyday. Offer live foods for moisture and nutrition and to keep them active.
   http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/general-info-set-up-1st-timers.13863/
   http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/diseases.13956/
   http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/great-new-article-on-reptile-lighting.15482/
   PatsyB, Yesterday at 12:07 PMEditDeleteIPReport
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   KuhliBearded Dragon Egg
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   Agreed, freeze dried insects offer no nutrition, it's like us eating chips everyday. Offer live foods for moisture and nutrition and to keep them active.
   Ok thanks i actually found a great feeder seller website ill be ordering from them very soon
   

 

[Hdrydr31]

So Manny, juvie beardie, always wants to find a corner and sleep. Anytime i take him out, he finds a corner and sleeps. Anywhere. His bedtime is 7, but he decides to sleep at 5. Sometimes he doesnt even move to his coolside, just falls alseep on his basking rock. I thought it was because he was shedding, because he used to be extremely active.
I was reading about bearded dragons and then i remembered that if their temperatures arent high enough, they arent as active. I asked before on this same forum if my temperatures were fine, and people replied sayin they were fine. Now, I dont think that theyre ok. It gets to mid 70s on the cool side DAYTIME, and stays the same at night. Also, I doubt the basking spot reaches 95. His basking lamp is a household bulb, which was recommended to use instead of a marketed reptile basking lamp.
I also asked on this forum recently if Mannys eating habits were ok. I think his minimal eating and diet of freeze dried insects with live supplemented isnt ok anymore. Also his temperatures.
This is going to be a lot to redo. His whole entire diet, constantly buying live feeders, somehow raising the temperature which means buying a ceramic heat emitter and new hardware to set that up too.
I love Manny but is it better to just rehome him? Even if it sucks I would gladly rehome and animal if it means they will recieve a better life. And if i dont do everything soon, would he die?
Also, im not trying to place the blame on anyone else but myself but I believe I was given misinformation. I was told on this forum and various websites that freeze dried bugs are completely fine to feed ur beardie, and live can only be supplemented. Also that my temperatures were fine. I have to change A LOT to get Manny "better".[emoji853][emoji853][emoji853][emoji853][emoji853]


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I have posted our responses to your question on freeze dried bugs and we urged you NOT to feed these items as they are NOT good for them..
We are looking for the info on heating as we would have told you that those temps are NOT recommended.

 

[Hdrydr31]

You mentioned in 1 of your posts that your temps were fine here is my post and your comment:
↑
Looks good from the pictures..
I would like to mention an item I saw.. I would remove the heat mat as they really don't need them as they can't feel heat from their belly and can actually burn them, they only feel heat from above.. As long as your enclosure doesn't get below 65F at night they don't need it anyways, if it does fall below 65F then get a CHE (ceramic heating element) it gives off heat with no light for nighttime temps.


He doesnt use the heat mat i dont even know why its still in there lol Im going to take it out. A couple months ago I looked up how to raise the ambient temperature in his enclosure and they recommended a heat mat, but it doesnt do anything. The temperature is fine though.

 

[Hdrydr31]

So I guess what we are saying is we've said that freeze dried insects are NOT good and you acknowledged that, for whatever reason you may not be a bug person and that's fine but they NEED live foods..

As you can tell as a moderator we can look back to anyones posts and find info... You never asked about lighting or we would have told you what to get..
We strive very hard to give everyone solid advise on how to care for their dragon's we even made extensive threads on general care and link them to our comments...
Sorry you feel the way you do
Manny looks fine and doing some minor tweaking to your enclosure (however by your posts it appears you do have a tube style UVB and a decent basking bulb so just changing wattage should be fine)

 

[Kuhli]

So I guess what we are saying is we've said that freeze dried insects are NOT good and you acknowledged that, for whatever reason you may not be a bug person and that's fine but they NEED live foods..

As you can tell as a moderator we can look back to anyones posts and find info... You never asked about lighting or we would have told you what to get..
We strive very hard to give everyone solid advise on how to care for their dragon's we even made extensive threads on general care and link them to our comments...
Sorry you feel the way you do
Manny looks fine and doing some minor tweaking to your enclosure (however by your posts it appears you do have a tube style UVB and a decent basking bulb so just changing wattage should be fine)

I may have asked the question on the Australian Bearded Dragon forum because my account wasnt working. I was not attacking anyone else i stated that i was not placing the blame on anyone but myself.
I ordered a ceramic heat emitter to raise the temperatures on the cool side of Manny's enclosure. I also have a 20 gal tank i will use for cricket feeders.

On Manny's sluggishness, I have a theory. Tiny enclosures make beardies innactive, correct? The temperatures on my cool side are 77F, which is fine for nightime but not daytime. Manny doesnt want to cool off in his cool side because its TOO cool, so he cools off in the 80F area just around his basking spot. His basking spot gets up to 105F, btw, so the light im using is fine i guess. Anyway, Manny goes from his basking spot to the 80F area around it, not to whats supposed to be his coolside. Half of his tank he does not use. Because his roaming area is limited, so are his activity levels[emoji853] But at least Im fixing the issue.

Manny was outside today. He ate a bumblebee and some dandelions for some reason. He was extremely active and ran all over the place, so at least hes not sick or anything.

Thank you everyone for all the feedback Ill update when i raise his enclosure temperatures and change his diet. Crossing my fingers Manny gets back to his jumpy self[emoji846]


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[Rex Carnage]

I may have asked the question on the Australian Bearded Dragon forum because my account wasnt working. I was not attacking anyone else i stated that i was not placing the blame on anyone but myself.
I ordered a ceramic heat emitter to raise the temperatures on the cool side of Manny's enclosure. I also have a 20 gal tank i will use for cricket feeders.

On Manny's sluggishness, I have a theory. Tiny enclosures make beardies innactive, correct? The temperatures on my cool side are 77F, which is fine for nightime but not daytime. Manny doesnt want to cool off in his cool side because its TOO cool, so he cools off in the 80F area just around his basking spot. His basking spot gets up to 105F, btw, so the light im using is fine i guess. Anyway, Manny goes from his basking spot to the 80F area around it, not to whats supposed to be his coolside. Half of his tank he does not use. Because his roaming area is limited, so are his activity levels[emoji853] But at least Im fixing the issue.

Manny was outside today. He ate a bumblebee and some dandelions for some reason. He was extremely active and ran all over the place, so at least hes not sick or anything.

Thank you everyone for all the feedback Ill update when i raise his enclosure temperatures and change his diet. Crossing my fingers Manny gets back to his jumpy self[emoji846]


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you want one side of the enclosure to drop around the 70s or 80s, the other side of the tank you want around 95-105 for full grown and 105 - 115 for much younger dragons, when dragons feel theyve had enough time basking then they might roam around the cool side of the tank or want out to explore more, just like in the wild under the trees and bushes in the shade.

 

[BrookeE]

I dont think your cool side is too cool. I would say 77F is fine. Mine is around 73-75F depending on the temp of the house that day. It is possible that your beardie does go to the cool side but you just don't see it. what you don't want to do is fail to provide your beardie a place to cool down if he wants. I wouldn't warm up the cool side with a CHE.

Make the adjustments to the food you give. Always provide veggies and switch to live feeders only. Make sure your UVB is still good. They lose their ability to produce UVB rays after a while, even though it still turns on and produces light. If you've not replaced it in the last year, replace it. Depending on the type of bulb you are using, you might have to change it every 6 months.

It sounds like your beardie isn't as active as you want it to be, or as he normally is. However, theres no need to panic. Just make adjustments. Sometimes they go through periods of decreased activity. I have a normally very active dragon thats been pretty much napping for the last month. It can make you worry and frustrated, but just be patient. I miss her a ton but she's just going through her bodys natural process.

 

[PatsyB]

I agree with BrookeE, your cool side should be between 75-80 degrees. My dragons rarely go on their cool side and prefer to spend most of their time on the warm side or in the middle of the tank. I find that offering them levels in the tank, keeps them somewhat active. They can climb up and down from their hammock to the basking spot to the floor.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I agree, my 2 will move around in their tanks but sometimes they will sleep right there where they are when the lights go out, or they will go to their cool hide or I'll put them there after holding them..

 

[Kuhli]

I dont think your cool side is too cool. I would say 77F is fine. Mine is around 73-75F depending on the temp of the house that day. It is possible that your beardie does go to the cool side but you just don't see it. what you don't want to do is fail to provide your beardie a place to cool down if he wants. I wouldn't warm up the cool side with a CHE.

Make the adjustments to the food you give. Always provide veggies and switch to live feeders only. Make sure your UVB is still good. They lose their ability to produce UVB rays after a while, even though it still turns on and produces light. If you've not replaced it in the last year, replace it. Depending on the type of bulb you are using, you might have to change it every 6 months.

It sounds like your beardie isn't as active as you want it to be, or as he normally is. However, theres no need to panic. Just make adjustments. Sometimes they go through periods of decreased activity. I have a normally very active dragon thats been pretty much napping for the last month. It can make you worry and frustrated, but just be patient. I miss her a ton but she's just going through her bodys natural process.

wow ok this helps a lot[emoji23] i had no idea sometimes they just arent active.
I was on youtube and saw someones bearded dragon enclosure for juvies, and I liked how they used sticks and bogwood for climbing spots. I found some sticks outside that i need to disinfect. Maybe more climbing ornaments will make Manny not look so pitifully bored?
Again, thank you everyone for all the feedback. I think Manny will be just fine[emoji846]


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[Kuhli]

I agree, my 2 will move around in their tanks but sometimes they will sleep right there where they are when the lights go out, or they will go to their cool hide or I'll put them there after holding them..

Sometimes I move Manny to his cool hide too


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[Kuhli]

I agree with BrookeE, your cool side should be between 75-80 degrees. My dragons rarely go on their cool side and prefer to spend most of their time on the warm side or in the middle of the tank. I find that offering them levels in the tank, keeps them somewhat active. They can climb up and down from their hammock to the basking spot to the floor.

If I use the CHE, would it raise my cool side to 80?


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[BrookeE]

I don't have any experience with using a CHE since my temperatures never fall below 72- even at night. However, if your cool side is already at 77F, I would think its pretty safe to assume that it would raise the temperature more than 3 degrees. I guess it depends on which one you got and the wattage.

 

[PatsyB]

I honestly don't think you need to raise the temps in the cool side. Mid seventies is just fine. 75-80 degrees is preferred but it it's a little lower or little higher it's not the end of the world. The temp is going to vary with your room temps. What are you using to measure the temps in your cool side?

I use an AccuRite monitor on my cool side. You can get them on Amazon for like $10. It measures temp and humidity and you can leave it in your tank at all times.

Currently one of my tanks is 72 on the cool side, lights are still warming up a bit. Another one of my tanks is 81.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I honestly don't think you need to raise the temps in the cool side. Mid seventies is just fine. 75-80 degrees is preferred but it it's a little lower or little higher it's not the end of the world. The temp is going to vary with your room temps. What are you using to measure the temps in your cool side?

I use an AccuRite monitor on my cool side. You can get them on Amazon for like $10. It measures temp and humidity and you can leave it in your tank at all times.

Currently one of my tanks is 72 on the cool side, lights are still warming up a bit. Another one of my tanks is 81.

Yep I agree with Patsy..
I also use the AccuRite monitors you can get them at Walmart..
my 2 get down to 73 at night