My Setup, and Shedding Baby Dragon, Please Give Advice

[stoned philosopher]

Hi All,

Below is my new terrarium 36"x12"x18" and baby Bearded Dragon named Hamlet. He is currently shedding for the first time since I had him and I am having a few concerns.

Some people say they need a special moss to help shed but other breeders say they don't.

Do I just leave him be until he is done or what should I do?

He isn't eating much but I understand that is normal for BDs when shedding. (should i take the crickets or the dish with collard greens and meal worms out?)

Terrarium Setup: basking/ hiding (cave), a log for him to crawl around on, a bowl with
lukewarm distilled water and a little dish of collard greens mixed with meal worm. 4 or 5 tiny crickets dusted in calcium. Above the terrarium I have a uvb bulb as well as a 100watt basking light giving about 105F on the basking rock and roughly 80F on the cooler side.

Any professional or experienced hobbyist advice will be greatly appreciated. I just want to make sure my little buddy ends up living a long and healthy life.

Thank you in advance.

 

[SpecialGreg]

Not a professional or anything but with my little guy I will give him a nice warm bath helping the loose skin to fall off.

 

[stoned philosopher]

Not a professional or anything but with my little guy I will give him a nice warm bath helping the loose skin to fall off.

Can you please explain what you mean by warm bath and how you get him to let you do that. I tried putting Hamlet in some warm water and he just jumped right out.

 

[SpecialGreg]

Ya man to problem. I just get him out and hold him for a bit so he calms down and I fill a big plastic bowl with some warm to the touch water and slowly set him in it. And he cannot get out.

 

[SpecialGreg]

Ya man no problem. I just get him out and hold him for a bit so he calms down and I fill a big plastic bowl with some warm to the touch water and slowly set him in it. And he cannot get out. Just make sure the bowl is large enough he cannot escape. And only fill with a shallow amount of water. Just enough to go about up to his armpits.

 

[stoned philosopher]

Thanks, I'm gonna give it a try, assuming 90-95f should be a decent temp or lower?

 

[SpecialGreg]

That sounds about right. Let me know how it goes.. my beardie loves baths he just sits in the water and flattens out and sits there.

 

[stoned philosopher]

wasnt too excited but i bathed him any way, maybe I wasn't keeping temp right. now he is basking.

 

[SpecialGreg]

Ya some like it some don't my guy is just finishing a shed also so he got a bath yesterday and I just gave him another one as I saw some skin flakes on him. He loves it. He Drinks a bunch of the water lol I think he is trying to drown himself but then he pops his head up and just enjoys it.

 

[SpecialGreg]

Just make sure you keep spraying him down if you don't wanna keep trying baths. A couple times a day.

 

[stoned philosopher]

I will be spraying periodically and giving him daily bath while shedding. He really doesn't want to eat his crickets at all, he ran away from the little crickets. I gave him a batch of 10 and a little piece of collard green, he didn't eat any crickets and only a bite or 2 of the collard green. What do i do, he needs his nutrition?

 

[SpecialGreg]

Not to sure on that. My guy is the same way but as soon as he is about done he picks back up on his eating. I'm switching from crickets to dubia roaches hoping he will have more of an interest in them. Plus you can put them in a dish they can't escape unlike crickets that scatter and hide everywhere.

 

[stoned philosopher]

Never mind, I took everything out the tank except Hamlet and the crickets, I left for about an hour and when I got back they were all gone. I gave him a bath as you said and used the soft tooth brush and front and rear legs and tail. Used warmer water, he still didn't like it but I think it may have been a bit better today then yesterday.

 

[SpecialGreg]

Sounds good. Ya I have to do the same by removing everything from the tank. That is why I am looking forward to feed dubia cause I have a dish they cannot crawl out of but Loki can get into.