Confused!

[BDnoob]

Hello people, i am just very confused as to what im doing wrong, i got a bearded dragon 3 days ago from a pet shop, he/she is a baby(i think when i asked the age they didnt know exactly)! Right the temperatures in the vivarium are fine i think; one side gets to about 30-32 degrees and the other stays between 29-31 are they okay? the pet shop guy said it was? but when i wake up to turn the lights and stuff back on after the night time my beardie feels cold? and when i put the crickets in the vivarium for it to feed it only goes for 1 and then just ignores the rest and lets them climb up all over him/her? also he/she doesnt touch the veg i leave in the food bowl? also he/she just tends to just sit there and isnt very energetic? I know it could just be stress but i just wanna make sure he/she is okay? when i handle him/her, he/she loves it and when i go to put him/her back he doesnt go in off my hand i have to actually pick him back up and move him there, and then he just sits and stares at me and doesnt move around, he's had 2 poo's? so that lets me know his bowels are working? Ive fed him some meal worms which he ate about 4 of but that was over a period of hours! Can someone just tell me if it is stress or if theres something to worry about please? I have attached a picture of him/her and would happily upload a picture of the vivarium if anyone wants to see the set up. thanks!

 

[Germ]

BDs will go through an acclimation period that can last a week to 10+ days, during this time it is best to keep handling minimal, to maintenance only. The activity that you describe sounds par for the course for a newly acquired BD.

A concern that I see is that your basking temps are no where near hot enough, should be in the vicinity of 43C (110F). A young BD needs this heat in order to digest it's food efficiently & properly. Could you please post a pic of your setup that shows your lighting in relation to the rest of the enclosure along with as much info about your setup as you can.

Example of a Basic Setup: Showing the recommended Basic requirements, proper Temperatures & the points at which they should be measured from, in Red & the optional choices that are actually used in this particular example enclosure, in Black.

Read More: http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/index.php?threads/basic-bd-care-sheet-a-place-to-start.5177/

You will find that the majority of Pet stores give very unreliable care information as they are generally not species specific knowledgeable in their care.

A few good links to help get you started ...

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

UVB Setup

Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?

How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

 

[BDnoob]

1 heat lamp on the top of the vivarium and then 2 uv lights going across the vivarium, I have calc sand as my substrate(considering changing it as been told alot its dangerous?) I am also considering buying one of them hammocks? looking on the box it all came in this is what it says about the lights, the long lights are 25w and 10.0 and the other is 25w and 2.0, and for the big heat light says it is 100w? i really want to get this right and have a horrible feeling the pet shop guy has given me completely the wrong information.

 

[phill]

I hav this same set no probs at all get a nice big rock or branch under heat lamp mine loves it and take temp at basking spot more accurate and make sure the 10.0 is on back hangers over basking spot I made this mistake and had them opposite since I swaped them round all has been great I'm no expert but sure mine smiles at me now lol


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[phill]

Just looked at pics again the UVB with the blue tint is at the front in ur viv same mistake I made swap them round u will see big difference in ur bd also if u can slide it right over the basking spot


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[BDnoob]

since posting this i moved some of the decor around and put the buffalo skull under the basking light and now he just sits there, and il swap them lights over in morning thankyou for that! also why does the blue tint have to be at the back?just curious

 

[phill]

It s the 10.0 so needs to be over the basking spot I'm new to this also just picked most my info up off here so any correct me if I'm wrong ;-)


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[Psychoticchaos]

I would get the Calci sand out of there asap. Not only will it dye there skin if its colored it has a high impaction risk. If you have your heart set on some sort of sand as a substrate I'd have to recommend washed and sifted children's play sand, But not until your dragon is over 10 inches long.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

Having any type of rock under the basking area will improve the heat need for your BD. Just make sure his actual basking area is about 100-110(surface area of basking). My BD likes his spot at 103. You can read their body language to see if it's suitable for the BD. If he stays in it without gaping his mouth open, then you have a good temp. If your BD is not in the basking area it is not hot enough. And if your BD is gaping (common overheated trait), he is too hot and I would do a slight adjustment if the temps are too hot. I ran into these problems after I build everything in my enclosure. BTW, I like your setup.

 

[Germ]

Gaping is a very natural method of thermoregulating their body temp & does NOT necessarily mean that the Basking temp is too hot. This is a common misconception.

Set up the basking temp to be in the vicinity of 110F, where it should be for a juvenile, it will find where it is comfortable. It knows better than we do what & where makes it comfy at any given time, it is our job to provide it with the right choices & let them make them, a basking spot of 103F is a little cool for a juveniles digestive process.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

My BD has a basking spot that ranges from a constant 103-110. He just likes the 103 side better during the day, that's all. Sorry, didn't mean to confuse anyone. I didn't make myself clear.

 

[Germ]

You can read their body language to see if it's suitable for the BD. If he stays in it without gaping his mouth open, then you have a good temp. If your BD is not in the basking area it is not hot enough. And if your BD is gaping (common overheated trait), he is too hot and I would do a slight adjustment if the temps are too hot. I ran into these problems after I build everything in my enclosure. BTW, I like your setup.

The only method to tell if you have the right temp is with a thermometer, you can not tell from 'Gaping' ...

Those are very poorly designed Habitats, because the UVB bulbs do not cover the basking spot. There is very little UVB emitted off of the ends of the tubes, the strongest being emitted from the center portions of the tube. Both the UVB & the heat bulb need to cover the basking spot simultaneously.

UVB Setup

That appears to be Calci-Sand substrate, if so, it poses a very high impaction risk. Also, if your BD is less that 10", nose to tip of tail, it should not be on a particle substrate of ANY kind.