Im at a loss... (stress lines, sleeping more)

[SSFegeto]

Please help... I think I'm a bad mom. I'm doing everything I can and it seems I keep screwing up.
Beginning -
Ragnar was doing alright but summer was coming up and it was warmer in the house, so he was basking lower in his cage and I didn't feel he was getting enough uvb. So I moved the lights from inside the enclosure to outside the enclosure... at the time as well I started working full time so I gave him a salad in the morning and crickets at 4:30 and 6:30.
He then started getting stress lines until I would get home and feed him crickets (barely touched his salad). Ragnar is 3.5 months old now...
So after a week or so of that he seemed to be climbing up higher to get more heat... so I wonder if the lights out of the cage was too far??
Anyway he ended up starting to go to bed at 4 before I could even get home to feed him. I had my mom feed him durring the day and he eats a lot... but still goes to bed early.
I since switched his lights back... but to no avail. I miss my beardie. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Oh and he is also pooping good
I'll attach a picture of the enclosure.
Any advice is appreciated...
He wakes up at 7 and I have the lights on till 8:30, I wonder if I wake him at 10 instead and feed him at 4:30 that wouldn't be as bad?
Bah...

 

[SSFegeto]

 

[Sadie]

Please help... I think I'm a bad mom. I'm doing everything I can and it seems I keep screwing up.
Beginning -
Ragnar was doing alright but summer was coming up and it was warmer in the house, so he was basking lower in his cage and I didn't feel he was getting enough uvb. So I moved the lights from inside the enclosure to outside the enclosure... at the time as well I started working full time so I gave him a salad in the morning and crickets at 4:30 and 6:30.
He then started getting stress lines until I would get home and feed him crickets (barely touched his salad). Ragnar is 3.5 months old now...
So after a week or so of that he seemed to be climbing up higher to get more heat... so I wonder if the lights out of the cage was too far??
Anyway he ended up starting to go to bed at 4 before I could even get home to feed him. I had my mom feed him durring the day and he eats a lot... but still goes to bed early.
I since switched his lights back... but to no avail. I miss my beardie. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Oh and he is also pooping good
I'll attach a picture of the enclosure.
Any advice is appreciated...
He wakes up at 7 and I have the lights on till 8:30, I wonder if I wake him at 10 instead and feed him at 4:30 that wouldn't be as bad?
Bah...

--- what are you using? A T 5 or a T 8 --- his basking temps are what ? how are you taking them? The lighting in the tank is the TWO MOST important things in the tank --- so the UVB is back inside the tank now ? What is the distance of the UVB to the basking decor pieces ?

 

[Skybug]

Welcome to the forum , can you please go over your lighting for us so we can rule that out , (at first glance, and in my opinion) your enclosure looks very bright and lit up , beardies in the wild Australia bask for a couple hours , then go and hunt/mate/look for a shady spot, what are your temp gradients? That and correct uvb are so important, from now on please only feed ur beardie after hes basked for 30mins to 1hr in the morning , and no food 2hrs before bed , they need the uvb and heat to digest properly.

 

[SSFegeto]

--- what are you using? A T 5 or a T 8 --- his basking temps are what ? how are you taking them? The lighting in the tank is the TWO MOST important things in the tank --- so the UVB is back inside the tank now ? What is the distance of the UVB to the basking decor pieces ?

There's a picture of his light set up, tube is rep. 10.0, it's 8 to 12 inches away depending where he basks... his basking rock is 110, varies around the other basking areas...

 

[Sadie]

View attachment 27007

There's a picture of his light set up, tube is rep. 10.0, it's 8 to 12 inches away depending where he basks... his basking rock is 110, varies around the other basking areas...

Those bulbs are T 5 or T 8's ---- you only need one good UVB bulb -- it could be too much for her w/ the two --- take one out and tell me the bulb your using --- if its a T 5 8 inches is too close --- if its a T 8 8 inches is just right- where does she bask for the UVB? the 110 on the rock is pretty warm -- does she bask on that rock or around it

Is there a reflector in the UVB fixture?

 

[SSFegeto]

Welcome to the forum , can you please go over your lighting for us so we can rule that out , (at first glance, and in my opinion) your enclosure looks very bright and lit up , beardies in the wild Australia bask for a couple hours , then go and hunt/mate/look for a shady spot, what are your temp gradients? That and correct uvb are so important, from now on please only feed ur beardie after hes basked for 30mins to 1hr in the morning , and no food 2hrs before bed , they need the uvb and heat to digest properly.

My concern is I don't feed him enough durring the day since I'm at work till 4:30... and he is up at 7, although that could change..

 

[SSFegeto]

Those bulbs are T 5 or T 8's ---- you only need one good UVB bulb -- it could be too much for her w/ the two --- take one out and tell me the bulb your using --- if its a T 5 8 inches is too close --- if its a T 8 8 inches is just right- where does she bask for the UVB? the 110 on the rock is pretty warm -- does she bask on that rock or around it

Is there a reflector in the UVB fixture?

The one tube (orange) is just a grow light no uvb, I was just using it for more light... the blue is uvb T8, and he tends to pick different levels around the rock, it's about 100 on the faux rocks

 

[SSFegeto]

The one tube (orange) is just a grow light no uvb, I was just using it for more light... the blue is uvb T8, and he tends to pick different levels around the rock, it's about 100 on the faux rocks

Should I take out the coil light?

 

[Skybug]

My concern is I don't feed him enough durring the day since I'm at work till 4:30... and he is up at 7, although that could change..

Maybe get a high rim food dish bugs cant get out of? Also id change the lighting schedule to more of your schedule (but dont do this suddenly or if your beardies tank can see outside light)

 

[SSFegeto]

How does he get the crickets if they don't get out? May be a stupid question... he has been eating almost 30 every feeding

 

[SSFegeto]

He's just hiding away...
How should I change his schedule? Over how long? I can always close his blinds...?

 

[Sadie]

Should I take out the coil light?

Yes ------------- he needs the T 8 to be 6-8 inches from the basking decor piece and I would take out the orange light -- extra lighting in the tank you can use a regular house hold bulb a LED is fine it gives off no heat -- the eating is going to come w/ your lighting being corrected --- does the orange light give off colored light-- you dont want any colored light --- it needs to be all bright white -- you want the tank to mimic outside -- get a dish like this for feeding https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
then you can leave BSFL www.symtonbsf.com order large and do not dust them --- leave them in the morning on top of his salads -- what time do you turn his lights on ? Are you feeding him before you leave for work? I am assuming you are --- you can also use dubia roaches they work real good in the dish that I posted --- let him eat from the bowl for an hr before you leave then add about 12-15 dubias in the bowl dust them tho -- go here and order make sure you get a size NO bigger than the space between his eyes length wise there is a chart on this site to look at
www.dubiaroaches.com

 

[Sadie]

View attachment 27008
He's just hiding away...
How should I change his schedule? Over how long? I can always close his blinds...?

Put him on your schedule --- just make sure hes warmed before feeding at least an hr -- then feed him the salads and BSFL feed as many as you want add the dubias to his salad bowl before leaving for work -- I need a better pic of him so I can see how big he is
here is a website for nutrition
ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Make sure your feeding him 2-3 hrs before lights out -- he needs time to start the digestion process

 

[SSFegeto]

I leave him a salad in the morning but I leave for work at 5:30... its too early to have him up and eating crickets... can I get those roaches in Canada? I'll remove the other bulbs and put an led instead of the coil. Also, I think I over did the calcium before... if I got him worms or dubies for the mornings and sprinkled those would that be enough? Right now I sprinkle maybe 10 out of 50 of his daily crickets

 

[SSFegeto]

Eek the symtonbsf site is all sold out

 

[Skybug]

i dont think itd be an issue to have his lights come on at 4:30, but then his lights would need to be turned off at 4 in the afternoon, I changed my beardies lighting over a 2 week period, i just kept adding/taking away 10 minutes till i got to my desired lighting.

 

[Skybug]

As he grows crickets arnt gonna be a stable feeder, (i personally dont feed my beardie crickets they’re nasty dirty bugs) you’ll end up paying 60-100$ a month to feed him :/ , if i may suggest growing and breeding your own roaches, I believe Canada can get both dubia and discoid roaches, chuck 2-4 in a no climb bowl and youll be good throughout the day.

 

[SSFegeto]

I'll have a look for roaches... this was the other tube light in the tank, and ill post a pic of the new light set up. What worms are okay for my little guy for the time being if it takes a while to order roaches? He's almost 4 months old, ill post a better pic as well about 9 inches long

 

[Skybug]

You can try super worms, id stay away from meal worms till she’s at least 6months, they’re alot harder to digest in comparison, i started feeding my beardie m worms/s worms at 5 months, just watch the poo for undigested bug bits and keep him hydrated.