My new baby beardie

[blackclaw83]

Loves the camera. Getting used to its new home. Spyro is his/her name for now.

Kinda dark I know. Its me and my girls first attempt at a home. The basking area is in the 98- 100 range. Plenty of things in there. Uvb bulb, wood, net, we are using carpet for right now. The tank is a 2ft tall by 1ft wide, 6 sided one. If he/she out grows it then we will up grade.

Spyro cheesing it

 

[Pat B]

Welcome to BDF. Love that big piece of wood....

 

[blackclaw83]

that is actualy like 2 huge peices lol

 

[Germ]

Good looking little Dragon. You have to get that basking temp up about 10F. There is no if, it will outgrow it, it will outgrow that in a couple months, no floor space. I don't envy you or your BD, that is going to be difficult to clean & the whole thing is a hiding spot for feeders, they'll hide right away on him, under the carpet, in the hide, under the wood. Poor little guy won't have much of a chance to catch any. You realize that you should remove all uneaten crix at night or they can & will come out at night, bother your BDs sleep & nibble on him. Sorry to say but, that enclosure is just not suited for this application.

If those are the thermometers that you are taking your temps with hanging on the sides, you are not taking them in the right place, they should be measured directly at the basking spot, not off to the side. A digital with a sensor is what is need in that application.

Setup looks nice, just not very practical ...

 

[jessica domke]

cute lil baby & a really nice set-up!!!! but i wud have 2 agree w/germ. trust me, dragon's grow really fast, so ur lil guy will out grow it rather quickly than u think & it needs more floor space. it is also best 2 keep a baby's enclosure simpler at first. not baggin on the set-up at all tho, i really like it, just tryin 2 give some friendly pointers!

 

[blackclaw83]

ok so we took out one of the large logs. are in the process of fixing the mats at the bottem. the highest i can raise it isto 100. but every one i have talked to has told me down here they keep there bds between 95 to 105? so im just kinda confused about this. Plus i can not find at what temp to keep him at at night

 

[Germ]

95-105F is the proper temp for an adult BD, young BDs right thru to Sub-adults should have a basking temp in the vicinity of 110F. The higher Heat is required to aid in the digestion process. Young BDs are more active, growing, so need much more nourishment than adults. They need to digest their food faster in order to be able to take in the nourishment required, the higher heat is necessary for this process to be accomplished effectively. There are many ways to raise the temp & they should be measured in the proper area. Such as raising the basking spot or lowering the fixture to decrease the distance between the bulb & basking spot or use a higher wattage or different type of bulb. The Basking temp must be taken at the basking spot, there is big a difference 4-6" off to the side. If both of those things that are mounted on the walls are thermometers, you are measuring the temps in areas that the BD will never be, it's not likely to be stuck to the walls anytime soon. Those types of thermometers are notorious for their inaccuracy & mounted where they are, will give more the Temp of the Glass than the inside environment. The glass is affected as much by the outside ambient room temps as the inside, so do not give accurate readings. A digital thermometer with a sensor that can be placed or mount directly at the basing spot is highly recommended. The cool side temp should be taken low at the floor area furthest from the heat bulb & should be in the 80-85F range to give the proper heat gradient.

Night light is not needed or wanted, as any colored light will disturb most BDs sleep. Night heat is not needed & again, or wanted, unless the ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60s F. Should this happen to be the case, then a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) is recommended, heat with no light emitted, just enough to take the edge off. BDs should be allowed to cool at night, slows their metabolism for a good nights sleep.

As aesthetically pleasing as that enclosure may look, it makes a great fish tank, but not a very good BD enclosure at all. There just simply is not enough floor area to house it in there for very long & that's all there is to it. BDs are terrestrial by nature & semi arboreal when basking. Until you can get a decent enclosure, I would also remove the half log hide & if you don't see it drinking from the water dish in the next few days, I would recommend removing it too. Most BDs will not recognize standing water, the odd one will, but they are few and far between. If the water bowl is not being used, it serves no purpose but to raise the humidity, which in most cases you do not want, as most of us have to try to keep it down. Regular mistings, warm soaks & it's food will provide ample hydration.

Another point that is very worthy of mention, is the location that you have the enclosure situated. Being in front of a Sunny window can & will cause dangerous heat spikes in the enclosure when the Sun hits. The glass will block any beneficial rays from the sun, as UVB cannot pass through solid filters such as Glass or Plastic & will magnify the Suns heat. The enclosure will serve dangerously as an oven. You don't want to be cooking the little one. In colder weather it will also be susceptible to drafts.

Here are some links that you may find helpful in answering the majority of your questions with good solid info, that can be trusted, unlike much found on the web today ...

Bearded Dragon Basic Care Guide

Exclusive Bearded Dragon Care Info Library

Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

Good Luck

 

[Em Lynch]

I actually have that as a fish tank! i would never house a bearded dragon in it no matter how small :/ how are you supposed to achieve a heat gradient in something narrow and tall?

 

[Germ]

Actually the heat gradient shouldn't be too hard to achieve, as heat rises, but it may have to be close to the bulb to achieve it, hard to say .

 

[blackclaw83]

sry em i had no idea. next time i will ask you before i get a tank ok.....

Germ. Thx for the tips. Me and my girl are takeing them in and fixing alot of what you are saying. We really had no idea about alot of these things. When i described this tank to others down here all i ever got was this would work. Here soon { WAY BEFORE he/she out grows it} we will be changeing it. But i had no iea bout the spot light being differant for babies.

 

[Germ]

By others that you described the enclosure to, would they happen to be the pet shops?

 

[blackclaw83]

that, and friend who have bds

 

[Germ]

Just a word of warning, from my own experience & the experience of many others over the years, in general, Pet Stores are notorious for being very poor sources of information, there are the odd exceptions, but are few & far between. Very few are species specific knowledgeable in their care & give very generalized advice & too often it's the poor critters that suffer and many die an early death because of it. There have been several instances on this forum alone that keepers have come too late or don't take the good advice in time. That may be your acquaintances source of info also, I don't know. But we will try not to steer you wrong. There are a lot of experienced keepers on this forum so by simple numbers, when something is posted that is not quite right about the necessary basic care, there is generally someone around to catch it.

Good Luck

EDIT: By the way, one of those fixtures contains a UVB bulb, does it not? What Brand & strength is it?

 

[blackclaw83]

That is why im trying to soak up as much info as i can. Spaz is to much fun to let anything happen to. And i should have know better. Pet store people are known for that fact that you posted.

UVB Repisun 5.0 Compact Fluorescent

 

[blackclaw83]

zoo med basking spot lamp 100 watts and a uvb 5.0 uvb compact

 

[blackclaw83]

 

[blackclaw83]

there are the fixes so far. i can not think of how to fix the carpet with out tapeing it down....i want to be able to pull it up to clean it...any ideas?

 

[Germ]

One of the hazards of using repti-carpet . I notice that you are using Repcal Bearded Dragon Food, but I can't tell from the pic if they have been moistened or not so here is a just in case ... Never feed pellets of any kind 'dry', the process of digestion & the moisture that is needed to do so will suck the majority of your BDs hydration stores very quickly & lead to dehydration. If you haven't done so already, soak them in some water or juice (I just use Water), just enough so they swell up & are soft right through, drain off any excess prior to feeding them to your BD. This will also be a good source of hydration for your BD.

Most of us use 10.0 UVB for our dragons. Yours is not filtered by any screens, so you may be able to get away with it, but your BD will have to be able to get within 6-8" inches of it at it's basking spot for it to receive any usable benefit from it. It will also have to be replaced in about 6 months time.

The enclosure is looking much better and should be ok for a few months providing you can achieve the proper heat gradient, the hammock blocks a lot of the light from reaching the floor but should be ok.

Yup, I don't envy you the maintenance\cleaning\cricket hunting in that tank.

Good Luck

 

[blackclaw83]

ooooo i am already noticing the crix hunting......yeah i use fruit juice over the pellets. i have the basking are reaching 110 know. but he will not go to it. The pet shop i got him from did not have a basking are for the babies. they said it was not needed and all they would need was a uvb. that is one thing i did not believe them on.

 

[Pat B]

Germ is right....don't listen to 'reptile specialists' in Pet Stores. 99% of them are full of crap and will tell you anything so you will spend money. I had that happen to me and that will be the last time....I was told I JUST HAD to have a red night light....NOT! So I listen to this forum for any questions or concerns that I have. You might want to try paper towels for the bottom....easy to clean up the poo and replace with clean. You do need a UVB....10.0. I have had my beardie about 3 months and have learned so much about their needs....but I love my little stubby tailed Spike....he is indeed a trip and has an attitude....he thinks he is the 'alpha' in my house....lol....