I have a baby bearded dragon?

Question

Right i bought a baby bearded dragon from my local petstore (UK) when i was purchasing the equipment for my baby i asked about me needing a atleast 20 gallon tank but the owner said "no it's ok, couple more months down the line then i should start thinking about investing on 20 gallon", so i said ok but the tank my bearded dragon is stayin in at the moment is approx 12inches long,(Ino its possibly too small) but the little guy seems happy in there. i also bought a light (Exoterra Top Small) with a blue light bulb its 26watt. but next to his little there is 100watt UV (It Is Not For Lizards Its A Reading light) so i dont know if i should shine that on him aswel, but i dont want to burn him. I also placed a stone inside the tank so he could bask but then i bought a piece of a log which is taller and more closer to the light and seems to spend most of his time on there he sometimes comes down for a couple minuets but the scurys back up to his little pad. i am letting you know this because i am worried about him if you could tell me the where i have gone wrong and what i need to do and also i need to know how to get him to his greens because he is not to keen on crickets. thank you

Answer 1

you need an actual UVB light not a reading light!

Answer 2

Many kudos for asking, and it's fabulous that you want to be a good 'daddy' and meet your BD's needs.  Beardie's tails are not quite as 'bending' as other breeds of lizards, and he's going to have a time of it maneuvering to turn around in anything less than a 40 gal. breeder tank once he starts getting some size to him.  So, purchasing a 40 now, or anything above that (I keep mine in 55 gal. reptile tanks)will save you having to upgrade on tanks as he grows, and replacing the UTH pads, etc.

You mentioned a stone... I hope that's not a heat stone.  They are notorious for spiking and badly burning or killing reptiles.  I would recommend if it's a heat stone that you return it if possible.  The beardie will sense heat from above, but not from below, so won't realize it's being burned.

You didn't mention reptile vitamins or calcium with D3 (or UVB) which is all a must:

http://www.dachiu.com/care/abeard.html

http://hubpages.com/hub/Metabolic_Bone_D...

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

http://www.anapsid.org/maincaptive.html

The blue light is fine during the day (they need a 12-14 hr. period of UV light with the UVB).  You can use an Infrared red light for the evening/night if it's necessary to provide heat, but they need a night cycle for sleeping.  They do not see the red light.

As for salad, besides the sites I'll paste below (please note my my disclaimer), you can use a good basic Iguana diet minus the fruit.  Beardies in the wild have a very varied diet, inclusive of other lizards (I don't recommend feeding it lizards, though!).

You might want to break the "not eating cricket" routine by offering him GUT loaded crickets (this is diversity and the spark of life in his diet), and also tempting him with wriggling morsels such as Butter, Phoenix, and Silk worms.  Insects should be not be any longer than the space between his eyes.  (Avoid wax worms due to the high fat content, and they can become addictive, putting him off eating what he should.)  Meal worms are okay for older animals, but please don't feed them to a young dragon (don't just look at the pics though one is worth a thousand words.  Please read the article):

http://hubpages.com/hub/Impaction

He needs a good dark green salad daily (avoid spinach and broccoli as these bind calcium), for Vitamin A, and to avoid all the ugly problems of MBD, eye problems, illness, immune, and health issues.  Blend these with orange, green and yellow squashes, carrots, sweet potato, etc. to prevent him from picking it over and being too selective.  Don't feed him ice burg lettuce, cabbage, or Avacado.  Fruit and mellons on occasion is a good thing.

I assume you know they aren't great drinkers, and daily misting is required.  He'll absorb moisture through his skin, and will take drops from his snout/mouth area, and gathered drops on the glass, or plants in his tank.

Temperatures can't be determined with a strip themometer or peel and stick meters.  They are inaccurate up to 20 degrees, and measure ambient air temp., not the actual area where the repitle resides.  You need to invest in a good digital probe thermometer, or a Infrared temperature gun to read the actual warm floor, perch, and cool floor temps.

Lastly would be substrate.  Please don't keep your beardie of any age on any type of sand, or a loose substrate.  Refer to the above article.  The best substrate for your dragon is textured tile (don't use smooth or glossy).  It comes in many colors, so can mixed & matched for desired effect, it helps to keep the nails trimmed, it conducts heat well, and it's easy to clean.

Check out the sites below for further info., and dietary options.

Most of all, enjoy your BD.

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 3

The minimum tank for a bearded dragon is a forty gallon. Using proper reptile lights stimulates natural behaviors like eating. Do you use a thermometer and a hygrometer in your tank. You have to be sure that the temperatures are right.

Answer 4

The problem with 10 gal or ones of the equiv. size (about 12 inches) is it's not long enough to have much of a temp difference. This can make it a little hard to thermoregulate. My rule of thumb is "watch your beardies behavior." If it is always under the light, it is prob too cold every where else. If it is constantly in the shade, it is probably too hot (or it may be stressed if it is 'hiding' all the time). A 20long is ideal for a baby. Putting it into a larger cage can make it difficult to catch food. However, when it gets larger, you'll want to get a larger tank. While a 40 gal is probably fine, I tell people the minimum tank size for an adult is a 55 gal because they are long and 40 gallons are square. As far as the crix, you can try buying freeze dried crix and putting them in their salad. One of my beardies was opposite of most beardies in that she preferred veggies as a baby and insects as an adult. There are also pellets that can be mixed in the salad. Make sure you get some Ca powder and multi vitamin powder to add also. Blood worms are very enticing, but they are also high in fat, so you don't want to feed them too much. If it is large enough you can try mealworms also. If is LOVES veggies and doesn't really like insects, you can also give it tofu which is high in protein. Hope this helps

P.S. the light should provide UVA and UVB (you'll probably have to get two lights to provide this). The basking light has a flat end- this shines on the basking spot and concentrates heat on one spot. The others are rounded like a regular light, a "tube light" or is long and skinny. This is a general light and does not put off much heat. This is typically put on the "cool end." Replace lights every 6 months even if the bulb is not burnt out because the UV fades before the light.

Answer 5

I would get him a 50watt light and get some blood worm (its fish food) and good luck with you little friend

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