First time owner

[Larissa132]

I just bought my first bearded dragon today, was wondering if someone could go over everything. Currently have the basking spot around 100, heat pad under tank under basking spot. He loves to eat his roaches and crickets. Do you guys do the dried veggie food or actually vegetables from the store? I hate the pet store in town and had to get him out of there asap!

 

[Skybug]

Welcome to the forum @Larissa132 , everything? You should have done alot of the research yourself before you bought your dragon. Was he an impulse buy? Dragons can be a handful sometimes , can you post a picture of his setup?please get rid of the under tank heater, they get heat from above, he needs proper uvb first of all , not a coil uvb bulb, ive attached pictures of brands other forum members use, i have the zoomed fixture, but the arcadia is good too, im assuming you have a coil uvb bulb , those cause problems, its best to get them on fresh veggies while young, and make shure ur calcium dusting his bugs.

 

[Larissa132]

I have a 50 w basking light, a 10.0 repitsun uvb. Just got today and no it was not an impulse buy. I've done a ton of research, just wanted to go over it with you guys!!! Currently have a fleece blanket laid down until I get reptile carpet in the mail, pet store was out!! He's eaten dubia roaches and crickets already as I have a Chameleon!!

 

[Larissa132]

His basking spot is at 100. Assuming he's going to be on a schedule just as my chameleon, calcium without d3 6 days a week and a day with d3 and alternate every other week between multi vitamins.? What vegetables do you recommend that stay fresh decently long, I do feed the crickets and roaches fruit and veggies!

 

[Larissa132]

Also have never used a coil uvb with any of my reptiles!

 

[Sadie]

His basking spot is at 100. Assuming he's going to be on a schedule just as my chameleon, calcium without d3 6 days a week and a day with d3 and alternate every other week between multi vitamins.? What vegetables do you recommend that stay fresh decently long, I do feed the crickets and roaches fruit and veggies!

here us a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Please start dusting the insects 5 x per week w/ D3 ONCE per feeding lightly coated - vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONCE per feeding lightly coated - when your dragon turns a year the calcium D3 w/ need to be cut back w/ the Reptisun if your using a T 5 if your only using the T 8 you will need to give more often - what is the distance and placement of the UVB? this is extremely important

 

[Larissa132]

here us a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Please start dusting the insects 5 x per week w/ D3 ONCE per feeding lightly coated - vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONCE per feeding lightly coated - when your dragon turns a year the calcium D3 w/ need to be cut back w/ the Reptisun if your using a T 5 if your only using the T 8 you will need to give more often - what is the distance and placement of the UVB? this is extremely important

here us a website for nutrition ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Please start dusting the insects 5 x per week w/ D3 ONCE per feeding lightly coated - vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONCE per feeding lightly coated - when your dragon turns a year the calcium D3 w/ need to be cut back w/ the Reptisun if your using a T 5 if your only using the T 8 you will need to give more often - what is the distance and placement of the UVB? this is extremely important

The light is 12in from the floor!

 

[Sadie]

The light is 12in from the floor!

Is it a T 5 or a T 8? If its a T 5 the distance needs to be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor piece inside the tank if its a T 8 there needs to be NO cover over the bulb inside the tank w/ distance 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor

 

[Larissa132]

Is it a T 5 or a T 8? If its a T 5 the distance needs to be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor piece inside the tank if its a T 8 there needs to be NO cover over the bulb inside the tank w/ distance 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor

I'm leaning more towards it being a t5 but need to double check when I get home!

 

[Skybug]

I have a 50 w basking light, a 10.0 repitsun uvb. Just got today and no it was not an impulse buy. I've done a ton of research, just wanted to go over it with you guys!!! Currently have a fleece blanket laid down until I get reptile carpet in the mail, pet store was out!! He's eaten dubia roaches and crickets already as I have a Chameleon!!

Thats good, I didn’t mean to offend if i did, enclosure looks good , do you have probe thermometers? , does he have a high decor piece near his basking? I see him climbing the wall lol

 

[Bailey]

The biggest mistake people make is a.) too small of an enclosure, and b.) wrong uvb.

Please make sure by the time your dragon is an adult, it is in a 75 gallon or larger (i keep mine in 140 gallon zen habitats) and you use a T5 LINEAR UVB. ReptiSun has these on amazon u want a 22" bulb and 24" fixture.

 

[Sadie]

I'm leaning more towards it being a t5 but need to double check when I get home!

Ok check then set distance and placement I posted please

 

[Bailey]

Make sure your dragons diet is on track as well! Theres lots of videos and helpful articles on the topic. Your dragon does most of its growing within the first year of its life.

 

[Larissa132]

Ok check then set distance and placement I posted please

Thank you. Otherwise does everything look and sound good? Just want to give him the best life possible. Just ordered a bunch more fruits and veggies off the list as well!

 

[BengalGirl]

Congrats on your new baby! He's stunning! I rotate my fresh foods for my Beardie. The wider the variety, the healthier the diet. Collard, mustard, turnip, kale greens, red bell pepper, cucumber, yellow squash, fresh parsley and cilantro, green beans, snap peas, carrots. I've tried several fruits with him but he doesn't care for them.

 

[Larissa132]

Thats good, I didn’t mean to offend if i did, enclosure looks good , do you have probe thermometers? , does he have a high decor piece near his basking? I see him climbing the wall lol

Theirs one back there but I'm assuming it isn't high enough for him? The pet store didn't have the higher up things like I have in my snakes tanks. Was going to order something higher just wasn't sure what's considered to high for them to be up

 

[Larissa132]

The biggest mistake people make is a.) too small of an enclosure, and b.) wrong uvb.

Please make sure by the time your dragon is an adult, it is in a 75 gallon or larger (i keep mine in 140 gallon zen habitats) and you use a T5 LINEAR UVB. ReptiSun has these on amazon u want a 22" bulb and 24" fixture.

Thank you. Hes currently in a 36×18×12
Checking the light when I get home!

 

[Sadie]

Thank you. Hes currently in a 36×18×12
Checking the light when I get home!

The T 5 is too strong for a 12" high tank- you need a 18" or 24"-- a T 8 would be appropriate for a 12" tank

 

[Larissa132]

The T 5 is too strong for a 12" high tank- you need a 18" or 24"-- a T 8 would be appropriate for a 12" tank

I checked and it's actually a T8 18in bulb, so is that okay?

 

[Larissa132]

Also can someone attach a link to a tank for a full grown bearded? Assuming the one I have won't be big enough