Our new/first Beardie! (pic heavy)

[grankin01]

Hey all! My daughter has been wanting to get a bearded dragon since about a year ago. Well, Sunday we upgraded Orion's home to a 20gal long and decided to fill the 10gal with a beardie. My daughter has been doing good in school and we figured it was time to get her her first pet. His name is Hayden and he's a baby. We aren't sure of the sex so he it shall be until further notice lol. This is the first reptile we have had that has legs and eyelids (close able ones that is) :O. I did research before getting him but I'm finding out that much to learn I still have . This little guy's mannerisms and personality traits are COMPLETELY different than the snakes. He wouldn't eat crickets yesterday but he did today and he has eaten his greens (broccoli and kale along with a few pieces of grape) every day. Is this normal for these guys? Everything I have read says they need to eat (as babies) 2 to 3 times a day. He has decided to eat once a day and sometimes none. Any other advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated as this little guy is still fairly alien to us. I love to learn but don't want to do anything that would hurt him. Thanks guys and pics to follow.

 

[grankin01]

I'm sleeping in this one.

 

[beautifullywild77]

Awe.. He is a cutie. Congrats!

I love my beardie.

beardeddragon.org is a good site...

I would offer greens all day long. They love carrots, squash, cucumbers and dandelion greens. Green beans etc. I would do this all their lives. But I would start out with a small dish and when and if he eats them all up I would had a bit more through out the day.

I know they need more protein as babies. I would feed the crickets 2 to 3 times a day as many as they will eat in 10 mins. Crickets should be no bigger than the area between their eyes. Also, only put like 5 of 6 at a time as too many can stress em out and they wont eat at all. I hand feed juju her crickets onlly because i am paranoid to leave them in her tank with her.

Also, he will out grow the 10g tank rather quickly, so be prepared to upgrade. And for little guys no sand. I use alfalfa pellets for juju. But butcher paper or repticarpet works great.

 

[grankin01]

I believe the crickets that the pet store gave us for him were ... pinhead crickets? I may have been putting too many in with him. :O Thanks for the info!

He is on repticarpet right now and we do offer greens all day long in a small dish next to the half log hide. He scarfs them down pretty well. I knew the 10gal wouldn't last long and we'll probably be getting a 40gal breeder or something close to that size for him pretty quickly due to the fact that he loves to run around and climb through his tank lol.

Thanks for the site as well ... bookmark ... go!

He waves at us all the time too. He is awesome and funny to sit and watch.

 

[beautifullywild77]

Oh they have such awesome personalities. Juju bean is a riot.

They take a lot of work but it is so worth it. That is great that he eats his greens. That is something some have problems with trying to get them to eat more greens less crickets. I haven't seen pinhead crickets before, but I know hubby feeds the baby beardies at work medium crickets and they are about Hayden's size. I will double check to see just to let you know.

I have had Juju for about 2 or 3 months and she has tripled in size. I have her in a 40g breeder.

That site will give you a whole lot of information as too the best lighting, the best set up etc.

 

[beautifullywild77]

Oh they can get bored. We let Juju watch cartoons for about an hour a day LOL The rest of the time she is rearranging her viv or lounging in her hammack. Females can lay infertile eggs so you will find out sooner or later if Hayden is in fact a male or a female LOL

 

[grankin01]

Yeah, it's a complete change of pace for us. It's a good one though. This little guy has already given us a lot of enjoyment. Thanks again for the help and checking with your husband for us.

 

[beautifullywild77]

You are very welcome.. Hubby should be home in a few hours!

 

[Floof]

Cute little bugger!

Like beautifullywild said, offer greens throughout the day and crickets (or other bugs--look into phoenix worms and silkworms! More expensive, but SO worth it!) a couple times a day for a baby. He's probably not eating as much right now because he's still settling in to his new home--just like snakes, beardies need an acclimation period to get used to their new home before you start handling them.

Don't feed so much broccoli, kale, or grapes. All are pretty high in oxalates, which bind with calcium and make it so the dragon can't absorb that calcium--bad for obvious reasons. Broccoli and kale are also high in goitrogens, which suppress thyroid function. There's a great variety of different greens and veggies you can use instead. Dandelion greens from the yard (if you don't treat with chemicals, of course!); mustard, collard, and turnip greens; endive and escarole; cactus pad/leaf (aka nopales) and cactus pear; squash; okra... To name a few. You can find a great list of different food options, with a recommendation of how often (if ever) to feed them, at http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

At Hayden's size, pinhead to small crickets are probably about right. Keep in mind, that different stores have vastly different definitions of small/medium/large crickets. I'm guessing Beautifullywild is mistaken on her hubby's store feeding the tiny babies mediums, but also keep in mind that that store's "medium" could be a LOT smaller than your store's medium. Also remember that too small is safer than too big... Too big of a prey item can cause constipation and even impaction.

In one of the pics, I'm seeing what looks like a coil fluorescent in the lamp. What kind of UVB are you using? If you are using a compact fluorescent UVB, get rid of it!! Compact fluorecent UVB bulbs can cause serious issues in reptiles, primarily eye problems (i.e. infection and blindness) but also such side-affects as a lack of appetite. UVB bulbs can be pretty hit-and-miss when you're deciding what brand to go with. One rule of thumb, though, is to NEVER use compact fluorescents. On a small tank like that, your best UVB option is going to be the Reptisun 10.0 TUBE. Make sure he can get within 6-8" of the bulb for maximum effectiveness. I've also heard Arcadia is a good bulb, but I've never used it. I'm sure you can find more info/opinions on it over at BeardedDragon.org.

When it comes time to upgrade his enclosure to the 40 breeder, you might also look into MVB bulbs. (They're too powerful for something so small as a 10 gallon, though!) PowerSun is a good one (I don't know about the reliability of any of the others on the market right now). Which bulb is "better" is always up for debate. Some people swear by MVBs, other people scoff at them and swear by fluorescents as the end-all-get-all of UVB. I personally use both, in different applications, but prefer the MVB for my Beardie. He is consistently more active and has a better appetite under his Powersun bulbs than he is under a ReptiSun 10.0 and incandescent bulb combo. The MVBs are also more convenient, since they are an all-in-one bulb and the UVB output tends to last longer--they have to be replaced every 8-12 months, instead of every 6 months. It comes down to which works better for you and your dragon, but MVBs are definitely something to consider when it comes time to pick a UVB for your 40 gallon.

Yikes, sorry for the novel. Anyway, good luck with your new little friend! Beardies are awesome.

 

[beautifullywild77]

Great info Floof. I didn't even think about okra. That is a good food guide too.

Yea, hubby's store's mediums are really small. His baby gargoyle gecko eats the mediums and he is the size of hubby's thumb. They are about the size in between the eyes on the baby dragons head.. I have bought crickets at petsmart for Juju and they were mediums but most were the size of the large I buy at hubby's work. But the best bet in judging cricket size is the between the eye trick.

I forgot about the UVB lighting. I believe we use the Reptisun 10.0 tube at the moment but have been looking into the Powersun. Plus a basking bulb which keeps temps at the basking spot between 100 and 110 degrees.

 

[grankin01]

It is a reptisun 10.0 but it is also a coil florescent. I'm guessing that's not the same as the tube? It is in a dual dome with a uva basking light.

 

[Michael823]

Great new pet. I have a Bearded Dragon who's about 5-6 months old, and he is a lot of fun. He's becoming much more tolerant of handling, and he's almost perfectly trained to eat out of my hand while I give him a bath. Just a lot of fun.

 

[Floof]

It is a reptisun 10.0 but it is also a coil florescent. I'm guessing that's not the same as the tube? It is in a dual dome with a uva basking light.

Definitely not the same as a tube. Personally, I wouldn't risk using any coil fluorescent. See if you can return the coil bulb to the store, and order a tube style bulb and fixture instead. Much, much safer for your beardie!

You can usually find the Reptisun 10.0 tubes for around $25 plus shipping online. Usually a pretty good savings from buying in store, depending on what shipping ends up being. From what I can find, fixtures will usually run a bit more, but you can also look into undercabinet fluorescent fixtures at the home improvement store and used aquarium strip lights (i.e. on Craigslist) if you want to save a bit of money.

 

[grankin01]

Sorry I was wrong. It was this light: http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752556&lmdn=Reptile

It had a great rating but if it isn't safe it will be replaced!

 

[grankin01]

Headed out after a doctors appointment today to get food for the reppies and a mercury vapor UV bulb (probably powersun) to replace the florescent whether I can get my money back or not. Anything else anyone can think of before I go? I need to get it now as my employer has lost a bid that included my job title so after five and a half years I am headed for the unemployment line.

Luckily I only have six reppies so I won't have to get rid of my babies and they won't suffer for it. Thanks for all the help so far guys. It its much appreciated.

 

[Floof]

Mercury Vapor Bulbs are too powerful for a 10 gallon! Unless you're upgrading to that 40 gallon VERY soon (i.e. within the next week), you should go with the tube bulb. MVBs are extremely powerful and will quickly overheat a 10 gallon. They shouldn't be used on any tank smaller than maybe a 20 gallon Long.

Also remember that MVBs are big bulbs, so that little fixture you have might not do the trick--you'll want more of a standard fixture, one that can handle the wattage and accommodate the wide, deep bulb. I really like the Deep Dome fixture by Zoo Med, but you can use a standard lamp fixture or a brooder lamp from the home improvement store (make sure it has a ceramic base!) if you can hang it from something or find a way to stand the lamp up off the screen a bit. I know of someone who did this by putting metal binder clips along the edge of the fixture, so it stood up off the screen an extra inch. Mercury Vapor Bulbs need to point straight down... Having it at an angle will damage the bulb and shorten its lifespan. Just like any other high wattage bulb, you want to make sure the fixture has a ceramic socket. And with MVBs, you don't really want them closer to the basking spot than about 10-12"--as I said, they're very powerful bulbs. Just a few rules to remember when you're getting your MVB set up!

UVB bulbs can be pretty confusing, lol. Actually, since we're coming up on summer now, don't forget the best UVB source of all--the sun! If you have time to sit and supervise, you can take your beardie outside on warm, sunny days to soak up UVB from the sun itself. This is without a doubt the best source of UVB for any reptile.

Sorry to hear about your job! I hope you're able find new employment quickly!

 

[grankin01]

Well we already got the bulb so I will look at upgrading very soon. For now I'll have to monitor the temps close and stand the fixture up off the top of the tank a bit. I really appreciate the info.

I'll bounce back on the job pretty quickly it's just kind of stressful right now.

Oh! The fixture I got says it will accommodate the powersun so that should be fine.

 

[Floof]

Ok. Watch those temps--if things start looking dicey, you may want to set the MVB aside for right now and do something different, like just relying on natural sunlight if the weather is good enough. If it comes down to it, an hour or so a day should hold him over until you get the bigger tank... Anyway, just an idea, if the MVB proves too powerful for right now.

Great! There are just all kinds of confusing fixtures, I wasn't sure what kind you had to put it in. Those deep MVB fixtures are awesome, I love mine. I actually have 3 MVBs going right now, and use 3 different kinds of fixtures. The deep dome, the one made specifically for accommodating the Powersun, is the best by far.

 

[grankin01]

Cool! It's been in the 80's here so that is definitely an option.

 

[grankin01]

SCORE! I ended up getting a 46gal bow tank and a 55gal long stand for him that I can fit one maybe two of my other tanks under for 70 dollars. Tomorrow I'll set everything up for him and post a few more pics.