would lovee some assurance.

[amygeee]

google has just really been freaking me out and i just would like some simple
answers from owners pleeeaaaseee.

1. there is a large part of my tank on the side without the lamp that is damp sand and i don't know why it's there or if it is dangerous. any ideas?

2. she sometimes leaves only one eye open for several minutes at a time
but does not seem unhealthy and there are no signs of infection...
is that normal?

3. my lizard sometimes basks on her peice of wood and hangs her legs
down without them resting on anything. i am afraid because i recently gave her crickets that were larger than normal and read that this may lead to hind leg paralyzation. she seems to be walking fine, though.

here is a picture of her doing this:

4. are there any problems with the set up that i described in the above description?


would loooveee love love your guys' help. i'll admit, i'm a lame-oh newbie.
thanks so much! i'll check back soon!

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Awwwwwww cute little pooper.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Got some real answers, and concerns.
Calci sand is pretty much deadly to young dragons when ingested, and if they lick the sand ( never saw a dragon NOT lick everything) they will get impacted.

The MVB you have is a wonderful uvb/heat, BUT only in enclosures 40 gallon breeder or more. You didn't mention temps, and since that is such a small tank ( yes I understand you will get a larger one, soon, but still too much heat and uvb)
How far away do you have that positioned ? I would back it up to at least 18" away from the nearest spot your little girl can get. This is just until you get a larger enclosure. This is probably coupled with the sand, what is irritating your babie's eyes.

Now, feeding. You should be offering insects every day, as much as she will eat, in 3 15 minute meals. These need to be no longer than the distance between her eyes. You need to allow at least 1 hour after lights on for the first meal, and no later than 2 hours before lights off in the evening.

Here is an excellent list to choose healthy foods for your baby:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Green is daily staples, and Black is for treats 1-2 times a week.

I don't see any thermometers. This is crucial. You need to accurately measure temps in the enclosure to make sure she isn't over heating, or getting too cold, though with the MVB too cool is the least of your issues.
If you have a walmart near you, head on over to the garden center and find this digital probe thermometer, called Acu-rite. This measures temps with the probe, that you place directly on the basking spot, and leave min 45 minutes for an accurate reading. If you place the box, itself on the cool side, it will measure the humidity, which should not be above 40%.

Now you mentioned a wet sand area, away from the light, is this under the water dish ? Either way, take out the dish, and the sand, replace sand with paper toweling, non adhesive shelf lining or some other non particulate substrate. Sand can not only impact ( fill the intestine with a cement like blockage) but can also hold bacteria that is detrimental to baby's health. Parasites, and infections can happen.


Now, I would also like to tell you about bathing your baby. If you were to place her into a small container, with a small cloth under her feet for traction, with water to her shoulders, and temps around 90-100*F, for at first 5 minutes, working up to 15-20 daily, that will keep her hydrated, since dragons usually don't drink from still non moving water.

When you say 5-6 inches, is that nose to butt or nose to end of tail?

I understand that there is a huge amount of poor advice given to new owners of dragons. Be rest assured, that here in this forum we have decades of accumulative information that is accurate, and up to date.
We have nothing to gain by offering wrong information, on the contrary, our main concern is for the best health and long life for you and your "master".

Please address these issues, and you will find that things turn around quickly.

If you have any more question, ask! We also Loooooove pictures One just won't do...
I want to welcome you to this Family ! We are family here. Who else will understand the joy of a poop, or giggle when you get a silly face from your dragon... That's right, us !
So pull up a chair, get yourself a refreshing beverage of choice, and join in the dragon FUN !
Janie.

 

[renich]

It looks like Janie gave you some great advice. Don't let it intimadate you. We have all been there. And there is soooo much contradicting info out there. My hubby and I were in the same boat when we got Bernard. That is why we started our web site. Kind of our own personal notepad to jot our notes down.

To answer your other 2 questions:
2. she sometimes leaves only one eye open for several minutes at a time
but does not seem unhealthy and there are no signs of infection...
is that normal? It can be normal. They do this to focus.

3. my lizard sometimes basks on her peice of wood and hangs her legs
down without them resting on anything. i am afraid because i recently gave her crickets that were larger than normal and read that this may lead to hind leg paralyzation. she seems to be walking fine, though. You will find that beardies find the most odd positions to sleep and hang out in. As long as he is using his hind legs, you don't have anything to worry about. Based on the pic, it appears that he is just basking away. d

Here is a link to some basic care info. Give it a read and let us know if you have any questions:
Bearded Dragon Care

You may want to consider the ReptiSun 10.0. It is a great tube bulb and UVB output reaches far. Here's a link to what I'm talking about:
ReptiSun 10.0

 

[Twobeardieguy]

You already got the best advice from the two best!! So without further ado, Hello and Welcome and cute poopers you have there!!!

 

[amygeee]

thank you guys so much i really appreciate your help!

i did hat you said about taking out the water bowl, but am a little hesitant to take out the
sand because everybody i know has had theire beardie on sand it's whole life and the pet store i
bought it from (pet kingdom's entire staff is super smart) says their sand has vitamins and nutrients
to help be digestable if ingested.

Luna (i roughly measured her with a tape measure) is about four inches from head to base of tail, 6 inches to tip.

and i am planning on hanging up my light fixture so it is further up from the cage because i dont want her to burn. ):
also, buying a thermometer today today today.

thank you for the assurance on the poopie and the way my baby luna sits in the sun.
i feel much better and am sooooo glad to be a part of this forum already!

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Sand = Litterbox.
Thats why I dont use it.
Calci sand WILL clump when wet and it will dry in a clump. If your pooper eats it It Could cause impactation. Thats not to say it will, but why gamble.

 

[renich]

Here's a test for the sand:

Sift a portion of it. You'll be amazed at what is left behind. At least, we were when we used it. We sifted it twice before putting it in Bernie's viv. The size of the pieces of glass amazed us.

Also, as Tom pointed out, it is bacteria heaven.

To be honest, sand as a substrate is a very controversial subject. I was a supporter for a long time. Bernie never got impacted. But I was so happy when I switched to tile. It was soooo much easier to clean and sooooo much neater in his viv. It looked like a dessert storm at times. When he would go on one of his rampages and run around. It would flick sand EVERYWHERE. I cleaned everything weekly, but it was still a mess by the end of the week.

Not to mention all the little veggie pieces that he would fling with his tail.....

Yes, there are success stories. We're just trying to lay out the pros and cons. And I think there are more cons than pros.