Bearded dragon Growth

[JpDragon]

Hello everyone i am new i have a couple of questions

I got my bearded dragon 4 months ago and it has barley grown and im concerned i have a UV lamp and a heat lamp and i give him calcium supplements and he has barley grown. and he also twitches sometimes what am i doing wrong any help would be greatly appreciated ???

 

[Red Ink AUS]

We are going to need a set up rundown from you.
The usual:
What brand UV are you using/ coil or tube?
What are the temps in the enclosure/ how are you measuring them?
What substrate is the dragon on?
What are you feeding the dragon/ feed schedule/size?
What supplements are you giving the dragon/ how often?

Any other behavioural issues you can provide us that may seem out of the ordinary?

The twitching is a bit of a worry, how often does he do this and is it preceeded by any other event/ feeding/pooping/while basking etch..etch...

 

[JpDragon]

i am using a UVb tube light
i dont know the temps i dont have a thermometer
i use reptile carpet
i feed it meal worms and medium crickets
i give it calcium most of the time by putting it on top of his food
sometimes he shivers for some reason but its not often and he poops regularly and he basks not for long though

 

[Red Ink AUS]

Hmmmm ???

What brand UVB tube??
Mealies are not good for them and can actually cause impaction, crickets need to be no more than the width of the space between his eyes as a general rule.
You will need a thermometer (digital with probe or a tempgun) as inaccurate temps in my opinion are the base cause of multiple husbandry problems. (without accurate temps everything else goes down hill)
Shivering could be a sign of neurological problems.

We can help you with the correct set up but i would go ahead and try and get him to a vet for a proper check up, get a fecal done for the dragon as well while your there.

 

[JpDragon]

thanks i am not sure what kind of brand the light is i bought it in petco. what else could i feed it besides crickets it doesent like veggies

 

[Red Ink AUS]

Your going to have to check that UV for us mate, unfortunately some brands/ratings do not offer enough UVB for the dragons needs which is really bad for them.

You can feed roaches or silkworms instead of crickets but the same rule applies in their size (silkworms can be a bit bigger as their soft anyways)

 

[JpDragon]

thank you but i don't think my local pet store sells silk worms or roaches but one of my biggest concerns is his growth rate what can i do to make sure it grows it sheds once a week. i see the ones at the reptile stor grow way faster than mine

 

[Red Ink AUS]

Mate the biggest problem at the moment is the twitching that needs to be looked at ASAP. They catch up in their growth rate as soon as all the underlying problems are fixed. Twitching could be a sign of a very sick dragon.

 

[crypticdragons]

Growth is directly related to nutrition and calcium intake/usage. Their bodies use calcium best when they have appropriate UV light and they use nutrients the best when they have appropriate heat. At this point you neither have appropriate UV or heat (per not knowing the type of bulb you have or what your dragons temps are) the twitching/shaking can also be a sign of Metabolic Bone Disease which is brought on due to inproper calcium and nutrition (directly correlated to the lack of appropriate UV and heat)
SO you need to listen what francis is asking here.

 

[crypticdragons]

also there are numerous online stores you can purchase feeders at
for roaches i suggest jason theroachguy.com
for silkworms coastalsilkworms.com

 

[JpDragon]

Thanks every one i have been doing some online research and it looks like my bearded dragon is not getting enough calcium and D3. i have also been noticing that it seems to have a seizure every time it goes under the heat lamp is their a reason for this i will try to get some calcium and vitamin D3 today

 

[renich]

Any type of seizure is not a good sign. Based on the posts in this thread, I think you should get your beardie to a herp vet. Here's a link to find one in your area:
Herp Vet Directory

 

[crypticdragons]

Thanks every one i have been doing some online research and it looks like my bearded dragon is not getting enough calcium and D3. i have also been noticing that it seems to have a seizure every time it goes under the heat lamp is their a reason for this i will try to get some calcium and vitamin D3 today

It is also caused from inadequate UV light and heat. Why are you deflecting that issue? calcium is highly important as is D3 but without proper lighting and heat your dragons body will not be able to use the calcium.

 

[JpDragon]

no i have a heat lamp and a big tube UV light so i think im ok on that i have both of them on for most of the day and hes always warm

 

[crypticdragons]

yet you do not know what your temps are nor can you tell us what kind of UV light you have.

Your dragon is exibiting signs of serious problems but i do not think you are taking them serious considering you seem to be unwilling to take the advice being given to fix the problems.

 

[JpDragon]

im a little confused on what i should do i know i need to take it to the vet and raise the temps and make sure i give it the proper UV lighting. and change its diet to roaches and silk worms i am trying to do what you guys are telling me to do

 

[crypticdragons]

you dont have to add all that to its diet you just need to add to its diet

no one said you need to raise your temps you need to know what your temps are which right now you do not. You need a probe thermometer which you can get highly cheap at walmart (somewere around 14 bux)

We need to know what type of uv bulb you have (the brand and output percentage will be printed on the bulb if you will just look, it may have to be taken out of its fixture to see this)

and yes a vet trip is in order deffinately.

 

[JpDragon]

i just looked at it and it says 7% uvb and it says ESU desert

 

[crypticdragons]

yeah that light is not appropriate for what your dragon needs that coupled with the possibility of improper temps could have brought on a slew of issues beginning with i think the early onset of MBD
you need a reptisun 10.0 tube bulb, a good digital thermometer with probe so you can get good temps. These are the two most important changes needed asap. You said you already have or are getting a calcium supplement (were you not using calcium powder before?) The calcium is very important as well.

 

[JpDragon]

i was using calcium before but not the vitamin D but im getting the vitamin D later on this week and the thermometer and i will see if i can get the repti sun 10.0 tube bulb . do you have any pictures of your enclosure i was thinking of changing mine and i need some ideas so i can make the best home for my dragon.