Hi! Got a baby beardy today, and I want to make sure I'm on the right track...

[valkryja]

Hello everyone! I'm pretty new to the bearded dragon scene, but I've owned reptiles in the past and just want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly.
I just bought a baby beardy today. His name is Wrex, and from what I can tell he looks to be about three months old. Very colorful with bold orange and black marks; I'll post pictures once I find my camera. I really just want to make sure that everything I've gotten is good for such a fragile looking little guy.

Here's what I've gotten:

Tank: Size 10, 20"L/10"W/12"H. Will definitely upgrade once he gets a little bigger, but a larger tank isn't really in the budget for the moment and he seems comfortable with this space right now.

Furnishings: Hollow half-log for him to climb on and get shade under, a little arrangement of fake leaves that he likes to climb up on to bask near the heat lamp, food and water dish (deep enough for him to drink easily and jump into if he wants to; shallow enough that his shoulders aren't covered so he won't drown), fuzzy cactus.

Heat lamp: Sun Glo 75w daylight spotlight, placed over the basking spot on the leaf arrangement.

UVB lamp: Reptisun 10.0 Compact 26w light.

So far he seems to be acclimating well to his new home. He spent most of the day up on the leaves, but he's ran around and explored a bit too.

One problem/question, though: He hasn't eaten any of the eight baby crickets I've thrown in there. Is this a natural thing, because he's getting used to the new environment? Also, when should I start feeding him greens, and what kinds of foods are best for these lizards? I have some calcium/vitamin powder left over from our last lizard, a green anole. Is that good for Wrex too? I just want to make sure he gets all the food and nutrients he needs.

Thank you so much!

 

[crypticdragons]

The tank (as you already pointed out) is far too small for a dragon. You will want to upgrade ASAP to a tank of larger size 40 gallon breeder tank or a equivalent custom tank such as the ones you can get at boamaster.com

For the furnishings its not a real cactus is it?

How are you measuring the temps? The dial thermometers that most pet stores sell are highly inaccurate. Digital/probe thermometers or a infrared thermometer such as a tempgun are the suggested types. The basking site should be 105-115 and the cool side should be low 80s (this is one drawback to the tank you currently have as it is hard to get a proper temperature gradiant).

The UV light you purchased is not suggested for bearded dragons as the coil lights tend to cause some occular issues. You need to get a fluorescent tube bulb. Same brand, reptisun 10.0, but the tube not the coil/compact. Here is a link to the place i order mine from http://www.mybeardie.com/bearded-dragon-reptile-supplies.php?itemdetail=507367

Far as your calcium/vitamins. If its calcium with D3 and a reptile multivitamin should be fine. The calcium should be given 3-5 times a week (on 1 feeding a day) and the vitamins should be given 1-2 times a week.

 

[crypticdragons]

lol yeah well sometimes its good to have 2 people post the same thing gives us a little more validity in what we are saying i suppose lol

 

[Red Ink AUS]

DOH!! I just removed my post LOL. I'll get it right one of these days :-\

 

[crypticdragons]

DOH!! I just removed my post LOL. I'll get it right one of these days :-\

i shoulda quoted your post lmao

 

[Red Ink AUS]

LOL, sorry to get sidetracked Valkryja, I'd go with what Brian said.

 

[valkryja]

Thanks for the quick responses!

- No, the cactus is fake. However, I was considering buying a real one to spruce up the decor, but judging by your response this is a bad idea. Why, are they poisonous for them or something?

- I'm going out to get a thermometer tomorrow; thanks for pointing out that the dial ones don't work. I was planning on using the dial one we had for our anole, but I always suspected that it was useless and I'm not even going to bother using it for this tank. I'll get a digital one.

- The tank I'm using was actually a gift and I don't have the receipt to return it, so I'm going to replace it in a few months (once he grows up a bit), if that's safe. As for the UV bulb - I'm going to get a tube bulb once I get a fixture that'll fit on the bigger tank. Will the one I'm using now work for just a few months? I don't want little Wrex to develop occular problems, but I don't have a fixture that'd support a tube bulb at the moment, and if I get one it'll be too small for the tank... I figure that I'll buy the new tank in a few months once he grows up a bit, and buy the bulb then too. Is this safe for a temporary setup? Thanks for the link, by the way.

-And yup, the vitamins I have are calcium, D3 and reptile multivitimin. I'm glad SOMETHING I have works.

 

[valkryja]

Oh and.... I just looked into his tank and he cocked his head, looked at me, and waved his arm. O_O Is this normal or am I hallucinating? I swear he just waved hello.

 

[Red Ink AUS]

Oh and.... I just looked into his tank and he cocked his head, looked at me, and waved his arm. O_O Is this normal or am I hallucinating? I swear he just waved hello.

YEP quite normal and yes he did just wave hello at you

Thanks for the quick responses!

- No, the cactus is fake. However, I was considering buying a real one to spruce up the decor, but judging by your response this is a bad idea. Why, are they poisonous for them or something?

As far as i know no they are not poisonous, just prickly and could hurt him. But i do not have cactuses naturally where I'm from so I'm not 100% sure.

- I'm going to get a tube bulb once I get a fixture that'll fit on the bigger tank. Will the one I'm using now work for just a few months? I don't want little Wrex to develop occular problems, but I don't have a fixture that'd support a tube bulb at the moment, and if I get one it'll be too small for the tank...
-

Unfortunately no, it could be as little as a week or as long as a month before they develop problem with their eyes. I suggest getting the bigger fixture already that you are going to put in his big boy house and somehow just hang that over his tank for now to save you from buying multiple fixtures.

 

[crypticdragons]

The waving is a sign of submission.

That bulb will not be ok for a few months im sorry to say. Now you can go to home depot and get a cheap fixture for that bulb i linked for ya for around 8-9 bux. I know its not convenient but its a neccessity.

The issue with a "real" cactus would be the possibility of him tearing himself up on it.

Good on the thermometer im glad.

The tank will be fine for a few months. The only things that are of immediate urgency are the Lighting and the temps.

 

[crypticdragons]

Oh and.... I just looked into his tank and he cocked his head, looked at me, and waved his arm. O_O Is this normal or am I hallucinating? I swear he just waved hello.

YEP quite normal and yes he did just wave hello at you

Thanks for the quick responses!

- No, the cactus is fake. However, I was considering buying a real one to spruce up the decor, but judging by your response this is a bad idea. Why, are they poisonous for them or something?

here we go again lol
As far as i know no they are not poisonous, just prickly and could hurt him. But i do not have cactuses naturally where I'm from so I'm not 100% sure.

- I'm going to get a tube bulb once I get a fixture that'll fit on the bigger tank. Will the one I'm using now work for just a few months? I don't want little Wrex to develop occular problems, but I don't have a fixture that'd support a tube bulb at the moment, and if I get one it'll be too small for the tank...
-

Unfortunately no, it could be as little as a week or as long as a month before they develop problem with their eyes. I suggect getting the bigger fixture already that you are going to put in his big boy house and somehow just hang that over his tank for now to save you from buying multiple fixtures.

 

[valkryja]

Alright, thanks again for the responses.

This lighting thing poses a little bit of a problem for me - I have one bulb lamp fixture that has the heating bulb, and another one with the spiral UV bulb. If I get the rod fixture, I'd probably need to get a heating bulb to fit in that one too, right? I'd imagine that with a big fixture like that, the heat lamp won't also fit on top of the tank, unless the fixture also can hold the bulb I have now. I could possibly return the heat bulb and the fixture for the UV one, but I don't have receipts for the UV bulb itself or the heat lamp fixture. This is all very confusing. x_x

How much do you think this'll set me back? I'm going to do everything I can to make this little guy healthy, but I don't know if I can go and throw out the $20 heat lamp fixture because I don't have a receipt. Is there any way I can still use it, even if I get the rod bulb fixture for the UV?

 

[Red Ink AUS]

Don't throw out the fixture you can save it for the big boy house and use it for an MVB if you choose to go that route. As far as how much it would cost I would not know (I'm not in the US)

 

[crypticdragons]

this fixture will work for the fluorescent tube http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Fluorescent-Lighting/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zare3/R-100384834/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

then just a small dome for the heat light. shouldnt cost much at all

 

[valkryja]

MVB as in Mercury Vapor? Would that work instead of the rod bulb and possibly fit inside the dome fixture? I know my boyfriend uses one of those for his red footed tortoise, and said that I should probably get one in the long run to replace the bulb I have now. What are the benefits of this route, and possible cost?

 

[crypticdragons]

it will not work in the tank you have right now. You need no less than a 3ft by 2ft by 2ft tank if not bigger. The type tank you have currently would overheat quickly and literally cook your little fella.

 

[valkryja]

Oh no! Thanks for the heads up!

So that fixture you posted... what size tank would that be good for? Also, since it's just going to be him, what is the smallest possible sized tank that is humane for him to live in? I don't plan on getting any more lizards and don't want to end up getting a huge tank if he only needs one of a certain size. I know that bigger is better, but I don't think I'll have the room for something overly huge... or the money, for that matter. XD

 

[Red Ink AUS]

40 gallon breeder is the recommended minimum for an adult BD. But from personal observation in the wild I prefer to have a 4x2x3 tank (my personal preference obviously)

 

[crypticdragons]

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-Reptile-Snake-Cage-with-Vent-and-Litter-Dam_W0QQitemZ260470921620QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca546d994would work well and is inexpensive.

 

[crypticdragons]

http://boamaster.com/products/4ft_reg_w_flo_light-59-3.html this would work too though id ask that they make it a tad taller (as they can change any diminsions to as custom as you want)
or this one
http://boamaster.com/products/4ft_b_dragon_enclosure_screen_top-50-4.html