New Beardie Mommy <3

[emberlove]

Okay so I don't know the exact dimension of what the tank is because I'm at work but when I got Ember she came with a UVB light, water, food, food bowl, a cactus, ceramic log, two washable cage carpets, a thermometor, a basking log, a cricket house with gutload cricket diet, calcium powder, spray bottle, premade dehydrated veggie mix, and a container of XL meal worms.

 

[emberlove]

I believe she does have a long one that runs across the top of her cage. In the picture I just recently posted, her cage extends about three more inches on the right hand side but that picture was sent from my boyfriend cause she fell asleep right there haha

I appreciate everyone's help! I hope you guys know that I'm not trying to be defensive of any sorts I just want to make sure she is taken care of asap!

 

[Aleena]

Okay so I don't know the exact dimension of what the tank is because I'm at work but when I got Ember she came with a UVB light, water, food, food bowl, a cactus, ceramic log, two washable cage carpets, a thermometor, a basking log, a cricket house with gutload cricket diet, calcium powder, spray bottle, premade dehydrated veggie mix, and a container of XL meal worms.

Can't say for certain, but it looks too tall to me. Could be a 20 tall I guess, but a 20 long would be what was needed. I'll wait for the dimensions and for you to double check that long bulb. The light does look very purple, I'm not sure what it is. Keep in mind that you need a hot side and a cool side, so you would need to slide that basking light over to the right so it wasn't making the whole tank hot, the side that doesn't have the water on it. For a 7? month old you would probably want the temps under the basking light about 105, so you want the basking log or spot (the highest spot in the tank) directly under the basking light.

 

[emberlove]

Here is a picture my boyfriend just sent now She looks like she is enjoying the basking light! We do have a hot and cold side and her tank is about 80 F degrees. She looks very long in this picture! I fear that I'm just being a worried new mom

 

[Germ]

It does appear to have a fluorescent tube fixture.

But looks to be a Black Light (Ultraviolet light), but this type does not provide UVB. If it is a proper UVB bulb, you will have to find out how old it is, if unknown or older than 6 months, with it being filtered through a screen, it would have to be replaced. The location of the basking bulb seems to be a little strange to provide the proper temps & heat gradient.

Once you get home, if you can take pics showing the full enclosure & lighting, would help greatly. Dimensions of the enclosure, accurate temps directly at the basking spot & at the coolest area of the enclosure would also help. Do you provide heat at night?

A 7 month old, the size of a 2 - 2.5 month old, says that there are some serious issues somewhere. We'll try & help to pinpoint them.

Do not think you are being defensive & understand that it is your wish to provide proper care. We ask so many questions in order to get a feel of the situation, so we can be helpful. The more descriptive & accurate you can be, the better advice or recommendations you will receive. Pictures are sooooo helpful in pinpointing existing & potentially inadequate husbandry. In many instances, keepers may have all the right equipment, but improperly set up to be effective & beneficial to the BD.

Good Luck

 

[Aleena]

Here is a picture my boyfriend just sent now She looks like she is enjoying the basking light! We do have a hot and cold side and her tank is about 80 F degrees. She looks very long in this picture! I fear that I'm just being a worried new mom

Awww, she's a chubby little thing! Cute!
I was asking for the basking temp and cool side temp...80 is a good cool side temp, but still need to make sure of what it is under her basking light.
Don't worry about it until you can go home and take the dimensions and look at things yourself. You're not a worried new mom, you want to take care of your baby and there's no shame in that .

 

[emberlove]

I do provide heat at night, I believe that is the UVB light correct? I just want to provide her with the best home possible! The previous owners said she was an inlet dragon? They thought she might be a dwarf. They were very educated or so I thought. I've never owned a beardie before and just want to take all the right precautions! Thanks!


I held her for the first time today since getting her and she was so calm and just hung out with me! I loved it! I was beaming from ear to ear haha. It's crazy how much I love her already <3

 

[Germ]

The thermometer is not in the right place to get an accurate temp of the Basking Spot, but even where it is sitting, does not appear to be anywhere near hot enough. Looks to be reading in the low 80s F, rather than in the vicinity of 110F where it should be, directly at the Basking Spot.

 

[Germ]

Night light is not needed or wanted, no matter what color it is, it can disturb it's sleep. If your ambient room temps happen to drop below the mid to low 60sF at night, then & only then should night heat be provided to take the edge off. A CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) is recommended for this purpose if needed, as it provides heat without emitting light.

 

[Germ]

Pics can be deceiving, but that looks an awful lot like my 10 gal.

 

[Aleena]

I do provide heat at night, I believe that is the UVB light correct? I just want to provide her with the best home possible! The previous owners said she was an inlet dragon? They thought she might be a dwarf. They were very educated or so I thought. I've never owned a beardie before and just want to take all the right precautions! Thanks!


I held her for the first time today since getting her and she was so calm and just hung out with me! I loved it! I was beaming from ear to ear haha. It's crazy how much I love her already <3

She doesn't have the coloration of a rankins which is the small species, so she's not a dwarf. Probably what they said was inland dragon, rather than coastal.
Looks like the purple light is actually coming out of one of those domes, not the long one, so my assumption that the long one is not UVB might be wrong, but we'll see.What's the temps like in the room you are keeping her in at night? If it's, like Germ said, mid to low 60's, you don't need to provide any heat at night. BD's are bothered by colored light, and it's best to use a bright white light, not a colored bulb.With the temps so low, you might need to get a new basking bulb, but it might just be that the tank is too high. It definitely looks like a tall not a long. A very good tip that Germ drilled into my head is use a digital thermometer that way you can have the temperature taker right at the basking spot so you always know that the temperatures are right. You can put the probe under the light and hang the read out on the outside of the tank, and they're cheap too, you can find them at pet stores usually around 6 or 7 bucks.
Your baby is so cute and cuddly looking! Keep in mind though, even though they look very tempting to hold, it's usually best to give them a week to acclimate to their new environment before handling them for more than maintenance.
I know you're not being defensive as you said earlier, and I just want you to know that I'm only trying to make sure you and Ember are happy together for a very long time.

 

[emberlove]

You guys are the best! We are going to go the pet store tonight to get the things you guys have listed just to be sure. Her tank is more tall than long, and it is something that will be handled asap. Inland sounds right! Her coloring is so pretty, it has a reddish tint to it. I only held her for a few minutes while my boyfriend and I cleaned out her cage today and gave her a meal worm nom nom nom.

 

[Germ]

It may be a good idea to add an electronic timer to run the lights, to the list, in order to keep it's Day\Night schedule consistent. 12-14 hrs On, the rest off is generally the recommended range. I have found 12\12 to work the best. It is also so good to have for when you can't be there on time to turn them On\Off on time.

 

[emberlove]

It may be a good idea to add an electronic timer to run the lights, to the list, in order to keep it's Day\Night schedule consistent. 12-14 hrs On, the rest off, the rest off is generally the recommended range. I have found 12\12 to work the best. It is also so good to have for when you can't be there on time to turn them On\Off on time.

Great idea Germ! Would you suggest purchasing a 20 gallon long tank set up from a pet store? I would like to make as least amount of trips as possible. A detailed list would be awesome! A few posts up I wrote all that I had! Thanks again

Love,
Ember <3

 

[Aleena]

You guys are the best! We are going to go the pet store tonight to get the things you guys have listed just to be sure. Her tank is more tall than long, and it is something that will be handled asap. Inland sounds right! Her coloring is so pretty, it has a reddish tint to it. I only held her for a few minutes while my boyfriend and I cleaned out her cage today and gave her a meal worm nom nom nom.

Sounds like the right amount of handling then . You need to look at your long light first and see if it is a UVB 10.0 or not though! Add that to the list if it's not. It could just be light. So far we have a 20 gallon long tank or 40 gallon breeder tank, a digital thermometer, a new basking light, electronic timer... Maybe a UVB, right? Make sure we're all on the same page. And get rid of the purple light, she doesn't need it.

 

[emberlove]

had to post this! my boyfriend sent it to me while I'm at work. The caption is the best!

Narcissist!

 

[Aleena]

had to post this! my boyfriend sent it to me while I'm at work. The caption is the best!

Narcissist!

Awwww! That is just touching.

 

[Germ]

Great idea Germ! Would you suggest purchasing a 20 gallon long tank set up from a pet store? I would like to make as least amount of trips as possible. A detailed list would be awesome! A few posts up I wrote all that I had! Thanks again

Love,
Ember <3

Personally I would go to a 40+ gal breeder, right off the hop, as that is what you will need when it grows up, although by the looks of things, she will likely always be a smaller dragon than most now. But once properly setup, who knows, it may have a great growing spurt, stranger things have happened.

You have most of what you need in the way of fixtures & furniture. Here is what I suggest if you don't already have it & I missed it.

- ReptiSun 10.0 (Preferred) or a Reptiglo 10.0 tube UVB Fluorescent Bulb to fit your fixture. Even if you get a larger enclosure, the fixture that you have, will do the job. It does not have to cover the whole enclosure, as long as the raised Basking spot is well covered. There will be very little effective UVB reaching the floor, if any at all, anyway.

- Basking Bulb - what you have may do the job, but you will have to play with Wattages & distances to work for your set up & room temps. You do not have to use a bulb bought from the Pet store, any white or clear bulb of sufficient wattage to bring the temps into the desired range will do the job just as well. Personally, I use Halogen Flood bulbs from the local hardware store at less than half the price of Pet store bulbs. They provide more heat per Watt, brighter whiter light, superb heat penetration & consume much less power, so cheaper to run to boot. BDs thrive on Bright white light. If you choose to go this route, at a guess, a 50W Halogen Flood should do the job if you go with a larger enclosure (40+ Gal), would likely be too hot for a 20 gal long.

- A larger natural Rock from outside, baked or frozen prior to being put in the enclosure, to kill any bacteria or anything else living in\on it. This will help keep it's claws wore down, as it will act as an emery board when it climbs around on it. Could also be used as a basking spot, if used for this, do not get a really dark or black one, but a medium colored one. Something, as in light\dark, in a similar range as the color brightness of your BD.

- Digital thermometer with a probe\sensor

- Electronic Timer

- Larger enclosure of your choice of size with a screen top, eventually it should have at least 40 gal Breeder Tank, so keep this in mind if you don't want to have to upgrade again later. Also keep in mind, floor area is much more important than height. 16"-18" tall is a good height for a glass enclosure with the lights above the screen.

- Non-particle substrate to fit the new enclosure.

- Multivitamin such as Herptivite or Reptivite - a powder for dusting, similar to the Calcium

This should get you set up & in the right direction.

 

[Pat B]

I have just finished reading all the posts. You are definitely on the right track.....Germ is a tremendous help to anyone here. He has helped me a lot and I appreciated every bit of it. I had never had a beardie before and didn't know they required so much set up and care but I am on the right track thanks to this forum. Good luck and you have a beautiful dragon!! Enjoy!

 

[Germ]

Thanks for the nice comments of appreciation, Pat, they are appreciated.

Aleena & many other members are huge contributors also.