New to forum i have a baby beardie named Dougy

[JUSTLAMPIN101]

Douglas is doing good he is about 6 inches the guy at daves dragons said he was 2 months old when i bought him on holloween this year. He is just out of shed but id like to know what breed he is cuz he does have some orange in him. i just have some questions i want to run by everyone. I have one of those thermometer guns that u click the button and it reads u the temperature so i dont really know how hot it is becuz it varies from where i hold it but i have a 75w basking light and a 13w uvb they are both exo terra. it seems to be fine becuz he actively eats his crickets and phoenix worms and his lettuce. the temp gun says 89-120 depending on how i aim it so its not very good for me to see how hot it is. i just want him to be healthy and big. he only has a 10 gallon tank but ill upgrade in a couple months. What does everyone think about how much to feed him and should i be powdering the crickets down everytime? i have phoneix worms and crickets so i want to know how much of each to give everyday. Should i be using the yellow cricket gel to gutload or get the orange cubes? Also he has a little yellow zit looking thing on the top of his head what is it? Here are some pics of dougy:

 

[ladyknite]

Welcome!

I'll assume your thermometer is a temperature gun. Aim it at the highest point of the basking area for the basking temp, and the further side of the cage for cool side temps.

10 gallon isn't the best size tank for the baby. you might want to consider using a temp enclosure to ensure he grows properly.

he should be eating as much as he possibly can in 15 minutes 3 times per day.

i use greens and "gutz" to gutload my bugs. Maybe someone else can comment on commercial brands.

 

[beardielover17]

First, let me say WELCOME! You have such a cute little pooper! Now let me try to answer your questions as best as I can.

The thermometer you use is one of the most accurate ways to read surface temps. What you do is aim the temp gun directly at the basking spot around 3 inches from the spot for the most accurate basking spot temperature. The temps will vary depending on how far away you hold the gun and where you point it. It can range from 105 to 115 and over.

What kind of UVB do you have? ReptiGlo 10.0? Is it a tube or compact light?

As far as feeding lettuce, you want to avoid feedin it because it has very little nutritional value. Check out this website for a list of good and bad foods http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

You will want to upgrade to atleast a 20 gal long tank now. A 10 gal tank does not provide enough room for him to escape to a cooler area and it isn't the best as far as room for him/her.

You will want to offer live prey twice a day and greens every day even if he/she wont touch them/ You should dust your crickets only for one meal approx 6 days a week but if you use phoenix worms for one meal a day you can skip on the calcium. Use multivitamin once a week for one feeding. As far as how many to offer, every dragon is different some will eat 20 a day and some will eat over 100 a day so just let your little one eat until hes full or let him eat all he can in 15 min.

Gutloading doesn't have to be with commercial gutloads. You can offer the feeders the same greens you give your dragon and some fish flakes or ground cat food.

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hellooooo and welcome!

 

[renich]

Hello and welcome to our forum. It looks like everyone has answered your questions. I'm in agreement with all.

You can search the forum for vivs. A number of our members have made their own enclosures. It will save you money and supply the roomiest space for Douglas to grow properly.

Here's a link to our basic caresheet. Give it a read and let us know if you have any questions -
Bearded Dragon Care

 

[JUSTLAMPIN101]

hey thanks to everyone for the advice ill take u guys up on all of it i know i need a bigger viv im working on that i already had the 10 gallon for my old pacman but ill get douggie a new one soon. As for the UVB it is a 13w compact light its not the tube and the box says exo terra. I was told to dust the crickkets everytime but i dotn know it just seems like thats too much. ill do like you said and cut back on it. does anyone know what the little zit looking thing could be is it just something he is going to shed off. he has a great personality but i think i need to get him a background or something cuz he sees his reflection and i think it pisses him off but i do take good care of him i feed him twice a day and i spray him with water once a day so he can drink. thanks for the help keep it comin i want him to be healthy and stay alive

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[beardielover17]

I just remembered, is this spot on the top of the head almost between the eyes? If so it's their "3rd eye" this helps them sense heat and light, they can't see out of it

 

[JUSTLAMPIN101]

i try not to leave crickets in there but those dam things hide so well haha and ill just wait a couple 2 or 3 more days before i treat the "zit" but thats actually what it looks like its weird. and does anyone know why his color is much lighter when hes sleeping is it becuz hes more relaxed? his color has nice orange in it but at night his general color is much lighter and brighter its odd. and i know you guys said as much as he can eat in 15 minutes twice a day but that seems an awful lot considering he really mows down when i feed him and i was told they are like pacman frogs they just keep eating until u stop ecspecially when there babies so i dont want to feed him more than he can digest. i tank and set up i have are just for now i was too anxious to get him im getting paid friday im about to upgrade no doubt. if not this week then next week for sure. i was told 20 crickets a day and like 2 or 3 phoenix worms so i usally feed him 10 or so crickets with the worms in the morning and ten more crickets when i get home does that sound ok? is anyone selling a big tank in good condition if not what size do u reccommend i heard 40 gallon but idk doesnt seem big enough for full length beardies when i buy him a new tank i dont watn to have to get another one when hes full grown i want it to be his permanent tank. so 55 gallon maybe? what do u think

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[zebraflavencs]

As for the UVB it is a 13w compact light its not the tube and the box says exo terra. I was told to dust the crickkets everytime but i dotn know it just seems like thats too much.

Has anyone addressed the fact that compacts are not the best for Dragons ?
Here are some alternatives...
Tube:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/...bs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
Can be found through Mybeardie store.
This tube is the best out on the American Market to date... Make sure it spans at least 2/3rds of the length of the tank, and is within 6-8 inches away from dragon.
You can use this tube in large or small enclosures... A secondary flood light will be needed along side this tube to offer heat as well as bright white light.

Mercury Vapor Bulbs:
http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php
This is the #1 MVB out on the world market to my knowledge. Must be used in Large enclosures of 40 gal or more. Offers excellent source of heat as well as UVB. Certain precautions should be taken before using over a dragon the first time... But those are minimal.. No secondary bulb is Needed, though a second light over the opposite side the MVB is located is nice.
Must be at least 12" away from dragon at closest.
Janie

 

[JUSTLAMPIN101]

ok ill feed him till he stops but he isnt pooping regularly hes gone twice in almost the two weeks ive had him im about to soak him in warm water to see if i can get him to go but ive heard it could be from the lights but i have him under a 75 wat heat bulb and a 13 wat uvb and his basking spot is close to them so he can go as close as he wants if hes too cold so i dont know? i thought it was cuz he was eating too much to digest maybe crickets were too big?

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[JUSTLAMPIN101]

he is growing prety fast and eating a lot and now poopin regularly haha just gotta find him a bigger tank now

 

[zebraflavencs]

How handy are you ? Here...
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/

Instead of the Melamine, you can use any hard wood... No pines though... toxic fumes are present under the temps dragons require.

oh and here is my PB account... check out the whole thing.. I did a few step by step pictures of a couple of the enclosures...

http://s451.photobucket.com/albums/qq236/zebraflavencs/

Plus I like showing off my babies... lol
Janie