I Need Your Input!

[beardie_love]

Okay so I have 2 little beardies. I got them from this breeder when they were very young, and they are siblings. I got them about early/mid November, and the lady told me they were born September long weekend. I've now had them for a little more than 2 months. So they would be almost "5 months old". I quoted that because I went to this guy who knows alot about reptiles, and he told me they can't be that age. From his say, they would be almost "3 months old". He says this because they are very very tiny, with a length of 9 inches. I've been through this bearded dragon forum, and seeing pics of young beardies, who are alot longer in length. So yeah, I've seen beardies the same age (or about) as my beardies, but they're a whole lot bigger!

My beardies seem so small..... :'(

Can someone please help me with my concern?

 

[ladyknite]

sure we can.

why don't you tell us what their housing is like. What kind of UVB they have? What are they fed? How much? How many times a day?

 

[beardie_love]

Okay well I have them in a 70 gallon tank. The lighting/heating I'm using is this Exo Terra Sun Glo bulb. And I feed them twice a day, each of them eating between 5 and 10 crickets every time I feed them.

 

[ladyknite]

Do you have a UVB bulb?
UVB is to enclosure keeping as sunlight is to nature.

 

[beardie_love]

Isn't the one I described a UVB light? I'm reading the box and it says "Stimulates natural behaviour through UVB rays". ???

 

[crypticdragons]

Isn't the one I described a UVB light? I'm reading the box and it says "Stimulates natural behaviour through UVB rays". ???

answered that question for you in the lighting post you made. But in short no it is not a UVB light it is only UVA

 

[beardie_love]

Alright soo kinda sorta a little off topic here.... or unless this answers my question. But what is the reason why my beardies are so small?

 

[crypticdragons]

it is possible that due to not having proper UVB they have not been processing as much calcium as they need so their growth may be stunted. Once you get that light i suggested and up their feeding they will grow.

 

[beardie_love]

But I haven't done anything permanent to their growth, have I?

And, I've seen most pet stores I've been to, having just a bulb, not the long ones. Also, this one pet store I've been to, where this guy actually knows what he's talking about, doesn't have one of those long bulbs, yet his baby beardies are huge. He's the guy who provided me with this bulb I was talking about, and didn't mention that I need another light. Although he mentioned that what I could use is one of those Mercury Vapor Bulbs. But he said they can live without it. ???

 

[crypticdragons]

Unfortunately 99% of pet store employees (though they may seem intelligent) only know what they are told to know. They are often not allowed to set tanks up the way that they should be. And this is usually ok as most of the time the animals are not there long. So no permanent damage can be done. But no baby beardies can not go without UVB light. So just him telling you that is a huge red flag that says he doesnt know as much as he would like for you to think. UVB is necesary and yes you can use MVB as a MVB emits heat, UVA, and UVB all in one bulb. But you need a tank that is a 40 gallon breeder or larger to safely use a MVB. The easiest thing will be to order that reptisun 10.0 find a cheap fixture and mount it up then we will start the rehabilitation process. I can not say if their growth is permanently stunted or not. all depends on the dragon. First step is to get the UVB light asap.

 

[beardie_love]

So I'm wondering why his beardies are so HUGE?

So when I get that fixture and bulb, how do I set it up to my tank? Like, where would I put it? To describe my tank, it is a 70 gallon, (and it has a black plastic strip through the middle at the top), and I have my basking lamp/light at one of the ends.

 

[crypticdragons]

What are the diminsions of the tank? height depth and width

 

[beardie_love]

Length: 48"
Width: 18"
Height: 18"

 

[ladyknite]

it's a 40 breeder.

Huge is 24 inches at 10 months old.


Dragons are odd creatures........they need things like sun, water, vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy body. Healthy body means healthy growth cycle.

Your little guys/girls can easily catch up to standard size and be perfectly healthy. At this point, they're slightly undersized. But if they continue to do without UVB of any kind, they stand a very good chance of failing to process the calcium needed for bone growth and development as well as their organs and tissue. Size will also increase as feeding increases. Feeding will increase with the use of UVB. It helps to stimulate the natural instincts to feed

 

[beardie_love]

Actually my tank is a 67 gallon. :S

How about those Repti Glo 10.0 UVB bulbs?

 

[crypticdragons]

The repti-glo has been known to cause conjunctivitis in dragons and can possibly cause permanent eye damage. That is why i suggested the Reptisun 10.0

 

[beardie_love]

Okay. But as I was asking earlier, how should I be setting up my tank with that UVB light tube?

 

[crypticdragons]

how far is the screen top from the basking site. The dragon needs to be able to get within 12 inches of the bulb so you (depending on the height of your basking site) just need to place the fourescent fixture (with bulb installed) on top of the screen top.

 

[beardie_love]

Actually I don't have a proper screen top for my tank. My lamp clamp wasn't co-operating with me so I just took my 15 gallon tank screen lid and yeah.... Just to hold my lamp in place. Anyway, the top would be about 16 inches from the basking spot. So if I were to place the UVB right over the basking spot, what about my lamp + bulb? Do I still need that?

 

[crypticdragons]

yes you still need the heat bulb and you need to get the bulb within 12 inches of the dragon. hopefully someone with experience with taller tanks can help you out.