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new and just got my first bd:)

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Please Read through this Basic Care Guide in it's entirety. Basic Care Sheet

I fail to see A UVB source, even if there is one in the fixture on the right & turned on, your BD can not get anywhere near close enough for it to be effective, both types of lights should cover the basking spot.
Basking temp should be closer to 110F rather than 90F and is quite likely close to 5F cooler an inch lower where your BD is. Rest the sensor on the area where your BD Basks to get an accurate reading. If you intend on using the analog thermometer for your cool side Temp (80-85F), it should be mounted low, near the floor, opposite the basking bulb.

Be sure to to clean out any uneaten Crix from inside the hollow stump & under the carpet & paper towel prior to lights out. They can\will come out, crawl &\or nibble on your BD at night, in extreme cases have caused sores or lesions.

You will find more in the care sheet provided.

Good luck
 

I.heart.my.bd

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
166
Location
Southern Florida
index.php


Please Read through this Basic Care Guide in it's entirety. Basic Care Sheet

I fail to see A UVB source, even if there is one in the fixture on the right & turned on, your BD can not get anywhere near close enough for it to be effective, both types of lights should cover the basking spot.
Basking temp should be closer to 110F rather than 90F and is quite likely close to 5F cooler an inch lower where your BD is. Rest the sensor on the area where your BD Basks to get an accurate reading. If you intend on using the analog thermometer for your cool side Temp (80-85F), it should be mounted low, near the floor, opposite the basking bulb.

Be sure to to clean out any uneaten Crix from inside the hollow stump & under the carpet & paper towel prior to lights out. They can\will come out, crawl & nibble on your BD at night, in extreme cases have caused sores or lesions.

You will find more in the care sheet provided.

Good luck

The uvb is the one on the right, but I do turn it on her at night and shut off the basking heating lamp...is this a no no??? My temp currently is reading 101. 3 and the 90 was reading when it first got put in:) I will move the other one as you stated, thank you for the tips.
 

Aleena

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Location
Utah
The uvb is the one on the right, but I do turn it on her at night and shut off the basking heating lamp...is this a no no??? My temp currently is reading 101. 3 and the 90 was reading when it first got put in:) I will move the other one as you stated, thank you for the tips.
Lights at night bother the dragons. You really should do both at the same time, your dragon will love you for it so it can sleep better.
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Did you arrange them so they are both covering the basking spot & raise the temps to 110F basking, 80-85F cool side? So your BD can get close enough for the UVB to be effective, very little effective UVB, if any, will reach the floor. If your temps are not high enough, your BD will not be able to digest it's food properly. What strength UVB are you using.
 

Daeyang

Juvenile Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
251
I am sorry but that is not a 20 gallon tank; you should at least get a 40 gallon tank. Beardies grow quite large; I have a single female bearded dragon in a 60 gallon tank.
Fresh veggies/fruits should always be able to the beardie. (Like collard greens, dandelion greens, cactus fruit.)Babies don't eat as much veggies as adults and stick more to a "buggy" diet. Crickets are the most; common, and easiest food to get for beardies. Don't feed crickets larger then the space in between there eyes; for yours I would easily reccomend small crickets.
Mealworms can also be fed but are more like treats, and harder to digest.
The basking spot should be from 105˚F- 115˚F
the rest of the tank should be about 85˚F or so..
At night try to keep the temperatures from dropping to below 65˚F because this can be dangerous. They have heat lamps that have both; day and night bulbs to keep heat in the enclosure.
Don't use calci-sand or vita-sand. This can cause impaction (especially in young dragons.)
Hope I could've helped.
 

I.heart.my.bd

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
166
Location
Southern Florida
I am sorry but that is not a 20 gallon tank; you should at least get a 40 gallon tank. Beardies grow quite large; I have a single female bearded dragon in a 60 gallon tank.
Fresh veggies/fruits should always be able to the beardie. (Like collard greens, dandelion greens, cactus fruit.)Babies don't eat as much veggies as adults and stick more to a "buggy" diet. Crickets are the most; common, and easiest food to get for beardies. Don't feed crickets larger then the space in between there eyes; for yours I would easily reccomend small crickets.
Mealworms can also be fed but are more like treats, and harder to digest.
The basking spot should be from 105˚F- 115˚F
the rest of the tank should be about 85˚F or so..
At night try to keep the temperatures from dropping to below 65˚F because this can be dangerous. They have heat lamps that have both; day and night bulbs to keep heat in the enclosure.
Don't use calci-sand or vita-sand. This can cause impaction (especially in young dragons.)
Hope I could've helped.

You are right, I double checked the reptile carpet box we bought and it's a 10 gallon...I know I need a larger one:) and thank you for all the helpful info you gave to me:)
 

I.heart.my.bd

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
166
Location
Southern Florida
Did you arrange them so they are both covering the basking spot & raise the temps to 110F basking, 80-85F cool side? So your BD can get close enough for the UVB to be effective, very little effective UVB, if any, will reach the floor. If your temps are not high enough, your BD will not be able to digest it's food properly. What strength UVB are you using.
It it a UVA and I dont remember the strength as it came with the set up reptile kit the pet store sells:/ I will post an updated pic of the rearranged tank:)
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
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I questioned that in my post with the enclosure picture, but removed it after your post stating that it was a 20 Gal. Pictures can be deceiving, I would really be interested in hearing the actual dimensions of that enclosure.
They have heat lamps that have both; day and night bulbs to keep heat in the enclosure.
Any color night light will affect most BD's sleep, in most cases night heat is not needed or wanted, & BDs should be allowed to cool off at night, it slows their metabolism down for a good nights sleep. Should Night heat be absolutely necessary to take the edge off because the ambient room temps drop below the above mentioned temps at night, an appropriate strength CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) is recommended, heat with no emitted light & fits a regular light fixture.
 

Aleena

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yeah its a 10 gallon- not that big of a deal NOW; but later.
A 20 long is a better starter for a beardie. They can't get the proper heat gradient in a 10. You're not going to be able to put the basking spot at 110 and expect the cool side to be able to get down to 80 with that short of a space between them. You're right, the tank needs to be upgraded, and asap.
 

Germ

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
4,493
Location
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It it a UVA and I dont remember the strength as it came with the set up reptile kit the pet store sells:/ I will post an updated pic of the rearranged tank:)
UVA is basically nothing more than 'White' Light. You need to get UVB on it ASAP. UVB enables it's body to manufacture Vit D3, which in turn allows it to process it's much need Calcium. Without UVB it can not process it's Calcium intake.
 

Aleena

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,996
Location
Utah
It it a UVA and I dont remember the strength as it came with the set up reptile kit the pet store sells:/ I will post an updated pic of the rearranged tank:)
They have kits just for beardies. They sold you the wrong one :( At least they gave you carpet instead of sand!
 

Aleena

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,996
Location
Utah
Oh, I didn't mean to contradict what Daeyang said earlier. A 20L would work as a starter, but they would quickly outgrow it. A 40 breeder would work best for now, if you can't afford something like that, a 20L would be a stepping stone and work for a bit.
 

ThDude

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
487
Location
Virginia
For basking I use a flat rock formation, the rock absorbs the heat and helps the beardie get extra warm. Though what you have for basking works.

I personally don't trust the starter kits for lizards anymore as they don't always have everything you need. In my 20 gallon I have to use a 150watt UVA bulb to keep my basking spot right between 105-110F
 

Aleena

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,996
Location
Utah
For basking I use a flat rock formation, the rock absorbs the heat and helps the beardie get extra warm. Though what you have for basking works.

I personally don't trust the starter kits for lizards anymore as they don't always have everything you need. In my 20 gallon I have to use a 150watt UVA bulb to keep my basking spot right between 105-110F
That's a lot of wattage for a 20! Wow. Surprised you can't keep it up there with something smaller.
 
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