Just got my first Bearded Dragon

[Venow]

No name yet my wife just got the it today she was told its called a fancy cuz of the red and markings I think he or she looks cool. she got the tank and lights crickets with tank for them too.

so I read that the mesh can block some of the UVB light. how would I go about fixing that? bigger bulb?

 

[Fumi]

welcome to the world of bearded dragons! They are such fascinating creatures and you will totally become obsessed with your little guy. There is SO MUCH to learn about them. I just got Elon Lizzy 3 months ago - adopted my son's 10 month old - and I suggest combing through this forum to read everything you can about them. Husbandry, food, lighting, disease, etc etc.....just keep learning. I would find a vet and get No Name checked out for parasites as starters. Mine was infested and we got rid of them. My son was not very good at dusting his food with calcium/minerals so he has slight softening of the jaw - thank god that was all as full blown MBD would have been really really sad. As for UVB lights I have mine under the mesh - I used a zip cord and attached it. Reptisun 10.0 which needs to be replaced every 6 months. ANYWAY just wanted to holler and say Hello there.
Pat No Name for me.

 

[Venow]

Thanks the reply, we end up naming the dragon Ziggy we don't know why, its what popped up and sounded good for it seeing how we don't know what the sex is yet. here is a pic of the setup so far and how Ziggy looks.

I don't have any dust right now but will be getting some soon very soon. temps at top of that log is around 93 to 95.3 degrees F. I don't know how I would zip tie that light to the hood might have to look into getting one of the tube lights. right now he is on cricket's only no one had any of the Dubi Roches in stock so soon as I can get some he will get some. what kind of veggies? I see people say greens but what kind?

.

 

[Fumi]

Oh Hello Ziggy. Wow you are so cute and have lovely markings! About UVB lights - Mine is a tube with a hood and that way you can zip tie the ends onto the screen top and have them under the screen. This is really important so that Ziggy can digest his food properly and get the calcium/D3 he needs to grow and fatten up. Where did you get Ziggy from? Pet store or breeder? For little Ziggy I would up the heat between 110 for hot spot to and about 85 in the cooler spot. Hot spot to be about 5 inches under the bulb. Gosh he/she is really pretty. They shed a lot when young and every time you will notice their color change. I would fatten Ziggy up a bit....My vet does not like crickets and insists on dubia roaches so that is what Elon Lizzy eats along with silkworms and occasional hornworms. You can order your dubia roaches at dubia roaches.com. get the smallest ones for him and dust them with calcium - put roaches and calcium powder in a baggie and shake up. If you can GUT LOAD the roaches for maximum nutrition that is extra special. Remember to soak some paper towels so that the roaches have water - important. They will drown in a water dish.... And Give them a dish of cricket food to gut load. You are probably getting overwhelmed by now so I will stop. There are plenty of Youtube videos on how to take care of your dubia roaches. Send more news when you can. Pat Ziggy for me. I love that name.

 

[mamaof2dragons]

oh my gosh what a beautiful dragon, reminds me of when my Stryker was a baby. she is also a fancy dragon..its really just a color morph that the pet store use to charge more then regular bearded dragons but they do get more beautiful and brighter as they grow. congrats and welcome you will find lots of great information here.

 

[BeardedDragonPauper]

Thanks the reply, we end up naming the dragon Ziggy we don't know why, its what popped up and sounded good for it seeing how we don't know what the sex is yet. here is a pic of the setup so far and how Ziggy looks.

I don't have any dust right now but will be getting some soon very soon. temps at top of that log is around 93 to 95.3 degrees F. I don't know how I would zip tie that light to the hood might have to look into getting one of the tube lights. right now he is on cricket's only no one had any of the Dubi Roches in stock so soon as I can get some he will get some. what kind of veggies? I see people say greens but what kind?



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Beautiful baby there @Venow
On the greens question there are lots you can try!
Babies usually eat mostly crickets and other insects but as they grow and get older they eat more veggies and fruits and less insects.

Some staple greens to try:
Collards, endive, mustard greens, dandelion greens

Some occasional greens to try:
Kale, bok choy, beet tops (beet tops should be very rare because they contain something that in large amounts could harm a beardie, but in small quantity they are good for them)

Some staple fruits to try:
Papaya, mago, prickly pear fruit

Some occasional fruits to try:
Strawberries, blueberries, banana

Staple veggies to try:
Squash, sweet potato, green beans, okra

Occasional veggies:
Asparagus, carrots, green peas, pumpkin, zucchini

You can find some more detailed lists on the web as long as you make sure they are creditable.
Also make sure all greens and fruits are chopped small enough for your beardie. Some babies even prefer blended flurries to drink if dropped on their "lips" with a dropper.

I hope this helps!
Best wishes on ypur new beautiful addition to the family!

 

[Venow]

Once again thank you for the reply's everyone, my wife got Ziggy form a PetSmart, only reason she got Ziggy there and not from one Reptile store downtown reno, is cuz of the markings and it was the only one at the glass begging to go home, so she got Ziggy and the whole setup from there. far as his food ill go into Reno and get his food and stuff tomorrow. "its not a close drive I'm over a hr. away from his supply's lol" love all the info this site has and the people are awesome. I had to move his log some from under his heat light my temp metter in the tank says 85 degrees I took my temp gun to his log and it was at 120 degrees all temps are in F. I seen he wasn't going on the top part of his log tree so I moved it from under the light some to off to the side cuz I do think 120F is to hot should have I left the log?

 

[Jacob melanistic]

so cute!

 

[Jacob melanistic]

does she like waxworms?

 

[Venow]

Ziggy has only had cricket's I need to get some for him/her to try

 

[Jacob melanistic]

make sure to put variety in their diet. they really like bugs but it is important for them to have salad as well.

 

[Jacob melanistic]

i suggest store bought, non-prossesed bagged salad that is cut in small pecies.

 

[Venow]

will put that on the list of food to get and try

 

[mamaof2dragons]

only buy the prepackaged salad if it's not got spinach as it's bad for them. and dont rely on it to much you really need a large variety of dark leafy greens and vegetables with a little fruit. summer and winter squash are good as well.

his temps need to be at around 105 f since he is so little on the hot side of his tank, 85 is good for the cool side just not below 75ish.
what a darling little dragon and a cute name too.

 

[Venow]

so the only dust I can find it has D3 in it I was told not to give them anything with D3 cuz of the UVB light. but my UVB light is over the mesh I cant put it under it cage isn't made for that. so should I dust his crickets? or leave them alone?

 

[BeardedDragonPauper]

Calcium with D3 is fine 3-4 times a week. If you can find calcium with out than use that on the days you don't use D3.
Dust your crickets. Calcium helps prevent bone softening and MBD which are both terrible.
My UVB is over top my mesh lid too.

 

[BeardedDragonPauper]

only buy the prepackaged salad if it's not got spinach as it's bad for them. and dont rely on it to much you really need a large variety of dark leafy greens and vegetables with a little fruit. summer and winter squash are good as well.

his temps need to be at around 105 f since he is so little on the hot side of his tank, 85 is good for the cool side just not below 75ish.
what a darling little dragon and a cute name too.

Right. Also don't use any lettuce as it is too watery and can cause diarria (gross).

 

[BeardedDragonPauper]

i suggest store bought, non-prossesed bagged salad that is cut in small pecies.

Otherwise you can meal plan or just prepare every morning. Buying in pre-packaged bags will be more expensive in the long run.

 

[Venow]

Calcium with D3 is fine 3-4 times a week. If you can find calcium with out than use that on the days you don't use D3.
Dust your crickets. Calcium helps prevent bone softening and MBD which are both terrible.
My UVB is over top my mesh lid too.

This is what I got.

 

[JeanBD]

oh, Flucker's! I know a friend who use that. I use Zoo Med, but I think it's fine. Usually, the instructions for beardies is that you feed 12 crickets per week for every 2.5 ounce (71 grams) of his/her body weight.