RE:My Bearded Dragon ? ?

Question

Right to be more specific im going to tell you everything i currently have in my bearded dragon tank. First of, i have 10 gallon terrarium he is only a baby. and inside of the tank i have 1 thermometer inside the but at the top near exo-terra top,it's a blue bulb 26watt. Then i have a log about 3 - 4 inches away from the top. i have wood chipings for his floor and i have a 100watt UV light but the only problem is that it is for reading!. the thermometer is exo-terra peal 'n' stick and it is a circle, that normaly reads about 90 - 100 degrease *F and about 30 - 40 degrease *C. I have a plant sprayer bottle filled with water and everyday i spray him inside the tank (i dont know but if he is l*****g his while im spraying him does that mean he is taking in water and could he also take in water from the moisture of his body) and when afterwhile of l*****g his lips while im spraying him he turns around and climbs on to the climbing foam inside the tank which i think this is saying he does not want anymore. i need to know what is wrong and what is right i only got him about 2 - 3 weeks and he has not started to shed any advice on that aswell. and at christmas for his present im buying him a 40 - 55 galllon tank and tell me what i will need in that tank i am saving up to buy him a MVB for his 40 gallon and i know its uv,uva,uvb,heat,light all in one isnt that right?. his diet was crickets but he did not like them that much so i started giving him worms it is a browny colour and they are not small but they are medium i dust them with dragon dust t - rex and i gut load the worms the pet shop said that is all i will need to do but i still dont feel he is 100% happy with the his tank is siturated please help thankyou.

Answer 1

Wow, that was a bit hard to read....

Anyway, you need AT LEAST a 50 gallon for him to be completely comfortable.

As for the substrate, DO NOT USE LOOSE MATERIAL!!!! He could eat it and become impacted. I suggest using repti-carpet. It's completely safe and comes in a variety of sizes and colors for a completely natural look.

Make sure you have a water dish available at all times with a sufficient and clean supply of water (I suggest changing the water everyday).

Maybe try adding some natural-looking rocks, but AVOID heating rocks at all costs! They could severely burn him.

I would suggest getting a UTH (under tank heater). They provide sufficient heat, and they come in a variety of sizes to best suit the tank size. Just be sure to have something over the glass above the UTH because it could burn his belly if directly laid on, but if you use the repti-carpet, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Also, I use a clamp lamp for my leo (it's not required, but it does help me with the heating variation) with a 75 watt "moonlight" bulb. As I said, it isn't completely necessary though.

As for the thermometer, I would suggest NOT using the stick on ones because they don't measure the temperature of the whole tank, but rather just the glass temperature, and that doesn't help. I, personally, don't use a thermometer.

Now food: The best way to keep your beardie happy and healthy is to switch up his food every so often. They like a variety, and can easily get tired of the same food all the time. You're doing fine with the gut-loading. Just make sure you gut-load the food 24 hours prior to feeding. You only have to coat the food with the calcium once or twice a week (I might be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure I'm not). Be sure to coat the food with multi-vitamin powder also, not just calcium (just switch back and forth every now and then).

Also, make sure you provide a small dish of calcium in the tank so he can lap up some if he feels he needs it.

I'm sorry this is so long. I hope it helps though!

If you have anymore questions, try looking up some caresheets online. I know Petsmart.com and (I believe) Petco.com have caresheets available.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Sorry to say you are doing so much incorrectly but it is not too late to fix!  It is rather expensive to set up a beardie tank, but it is a must if you are going to own them.  Here is a copy of my mini care sheet followed by some very useful links.  Please check them out ASAP and make the necessary changes.

Beardies should have at least a 40 gallon breeder tank.  Breeder tanks are wider rather than being tall.  This allows for more floor space.  The larger the tank, the better for your beardie.  Mine is in a 75 gallon.  



Do not use sand or other loose substrate on the bottom of the tank.  The risk of intestinal impaction is very real and very common.  Also, loose substrate allows for the quick growth of bacteria and harbors parasites.  It is difficult to clean well and usually smells before long.  Good choices for substrate are non-adhesive shelf liner, which is rubbery, cheap, easy to clean, and looks great.  This is what I use in my lizard tanks.  Other choices include reptile carpet and ceramic tile cut-to-fit.  Sand is NOT natural!  In the wild beardies are not forced to live, eat, and p**p all in a confined small space.  

You must have a heat lamp and a way to regulate temperatures.  The easiest way to provide this is to use a reflector dome with a regular household light bulb.  You can change the wattage to increase or decrease heat as needed.  Plug the heat lamp into a thermostat (they sell these for reptile lamps) or a dimmer switch.  This way the temp can be carefully regulated.  Baby beardies need 105F and adults 100F.  Use a digital probe thermometer to measure the basking temp.  These are sold as indoor/outdoor thermometers in most garden departments.  Set it to “outdoor” and place the probe on the basking platform. You cannot use stick on or dial thermometers, as these only measure air temps and not basking temps.  They can be off by more than 20F!  If the temps are too cold or too hot, you’ll end up with a sick and stressed dragon.  Place the heat bulb over one end of the tank so the other end can be the cool end.  The beardie can self-regulate his temperature this way by moving from one end to the other.  Most beardies spend a good part of their days basking.  A basking platform can either be anything the beardie can climb onto to bask.  I prefer the artificial logs or bridges, as they are easy to clean.  

Beardies must have a UVB bulb!  These look like fluorescent bulbs that fit into fixtures made for them.  The larger the better.  These bulbs must be within 12 inches of the basking spot to be effective.  Both heat and UVB bulbs should be on for 12 hours a day.  It is best to use timers to accomplish this as they allow for the creation of a natural day/night cycle.  Good UVB bulbs are Repti-sun 10.0 or Repti-glo 8.0.  These bulbs should be changed every 6 months as they lose potency long before the light gives out.  

Feeding a variety of insects is always best.  In the wild they will eat up to 50 different types of insects.  Good choices include crickets, superworms, phoenix worms, silkworms, hornworms and occasionally wax worms (high in fat).  Avoid mealworms as they are too high in chitin (outer shell) and can cause impactions.  All insects must be properly “gutloaded” before being used as food.  This means providing correct food and water or moisture for them.  All insects fed must be no larger than the space between the beardies eyes.  If the prey is too large, this can lead to impaction and possible paralysis.

Salads must also be provided.  Several greens and vegies should be in each salad.  For a complete list of safe recommended vegies, see the Beautiful Dragons website below under the “Nutrition” link.

Provide your beardie with a small bowl of water.  Do not use a large bowl as this will raise the humidity too high in the tank, which can lead to upper respiratory problems.  

Beardies benefit from bathing and soaking.  This not only helps with shedding, it is a good way to keep him hydrated.  Simply use a large Rubbermaid container.  Fill it to beardie shoulder height with warm water and place the beardie in it.  Some beardies love water and others never learn to enjoy a bath.  Let him soak for 10-15 minutes.  Baby beardies can be soaked 3 times a week (they dehydrate much more quickly) and adults every 1-2 weeks.  Daily misting with a squirt bottle is also beneficial.  

Beardies should have a stool sample checked by an experienced reptile vet twice a year.  They can carry a lot of parasites which can cause loss of appetite, diarrhea, and illness.  Some of these parasites, such as coccidia, can never be totally eliminated.  Under stress their numbers can rise and cause problems.  Your vet can advise you when treatment is needed.

For more info on care, health and feeding, please check out my favorite sites:

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co...

http://www.bio.miami.edu/ktosney/file/BD...

http://www.beardeddragon.org/

http://w

Answer 3

your fine [2 easy points!]