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Am I doing this right?

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Hello, I just today bought a baby bearded dragon. I've owned many pets but never a reptile and I'm terrified I'm not doing this correctly. I bought a 40 breeder gallon tank that included a starting kit for the baby. I set everything up, including the duel domed basking and UVB lighting/heating. It's 100-watts, but my probed digital thermometer and temperature gun are both reading 97.2 f. Is this enough for the baby? I have no idea if the baby is a he or she but I've decided to call the baby Nel. Nel also hasn't moved from his basking spot on top of a wood hideout and has been asleep for a few hours. He/she has already eaten the 4 small crickets I had put in there. My house doesn't get under 65 at night, but I'm scared that turning off the UVB/basking light will cause him to freeze.
 

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Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Ok the first thing IAM going to tell you is get rid of the coil bulb---- they basically killers if dragons--- you need to replace that coil w/ a 24" fixture aw/and a reflector Reptisun 10.0 bulb either the T 5 or T 8- difference is the strength of bulb and where it goes in or on top of tank along w/ distance- that coil will cause all kinds of health issues for your baby--- do your basking temps are accurate- how far is the decor piece from the bulb? You can either raise the decor piece or get a higher wattage but make sure you get a temp after adjusting whatever you adjust - temps should be 105-110 -- Nel will go thru relocation stress so his/ her eating will slow down but it should not completely quit- w/ that coil that is one of the effects- so get it changed out ASAP-- let me know what you decide on the UVB- as long as your temp does not drop below 65 at nite your good-- if you need heat at nite get a ceramic heat emitter - they are heat only No light--- they come in 75-100- and 150 watt bulbs you will need a dome fixture that is wattage appropriate- trial and error- I can help w/ nutrition as well he needs salads fresh greens every morning and I can help you getting him to eat those as well but you need to get your lighting in that tank fixed first- he will not eat w/ out proper basking temps and correct UVB those are the 2 most important things in that tank - please ask more questions and I will help you



Here's a photo of my lighting/heating setup:
upload_2020-2-15_21-3-23.png

I found Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 HO T5 UVB Lamp, 24 W, 22" L but I can't find any fixture that will fit with it. I moved Nel's log up a little bit higher, but the tempature readings dropped to 91.9. The stores in my area are closed by now, since it's night time in my state. I planned on going to the store in the morning, should I get this https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco.../zoo-med-reptisun-100-uvb-t5-ho-lamp-24-watts? I still cannot find any fixture for it though.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Ok the first thing IAM going to tell you is get rid of the coil bulb---- they basically killers if dragons--- you need to replace that coil w/ a 24" fixture aw/and a reflector Reptisun 10.0 bulb either the T 5 or T 8- difference is the strength of bulb and where it goes in or on top of tank along w/ distance- that coil will cause all kinds of health issues for your baby--- do your basking temps are accurate- how far is the decor piece from the bulb? You can either raise the decor piece or get a higher wattage but make sure you get a temp after adjusting whatever you adjust - temps should be 105-110 -- Nel will go thru relocation stress so his/ her eating will slow down but it should not completely quit- w/ that coil that is one of the effects- so get it changed out ASAP-- let me know what you decide on the UVB- as long as your temp does not drop below 65 at nite your good-- if you need heat at nite get a ceramic heat emitter - they are heat only No light--- they come in 75-100- and 150 watt bulbs you will need a dome fixture that is wattage appropriate- trial and error- I can help w/ nutrition as well he needs salads fresh greens every morning and I can help you getting him to eat those as well but you need to get your lighting in that tank fixed first- he will not eat w/ out proper basking temps and correct UVB those are the 2 most important things in that tank - please ask more questions and I will help you

I changed my setting a little to see if he/she could get warmer.
upload_2020-2-16_0-3-19.png

I changed the basking into it's own dome that brings it closer to the screen. I have three different readings from three different thermometers. The Velcro strip thermometer reads 92 ish, the temperature gun reads 101.4, and the probed digital thermometer reads 87.4. I believe the probed one might be broken, considering it turns 103 when it's right next to the bulb. The basking and UVB is about 12 inches away from Nels log. I'm going to hook up a ceramic heater in the second part of the duel dome that is currently holding the UVB. I'm afraid he might get too cold at night so hopefully the ceramic heater will work.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
ok the strip is giving ambient temps - you need to go by the heat gun for now - you can get another digital probe for $5 at Petco -- the fixture would be a 24" here are some websites for them I am trying to find the most reasonable price for one as they are spendy- Petco and Petsmart dont usually carry the 24" or atleast in my area your area may be different -
t5-ho.jpg

This is available at this website for $32 - they have them in 24" -- www.pangeareptiles.com - these people are good and fast - you can have this fixture in a few days - they ship priority and it takes a 22" bulb -- I have ordered from these people multiple times - make sure you check wattage on that dome you dont want to blow the fixture out - if your ambient temp is 65 or higher you dont need it --- you can keep using the coil for now till you get the new UVB but for the most part its not really doing any good since hes in a 40 gallon tank - I will post some info on that coil your using and other info on UVB's -

Alright, thank you. I ordered the Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5HO 22 Reptile Lighting Fluorescent Tube, along with the fixture you linked. They should arrive in a day or two. He/she is doing very good today. Nel is extremely comfortable with my hands and almost immediately eats his crickets. I just can't get him to eat anything other than crickets. I put some kale, bearded dragon pellets, a hornworm, a little papaya, and a meal worm in his/her cage but he/she does not seem interested in anything but the crickets.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Ok ditch the pellets- feed those to the crickets- next I want you to get a glass bowl one that worms cant get out of - something w/ a lip on it - next I want you to order some BSFL from here www.symtonbsf.com - order large - they are a great staple feeder and they do not require dusting w / calcium as they are enriched w/ calcium - then I want you to go buy some fresh greens here is a website for nutrition
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html this site will tell you what to feed how often to feed and what not to feed -- do a variety of greens they like variety of every thing
so first thing in the morning feed your baby his / her greens - take some BSFL and add to the top of the salad as many as you want - make sure he / she sees you do this - get some small super worms from here www.https://reptilesupply.com/ they have small super worms - add like 1-3 to the salad in front of him / her - the movement will draw him / her to that bowl - you might want to switch your baby over to dubias they are a better healthier feeder and way easier to keep than crickets - plus they dont stink or chirp- get a 10 gallon aquarium or tote and keep them in that - feed them dubia food or food your feeding the dragon and carrots for hydration - I feed mine squash and carrots and dubia food - let him / her eat from that bowl for like an hr before feeding the bugs --- then take a little of the salad out leaving some in there and add your staple bug - when ordering roaches get them no bigger than the size between his / her eyes - he will like the roaches most of them do - you can always disable the crickets by pulling of of the legs off so they cant jump-- make sure your dusting your bugs w/ calcium D3 5 x per week and vitamins 2 x per week -
Now the T 5 when you get it needs to go inside the tank unless you have a screen top that is wide holed - it can sit on top of the screen but the basking decor needs to sit directly under it approx 8-10 inches from it --- NO cover on the bulb - if there is one on the fixture take it off ------------ best possible rays are exposed then ---
you can also order dubias from here along w/ other worms like butter worms horn worms etc
www.dubiaroaches.com
you can order silk worms when they are back in stock from here
www.mulberryfarms.com they have great silk worms and they are a staple as well - if you order and if you order alot make sure you get food too - they eat alot -
www.reptilianarts.com has great silk worms as well but are currently out of stock - I keep checking those websites my 2 year old loves them --
Please ask if you have any more questions let me know how your baby is doing after you get that new UVB in - if you need help on hanging it or what ever let me know


I ordered small superworms, superworm bedding/food, extra-small dubia roaches, dubia roach colony kit, and large black solider fly larvae. I have a 20 gallon clear tote I can put the roaches in, and I can put the superworms in my 10 gallon aquarium, but where should the black solider fly larvae stay?
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
I ordered small superworms, superworm bedding/food, extra-small dubia roaches, dubia roach colony kit, and large black solider fly larvae. I have a 20 gallon clear tote I can put the roaches in, and I can put the superworms in my 10 gallon aquarium, but where should the black solider fly larvae stay?

Also, I do have many veggies. I own 4 guinea pigs so I have a fridge just for veggies.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Okay. The lights haven't arrived, but I got some superworms and Nel seems to enjoy them. I also bought some more decorations and such for this cage. I moved a hammock closer to the basking light to help him warm up.
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Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Got the light today and set it up. Nel's started eating veggies and I see him/her run around in their water area. He/she is super cuddly. Nel will always jump on my hand and when it's late and I put my hand in his/her cage he/she jumps and clings onto it. Nel will wrap his/her tail around my hand and lay down with his/her eyes closed. I have to pull him/her off my hand to put him/her back away and then he/she just goes to the basking spot where the ceramic heater turns on at night. He/she has also been climbing around the decorations I put in there. Earlier I almost had a panic attack because I couldn't find her/him, turns out he/she had completely blended into the stick/vine. So far, he/she doesn't seem that interested in the black fly larvae. Also, I have no idea what happened but all my crickets died. They had the old pellets, papaya, and cricket juice cubes. They just all died off and now I have a bunch of dead crickets and Nel won't eat them if they don't move. Nel also shed off his/her entire old body skin.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
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The temperature is usually around 105.2 all day now. The roaches food/water stuff has arrived but they are still on their way. I don't see him eat, but when I check at night the veggies and the super worms are usually gone. I can tell he/she is getting bigger.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Ok so a piece of decor is sitting under the UVB approx 8-10 inches correct? I see the UVB in he tank but that is all I see --- I would get a bowl like this
Single_Bowl_Large_1024x1024.jpg

I ordered mine from here symtonbsf.com I got the large one for like $15 -- you can use this for everything I put the roaches and vegies and worms in there - feed her the vegies in the morning along w a few worms - if you order some of the BSFL feed those as staple supplement to your roaches -- they dont need to be dusted as they are calcium enriched and order large - you can keep them on your kitchen counter for like 2 weeks - if they turn to the fly stage feed them to your dragon too -- ok so are you noticing different behavior?

Hi, sorry for my inactivity. I've been stressing about the corona virus in the US. Nel had been doing good these past days, he/she had been eating like crazy and very active whenever I fed him/her. One day he/she even ran and jumped right into the bowl of roaches I had put in his/her cage. I got a worm bowl and have been keeping superworms in them. He/she didn't eat any of the black solider fly larvae so I released them outside. Recently, I've gone back to crickets and found out that they breathe through their skin so when I dumped powder all over them they died, but I got new ones and they're doing good. I've been letting the roaches mate and build up more, since they were very few left. The past few days I noticed Nel has been very lazy and not moving much. I've had to hand feed him/her at their basking spot because he/she would not come down for food. It started to get worse as he/she has stopped eating and is constantly sleeping. He/she is limp when I pick him/her up unless I poke a little to get him/her moving. If I put him/her on the ground of his/her cage he/she will not move. The only movement I got him/her to do without my help was dipping him/her in water until he/she walked out and stopped moving. I also noticed that whenever he/she does walk it's wobbly and he/she trips over them-self. He/she has good heating and uvb from 8 am- 10 pm a day. I don't want him/her to die.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
I just cleaned up the cage and moved stuff around about an hour ago. Here's some photos.
 

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Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Is the UVB approx 8-10 inches from basking spot inside the tank? Basking temps 105-110 taken w/ a digital probe? Those two things are the most important things in order for your dragon to eat and be healthy

I moved the basking light 10 inches away. The UVB is inside my cage, but the basking light is through the screen. I also think Nel might be bloated, or fat? His/her tummy is bigger and looks bloated.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
I moved the basking light 10 inches away. The UVB is inside my cage, but the basking light is through the screen. I also think Nel might be bloated, or fat? His/her tummy is bigger and looks bloated.

He/she also seems to be doing a little better, but still not moving much. He/she is attentive now and actually opens his/her eyes to stare at me.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
He/she also seems to be doing a little better, but still not moving much. He/she is attentive now and actually opens his/her eyes to stare at me.

He/she has constantly refused to eat any veggies since I've had him. He/she has only eaten crickets, Dubai roaches, and superworms. I don't know how to get him/her to eat veggies or clear the bloating.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
I have a brown carpet that covers the bottom, but I did put a little sand on the ramp because it was too slippery for her/him. But he/she hasn't even moved off of the basking spot so I don't think he/she has eaten any. I have not seen any poop in a few days. I only feed him/her one superworm a day, and if he/she doesn't want it after the crickets, I put it in the no-worm escape bowl. He/she is still refusing food this morning. He/she is responsive to me moving around the room, and watches me before going back to basking. What should I do to get him/her to poop?
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Try w/ a nice warm bath- message the tummy- see if that stimulates her- if that doesn't work you can always use unsweetened apple sauce baby food prunes- I would get rid of the sand and replace the carpeting w/ NON adhesive textured shelf liner-- from home depot- cut it to the size of the tank - it's cheap and insects cannot get underneath it--- are your basking temps 105-110? How are you taking basking temps? No stickons- they are inaccurate-- digital probes from Petco or PetSmart for $5 or / and a infrared heat gun from your local home improvement store for $10-12-- I recommend both

The basking temps range from 106-109 during day and 66-70 at night. I use a infrared heat gun, I stepped on my probe and broke it about a week ago and have yet to get a new one. Should I order this one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I15S6OM/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
It has the best ratings. I gave Nel a warm bath today and still no poop. He/she looks and opens his/her eyes when I'm near but will not move unless I annoy him by tickling his back legs. I unfortunately do not have a local home depot, is there something from amazon or any other trusted online stores that is similar?
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Here's a picture of Nel when he/she wasn't acting sick.
upload_2020-3-15_20-44-39.png

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I get 60 small crickets whenever I go to a pet store while I'm low on crickets. When he/she was acting healthy he/she would always run around in the water and sometimes sit in it for a few seconds. He/she didn't seem to drink any water when I bathed him/her today and not drunken by his/her self since Friday. Is this okay for the probe?
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/en...um-digital-thermometer-14914.html?cgid=500202

I can probably drive out to home depot, even if a little far. I'm not sure if they'll be open though, the governor of my state just made a statement about requiring certain stores closing and stores that are open only are allowed to have a max. of 50 people at a time. I can drive out there tomorrow. I can also stop by a local grocery store, is this what I should get?

1st%20Foods%20Prune.png
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
Here's a picture of Nel when he/she wasn't acting sick.
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I get 60 small crickets whenever I go to a pet store while I'm low on crickets. When he/she was acting healthy he/she would always run around in the water and sometimes sit in it for a few seconds. He/she didn't seem to drink any water when I bathed him/her today and not drunken by his/her self since Friday. Is this okay for the probe?
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/en...um-digital-thermometer-14914.html?cgid=500202

I can probably drive out to home depot, even if a little far. I'm not sure if they'll be open though, the governor of my state just made a statement about requiring certain stores closing and stores that are open only are allowed to have a max. of 50 people at a time. I can drive out there tomorrow. I can also stop by a local grocery store, is this what I should get?

1st%20Foods%20Prune.png
I also read that It would help to feed him/her pumpkin puree. Nel didn't make a move to eat it, so I used my finger to rub some on his/her lips and he/she licked his/her lips and ate a tiny bit.
 

Rebecca Talbot

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
34
She does not look good in that picture ---- is she still looking this way? That is the probe I am talking about from Petsmart -- and yes the pumkin puree will work good - that will make her go to the bathroom - try and feed her some more of it -- you need to keep her hydrated too - either by bathing to see if she will drink or get a syringe feed her a little at a time and slowly so she does not aspirate I need a pic of her now by her self sitting on something so I can see her good --- call the Home Depot before you go there and get their hrs -- please get me a pic of her ASAP -- I am thinking she is a sick dragon --- is she eating anything?
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he/she is acting limp again and still not eating anything at all. I have a tiny syringe, and going to force feed him/her the pumpkin puree. I'll stop by petco or petsmart today to get a probe. What kind of non-adhesive textured shelf lining should I get at home depot? I'll also order more Dubai roaches, I recently had to deep clean and have to get a new mattress due to drugstore beetles that were brought in with the crickets. When the new roaches get here, I'm going to release the crickets. I'll also get some veggies that I read are good for bearded dragons. I'll give him/her more bathes today.
 
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