New Beardy Owner - A few questions...

[RustytheBeardy]

Hi all! I'm a very new owner of my very own Beardy and I've down about 100 hours of research over the last two months before the start, but I will say I'm experiencing a few concerning things in the first 3 days I've had my Beardy (Rusty) that I wasn't super prepared for. I'm going to spitball it all so answers to one or all of my questions would be appreciated! I posted this in Enclosures since a lot of my concerns may come from his new home, but feel free to delete/move this if it shouldn't be here

A lot of these questions may just be a "paranoid parent" stressing about my new friend, but I want to be sure! I've attached pictures of my 40gal enclosure cut in approx. half so it's easier for him to find food.

1. I got Rusty on Thursday, and he's been nice an energetic on some days, but lethargic on others. Mainly, he RARELY hunts for his crickets. They came with him from the breeder who said he has been eating well, but not only does he struggle at catching them (which I know is common) but he rarely will try. He tries once or twice a day and if he gets one, GREAT! If not, he gives up and basks again. I'd say he's maybe eaten 6 or 7 crickets in the last 3 days and generally they are ones that have died and I've laid in front of him. The REALLY weird thing is he eats a lot of salad (which I'm definitely not complaining about) so I'm just worried about him getting protein to grow - am I rushing into this?

1b. Since he's not eating all of the crickets, I'm not feeding him regularly. I was putting 4 or 5 in at a time on the second day, but yesterday and today I have been a lot more conservative as I still see several crickets running around. Should I keep holding off hoping he finds those and add more when they dwindle, or keep feeding regularly?

2. I know all about acclimating and leaving him alone for a while, but what about little errors in my enclosure I want to fix? Like newspaper rippling for crickets to hide in or fixing little parts of his hide - is it detrimental to take him out once or twice in the week or two to make sure his enclosure is up to par?

3. I built his enclosure out of a kit, and I already plan on buying better thermometers, hides, and tube UVB lighting, but could someone let me know how my enclosure looks? I'm reading about 80 on the cool side and 108-110 on his basking rock, and humidity (with a water bowl) is around 20%, and 8% without. He often sits on his hanging hammock up top, so I moved the little janky-made hide under it since the photo so that he has a cool place to hide (but he hasn't used it yet). Just hoping I've done most things right to ensure my little guy is all set!

I'm sure I'm probably just freaking out as he is just off since the rehoming, but I really want to be sure. Let me know what you all think and any and all feedback is appreciated. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon, but we'll see! Happy to finally join the community!

 

[RustytheBeardy]

So the first thing is that UVB needs to be bought ASAP--- here is what you need to get --
Which UVB light should I use?

The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 12-15 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 6-8 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays-- this is why hes not eating - w/ out it he cannot digest his food or absorb the calcium he needs---- another thing open up your tank --- he can use all that space --- I am assuming its a 40 gallon tank --- if you plan on upgrading I would get a fixture for a larger tank meaning like a 24" they are a good standard fixture for larger tanks like 75-120 gallon tanks---- just do not get it the same length as the tank -- they need to be able to get out of the UVB rays if he wants to --- you can leave your water bowl in there it sounds like its pretty dry w/ out it----
Please do not leave the crickets in the tank--they bite and can cause infection--- I am very happy to hear he eats his vegies -- here is a website for you for nutrition --
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
and here is some more websites for bugs as well
https://symtonbsf.com/ these are another staple feeder and do not need to be dusted
info on Dubia Roaches they are a great staple feeder and do not bite your dragon
Dubias
· Wide range of sizes
· Long life span
· Excellent nutrition
· Easy to digest
· High in protein
Convenient for you
· Odorless and soundless
· Will not infest your home
· Can be stored out of sight
· Easy to care for
· Cannot jump, fly or climb
they last longer than crickets and are way easier to keep in a plastic tote or a 10 gallon aquarium and fed carrots squash and dubia food---
You need to get a Infrared heat gun for actual basking temps they can be bought at your local home improvement store for around $10-12 and a digital probe for your cool side of tank bought at Pet Smart or Petco for $5--- so I would work on getting the UVB right away and open your tank up- he is probably going thru some relocation stress so his eating will slow down but he should not stop eating all together --- those stick ons are giving you inaccurate temps---- and he is very cramped in that tank right now ----

Hi kaylynangel!

WOW thanks for all of the help. I had a feeling it was more the lighting than anything that would cause that. I'll try to pick up the bulb and heat gun today. As for food - I'm hoping to move to Phoenix worms and dubias this week to see what he likes/how they go, but I definitely know that dubias are a classic so I appreciate that advice!

As for opening up the tank: even though he's acclimating I'm okay to do so? I bathed him last on Thursday so I was planning on bathing again today or tomorrow, so when I do I'd open up the rest of the enclosure then if that makes sense.

As a small update from this morning: he ate more crickets than previous days, but I'm still noticing the same behaviour: He will get a few, but as soon as he misses one he just completely gives up and basks again. Breaks my heart because he actually looks disheartened. I know he'll get better in time, but would it be detrimental for me to give the crickets a bit harder of a shake when dusting so they're less speedy? Just want to make sure he is well fed!

Last question: how do people set up timers? I've never done it before and I want to set it up as recently I've been turning on his lights around 7am when I get up for work and off around 9pm when I'm slowing down (and that matches the hours the breeder was doing pretty closely). Would love to get it up ASAP just so he can get some consistency is his awesome little life.

Appreciate the help and welcome!

 

[RustytheBeardy]

Also I was going to say your basking temps should be 105-110 for a baby and 95-110 for a juve and adult--- how old is your dragon????---- what watt bulb are you using for heat? The basking temps and UVB are the most crucial thing for the health of your dragon---- are you feeding salads ? if he is a baby he needs to start eating those now -- other wise you will have issues getting him to eat later on down the road----- let me know how old he is

He is basking at 108-110 according to the stick on thermometer but I'll know more accurately when I get the probes/gun. I assume he's all good though in the meantime as he often repositions slightly down the rock when he's too hot, and back up top at other times! And then obviously in his cooller spots as you can see in the original post's pictures

He is only about a month old, and the bulb is 100w. He is currently eating kale salads without much problem, and I normally just top up his bowl with some dusted kale or collard greens daily, pretty proud of him for that one! I know babies tend to struggle with greens but he seems to enjoy them. I'll keep shuffling with some other veggies as treats and see where it goes from there.