Hello - looking for advice on young beardy

[Madeline Riederer]

Hello - i have joined this forum hoping to receive advice on young beardy. I purchased a baby bearded dragon from petsmart two months ago. They believed he was one month old but to be honest I don't think they really knew. He was very tiny - about four inches in length but he seemed healthy and in good weight. Since purchasing him he has settled well into his new home - a viv 3 ft x 1 ft and 18 inches high. He uses his basking spot often, loves coming out, is active and looks happy but my concern is he is really not growing much nor is he eating enough. I have watched enough videos of baby bearded dragons devouring crickets and he has never done this. I offer him wax worms every now and then (maybe four a week) - and he will devour these instantly. He might eat 5 crickets a day and he will eat kale. He doesn't even want to eat meal worms right now. He is still defecating normally, he gets misted every few days. He has only shed once in two months. I just wish i could get him to eat more and grow more rappidly. He has only grown a couple of inches in two months. He does not look thin but surely he should be eating a lot more than this? Any suggestions? I am happy with the set up, basking temps, hummidity, lighting - he's not on sand as I think he is too young and i worry about him injesting it. Thank you!!

 

[Madeline Riederer]

Hi - here is photograph of bearded dragon who I beleive is three months of age. He is so tiny! Please see my previous post. Thank you!!

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Welcome to the BDF Community and Congrats on your baby dragon You have definitely come to the right place to find the answers you need! Frome what I have seen of late the pet stores are pushing baby dragons out that are barely much more than hatchlings. PetSmart being one of the big ones doing so and you are correct in that most of the employees working there are not fully knowledgeable on these creatures or any of the others they sell so you have done well in seeking out the correct info you will need to ensure your baby dragon has the best chance to thrive.

What would help greatly is some pictures of your exact setup that you have as well as some more detailed info such as:
-Cage size and type:
-Lighting: List the type (brand and type) of uvb and heat source. Age of uvb bulb.
-Temps: Basking and ambient temps. Types of gauge reading this. Distance between basking bulb and basking spot within the cage.
-Supplements: Frequency and types of supplements used.
-Feeders: Types of feeders, size and quantity
-Greens/fruits: What types are given and how often.
-Water: Do you provide baths or a water dish? If you bathe your dragon, how often and for how long?
-Feces/urates description:
-Substrate and cage furnishings: Please explain.
-History: Any past history you think we should know about your dragon.Vet visits, any fecal performed date and outcome.

By providing us with as much of this info as you can and posting pictures of your setup I am sure we can help

Here are a few other helpful links to get you started getting things right for your dragon:

Basic BD Care Sheet - A Place To Start

Bearded Dragon --- Exclusive Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation a good plan?

How To Sex A Bearded Dragon

Enjoy!!

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi, some grow faster/slower than others. Some also have a bigger/smaller appetite than others. Things you can try to perk his appetite.

It is hard to judge age on size.
1. Make sure his temps are correct: 100*-110* basking and in the mid 80s on the cool side. When the temps are hot like this. The animal can dehydrate much faster so it is best at this size to give daily bath's. This can also reflect his/her appetite.
2. Try a smaller enclosure for now. At four inches a 20 long would be ok for the kid.
3. Roaches. I have heard of some peoples dragons not taking to them but from my experience i have never encountered a dragon that doesnt go nutts for them. When i mean nutts, you can drop several different types of feeders in the cage and they will go for the roaches first. Dubia roaches are a good choice if it is your firs ttime with roaches. They cant fly or climb smooth surfaces.
4. Give him daily warm bath's up to his arm pits.


Note: kale is a good green to feed but it is best to give as much of a variety as you can. Mustard greens, green/red leaf lettuces, squash's, zucchini, etc. are other great choices.

 

[Madeline Riederer]

Hi - thank you so much for replies so far. I have been unable to find roaches so far but will keep trying. Have offered him other veg - a variety including all you have listed and he will only eat the kale - i am not too worried about this as i know some baby beardies will not even eat greens for a few months. I will continue to offer him a variety all mixed in and feel confident that he will expand on his veg preferences!! Basking and temps are set up as you suggested. I tried making enclosure smaller with a plexiglass divider but he is stubborn as hell and spent his whole time trying to get to part of his home that he could not get to!

Thank you again for response!!!

 

[Madeline Riederer]

Hi - here is information on set up. Tank is 36 x 12 by 18 high. Basking spot is around 100 - 105 depending on where he sits.

Lighting is Desert Repti glow 10 (two bulbs).

We are using a ceramic bulb for heat and this is left on - he goes to cooler end of tank to sleep but loves his basking spot.

Basking spot is six inches below heat bulb and same distance below repti glow lights.

Feeders are crickets (various sizes but average is size between eyes as suggested), as well as meal worms and occasional wax worms. Crickets are gut loaded and fed veg.

He has repcal vitamins and calcium daily although this seems to be a topic of debate as crickets are already getting gut loaded so not sure how often i should be giving him supplements as well.

Substrate is reptile carpeting - sort of like felt - he is fine with this and it is cleaned regularly.

Shallow water dish at all times. Receives warm baths three times a week as well as occasional misting which he seems to enjoy.

Defecates every day - looks normal and solid but it is not very much.

Active, bright eyes, - home has logs and smooth rocks but not too much furnishings right now as crickets can hide in spaces.

Thanks,

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

How are you measuring your temps? What type of thermometers are you using? How are they placed in the enclosure? Personally I don't see see a problem with the size of your enclosure as many folks start out with 40 gallon breeder tanks which are larger than the one you are currently using and have no issues if they are set up appropriately meaning minimalistic. Using a smaller enclosure also makes it more difficult to get proper temp gradients set up.
Again pictures of your set up would be helpful.
Gilliesexotics is absolutely correct in that they all grow at different rates and it being hard to judge age by size alone. They also do best at that age with there basking spot at 110 degrees Frahrenheit. Correct temps and proper UV are key ingredients that are needed for growth, appetite, digestion and well-being for these creatures. I saw the pic of your dragon posted and actually he looks very healthy so I don't think you are far off on your setup but maybe needed a little bit of adjusting.

Enjoy!

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

The ReptiGlo 10 satisfies the UV requirements albiet I prefer tube fixtures over coil bulbs because they make it easier to get the UV and Basking light positioned so that they both shine down directly on the basking spot for more efficient UV exposure.
I did not see that you have an actual basking light. Is the UV bulb all you are using for light?
Also if you are using a CHE for heat then I would highly recommend you have it on a thermostat as that is the only way to ensure you don't cook your dragon. A much better setup would be to use a standard halogen or incandescent light as a basking light and heat with your UV light during the day and use the CHE for night heat only if needed.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I would also recommend that you remove the water dish from his enclosure as most dragons will not actually drink from standing water dishes and it only serves to raise the humidity inside their enclosure which is not really a good thing for a dry, desert climate creature. He will get the hydration he needs just fine from the live feeders he eats, any greens he eats and as well from the soaks he gets from you. Bathing 3 times per week however is excessive and not needed. I would bath him no more than 1 time per week unless he is dehydrated or showing signs of having difficulty pooping.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

One last suggestion I would make would be to modify his supplementation. Here is a great guide to doing it correctly from the basic care sheet provided above.

"General feeding/supplementation schedule:
For hatchlings and young juveniles (up to 2 months): Fresh greens/veg. 1-2 times daily - Live prey 2-3 times per day
Dusted: Five days per week with phosphorus free calcium – one day per week calcium with D3 - One day per week with a vitamin supplement such as Reptivite or Herptivite.

For juveniles and sub-adults (2 months to sexual maturity): Fresh greens/veg 1-2 times daily - Live prey 1-2 times per day
Dusted: Five days per week with phosphorus free calcium – One day per week with calcium with D3 - One day per week with a vitamin supplement such as Reptivite or Herptivite.

For adults (generally 1+ year): Fresh greens/veg 1- 2 times daily - Live prey every 2-3 days.
Dusted: Every other feeding with phosphorus free calcium - Twice per month with calcium with D3 - One day per week with a vitamin supplement such as Reptivite or Herptivite.

As there are different circumstances that may arise, this schedule is recommended only as a general guide and may be altered to accommodate individual situations. Using a tracking method of when you dust prevents unnecessary use of product and more importantly, potential harm to your dragon! With proper and effective UVB lighting, supplementation with vitamin D3 is not imperative but should provided in small amounts. Excessive levels of oral vitamin D3 can potentially lead to the excessive absorption and utilization of calcium and/or toxicity as can the excessive use of supplements containing high levels of vitamin A. Over use of any supplement can have the potential to cause serious health problems, stick to an appropriate supplementation schedule...."
Enjoy!!

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi, they are even smaller than that crawling out of the egg. Pretty kid you have there

 

[Pat B]

nah....can't be 3 months....you think? he's tiny but oh so beautiful. He/she will grow fast and probably shed a lot!!

 

[Augie]

First off - beautiful colors! Nice looking dragon!

When did you get him? Seems small for three months. Mine is about that old and he is HUGE compared to yours (not bragging, just sayin'). Mine was about that big at 6 weeks.

Edit: Just found your other post. My best advice is to listen to the Buddha. I got nothing to add!

 

[Madeline Riederer]

I would also recommend that you remove the water dish from his enclosure as most dragons will not actually drink from standing water dishes and it only serves to raise the humidity inside their enclosure which is not really a good thing for a dry, desert climate creature. He will get the hydration he needs just fine from the live feeders he eats, any greens he eats and as well from the soaks he gets from you. Bathing 3 times per week however is excessive and not needed. I would bath him no more than 1 time per week unless he is dehydrated or showing signs of having difficulty pooping.

Hi - thank you so much for all of your suggestions. I really appreciate it. I will post photo of set up as soon as i can. All of your advice makes sense and i feel as if we are doing just that - however - we don't use an actual basking light. The ceramic bulb is next to the uv tubes (we have tubes as you prefer - me too) - his basking spot is beneath both of them at 105 degrees. Cool end of tank is exactly at 80 degrees. The only thing we turn off at night is the lights but leave the ceramic bulb on. Our bedroom is set to 70 degrees and if we turn ceramic heater off at night then the temperature in the tank (even with heat pads along side of tank) falls to below 80 so i think this would be too cold - but basically there is no difference in tank temperature at night than during day. I initially had a basking heat bulb but it was too fussy to have to switch that with ceramic every night. I don't have ceramic bulb on thermostat yet but i realize i will need to do this come summer. We have thermometer at his basking spot and at cool end of tank and temps remain stable.

I have taken water bowl out but hummidity is same - around 30.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Look forward to seeing your setup. Your little dragon really needs his basking spot to be 110 degrees for optimum digestion during the day. Just so that you know dragons also do better at night when they are allowed to cool down. No supplemental heat is needed unless the ambient temp in their enclosure drops below 65 degrees. Keeping his tank at 80 degrees at night does not allow his metabolism to slow down enough to get a really deep sleep. What I would recommend is that you add an actual basking light to help get his basking temp correct and go ahead and get that thermostat for your CHE now instead of waiting til summer when it really wont be needed. For a basking light you can use a household clear brite white incandescent or as I use a standard household indoor halogen flood light of sufficient wattage to get his basking spot temp to a steady 110 degrees.
I had asked about what type of thermometer you are using because if you are not using the digital thermometers with the remote probes and if those probes are not placed correctly then you are not getting accurate temperature readings. You have to actually attach one of the probes directly to the basking spot. If it is just placed near the spot or if you are using a thermometer placed on the glass then you are getting inaccurate readings which can lead you to a false sense of security in thinking your setup is good while in really is not. I have seen this happen many many times.

Enjoy!

 

[Germ]

 

[Germ]

Different BDs grow at different rates. Check out my Hatchlings thread & the huge differences in size between the 3 hatched within a day or so apart, kept under the same lighting, conditions & diet.

 

[Pat B]

Germ raises 'monster' beardies!! The Hatchlings thread is definitely worth checking out! My Spike is a 'runt'. Right now he is in brumation....since the end of October. Almost 2 months! I guess he will wake up sometime!

 

[Augie]

The day my dragon goes into brumation is the day I'm so bored I won't know what to do with myself!

 

[Pat B]

I think it unusual for him to go in into brumation as he was only any 10 months old. Life is a little boring too but he will wake up one of these days. He did wake up long enough to dig a hole in the sand and turn himself around....