new baby beardie

[timbalan]

hi my name is tim and i just recently got a bearded dragon. he was about 2/3 months old when i got him. My 3 year old daughter named him vinnie. Hes still a little shy and ive only gotten him to eat out of my hand a little bit of veggies and a little baby food. He doesnt seem to have any interest in crickets right now. he used to hide a lot when i first got him but ive since taken most everything out of his cage. Yesterday he was actually running back and forth on the front glass which ive not seen him do since i got him. He has a rock he can get under and a stick so he can get closer to the heat/UVB lights. his basking spot is about 108 and his cool spot is about 79 his uvb light is about 12 in away. unless he gets on his stick. i check the temps with a temp gun so i know its true. any ideas about his appetite? I have gave him 2 or 3 baths since ive had him, and he does poop not a whole lot but a couple times a day id say. any tips or any questions plz let me know thanks in advance

 

[Sarah Kwiatkowski]

If you recently got home in the past two weeks he probably won't have a huge appetite, I would suggest letting him settle in his home and Handel him the least until about 14 days home. You can also give him warm baths to make sure he is staying hydrated. Your set up seems good keep us updated !

 

[Germ]

Welcome to the BD Community ...

Please post pics of your setup ...

Some good links that you may find useful to get started off right ...
Basic Bearded Dragon Care Guide - A Place To Start
UVB Setup
Temp Guns
Bearded Dragon - Exclusive Care Info Library
Is Bearded Dragon Cohabitation A Good Plan?
What's Good & Not So Good To Feed - Beautiful Dragon's Nutrition Guide

 

[timbalan]

thanks. i do give him a bath about every 2-3 days. i was also wondering if him being in a 55 gal would effect him. he was in a 10 gal before i got him. He also doesnt sit and bask under the light very often he usually sits on either stick and it seems like every time hes just relaxing hes got his back legs stretched out behind him.
Is this normal? when he walks his back legs work fine they dont twitch at all so i was just wondering if this is how he "chills". here is a pick of his cage and a pick of him on his log. still looks pretty stressed. Any other suggestions? He also still isnt very active other than the one day i seen him dancing on the glass.

 

[atochats]

That is an amazingly beautiful setup you got goin on there! Going from a 10 gal to a 55 may have been kinda overwhelming for him though. He may have a hard time keeping track of live prey if the tank is so big? Maybe section off half of it or so, still making sure he has a hot and cool spot, and let him get adjusted to that? Just my 2 cents for what its worth. And I think that's just how he "chills".

 

[timbalan]

There's only a couple of crickets in his tank because they just hide anyway. I take him out and put him in a 10 gal with the crickets. I had a divider in it but I took it out and just covered the front for now. I think he enjoys the room just not to sure of it yet. I just went and bought some melemine board today I'm gonna start on his permanent adult viv gonna be about 2'x 4'x 18".

 

[Dennis Cronin]

Main thing I learned here was get things warm enough. Beardies need a pretty hot basking area. 110 degrees measured with one of those cheap digital thermometers fixed me right up and get him eating. Also, find some Dubia roaches by looking on craiglist. They're better feeders than crickets in many ways.

 

[timbalan]

His basking temp is good i have an expensive temp gun i borrowed from work. He must eat something because he poops once a day. He seems to shy away everytime i walk by his cage he'll like hide behind his branch when i walk by. Or if he sees me he just freezes,but if i take him out and bathe him or let him run on the couch he is fine but the second i put him back he gets stress marks until noone is around. Thoughts on that?

 

[Germ]

If you don't clutter a larger enclosure with junk & keep to the basics, there should be no need for a divider. That enclosure looks just fine.

I have never seen too much space being an issue, but have seen issues when that space is filled & furnished with unnecessary fluff, that gives too many hiding spots for the feeders.

 

[timbalan]

Ya i try to keep the clutter down. Any idea on why he shys away and "hides" behind his stick when i walk by. If im not in the room he runs around basks and acts normal as he should. And when i take him out hes fine also just while hes in his cage he seems skidish. how long does that usually last? ive had him a month now. I wouldve thought he would be coming around by now.

 

[Germ]

Some BDs are just difficult, my "Demon" would not let me handle him without a struggle for the first 10 months of his life, then was one of the most amiable dragons that I have ever had. Some people have had success with some of their more skittish BDs by placing a piece of clothing, that had been worn close to your body, in the enclosure. Like a t-shirt or other similar undergarment. In women's cases, their bra seems to have had helped &/or been successful. This leaves your scent in the enclosure, so it is not so strange to it, possibly helping to shorten a lengthy acclimation period. It is always worth a try.

Good Luck

 

[timbalan]

I will have to try it. Hes not skiddish while i have him out of his cage he will let me hold him without trying to run away and when i go to put him back he trys to climb back up my arm. I will try the shirt thing and see what happens. It cant hurt.

 

[ravenwolf]

He's lovely, love the setup am sure he is just acclimatising and will settle in no time

 

[timbalan]

Thanks. Ya hes getting better slow process.