New to forum- hello!

[BeardieMomma]

Hello all!

I am new to this forum but have been an avid lurker for the past month. I got a beardie about 6 weeks ago, I'm not exactly sure how old she is (I believe she's a female from what I've observed) but my guess is around 5-6 months old. I am reading a lot about beardies and there's a lot more to know than I would have originally anticipated! I want to make sure I am doing everything right! I got her insurance through Nationwide, and I believe I have a good tank set up from everything I have read.

I want to share a bit about my set up in case anyone sees something wrong. She's in a 40 gallon breeder, a thermometer in cool spot and one at basking area- although I realized today as I did more reading that my basking thermometer has been in the wrong spot. I have it directly under the light, a few inches above where she basks. So right now it's 116 and I realize that's too hot. I just moved it lower and hope to see the temp go down a bit. It's an 150 watt bulb. She has her UV light but it's a spiral light and a couple days ago I read that the tube lights are much better, so I have a T5 on the way. The cool zone is usually 78 to 80 during the day, and at night I shut the lights and the temperature is around 78 to 80.

I am concerned about her substrate...at first I had the reptile carpet that they sold me at Petco but my fiance read that those are bad because they hold bacteria, and a couple other things I can't recall now. So I did some research and got 3 bags of Jurrassic Natutal Australian Desert sand. I am concerned about impaction, but many sites said that if the dragon is healthy, they won't suffer impaction. I also read to only feed her in the food bowl so there's less chance of eating the substrate so I do that now.

Shes got branches to climb on, cool area, hammock, a rope. I've had so much fun decorating her terranium!

I feel her meal worms, crickets, and asparagus, kale, carrots, green peppers, apples. She's not big on eating her fruits and veggies, but I'm trying. Does anyone have suggestions on how to get them to eat more fruits/veggies? I have the calcium powder for her food and I ordered some small horn worms online yesterday.

I give her baths 3-4 days a week, is this enough? Is it possible to bath them too often? Since I am worried about impaction, would it be wise to give her a bath everyday to help prevent any issues, or is that overkill?

Shes happy, active, loves eating her live food, and has a good disposition. I take her out of her tank once or twice a day for 15-20 minutes and let her run all over me. Should I be taking her out more often?

I posted a few pics. Nice to "meet" everyone and thanks in advance!

*Christina

 

[Sadie]

Hello all!

I am new to this forum but have been an avid lurker for the past month. I got a beardie about 6 weeks ago, I'm not exactly sure how old she is (I believe she's a female from what I've observed) but my guess is around 5-6 months old. I am reading a lot about beardies and there's a lot more to know than I would have originally anticipated! I want to make sure I am doing everything right! I got her insurance through Nationwide, and I believe I have a good tank set up from everything I have read.

I want to share a bit about my set up in case anyone sees something wrong. She's in a 40 gallon breeder, a thermometer in cool spot and one at basking area- although I realized today as I did more reading that my basking thermometer has been in the wrong spot. I have it directly under the light, a few inches above where she basks. So right now it's 116 and I realize that's too hot. I just moved it lower and hope to see the temp go down a bit. It's an 150 watt bulb. She has her UV light but it's a spiral light and a couple days ago I read that the tube lights are much better, so I have a T5 on the way. The cool zone is usually 78 to 80 during the day, and at night I shut the lights and the temperature is around 78 to 80.

I am concerned about her substrate...at first I had the reptile carpet that they sold me at Petco but my fiance read that those are bad because they hold bacteria, and a couple other things I can't recall now. So I did some research and got 3 bags of Jurrassic Natutal Australian Desert sand. I am concerned about impaction, but many sites said that if the dragon is healthy, they won't suffer impaction. I also read to only feed her in the food bowl so there's less chance of eating the substrate so I do that now.

Shes got branches to climb on, cool area, hammock, a rope. I've had so much fun decorating her terranium!

I feel her meal worms, crickets, and asparagus, kale, carrots, green peppers, apples. She's not big on eating her fruits and veggies, but I'm trying. Does anyone have suggestions on how to get them to eat more fruits/veggies? I have the calcium powder for her food and I ordered some small horn worms online yesterday.

I give her baths 3-4 days a week, is this enough? Is it possible to bath them too often? Since I am worried about impaction, would it be wise to give her a bath everyday to help prevent any issues, or is that overkill?

Shes happy, active, loves eating her live food, and has a good disposition. I take her out of her tank once or twice a day for 15-20 minutes and let her run all over me. Should I be taking her out more often?

I posted a few pics. Nice to "meet" everyone and thanks in advance!

*Christina

Hi Christina
First you are doing your home work--- lets start w/ temps-- you dont want temps at night 78-80 they need to be 65-75 ambient-- next you want surface basking temps and they should be 95-100 for a dragon of 6 months old or older-- babies 105-110 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer -- you need the probe for accurate temps-
The substrate I frown on because of the risk for impaction - if she is ever lacking anything in the diet they will eat the loose substrate --- you can get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner from Walmart or your local home improvement store -- cut to the size of the tank - insects cannot get underneath and you can clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50 -- loose substrate also harbors bacteria-- rinse w/ a wet cloth to get rid of the vinegar smell
Next the UVB what did you order? I recommend certain brands and bulbs you said you got the T 5 what brand please--- they have certain placement and distance they need to be depending on the screen -- not all UVBS' are good ones ---
Next please NO more baths-- too many baths will cause the scales to dry out --- please limit them to maybe 1 every week or so I dont bath mine very often except to get them to drink - you can also drop water on the nose for hydration as well and make sure your rinsing the greens before serving that will also give them hydration -- speaking of diet asparagus is not a good staple feeder here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale info its outdated http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html and kale is a good staple feeder
You can try and get some BSFL also known as phoenix worms calci worms nutri grubs -- they are small larvae and can be used as salad lures feed first thing in the morning do not dust them but you should be dusting the main staple w/ calcium D3 for dragons under a year 5 x per week ONCE per feeding - and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONCE per feeding---- and you must have that good UVB or they will not be able to absorb / synthesize the calcium and will quit eating ----

 

[BeardieMomma]

Hi Christina
First you are doing your home work--- lets start w/ temps-- you dont want temps at night 78-80 they need to be 65-75 ambient-- next you want surface basking temps and they should be 95-100 for a dragon of 6 months old or older-- babies 105-110 taken w/ a digital probe thermometer -- you need the probe for accurate temps-
The substrate I frown on because of the risk for impaction - if she is ever lacking anything in the diet they will eat the loose substrate --- you can get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner from Walmart or your local home improvement store -- cut to the size of the tank - insects cannot get underneath and you can clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50 -- loose substrate also harbors bacteria-- rinse w/ a wet cloth to get rid of the vinegar smell
Next the UVB what did you order? I recommend certain brands and bulbs you said you got the T 5 what brand please--- they have certain placement and distance they need to be depending on the screen -- not all UVBS' are good ones ---
Next please NO more baths-- too many baths will cause the scales to dry out --- please limit them to maybe 1 every week or so I dont bath mine very often except to get them to drink - you can also drop water on the nose for hydration as well and make sure your rinsing the greens before serving that will also give them hydration -- speaking of diet asparagus is not a good staple feeder here is a website for nutrition ignore the kale info its outdated http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html and kale is a good staple feeder
You can try and get some BSFL also known as phoenix worms calci worms nutri grubs -- they are small larvae and can be used as salad lures feed first thing in the morning do not dust them but you should be dusting the main staple w/ calcium D3 for dragons under a year 5 x per week ONCE per feeding - and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONCE per feeding---- and you must have that good UVB or they will not be able to absorb / synthesize the calcium and will quit eating ----

Wow this is A LOT of info- thank you! Ok first, the temperature- how should I make it cooler at night? We are heading into the winter so I can't have an AC on at night. Would a fan on top of the terranium work?

Now I am worried about the substrate. Maybe I should have joined this forum before I spent $140 on it! Does the risk of impaction decrease as they get older? Actually, I'll probably just look into the liner. I would be devastated if she died because of this stupid expensive sand!

For the UV I got a ZooMed Reptisun 10.0 24 watt lamp & the high output terranium hood of the same brand. I'm hoping this is sufficient because I just lost my job a week ago and can't really be spending too much more at the moment. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you for the website. I read that asparagus is a good staple food but of course not all sites are reputable. And I had no idea about the baths! I assumed more would be better. Thanks again!

 

[Sadie]

Wow this is A LOT of info- thank you! Ok first, the temperature- how should I make it cooler at night? We are heading into the winter so I can't have an AC on at night. Would a fan on top of the terranium work?

Now I am worried about the substrate. Maybe I should have joined this forum before I spent $140 on it! Does the risk of impaction decrease as they get older? Actually, I'll probably just look into the liner. I would be devastated if she died because of this stupid expensive sand!

For the UV I got a ZooMed Reptisun 10.0 24 watt lamp & the high output terranium hood of the same brand. I'm hoping this is sufficient because I just lost my job a week ago and can't really be spending too much more at the moment. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you for the website. I read that asparagus is a good staple food but of course not all sites are reputable. And I had no idea about the baths! I assumed more would be better. Thanks again!

Please get a ambient temp of the tank first thing in the morning --- tanks usually fall to what the temp is in the house --- 65-75 for a good nights sleep for the dragon - if your temp falls below 65 at night please get a ceramic heat emitter place on top of the screen center of the tank it will keep the temps 65-75 -- I would suggest a 100 watt bulb for a 40 + gallon tank - I use a 100 watt for my 120 gallon ---
Risk of impaction will decrease as they get older --- babies are terrible for licking everything and anything -- what I am concerned about is the bacteria in the sand ---- hard to keep clean --
The Zoo Med is a good fixture and the bulb is great so your good there -- please tell me what kind of screen your using is it a fine mesh like a screen door or a wide hole type --- I will help you get it placed for your tank -- please replace the bulb in approx 10-11 months --- they are good for a year but I always recommend 10-11 months --- also if ever cannot find a Reptisun you can use a Arcadia 12% bulb it will fit that fixture and they are another great bulb

 

[BeardieMomma]

Please get a ambient temp of the tank first thing in the morning --- tanks usually fall to what the temp is in the house --- 65-75 for a good nights sleep for the dragon - if your temp falls below 65 at night please get a ceramic heat emitter place on top of the screen center of the tank it will keep the temps 65-75 -- I would suggest a 100 watt bulb for a 40 + gallon tank - I use a 100 watt for my 120 gallon ---
Risk of impaction will decrease as they get older --- babies are terrible for licking everything and anything -- what I am concerned about is the bacteria in the sand ---- hard to keep clean --
The Zoo Med is a good fixture and the bulb is great so your good there -- please tell me what kind of screen your using is it a fine mesh like a screen door or a wide hole type --- I will help you get it placed for your tank -- please replace the bulb in approx 10-11 months --- they are good for a year but I always recommend 10-11 months --- also if ever cannot find a Reptisun you can use a Arcadia 12% bulb it will fit that fixture and they are another great bulb

Ok great I'm happy about the UV...I did a ton of research on that. T8 versus T5 and all that..at first I felt overwhelmed lol but I think I got it right!

The screen...it's not mesh like a screen door. There's holes but they're small.

We keep the apartment at around 70 at night so I'm not sure why it's so warm at night. I'll check it out tomorrow morning. I actually have a CHE because it was too cold in our last place but this place is warmer. So you think an 100 watt is sufficient for a 40 gallon? I'm surprised because at the pet store they told me 150 but I'm quickly realizing they don't really know wtf they're talking about. Now that I've moved the thermometer to the proper basking area it's at 105, I just checked, and it's 70 in the apartment. 79 in the cool area, is that too warm?

As far as the bacteria in the sand, I scoop the feces/urine out every day and will change it every 6 months although now I'm so worried about impaction that I might just scrap it. I'm very torn on this issue. She seems to like the sand and I read that they enjoy digging but I'm really worried about impaction.

Thanks again!

 

[Sadie]

Ok great I'm happy about the UV...I did a ton of research on that. T8 versus T5 and all that..at first I felt overwhelmed lol but I think I got it right!

The screen...it's not mesh like a screen door. There's holes but they're small.

We keep the apartment at around 70 at night so I'm not sure why it's so warm at night. I'll check it out tomorrow morning. I actually have a CHE because it was too cold in our last place but this place is warmer. So you think an 100 watt is sufficient for a 40 gallon? I'm surprised because at the pet store they told me 150 but I'm quickly realizing they don't really know wtf they're talking about. Now that I've moved the thermometer to the proper basking area it's at 105, I just checked, and it's 70 in the apartment. 79 in the cool area, is that too warm?

As far as the bacteria in the sand, I scoop the feces/urine out every day and will change it every 6 months although now I'm so worried about impaction that I might just scrap it. I'm very torn on this issue. She seems to like the sand and I read that they enjoy digging but I'm really worried about impaction.

Thanks again!

Fine mesh the uvb needs to go in the tank directly above the basking decor 12-15 inches- 79-80 on the cool side is good- the 100 watt should be good for winter by but please get a ambient temp in the morning- how old is the dragon? 70 in the house the tank should drop to that overnight -

 

[BeardieMomma]

Fine mesh the uvb needs to go in the tank directly above the basking decor 12-15 inches- 79-80 on the cool side is good- the 100 watt should be good for winter by but please get a ambient temp in the morning- how old is the dragon? 70 in the house the tank should drop to that overnight -

Ok thank you. I will check in the morning. Perhaps I misread it when I saw it at 80, because the apartment is 70 at night so there's no reason the tank temperature should be any different. This was very helpful. I appreciate it!

 

[BeardieMomma]

Fine mesh the uvb needs to go in the tank directly above the basking decor 12-15 inches- 79-80 on the cool side is good- the 100 watt should be good for winter by but please get a ambient temp in the morning- how old is the dragon? 70 in the house the tank should drop to that overnight -

and she's about 5-6 months old. I would say 6.

 

[Sadie]

and she's about 5-6 months old. I would say 6.

Ok so get your UVB adjusted and she should thrive w/ the good surface basking temps as well --

 

[BeardieMomma]

Ok so get your UVB adjusted and she should thrive w/ the good surface basking temps as well --

Great, thanks!

 

[BeardieMomma]

Ok so get your UVB adjusted and she should thrive w/ the good surface basking temps as well --

Just checked ambient morning temperate...71! Perfect! Thank you! Now I'm still worried about the substrate though. But my fiance is really pushing to keep it. He keeps telling me to relax and that he thinks it's great for her to dig. So I im thinking of replacing it, he doesn't want to. I really love how it looks and she was digging in it today and it was amazing to watch! She really enjoyed it, so I am leaning towards keeping it. So I have some questions-

If she's healthy because she's got good conditions (perfect temp, great UVB, diet, interaction etc), AND I remove the waste every day (already did today plus the substrate around it to eliminate bacteria), AND I only feed her in her bowl or outside of it...is it still THAT much of a risk? Or is it a rare occurrence?

 

[Sadie]

Just checked ambient morning temperate...71! Perfect! Thank you! Now I'm still worried about the substrate though. But my fiance is really pushing to keep it. He keeps telling me to relax and that he thinks it's great for her to dig. So I im thinking of replacing it, he doesn't want to. I really love how it looks and she was digging in it today and it was amazing to watch! She really enjoyed it, so I am leaning towards keeping it. So I have some questions-

If she's healthy because she's got good conditions (perfect temp, great UVB, diet, interaction etc), AND I remove the waste every day (already did today plus the substrate around it to eliminate bacteria), AND I only feed her in her bowl or outside of it...is it still THAT much of a risk? Or is it a rare occurrence?

You can keep the substrate but watch her poop -- if she starts pooping some out then you know shes eating it--- you can always set up a dig box in the tank for her to dig in --- that way shes not on / in it all the time- you can use the shelf liner for the substrate and get a plastic dig box for her and set it on the cool side - that way she has the solid substrate and the loose to dig --- and if she poops on the liner that is great cuz then shes not in a bacteria harboring substrate as well -- also I would get a fatter basking decor branch or piece than the branch shes sitting on shes going to out grow it -- it looks to skinny for her to be sitting on ---

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome, Christina!

 

[BeardieMomma]

You can keep the substrate but watch her poop -- if she starts pooping some out then you know shes eating it--- you can always set up a dig box in the tank for her to dig in --- that way shes not on / in it all the time- you can use the shelf liner for the substrate and get a plastic dig box for her and set it on the cool side - that way she has the solid substrate and the loose to dig --- and if she poops on the liner that is great cuz then shes not in a bacteria harboring substrate as well -- also I would get a fatter basking decor branch or piece than the branch shes sitting on shes going to out grow it -- it looks to skinny for her to be sitting on ---

It's perfect for now but she will outgrow it. I got a larger type of branch but she missed her castle and barely climbed the branch. But I eventually need an upgrade.

 

[BeardieMomma]

Welcome, Christina!

Thanks!

 

[BeardieMomma]

You can keep the substrate but watch her poop -- if she starts pooping some out then you know shes eating it--- you can always set up a dig box in the tank for her to dig in --- that way shes not on / in it all the time- you can use the shelf liner for the substrate and get a plastic dig box for her and set it on the cool side - that way she has the solid substrate and the loose to dig --- and if she poops on the liner that is great cuz then shes not in a bacteria harboring substrate as well -- also I would get a fatter basking decor branch or piece than the branch shes sitting on shes going to out grow it -- it looks to skinny for her to be sitting on ---

Ok I need a little help..I'm reading that the T5 Reptisun has to be at least 12 inches from the berdie. But that I can put it right on the mesh top. But that would mean it's only around 6-8 inches from her when she's basking. Do I need to find a way to somehow suspend it above the terranium?

 

[BeardieMomma]

You can keep the substrate but watch her poop -- if she starts pooping some out then you know shes eating it--- you can always set up a dig box in the tank for her to dig in --- that way shes not on / in it all the time- you can use the shelf liner for the substrate and get a plastic dig box for her and set it on the cool side - that way she has the solid substrate and the loose to dig --- and if she poops on the liner that is great cuz then shes not in a bacteria harboring substrate as well -- also I would get a fatter basking decor branch or piece than the branch shes sitting on shes going to out grow it -- it looks to skinny for her to be sitting on ---

Oh man I'm looking at reptirisers online now..wish I had ordered one. My fiance is going to see if he can figure out another way.

 

[Sadie]

Ok I need a little help..I'm reading that the T5 Reptisun has to be at least 12 inches from the berdie. But that I can put it right on the mesh top. But that would mean it's only around 6-8 inches from her when she's basking. Do I need to find a way to somehow suspend it above the terranium?

Placement for the UVB depends on the screen---- is it a fine mesh like a screen door or a wide hole type- fine mesh will block 30% of the rays -- and w/ the distance will be determined by placement

 

[Sadie]

Oh man I'm looking at reptirisers online now..wish I had ordered one. My fiance is going to see if he can figure out another way.

You dont want it hanging over the tank --- distance is crucial here

 

[BeardieMomma]

Placement for the UVB depends on the screen---- is it a fine mesh like a screen door or a wide hole type- fine mesh will block 30% of the rays -- and w/ the distance will be determined by placement

I would say this is wide hole type- photo attached