First timer baby bearded owner. Please help.

[Ayee]

Hi,
I am very new to this I just bought my first baby bearded dragon yesterday and I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right. I bought the Zoomed Reptihabitat 20 gallon and the enclosure came with multiple items. However, I am mostly worried about the lighting and the heat. I am using the UVB and heating light that it came with, but the temperatures are still not where they should be. The temperature is staying at 86 degrees but won’t reach up to 110-120. So I was wondering doesn anyone have any recommendations for additional heat or just different lighting I can use to reach the right temperature.
One other question I have is about there poop this is my first time with one and I just want to make sure everything is ok. We did feed him meal worms last night and I woke up to some things in the baby bearded dragons enclosure. So please help me out here sorry if it’s gross.
Thank you so much any tips and advice will be greatly appreciated. I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos to try and educate myself but there’s just never too much information.

 

[Skybug]

Meal worms exoskeletons are hard to digest, get him crickets, B.S.F.L (black Soldier fly larva) these are especially good for babies, or roaches , stay away from mealworms and super worms for atleast 3 months,.....how are you taking temps? Please get a digital probe thermometer these are the most reliable (stick ons only messure ambient air temp, ir guns can give mixed readings on different textures),...You have a 20 gallon ? Ouch,... ur gonna need a 75 gallon in 4 months(start thinking about that now) , 40 gallons are too small aswell,... really they shouldn’t be in anything smaller than 75 but hes a baby so it’ll be okay for a couple months) the lighting they provide in these kits are basically garbage, the uvb is a coil? Please get rid of that as soon as possible! (They cause eye problems and dont offer adaquate uvb) please get him a Strip light uvb (pangea reptiles offers a nice uvb light) what wattage is ur heat bulb? Try upping it by 25 , a 20 gallon is gonna be hard to keep ur heat right, so please monitor him closely, the first 7 months of ur beardies life will affect the rest of his life, please if u have any questions no matter how silly , ask them

 

[Skybug]

Also can u please post pictures of his setup , i dont see any hides in his tank? And if you can put up some paper inside his tank to block his reflection, this will help him acclimate easier(beardies gets stressed by seeing other lizards) , oh and supplements? , etc. someone else may spot something I didn’t

 

[Sadie]

Hi,
I am very new to this I just bought my first baby bearded dragon yesterday and I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right. I bought the Zoomed Reptihabitat 20 gallon and the enclosure came with multiple items. However, I am mostly worried about the lighting and the heat. I am using the UVB and heating light that it came with, but the temperatures are still not where they should be. The temperature is staying at 86 degrees but won’t reach up to 110-120. So I was wondering doesn anyone have any recommendations for additional heat or just different lighting I can use to reach the right temperature.
One other question I have is about there poop this is my first time with one and I just want to make sure everything is ok. We did feed him meal worms last night and I woke up to some things in the baby bearded dragons enclosure. So please help me out here sorry if it’s gross.
Thank you so much any tips and advice will be greatly appreciated. I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos to try and educate myself but there’s just never too much information.

Ok first thing the 20 gallon wont last long so I am going to suggest you invest in this now --- the basking temps and the UVB are the TWO MOST IMPORTANT things in that tank they control the health and overall behavior of your dragon so we are going to start there ---- first thing you need to get is a digital probe thermometer NO stickons they are inaccurate- take the probe set it where the dragon sits for basking and wait 10 minutes get temp it should be 105-110 NO hotter --- then I want you to get rid of the coil UVB I am assuming that came w/ the tank -- invest in this a 24" long tube fixture like a Zoo Med it will come w/a 5.0 bulb I want you to use that for the 20 gallon tank and when you upgrade your tank I want you to get this bulb 22" https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html you will need that for the bigger tank------------ Please get rid of the sand if thats whats in there and use paper towels for now --- do not use the food feed it to the crickets -- PLEASE NO MORE MEAL WORMS babies stomachs are to sensitive for meal worms --- he needs crickets or dubia roaches -- I would get some BSFL and add them to the tops of the salads -- he needs fresh salads every day his main diet is insects but he still needs the veggies as well --your dragon will go thru relocation stress so his eating will be off but w/ out the proper basking temps and UVB he will quit eating all together --- he needs the insects dusted w/ calcium D 3 5 x per week once per feeding lightly coated -- vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week once per feeding --- here is a website for nutrition and insect w/ worms websites
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
www.dubiaroaches.com small super worms if they have them they are great for roaches and small horn worms feed only order a small amount they grow really fast and this place order the medium they usually come real small and feed every day like 1 or so they do get big fast --- feed small super worms on the salad 1-3 you dont want him hooked on worms
www.symtonbsf.com do not dust them they are a great staple feeder for babies order large - they have super worms but they do not come in containers an you will need a cup w/ a lid w/ holes and food like regular oatmeal w/ carrots for hydration
www.reptilianarts.com this place has silk worms you need to get small ones the bulk come small you would need food - this place has super worms as well
when you get the UVB please let me know I will help you set it up on that 20 gallon tank these bulbs have different placement and distance requirements

 

[Ayee]

I am new to being a baby bearded dragon owner. I have been reading a lot of forums and watching a lot of YouTube videos. This is the first time I have seen his underbelly. I’ve seen in a couple videos that if the bearded dragon has black lines underneath he is unhappy or something else is wrong. Can someone please tell me what’s going on?

 

[Ayee]

Also can u please post pictures of his setup , i dont see any hides in his tank? And if you can put up some paper inside his tank to block his reflection, this will help him acclimate easier(beardies gets stressed by seeing other lizards) , oh and supplements? , etc. someone else may spot something I didn’

Meal worms exoskeletons are hard to digest, get him crickets, B.S.F.L (black Soldier fly larva) these are especially good for babies, or roaches , stay away from mealworms and super worms for atleast 3 months,.....how are you taking temps? Please get a digital probe thermometer these are the most reliable (stick ons only messure ambient air temp, ir guns can give mixed readings on different textures),...You have a 20 gallon ? Ouch,... ur gonna need a 75 gallon in 4 months(start thinking about that now) , 40 gallons are too small aswell,... really they shouldn’t be in anything smaller than 75 but hes a baby so it’ll be okay for a couple months) the lighting they provide in these kits are basically garbage, the uvb is a coil? Please get rid of that as soon as possible! (They cause eye problems and dont offer adaquate uvb) please get him a Strip light uvb (pangea reptiles offers a nice uvb light) what wattage is ur heat bulb? Try upping it by 25 , a 20 gallon is gonna be hard to keep ur heat right, so please monitor him closely, the first 7 months of ur beardies life will affect the rest of his life, please if u have any questions no matter how silly , ask them

thank you so much I have read everything you said and I will be going to the store to get my babe dragon everything he needs.

View attachment 26056

Meal worms exoskeletons are hard to digest, get him crickets, B.S.F.L (black Soldier fly larva) these are especially good for babies, or roaches , stay away from mealworms and super worms for atleast 3 months,.....how are you taking temps? Please get a digital probe thermometer these are the most reliable (stick ons only messure ambient air temp, ir guns can give mixed readings on different textures),...You have a 20 gallon ? Ouch,... ur gonna need a 75 gallon in 4 months(start thinking about that now) , 40 gallons are too small aswell,... really they shouldn’t be in anything smaller than 75 but hes a baby so it’ll be okay for a couple months) the lighting they provide in these kits are basically garbage, the uvb is a coil? Please get rid of that as soon as possible! (They cause eye problems and dont offer adaquate uvb) please get him a Strip light uvb (pangea reptiles offers a nice uvb light) what wattage is ur heat bulb? Try upping it by 25 , a 20 gallon is gonna be hard to keep ur heat right, so please monitor him closely, the first 7 months of ur beardies life will affect the rest of his life, please if u have any questions no matter how silly , ask them

Thank you so much this was all very helpful. I will be going to the store today to get him everything you suggested.

Also can u please post pictures of his setup , i dont see any hides in his tank? And if you can put up some paper inside his tank to block his reflection, this will help him acclimate easier(beardies gets stressed by seeing other lizards) , oh and supplements? , etc. someone else may spot something I didn’t

Ok first thing the 20 gallon wont last long so I am going to suggest you invest in this now --- the basking temps and the UVB are the TWO MOST IMPORTANT things in that tank they control the health and overall behavior of your dragon so we are going to start there ---- first thing you need to get is a digital probe thermometer NO stickons they are inaccurate- take the probe set it where the dragon sits for basking and wait 10 minutes get temp it should be 105-110 NO hotter --- then I want you to get rid of the coil UVB I am assuming that came w/ the tank -- invest in this a 24" long tube fixture like a Zoo Med it will come w/a 5.0 bulb I want you to use that for the 20 gallon tank and when you upgrade your tank I want you to get this bulb 22" https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html you will need that for the bigger tank------------ Please get rid of the sand if thats whats in there and use paper towels for now --- do not use the food feed it to the crickets -- PLEASE NO MORE MEAL WORMS babies stomachs are to sensitive for meal worms --- he needs crickets or dubia roaches -- I would get some BSFL and add them to the tops of the salads -- he needs fresh salads every day his main diet is insects but he still needs the veggies as well --your dragon will go thru relocation stress so his eating will be off but w/ out the proper basking temps and UVB he will quit eating all together --- he needs the insects dusted w/ calcium D 3 5 x per week once per feeding lightly coated -- vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week once per feeding --- here is a website for nutrition and insect w/ worms websites
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
www.dubiaroaches.com small super worms if they have them they are great for roaches and small horn worms feed only order a small amount they grow really fast and this place order the medium they usually come real small and feed every day like 1 or so they do get big fast --- feed small super worms on the salad 1-3 you dont want him hooked on worms
www.symtonbsf.com do not dust them they are a great staple feeder for babies order large - they have super worms but they do not come in containers an you will need a cup w/ a lid w/ holes and food like regular oatmeal w/ carrots for hydration
www.reptilianarts.com this place has silk worms you need to get small ones the bulk come small you would need food - this place has super worms as well
when you get the UVB please let me know I will help you set it up on that 20 gallon tank these bulbs have different placement and distance requirements

Thank you so much this was very helpful. I will go to the store today and get him everything he needs

 

[Ayee]

View attachment 26056

Thank you so much this was all very helpful. I will be going to the store today to get him everything you suggested.


Thank you so much this was very helpful. I will go to the store today and get him everything he needs.

Thank you to both of your highly appreciated advice and wisdom this is his new enclosure. I really appreciate both of your help. Thank you so much.

 

[Sadie]

View attachment 26074
Thank you to both of your highly appreciated advice and wisdom this is his new enclosure. I really appreciate both of your help. Thank you so much.

The tank looks good however I would suggest you replace the sand type substrate w/ some textured NON adhesive shelf liner-- less risk for impaction--- what did you get for a UVB brand and bulb please---

 

[Ayee]

The tank looks good however I would suggest you replace the sand type substrate w/ some textured NON adhesive shelf liner-- less risk for impaction--- what did you get for a UVB brand and bulb please---

I got these for him.

 

[Ayee]

@Sadie you have been very helpful with all of this and I was wondering if you can help me and tell me what is going on with my bearded dragon. I have read and saw videos that these marks are not good. Can you help me with this or tell me more about it please

 

[Sadie]

View attachment 26076
I got these for him.

Ok please replace the bulb w/ this a Reptisun 10.0 T 8- leave the plastic cover off the hood and get it inside the tank--- I am not a thrive brand fan but the hood is probably ok but the Reptisun bulb is one of the best on the market- the T 8 is not strong enough to go thru the screen place a piece of basking decor directly under the UVB 6-8 inches

 

[Sadie]

@Sadie you have been very helpful with all of this and I was wondering if you can help me and tell me what is going on with my bearded dragon. I have read and saw videos that these marks are not good. Can you help me with this or tell me more about it please View attachment 26077

Those are stress marks- he's going to go thru relocation stress that is normal but your correct basking temps and UVB properly placed w/ that good bulb I just posted will help him adjust to his surroundings and acclimate to his tank if you need things to hang I can post them tomorrow

 

[Ayee]

Ok please replace the bulb w/ this a Reptisun 10.0 T 8- leave the plastic cover off the hood and get it inside the tank--- I am not a thrive brand fan but the hood is probably ok but the Reptisun bulb is one of the best on the market- the T 8 is not strong enough to go thru the screen place a piece of basking decor directly under the UVB 6-8 inches

Can you please show me an example or a link so I can better understand or even replicate?

 

[Ayee]

Those are stress marks- he's going to go thru relocation stress that is normal but your correct basking temps and UVB properly placed w/ that good bulb I just posted will help him adjust to his surroundings and acclimate to his tank if you need things to hang I can post them tomorrow

Yes, please. All the help I can get I appreciate it so much.

 

[Sadie]

Yes, please. All the help I can get I appreciate it so much.

Ok I will post a link tomorrow along w/ the things you can hang w/ -- you can get the bulb at PetSmart or Petco

 

[Ayee]

Ok I will post a link tomorrow along w/ the things you can hang w/ -- you can get the bulb at PetSmart or Petco

Thank you so much. I’m sorry I have one more question foe a baby bearded dragon the temperature to go to sleep what should the temperature be?

 

[Ayee]

Another question I apologize I’m just reading different articles and it’s just creating more questions. For night time I read it should be in complete darkness but it does still need some heat so I went to pet smart and this is what they recommended. I also read that the colors can be harmful. Should I continue using this or toss it aside. I also bought a ceramic heat emitter because for some reason the temperature is still not reaching between 110-115. What are your thoughts on the ceramic heat emitter. Or why isn’t the temperature reaching up to 110-115. I also got a 100W light bulb and still not good. I was told by an employee from petsmart to pair the 100w light bulb with the ceramic heat emitter and that should be perfect instead of getting the 150w light bulb. Can you also tell me your thoughts on that.

 

[Skybug]

Do u live in Alaska lol? Ur temps should be getting there , if that bulb produces light its a no from me, che are better i use one for my tokay gecko, if ur home is between 55-70 at night that’s okay for an adult , but babies need to be kept around 75-80ish at night

 

[Skybug]

Its good ur monitoring him closely , in this picture its just his normal coloring, if his tail gets dark aswell then thats stress, the marks show up when they bask aswell.

 

[Ayee]

Thank you so much