Newbie

[Titothebeardie]

Hi All! Santa just brought my son a beardie. Quickly learning how little we know, and should not have listened to local pet store.

We have a 40 gal tank that came with two lights, temp/hum gauge and sand for the the bottom. On rec from sales person we purchased different material (still sand like). Today we went and purchased stronger bulb then what came with setup, a place for him to hide and a place to bask. And we are getting reptile carpet.

Temp is right around 100, humidity is around 40 and today he hasn’t left the basking area, not even to eat. We have tried crickets and kale, and he hasn’t eaten.

just wondering if this is normal for a new beardie? Is there anything else I should be doing? Other food ? Thanks in advance for the insight, just trying to keep the little fella happy and healthy

 

[HoomanSlave]

Welcome to the forum!

Don't get the reptile carpet, tile or non-adhesive shelf liner is a better substrate. You can switch to paper towel until you can get something else. Reptile carpet is a bacteria magnet, and claws and teeth can get caught in it and ripped out.

The basking spot temps will vary by age. 100 degrees is fine for an adult, but a baby will need higher temps.

The humidity is a bit high, but if you are using analog humidity and temp gauges that information might be off. You should have two digital thermometers, one on the basking spot and one on the cool end, and a digital hydrometer.

The beardie should have one hide box on the cool end and one on the warm end.

He's probably going through relocation stress and may not eat for a few days. Improper UVB light and temperatures can also affect his diet.

A 40 gal tank is okay for a baby beardie, but an adult will need a 120 gal tank (4x2x2 feet).

Crickets are not a very good food, especially for young beardies. Dubia roaches are a lot less expensive and less hassle than crickets (or discoid roaches if you're located in Florida). They can live for up to a year and a half, so they won't die off in a week like crickets will. You can also try red runners, hornworms, and silkworms. Gutload all his protein (https://beardeddragon.boards.net/thread/16/gutload-feeders). Feed him more than just kale-mustard green, collard greens, bok choy, strawberries, squash, sweet potato, cucumber, bell pepper, cilantro, parsley, peeled apple, and more can be offered. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html is a good list of foods, but there is some misinformation-kale and carrots are both safe to feed.

Make sure you are dusting his food with calcium and multivitamin powder-the amount of dusting needed will depend on his age.

A beardie should have a clear basking bulb and a tube light for UVB. Here's a more in-depth lighting guide: https://beardeddragon.boards.net/thread/8/bearded-dragon-lighting-faqs

Good luck with your beardie! Feel free to ask any more questions you have, most of the users here are pretty knowledgeable about lighting, diet, etc.

 

[Penelope]

Hi! Welcome! It's a learning curve for sure. We got ours a month ago and once I got the substrate, diet, and lighting/temps right he perked up considerably. Can't recommend the probe thermometers and hygrometer enough. They do need 30-40% relative humidity or it can cause respiratory infections. Also: cleaning up their poop ASAP is important. You'll need to clean with an ammonia solution (Wipe-Out, I'm told, is a good one and available at Amazon.com or stores like PetSmart) otherwise they can have issues with parasites... They are hardy but not indestructible! You'll see the personality coming out soon and it'll be so fun. Congratulations on your new bearded dragon and here's to a long and happy friendship!

 

[Titothebeardie]

Hi! Welcome! It's a learning curve for sure. We got ours a month ago and once I got the substrate, diet, and lighting/temps right he perked up considerably. Can't recommend the probe thermometers and hygrometer enough. They do need 30-40% relative humidity or it can cause respiratory infections. Also: cleaning up their poop ASAP is important. You'll need to clean with an ammonia solution (Wipe-Out, I'm told, is a good one and available at Amazon.com or stores like PetSmart) otherwise they can have issues with parasites... They are hardy but not indestructible! You'll see the personality coming out soon and it'll be so fun. Congratulations on your new bearded dragon and here's to a long and happy friendship!

Thank you so much for reply! What did you find works best for substrate and diet ?

 

[Titothebeardie]

Welcome to the forum!

Don't get the reptile carpet, tile or non-adhesive shelf liner is a better substrate. You can switch to paper towel until you can get something else. Reptile carpet is a bacteria magnet, and claws and teeth can get caught in it and ripped out.

The basking spot temps will vary by age. 100 degrees is fine for an adult, but a baby will need higher temps.

The humidity is a bit high, but if you are using analog humidity and temp gauges that information might be off. You should have two digital thermometers, one on the basking spot and one on the cool end, and a digital hydrometer.

The beardie should have one hide box on the cool end and one on the warm end.

He's probably going through relocation stress and may not eat for a few days. Improper UVB light and temperatures can also affect his diet.

A 40 gal tank is okay for a baby beardie, but an adult will need a 120 gal tank (4x2x2 feet).

Crickets are not a very good food, especially for young beardies. Dubia roaches are a lot less expensive and less hassle than crickets (or discoid roaches if you're located in Florida). They can live for up to a year and a half, so they won't die off in a week like crickets will. You can also try red runners, hornworms, and silkworms. Gutload all his protein (https://beardeddragon.boards.net/thread/16/gutload-feeders). Feed him more than just kale-mustard green, collard greens, bok choy, strawberries, squash, sweet potato, cucumber, bell pepper, cilantro, parsley, peeled apple, and more can be offered. http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html is a good list of foods, but there is some misinformation-kale and carrots are both safe to feed.

Make sure you are dusting his food with calcium and multivitamin powder-the amount of dusting needed will depend on his age.

A beardie should have a clear basking bulb and a tube light for UVB. Here's a more in-depth lighting guide: https://beardeddragon.boards.net/thread/8/bearded-dragon-lighting-faqs

Good luck with your beardie! Feel free to ask any more questions you have, most of the users here are pretty knowledgeable about lighting, diet, etc.

Thank you for all the info. Definitely a lot to learn and I appreciate your guidance

 

[Titothebeardie]

Thank you so much for reply! What did you find works best for substrate and diet ?

 

[Penelope]

Every dragon has different favorites, but you can find what works best! I feed mine organic collard greens, endive, and dandelion greens. I'm lucky that my local New Seasons stocks good organic veggies. For bugs, my baby eats x-small to small Dubia Roaches plus crickets and silkworms here and there. I found a couple good sellers online who ship them (a lot of uses on this site have posted great recommendations I can point you to if need be). Tile as HoomanSlave mentioned is definitely a good substrate.

 

[Bailey]

Bearded dragons are overall very moderate animals to take care of and it is very easy as long as you do research. They are hardy and forgiving too, so great with kids!