New baby bearded dragon!

[KiwiAndAshley]

So I just got my bearded dragon.
I also have a chameleon and Im part of a chameleon forum and we have a format
on how to ask help and Im gonna use it so you can tell me if Im doing everything right and also
help my out with some of my current worries c:


Bearded Dragon Info:

* Your Pet - The species, sex, and age of your pet. How long has it been in your care?
I have a Bearded dragon and its a male, on the verge of being considered a sub adult/Juvi and Ive had him two days.
* Handling - How often do you handle your pet?
Often. Ive been trying to gt him to eat/drink. I have not been successful :/ He hasnt drank anything so I soaked him to help him hydrate a but.
* Feeding - What are you feeding your pet? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Im feeding him small mealworms and small crickets but he hasnt been eating and Iam gutt loading my feeders.
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
I have reptical with and without d3 but I havent been doing much dusting since he wont eat.
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your pet drinking?
I have a water bowl but reptiles of any kind do not often recognize standing water and usually dont care for it. I have wiggled my finger in the bowl so he could see there was water and he he did drink a bit. That was once, I mist twice a day.
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this pet ever been tested for parasites?
I only saw his poop once and it was smeared around because he ran through it. So I didnt get to see the consistency or the color of the urates.

* History - Any previous information about your pet that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
He was bought from petco

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Hes in a 35gal? or 40gal? glass tank with a screen lid
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
I have a zoomed lighting fixture with a 18" reptiglo bulb and also a zoomed basking light 150watt with a 8.5" dome fixture
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
The cage floor is 80F and the basking spot (up top his stick lol) is around 100F and I have a themometer to measure with
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
The humidity isnt high, which im sure they dont need to be because they live in a desert? anyways around 20-30
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
nope none
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
next to the glass door in a high traffic area and he isnt sorta near a heater for at night so it wont fall below 65 for him.
* Location - Where are you geographically located?
Washington


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Im concerned because i have only seen him eat ONE meal worm and drink ONCE since I got him two days ago and because hes not very active he just basks most of the time. Ive heard though it might be normal because they go on hunger strikes when relocated for a couple days.

Also, he has some orange coloration on his back. The other dragons didnt have them. Whats up with that?

 

[pscaulkins]

Could be relocation stress since you have only had him for two days.

What are you using to measure the temps in your tank with?

 

[KiwiAndAshley]

it is in the above post.
under temperature

 

[beardie_love]

Welcome to the forum! The welcoming committee will be here soon. LOL!

I took a quick read of your post. Mealworms: they are not good for beardies as they have a hard shell which is hard to digest.

For his water intake, well, most beardies won't drink from a bowl. As long as you're misting him and giving him baths, he'll be fine.

As for your lighting, the Repti-Glo's are said to have caused eye problems in bearded dragons. Many will recommend the Repti-SUN 10.0, as it has the high amount of uvb these dragons need. When or if you go with the Repti-Sun, for a basking light you can just use a normal household bulb, with the right wattage you need (may need to play around with wattages). No need for the expensive reptile heat lights. What kind of thermometer are you using to read the temps?

As you were saying about him not eating, it is most likely just relocation stress. It should pass in a few days, and his appetite should increase.

I don't think you mentioned his name. Have you named the little fella?

 

[staylor]

Welcome and very organized easy to answer you worries when you have given all the answers to the questions you would be asked.

It sounds like relocation stress and he should start eating in the next couple of days. Bearded dragons don't normally drink from a dish. They get most of their water from foods eaten and soaking.

Mealworms are not good feeders. hard to digest and do not offer much in the way of nutrition. What size crickets are you feeding? Once he starts eating how many do you plan to feed?

For lighting, your UV light should be a reptisun 10 tube. Reptiglo have been know to cause eye problems in beardies.

A couple of other questions: What type of substrate are you using? How easy are chameleons? I have been thinking about getting one but want to make sure I am not in over my head before I get one.

 

[staylor]

looks like you Melissa type faster then I do ;D As she said the welcome committee will be her soon with lots of welcomes. I think you will enjoy this group.

 

[KiwiAndAshley]

Yes c: c:
His name is Kiwi! ;D
Hes so cute.
Im also wondering whats up this the little orange spots on his back.
Also why do the repti glo cause eye problems?
Ive heard of them cuasing eye problems but on in coiled form because of all the compact uvb rays.
Ill stop with the meal worms, thanks for that!
and also im using a themometer that i got from petco its not digital its one with a "hand" on it.

 

[KiwiAndAshley]

I use paper and thats it.
Owning a chameleon I know the dangers of loose substrates like sand can cause impaction
Im feeding him small crickets and just like chameleons i use the " no bigger than between the eyes" rule
and Ive read you feed them untill they stop eating which was odd lol!
We try not to over feed chameleons because if grown too fast (they'll eat as much as they can) they can get problems.

Chameleons are a BIT more diffcult than beadries I would say.
They just require a bit more attention mostly to humidity and they go on hunger strikes, viariety is key, and MOST of the time you cant handle them because it causes stress and they dont enjoy it like dragons do. And they tend to get sick easier.
Their more of a look dont touch reptile.

 

[staylor]

He is a cutie. The stick on ones like that can be off by up to 20 degrees. A probe or temp gun are best. I think I paid $11 for mine at Petco.

Kiwi might pick at some veggies if you mix some kiwi in. It is sweet, that is how I got mine to eat veggies. A good worm for younger ones is Phoenix worms. Very high is calcium and easy to digest. You can also feed the meal worms to the birds so they do not go to waste unless your chameleon can eat them.

Just checking on the flooring and food size and since you already had a lizard thought you would be good. Young dragons eat a lot and need the protein to grow. They can eat anywhere from 25-100 a day some eat more. I know mine and Valkary's babies eat 120+ per day. Also I don't remember if you put this in your post but what veggies are you offering and are you offering them daily?

 

[beardie_love]

The orange spots on Kiwi are probably just his color! The Repti-Glo, I am not sure why they cause eye problems. I've just heard negative things about them for beardies. Hopefully someone has some info on this for you.

Sandra, we seem to keep doing this to each other! ;D

 

[KiwiAndAshley]

Ive been trying to offer him grapes he licks at them but wont actually chew on it. As for the veggies I tried some greens but he didnt like it at all lol.
Ive been reading up on here and it seems like as babies they dont like them much haha!
I found that cute c:
Kinda human like-ish c:
Also I read not to handle them so much when they first get there so Ill lay off for now and let the shock wear off!

Ive also heard of eye problems with chameleons but only with the "coiled" bulbs and because of the compact uvb light and some of the levels go below 300.

If any one has info on the liner tube repti glo and why that cause problems please inform me!!!

 

[beardie_love]

Yeah, some babies won't touch salads. But they seem to get used to it when you offer it all the time. Hopefully your little Kiwi will soon eat it! Just keep offering and he should come around. As Sandra (staylor) said, you can try mixing some kiwi for the sweet taste. Also, try adding butternut squash.. mine LOVE it!

 

[KiwiAndAshley]

Haha neat Ill try that c:
Another question I had was do you guys ever "walk" your dragons?
I saw they had a leash at the store.
Does that stress them?
Or maybe choke them?
If its safe when he get bigger that would be a cool activity to do c:

 

[beardie_love]

I definitely 'walk' my dragons! Wait, only one lol! I bought a leash at the pet store. I would wait till the dragon is an adult, unless you'd like to upgrade the size when he's bigger! You could also MAKE one! But if you decide to buy one at the pet store, make sure it has a thicker part where it goes under their neck. I'll get a photo for you...

 

[beardie_love]

One that looks like this...

The one's that are like 1cm thick (they don't look harness-like) may be uncomfortable for a dragon.

 

[KiwiAndAshley]

I SUPER excited haha.
Thats so cute.
Does he like it? and actully walk around with you?
I cant do these things with pedro (my chameleon)
They cant be handled much or "walked" lol
But I still love him!

 

[staylor]

Younger dragons tend to "fly". They jump FAR and someone on here used a leash to control the flight distance of his beardie so the dog would not eat it. When it is young I suggest you only hold it on the floor so it can not jump off anything and get hurt. I only handle my little one in the bathroom when I am sitting on the floor because he runs fast and there is nothing in there for him to hide under or get hurt with. Now I can stand with him but only if he is on my head, this is the only place he will not jump from. And when I am walking with him I keep my thumb on his shoulders to keep him from jumping. My adult I let walk around the living room but only after cats are locked up and one of my dogs is outside.

I take my adult outside for some sun but he just sits in my lap and does not go anywhere.

 

[beardie_love]

Charlie doesn't really 'walk', as I just usually have him on my shoulder outside. He seemed fine when I first bought the leash, but now he's not too fond of it lol. When I have him on my shoulder with the leash on, well when he tries to move somewhere I can't reach him like my back or something, I try to pick him up and he just squirms. When he squirms, he seems to move slightly out of his harness, making him constricted lol. He is not a calm dragon like my other ones, so a leash doesn't work so well for him! Hopefully your Kiwi will like it.

 

[KiwiAndAshley]

Kiwi is very calm c:
He just sit in my hand and doesnt try to run.
He just looks up at me like "what?"
haha
Hes adorable.
Im sure he'll be fine with the leash c:
I hope his colors come out good.

 

[staylor]

His color may change and it may come out more when he is not so stressed. My little one changes color with every shed. He is still brown but getting beautiful yellow and orange tones.