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Beardie daily exercise needed?

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
Poppy usually just stays on her hummock or hugs the wood log all day if we are busy doing other things and don’t take her out of the tank. She eats well (typically 30-50 small bugs a day plus veggies) and poops regularly. But once she’s out of the tank she’d cruise around. At 6-7 months old I assume she should move around in the terrarium even if we don’t take her out. When I put food inside of the tank while she’s on her hummock, she’d look at the bugs in the food container and jump off, eat all the food and go back to the hummock. She can almost look like a statue if no one interacts with her. Is that normal?
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,692
Poppy usually just stays on her hummock or hugs the wood log all day if we are busy doing other things and don’t take her out of the tank. She eats well (typically 30-50 small bugs a day plus veggies) and poops regularly. But once she’s out of the tank she’d cruise around. At 6-7 months old I assume she should move around in the terrarium even if we don’t take her out. When I put food inside of the tank while she’s on her hummock, she’d look at the bugs in the food container and jump off, eat all the food and go back to the hummock. She can almost look like a statue if no one interacts with her. Is that normal?
Yes --- she is basking and its good shes going back to the basking bulb as this is what starts the digestion process along w / the UVB - it is crucial that she has correct UVB NO coils they are terrible -- long tube fixtures please-- they usually get rambunctious right after they poop -- a burst of energy--
 

Skybug

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Messages
2,283
They really get lazy as they age, my beardie use to run down any bug and devour it like she hasn’t eaten in a week, now I basically have to hand feed her, she still runs around when she’s outside though, maybe get a harness and take her outside in the grass :) itd be good enrichment too.
 

Frank the baby beardry

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
553
Location
To bad
Yes --- she is basking and its good shes going back to the basking bulb as this is what starts the digestion process along w / the UVB - it is crucial that she has correct UVB NO coils they are terrible -- long tube fixtures please-- they usually get rambunctious right after they poop -- a burst of energy--
Leave it to Sadie to get all the good info out there.
 

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
Yes --- she is basking and its good shes going back to the basking bulb as this is what starts the digestion process along w / the UVB - it is crucial that she has correct UVB NO coils they are terrible -- long tube fixtures please-- they usually get rambunctious right after they poop -- a burst of energy--
So she has to bask all day? I thought only a couple of hours after each feeding. As the weather gets warmer I’ve noticed she’s sitting on the side of her hummock more often not directly under the light (we’re using the big vapor mercury light providing both UVA and UVB). Might be too hot? 95-110 is the range using a digital temp gun measure.she poops mostly daily. She doesn’t drink water but only through eating veggies or via
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feeding on hornworms. What’s a long tube fixtures? I’ll take a picture of our tank set up and please give comments. Big thanks!
 

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
They really get lazy as they age, my beardie use to run down any bug and devour it like she hasn’t eaten in a week, now I basically have to hand feed her, she still runs around when she’s outside though, maybe get a harness and take her outside in the grass :) itd be good enrichment too.
I know right! Poppy is probably 6 mo old and I’d really like to see her being more active. She used to chase after the crickets and could eat like 60 of the medium size ones. Now she doesn’t like crickets anymore, only worms or roaches, and we have to bring them right in front of her. We’ll get her out of the tank more often.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,692
So she has to bask all day? I thought only a couple of hours after each feeding. As the weather gets warmer I’ve noticed she’s sitting on the side of her hummock more often not directly under the light (we’re using the big vapor mercury light providing both UVA and UVB). Might be too hot? 95-110 is the range using a digital temp gun measure.she poops mostly daily. She doesn’t drink water but only through eating veggies or via View attachment 26692View attachment 26693feeding on hornworms. What’s a long tube fixtures? I’ll take a picture of our tank set up and please give comments. Big thanks!
Your tank looks nice- what brand of MVB are you using and wattage- a long tube fixture is like a zoo med sunblaster or Arcadia and is often recommended to accomadate extra uvb that the MVB may not be providing- the temp your getting w/ the IR gun off the hammock is incorrect- IR guns cannot read off hammocks you need a digital probe thermometer- my guess the temp.your getting is under that hammock and it's too hot on the hammock- if your going to need to move the MVB up to get it to correct temps you will lose the UVB rays-- hence the extra UVB-
 

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
Your tank looks nice- what brand of MVB are you using and wattage- a long tube fixture is like a zoo med sunblaster or Arcadia and is often recommended to accomadate extra uvb that the MVB may not be providing- the temp your getting w/ the IR gun off the hammock is incorrect- IR guns cannot read off hammocks you need a digital probe thermometer- my guess the temp.your getting is under that hammock and it's too hot on the hammock- if your going to need to move the MVB up to get it to correct temps you will lose the UVB rays-- hence the extra UVB-
 

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
Your tank looks nice- what brand of MVB are you using and wattage- a long tube fixture is like a zoo med sunblaster or Arcadia and is often recommended to accomadate extra uvb that the MVB may not be providing- the temp your getting w/ the IR gun off the hammock is incorrect- IR guns cannot read off hammocks you need a digital probe thermometer- my guess the temp.your getting is under that hammock and it's too hot on the hammock- if your going to need to move the MVB up to get it to correct temps you will lose the UVB rays-- hence the extra UVB-
Our MVB is Reptisun 60W, supposed to be powerful (the bulb itself costs $50+). I’ll look into the sunblaster for sure, and perhaps change the set up in the summer so the hummock isn’t too close to the ceiling. Right now she’s right on the side of the hummock (I’ll take a good shot of her so you can see).
image.jpg
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,692
Do they know when to stop when they’re full? Poppy has eaten 60 worms and I’m afraid if I give her more she’ll just keep eating, but I’ve read different opinions on how you just let your young beardies eat until they stop.
Please feed only 3 supers every other day- most will stop eating but she should only be getting those as a treat- w/ that many I am surprised she has not become impacted-
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,692
Our MVB is Reptisun 60W, supposed to be powerful (the bulb itself costs $50+). I’ll look into the sunblaster for sure, and perhaps change the set up in the summer so the hummock isn’t too close to the ceiling. Right now she’s right on the side of the hummock (I’ll take a good shot of her so you can see). View attachment 26700
Do you still have the box of the bulb your using? I am not finding that bulb as a mvb-- I am coming up w/ a blue bulb - if that bulb is just a basking bulb of which I am thinking it is poppy is getting no UVB but I need to see the box please
 

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
She doesn’t eat super worms, her staple is BSFL mixed with medium size mealworms and occasionally wax worms or hornworms as treats.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,692
She doesn’t eat super worms, her staple is BSFL mixed with medium size mealworms and occasionally wax worms or hornworms as treats.
Ok bsfl are great-- she can eat as many as she can-- you said worms so I thought you meant supers-
 

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
Please feed only 3 supers every other day- most will stop eating but she should only be getting those as a treat- w/ that many I am surprised she has not become impacted-
Do you still have the box of the bulb your using? I am not finding that bulb as a mvb-- I am coming up w/ a blue bulb - if that bulb is just a basking bulb of which I am thinking it is poppy is getting no UVB but I need to see the box please
Sorry I remember wrong, the brand is DBD Pet, 160W mega ray. Don’t have the box anymore just checked the order record.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,692
Sorry I remember wrong, the brand is DBD Pet, 160W mega ray. Don’t have the box anymore just checked the order record.
Ok the Mega Ray is a good bulb -- but you need to get a accurate temp on that hammock -- if the Mega Ray is on the screen the distance should be 14-16 inches -- I would recommend getting another UVB the UVB rays are being filtered out by the screen around 30% -- I see the screen is a wide hole so that is good -- and shes gaping in the pic so that tells me shes adjusting her body temp-- but for her sake you want a accurate basking temp-- and you can get a 22" fixture like a Zoo Med and get a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 that can sit on top of your screen w/ basking decor 8-10 inches under it --
 

cygbeardie

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
70
Ok the Mega Ray is a good bulb -- but you need to get a accurate temp on that hammock -- if the Mega Ray is on the screen the distance should be 14-16 inches -- I would recommend getting another UVB the UVB rays are being filtered out by the screen around 30% -- I see the screen is a wide hole so that is good -- and shes gaping in the pic so that tells me shes adjusting her body temp-- but for her sake you want a accurate basking temp-- and you can get a 22" fixture like a Zoo Med and get a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 that can sit on top of your screen w/ basking decor 8-10 inches under it --
Sadie, is this the one you mentioned? Thanks so much!
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