Hi! Got a baby beardy today, and I want to make sure I'm on the right track...

[crypticdragons]

this is probably one of the best revamps i have been a part of. Thank you for working with us to get things setup correctly.

 

[renich]

Just wanted to say that I think it is great that you are taking your beardie's care so seriously! It is very refreshing to have someone so enthusiastic in ensuring your dragon has the right setup.

 

[zebraflavencs]

I'm thinking that Brian's enthusiasm helped...lol
Janie

 

[valkryja]

Aw, thanks guys. ^_^

I'm just worried about him. I didn't say this before, but I used to have a bearded dragon when I was six years old... My mom didn't know much about him and I was obviously too little to do serious research. He died as a juvenile. ;_; He stopped eating and then just sort of shriveled, despite me trying to soak him and force gutloaded crickets and romaine down his mouth like twice a day. I didn't know at the time what I did wrong (since I was six), but I love bearded dragons and it made me upset enough that I refused to get one until I knew I could care for them better. So rest in peace Elliot, I'm hoping Wrex makes it to adulthood..

 

[lexi]

Oh dear lawdy, what a day. x__x

I went to go pick up a light and some other supplies from that local pet shop that's closing down tomorrow. I had a $50 budget, but wanted to get SOMETHING good for little Wrex to keep him healthy. It just so happens that my cousin was on shift when I got there. He's always been a bit of a rebel slash reptile lover. For instance, he has seven facial piercings and used to own an alligator, before my uncle found it and made him return it to the shady reptile convention in Philly. Now he sticks to pythons, mostly.

So I walked in and picked out a cheap 18" Reptisun 10.0 UV bulb and some crickets, and he said that I should get a 36 inch one instead. And a hotter bulb, digital thermometer, red bulb for nighttime, prettier fixture, and decorative piece of Malaysian driftwood. I told him that I was on a budget, so he whispered and told me to drive around back.

He piled all of this stuff into my car (along with the 40 gallon tank, which he gave me the down payment BACK for) and told me to drive, fast. >___>

I wasn't really in a position to tell him no, so I drove away, fast.

I'm not sure how I feel about how this turned out.. XD... I feel bad, but the business is shutting down and my cousin said that his boss refused to give him his last paycheck because the store is closing the day before payday. So I guess they deserve it.. sort of... >__>;

I hadn't been watching this thread, and just wandered back in.... HILARIOUS!!! Very good score!

 

[valkryja]

Alright everybody, I got the tank all set up and Wrex seems to love it. ^_^ Here's a picture of it:

(Don't mind the palm tree; I like to draw on my walls sometimes. )
And here's a picture of Wrex's size in comparison to the driftwood, lol:

Now I'm just waiting for the reptile carpet and tempgun thermometer to ship, and it'll be completely finished! He loves his new house. When I first put him in, he ran around in circles for a while, up the plant leaves and around the driftwood, until he finally settled on a basking spot. Then he jumped off of the driftwood and lunged at a cricket that was on the ground. It was a good ten-inch jump, so I was worried for a bit, but he seems fine.

Thanks so much for all of the help! I'm sure Wrex will grow up to be extremely healthy thanks to all of your advice.

 

[renich]

I would love to see the new setup, but I can't see any pics. Can you try again?

 

[valkryja]

Is that better?

 

[crypticdragons]

setup looks great

 

[corrine]

looks good

 

[renich]

I can see! Thanks.

Very nice setup. Just some food for thought. You may want to consider moving your shaded log to the cool side. Having it close to the basking spot may not offer the hide and cool down your dragon wants.

 

[valkryja]

Hmm.. ok, thanks!
He hasn't really moved from the tip of the basking spot after the initial exploration of his new house. He even sleeps there at night, haha. Is this common?
Also, I got 50 baby crickets today, shook them up in calcium/D3 powder, and put them in that leftover 10 gallon tank. At feeding time, should I put the crickets in his house or have him hunt them down in the tank? I don't want him to lose the crickets, but I don't want them to gang up on him and start biting. Also, he doesn't seem to be eating too much.. he eats about two crickets a day and doesn't try to eat more. is he ok?

 

[lexi]

Hmm.. ok, thanks!
He hasn't really moved from the tip of the basking spot after the initial exploration of his new house. He even sleeps there at night, haha. Is this common?
Also, I got 50 baby crickets today, shook them up in calcium/D3 powder, and put them in that leftover 10 gallon tank. At feeding time, should I put the crickets in his house or have him hunt them down in the tank? I don't want him to lose the crickets, but I don't want them to gang up on him and start biting. Also, he doesn't seem to be eating too much.. he eats about two crickets a day and doesn't try to eat more. is he ok?

He should definitely be eating more than two... they're usually quite the little piggies at that age. How big are they? They would need to be pretty tiny (pinhead crickets, I think they're called) for such a tiny beardie.

 

[valkryja]

I think I found out the problem. XD They were the really tiny ones, but Wrex was overwhelmed by having all of them in the cage with him at once. He just ate seven when I fed them to him individually in his own house.

 

[corrine]

You can try putting him into a plastic shoebox and feeding him in there. Then there's no escape for the crickets.

 

[valkryja]

My problem was that I put him in an empty tank with about thirty crickets, and he got flustered. He's never had a problem with them escaping. He's quite the little hunter. Once I saw him actually follow a cricket under the paper towel substrate to get it, and then come out looking victorious. XD