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Baby questions

Pigmom

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
I recently bought a baby June 1st. I received no info at the time other then the cashier said she had a beardie and not to ever feed mine spinach. I read that crickets r ok but the legs r hard for babies to digest. I’m now feeding dubias and salad. I dust the salad w/ calcium and D3. I read on here to use calcium then sup w/ the D3 occasionally. So need to look at more supplements. My baby was 6 grams 8 weeks later is 40 grams. He is in a 10 gal tank I am building a large enclosure from a dresser. So the questions I have is dubias ok? And for lighting my enclosed is 60”x21x21, I need a 48” UVB tube, basking lamp and night time light. Is the night light primarily for heat? Would a ceramic heat bulb be better? Is there any reason to use dome fixtures over say exterior light fixture which can use up to 240 watt bulbs. Since my enclosure is tall I wanted to mount the lights inside. I could add 1x1” wire to keep Puff from contacting the lights while not blocking out UVB. What UVB should I use? How do I know if I’m over feeding?
 

Dexter_Dragon

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
783
I recently bought a baby June 1st. I received no info at the time other then the cashier said she had a beardie and not to ever feed mine spinach. I read that crickets r ok but the legs r hard for babies to digest. I’m now feeding dubias and salad. I dust the salad w/ calcium and D3. I read on here to use calcium then sup w/ the D3 occasionally. So need to look at more supplements. My baby was 6 grams 8 weeks later is 40 grams. He is in a 10 gal tank I am building a large enclosure from a dresser. So the questions I have is dubias ok? And for lighting my enclosed is 60”x21x21, I need a 48” UVB tube, basking lamp and night time light. Is the night light primarily for heat? Would a ceramic heat bulb be better? Is there any reason to use dome fixtures over say exterior light fixture which can use up to 240 watt bulbs. Since my enclosure is tall I wanted to mount the lights inside. I could add 1x1” wire to keep Puff from contacting the lights while not blocking out UVB. What UVB should I use? How do I know if I’m over feeding?
I'm a new mom of a lil guy too. For protein I feed mine primarily crickets with some dubia mixed in. My baby has never had an issue with eating the cricket legs. He recently had a wellness check and passed with flying colors. Yes, dubias are good to feed your baby, but recommend crickets, as well, as they like variety. Same with the salads. Mix them up with the allowable veges to give him a variety. I don't dust my baby's salad as he's not eating much of it, but do dust about 1/4 of his crickets each day. Plus I put a pinch of calcium (with D3) and vitmains in his baby food veges that's he's still getting daily until he eats more of his salad. Suggest getting vitamins as an additional supplement too.

Good idea on getting a larger enclosure. They grow up fast. I've hear that your UVB should cover about 3/4 of your tank. Most here recommend the Reptisun T5, but T8 is doable. SilverDragon just posted these temps on another post which is a great guide to get your temps where they need to be. :)
  • Basking Temp = 105° degrees Fahrenheit (41° C)
  • Overall Temp = 90° degrees Fahrenheit (32° C)
  • Cool Side = 70° – 85° degrees Fahrenheit (21° – 29° C)
  • Nighttime = 65° – 70° degrees Fahrenheit (18° – 21° C)
Colored night bulbs are not good for your beardie. Don't use them. Recommend getting a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) for night time if you feel your tank may get too cool. If your temps stay above recommended then you don't need any additional heat supplement. Beardies like their night time temps to go down. You definitely want your UVB to sit below your screen as the screen will filter out some of what your baby needs. Where your tank will be tall you'll probably want your lights mounted inside. I think the appropriate lighting distance from your beardie is 8-10 inches, but not positive on that. Experts can give you ideal distance.

As for overfeeding . . . babies eat a lot. I feed mine about every 3 hours. I'll give him as many crickets and dubia as he wants to eat each feeding. Right now he's eating about 5-6 crickets and 2 roaches every 3 hours before he's full. (His belly is still tiny or I'm sure he'd eat more). lol I also leave fresh salad in his tank during the day. Usually have to refresh at least 3xs as he's not eating much of it. I start feeding about an hour after lights on (he basks and warms up before he's even interested in eating) and I don't give him any more food about 2 hours before lights out in the evening so he has a chance to bask and digest before night time. Your baby will let you know when he's full. He'll eye the next bug, but won't eat it. Remove from tank. When Dexter's full he'll immediately runs to his log or basking rock. His way of telling me, "Thanks mom, but I'm full." lol Hope this helps. I'm sure experts have more tips that I missed and if you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask. Peeps here are great about helping out.
 

Pigmom

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
23
Thanks that’s a lot of good info. I wasn’t sure on the t5 or t10. I live in AZ so I get sunshine almost every day. I try to take Puff outside at min. 30 min. everyday longer when I can. He wants to set on my shoulder. He resist going back in his tank. He will run up my arm I have to physically place him back inside. What baby food r u feeding?
 

Dexter_Dragon

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
783
Thanks that’s a lot of good info. I wasn’t sure on the t5 or t10. I live in AZ so I get sunshine almost every day. I try to take Puff outside at min. 30 min. everyday longer when I can. He wants to set on my shoulder. He resist going back in his tank. He will run up my arm I have to physically place him back inside. What baby food r u feeding?
YW. I have a 40 gal tank and use the T8. @Silver dragons or @BeardedDragonDude are on most days and are good ones to ask about which bulb would be best.

Dex is just now getting so he doesn't want to go back into his tank when I take him out. lol He'll sit on my hand and look at me like, "Nope, not getting down." If I persist he'll crawl a little up my arm and flatten himself and grip. Stubborn baby. I have to explain to him that it's for his own good as it's almost feeding time and he needs to bask a bit before then.

Right now I'm using organic (no additives) vege baby food. I tend to get the sweet pea (his fav), green beans, and mixed garden vege. I get the smallest jars I can as they expire fast. Vet said the basic veges are the best, but sometimes I give him squash as a treat. :) I still try to get him to eat his salad, though. Better for them. I'm only using baby food right now as he hasn't acquired a taste for his salads yet and isn't eating them on a regular basis. Lately, I've been able to trick him into having a bite or two. He's still being stubborn about it. Sigh. I've upped his dosage in the last few days (he's growing) to about 2-2.5 ml a day now. I don't want him filling up on the veges, just want him to get a daily percentage.
 
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