New Owner!

[r00en]

Hello all! I'm new to owning a Beardie but not new to reptials and general. My little one has a very big sister in a ball python so I'm somewhat well known to rep needs but I just want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly.

My little guy is VERY little. The shop couldn't tell me the hatch date but he fits on my ring finger so I would say about 6 inches not including his tail.

Right now I have him in a 40g breeder tank with rep carpet, he has a water dish big enough for him to sit in for a soak but the water only reaches his elbows just in case. A salad dish with cut him kale and blue berries, which he shows no interest in, and a meal worm dish. Along with the normal basking platform, a climbing net so he can get almost to the top of the cage right under the light, and a rock hutch on the cool side.

Right now I have a 100 watt power sun duel heat and UVB as his main source of heat and a cermaic 100watt heat emitter to keep the rest of the tank warm and to give him warmth but zero light at night. The hottest it reaches right under his light (where he hangs out most of the time) is about 99-100f and about 85f at night with just the heat emitter. I did just buy another 160watt intense basking light to try and push the whole heat of the tank up a bit and his basking spot a bit hotter.

Right now Raz will eat a meal worm (a tiny one) but shows literally no interest in crickets or greens. I threw a bunch in there just in case he wants to snack while I'm not home but I dont think hes eating any. So a few basic run down questions

1. Is it normal for new babies to not eat when you bring them home?

2. If so how long will they go without eating?

3. What temp should his basking spot reach optionally? I want to make sure everything is perfect for him.

4. Should I switch the power sun out for a long strip light as he gets older and bigger?

Thank you for any help and advice you can give me in general too! Hes so little and seemed to be bullied by the bigger guys in his tank at the store and I really wanted him to have a shot at being a spoiled only tank child. I know pet stores aren't the best places to buy reps but I felt this little guy at least needed a chance.

 

[BeardedHippy]

Hi, yeah thats a baby, definitely no more than a month old. They do take a while to settle in, they are nervous of everything, so its best not to handle them for the first week, then to gradually get them used to you. Meal worms are not good, they have a chitinous shell that beardies find hard to digest, it can cause impaction in the bowels. Go online and order the smallest dubia roaches you can find, feed the roaches some of the veggies you are giving your dragon ,your little one will devour them and grow like stink. He also needs his bugs dusting in calcium 5x a week, calcium with D3 once a week, and a multivitamin once. This is for bone growth, that plus the mercury vapour bulb you have. Yep your temps need to be a bit higher, I would also invest in a IR probe temp gun so you can have a more accurate idea of you temp gradients and hot spots.
They are so cute at that age, love the pic

 

[BeardedHippy]

Oh, I forgot to mention the water dish. They wont drink from standing water, so all they do really is raise the humidity. They have super efiicient livers that process the water they need from their food. If you get worried that it isnt getting enough water, just put a drop on its nose and it will lick it off.

 

[PatsyB]

BeardedHippy said everything I was going to say!

Give him some time to settle in. Covering 3 sides of the tank helps too to make him feel more secure. Talk to him and talk around him so that he gets used to your voice and learns you aren't a threat. Dubia are a real good feeder for babies and so are BSFL and silkworms. Crickets seem to be making a comeback too, those are always great for babies.