Help! Lots of cute pics :)

[Ratchett13]

Hello everyone, newbie here!

Little backstory, we rescued a pair of beardies from a distant family member back around Christmas. They had adult beardies so they bought babies for their kids and then decided they didn't want them. As far as we know they were purchased from the same place, but we know nothing about their age or history beyond that. We decided to take them in because my hubby had a beardie back when we were dating and he was awesome. I'm glad we took them because when they arrived at our house they looked like they weren't doing well. Rem looked very weak and almost never moved for the first few weeks we had her. Ryuk (ree-yook) was stronger but his tail had been broken at some point (looked healed, i'm thinking one of the adults got him? Not sure) They came with a large cage, one lamp (that had a regular household bulb in it ) and a few items for their habitat.

Side note: we do not know their genders for sure yet, we just call them he and she for the sake of simplicity.

This is them the day we got them. Ryuk on top, Rem on bottom.

From the beginning we noticed that Rems head shape looked nothing like Ryuks. Ryuk looks just like the beardie my hubby had before. But we didnt think much of it, they were about the same size.
Ryuk on rock, Rem on ground, days after we got them.

For a while they stayed roughly the same size, although Ryuk was slightly larger.

A month after we got them. Ryuk on top Rem on bottom, here you can see the difference in head shape better. Ryuk is starting to outgrow Rem. Showing no signs of aggression towards each other. At this point we have witnessed Rem waving at Ryuk. Also, they stack, but always alternate who is on top.

A few weeks later, you can start to really see the size difference. Ryuk is outgrowing Rem at a fast rate. Still stacking but only with Rem on top. Ryuk will not sit on top of her. His beard is also becoming very full, while Rem is showing no signs of being able to puff her neck at all. Ryuk has shed a couple times, Rem has not shed.

Rems beard (or lack thereof)
These pics are a month after the stacking pic above. The size difference is undeniable. Still no signs of aggression. We are debating removing Rem from the tank and making her a new one, but havent yet for fear of stressing her out. Ryuk is especially jumpy when it comes to human interaction. Rem is completely tolerant. Ryuk will eat from my hand almost always, but Rem only occasionally. She goes for the crickets just as fast as Ryuk does and he shows no signs of being upset by that.

The next day, new stacking pic to really show the size difference. Ryuk is so much bigger that he will walk around the cage with Rem on his back.

A couple weeks later, this shows the other way they sit together when they aren't stacking. He likes to put his hand on her back. We checked, he is not pushing on her or putting any pressure. They are just relaxing.

This is from this morning (a little over a month later) this is how they slept the entire night. They went to bed like this and woke up like this. Rem still has no beard. Ryuk has never harmed her or even acted aggressively towards her. I think they are reaching the age where we can finally figure out their actual gender (i'll save that for another post lol)

So. Does anyone have any insight? Is Rem actually a beardie or was she just sold as one because she resembled it? Maybe a Rankin or a Vittikin? She has grown very little and hasn't shed. Ryuk has shed numerous times and his tail is about the size of her body. I know everyone on here will probably jump on me to separate them, and we are willing to and prepared to at any point. But we just came back from a weekend of camping and i think it kind of freaked them out. For as much as they act like they don't like us i don't think they were happy we left. They didn't eat as much as usual. they were darker when we came back. Took a few days for them to get back to normal. So I'm terrified that pulling her away from him is going to stress her out bad.
Any advice or help would be appreciate. Just no rudeness, I'm here for help and to learn, not to be scolded. Thanks!

 

[JumpinJellyfish]

Thank you for trying to help them. :0)
It may be that she's missing out on food and UVB being housed together with him.
They may get along, but it's still best to house them separately. Did you get a tube UVB bulb to use in addition to the basking light? Are their temps warm enough and do they have a range between the hot end and the cooler end?

 

[Ratchett13]

Thank you for trying to help them. :0)
It may be that she's missing out on food and UVB being housed together with him.
They may get along, but it's still best to house them separately. Did you get a tube UVB bulb to use in addition to the basking light? Are their temps warm enough and do they have a range between the hot end and the cooler end?

I just heard about needing a tube uvb bulb since joining this forum yesterday. The whole lighting thing seems confusing. We currently have a basking lamp, and a heat lamp? (Red bulb) and a cool are with no light. My bro brought his thermometer thing to check their temps before which were good as far as I can remember but we need to invest in one ourselves so we can monitor better.
We honestly really love these little guys and want the best for them so if you can share any specific lighting tips that would be awesome!

I didn’t realize how stupid the “lizard expert” at petsmart really is until I joined this forum. We were given just terrible advice

 

[JumpinJellyfish]

Yup - corporate petstores don't care if their employees actually know how to care for the animals.
You may want to get rid of the red bulb as well - it can damage their eyes. You need one bright white heat/basking bulb, one tube uvb bulb, and if you need extra light a household bulb is fine, and for extra or night heat, a ceramic heat emitter is good. It's sad - most of what comes in a reptile kit is crap/wrong for the animal.

 

[Ratchett13]

Yup - corporate petstores don't care if their employees actually know how to care for the animals.
You may want to get rid of the red bulb as well - it can damage their eyes. You need one bright white heat/basking bulb, one tube uvb bulb, and if you need extra light a household bulb is fine, and for extra or night heat, a ceramic heat emitter is good. It's sad - most of what comes in a reptile kit is crap/wrong for the animal.

I realize I risk sounding like an idiot here, but will the tube uvb lights fit in the same fixture as a normal bulb? Or do I need to buy a whole new setup?

Also I am reading that the walnut shell bedding we were assured was safe falls right into that no-no sand category, what do you recommend for bedding that isn’t like sand?

I feel so stupid, but I am glad we are finally getting some solid advice here.

 

[JumpinJellyfish]

Don't feel stupid - you're trying, and that counts for a lot! I try to avoid "the great sand debate", since people have very strong opinions on that one, but you do have non-loose substrate options. Some people swear by slate tile, some like linoleum type flooring (no adhesives, obvs), and some like the reptile carpet.
For the light, you'll want a fixture, yes. Look up reptisun t5 ho 10.0 (t5 has to do with tube diameter, ho is high output, and 10.0 is the bulb strength you want). The fixture will come with a 5.0 bulb, but you should replace that with the 10.0, and take the plastic cover off so the bulb is not filtered. Whether you place on top of the enclosure or inside depends on how close the beardie can get and how much the screen top mesh blocks. (I cut the mesh out under my bulb, but that requires wire snips, grip strength, and patience - that mesh is tough, unless your cover is more like screen than metal).
A CHE will probably fit the dome, just check wattage limits and make sure the socket is also ceramic. You can use household appliance timers on the lights and che. You can find an infrared temp gun online or at several stores for $10-$15. :0)