New Beardie Owner

[steveo84]

Hi everyone,

im a new beardie owner, my beardie is about 18 months old and i have had him for about 4 weeks now.

hes doing great, really character.

lately he's been not so active as recently and i haven't noticed him going to the toilet much.
then a day or so ago he did the biggest almighty poo, literally nearly as big as him.

is this something wrong with the temperature - any advice would be great.

thanks

 

[renich]

Hi, Steve and welcome to the forum.

Since you are new at this, we'll ask the basic questions -

1. What UVB light and manufacturer are you using?
2. What is your temp on the hot and cool sides?
3. What are you using to measure your temps?
4. What substrate do you have?
5. How often are you bathing him?
6. What salad mix are you feeding him?
7. What proteins are you giving him?

Here's a link to some basic care info:
Bearded Dragon Care

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Welcome Aboard,
In addition to Renees questions, Have you given your dragon a soak?
A warm soak will keep your dragon hydrated as well as keeping the works flowing.

 

[renich]

Yep, baths are important. I asked that in question #5.

 

[steveo84]

Hi peeps, thanks for the questions;
1. I'm using a repti glo 10.0 Exo tera
2. The hot end is between 95 - 100f and the cold end is between 90-95f.
3. I have a microclimate advanced heating system proportional temperature control set at 93f
4. I'm using play sand for substrate
5. I've bathed him once in the last month but he absolutley hated it, also what's the ideal thing to bathe them in?
6. His salad mix consists of peppers, celery, apples, blueberrys, blackberrys and spring greens (cabbage and bol choi) and I try to alternate this.
7. His protein is medium locusts and waxworms.

Look forward to your advice
thanks

 

[zebraflavencs]

Two things pop out for me. One is the Reptiglo. It has been linked to all sorts of health issues in dragons. The best flor tube you can get in the UK is the Arcadia 12% found here :
http://www.petcityonline.com.au/details.asp?ItemID=830857008504&CatID=&MainID=Reptile

The second thing that popped out at me, was the cool side temps. The micro climate thingy, is that what you are getting your temp readings from ? Or do you basically set this at a certain temp, and let it go ?

Cool side temps should be in the range of 75-85*F. Your dragon can't cool off, so to speak after a good bask. That needs changing.

So, change out the glo for the Arcadia, and cool off the other end of the viv. Also while this changing is going on, do offer your dragon a bath in the Tub for 15-20 minutes daily ! I believe that those high temps are dehydrating him, and the glo is sapping all his energy trying to stay healthy.

Hope this all helps !
Janie.

 

[renich]

Hmm...here are my thoughts:

1. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of the repti-glo. The Repti-Sun 10.0 is the best UVB out there. The rays reach the farthest distance, so your beardie is getting UVB from basically anywhere in the viv.
2. The cool end is a bit hot. It should be around 85F.
3. I'm not familiar with that.
4. Sand is very controversial. Your beardie is over a year old, so impaction is less likely. I used sand in the past. And didn't have any issues with it. However, I have learned that sand can harbor bacteria. I switched to tile. It was neater and easier to clean.
5. A lot of beardies don't care for their baths. If he is not pooping regularly, I would advise daily baths. I have a double sink. So, I bought a Rubbermaid container and put it in there. Bernie would swim around and have a great time. Others use their tub, but ensure you clean it after your beardie's bath.
6. Are you feeding him the leaves from a stalk of celery or the actual stalk? The leaves are fine, but the stalks are difficult to break down.
7. Waxworms are fatty and should be offered as a treat. Consider phoenix worms, crickets, roaches as daily protein.

 

[steveo84]

Hi,

thanks for this, some great advice there.
just a few other questions, how do i get the hot end to a temp over 90f without a heating system and obvisouly vice versa with the cool end? do i just use a basking lamp and will that heat one end up to the right temp?

The heating system thingy is set at a certain temp and has 2 thermometres attached to it and when the temp drops below the set temp it will heat it back up and keep it constant - is this okay?

 

[steveo84]

Also,

i dont actually have a bath in my house just a shower, is it okay to put him in that and just turn it on lightly or would the sink be better and if so how much should i fill it up to?

Thanks

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Then use the sink, get a bucket, whatever works. Your imagination is the limit.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Okay, it's what i thought. those are thermostats. No it isn't okay.. you are dehydrating your dragon. can you reset the therm on the cool side to a temp of 79?
Or remove it altogether ? the temps from your basking light provide the ambient air temps. Warmer closer to that bulb, cooler further away. most of us control the temps merely by raising or lowering either the bulb itself, or the wattage of the bulb used.
Janie.

 

[steveo84]

as soon as i get home tonight i will bathe my dragon in the sink and do this daily now for the next few weeks to get him used to it and then once a week thereafter, what is the right level of water for them?

im pretty sure i can set the therm to 79 but i will check and keep a close eye on the temp over the next couple of days to make sure its right, if not i will remove it all together and see how that works out.

thanks for the advice guys this is really helping and can't thank you enough.

is there anything else i should know? i've just ordered some more food for him, i've found a website selling pheonix worms and i've also ordered some meal worms as a bit of variety is this okay?

 

[zebraflavencs]

meal worms should always be avoided. they have little nutritional value, and with the hard chitin shell, hard to digest.
better feeders would be:
roaches- dubias, turks, lobsters and hisser nymphs
crix
phoenix worms, silk worms.
these all can be used as staples.
janie.

 

[renich]

Just reiterating that your basking lamp will get your temps hot enough. If it isn't hot enough, you can increase the watts. Also, you can use normal household bulbs. They will produce the correct amount of heat. This will save you money on basking lights.

Also, agreeing that mealworms are bad. As Janie pointed out, their outer shell is difficult to break down and could lead to impaction.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello and Welcome!!

 

[Harley D]

I am no expert...but you are in awesome hands !!

a very big welcome to you both

 

[steveo84]

thanks for all the advice everyone.

i have switched the thermostat off all together and am monitoring what the temp is for the next few days.

did give Mick (my beardie) a bath last night in the sink, he scrambled to get out but when i put him on my arm and rested him in the sink he calmed down a bit and gradually i removed my arm and he sat in there on his own for about 10mins before trying to escape so much better then last time and ill have another go tonight.

funny characters ay!

thanks again

 

[renich]

Great news. It sounds like Mick will come around. Give him time. Between having a new home and all, most beardies are a bit frantic at first. It sounds like you are taking the right efforts to bond with him.

Yes, they are funny little creatures. Enjoy!