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Newbie needs help getting beardie to be comfortable

griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Hello!

Jed and I are new to the forum. I got him 2 weeks ago this Saturday from Petco! For the first couple days he was super chill, didn't mind me handling him at all, and consistently let me feed him. He even slept on top of his log the first night. Then about 5 days into having him he hissed at me when I took him outside and jumped out of my hand. Ever since then he seems to feel threatened when I take him out of his enclosure. He doesn't let me hold him long before he wants to escape, puffs out his beard, and occasionally hisses at me. I also introduced him to my dog, I'm not sure whether that was a good idea but she has had zero contact with him since. He eats quite a bit every day, I feed him a blueberry, lettuce, and fluckers buffet blend. I have some dried out crickets but he doesn't seem to like them. I also heard that spritzing bearded dragons with water is a good way to keep him hydrated, but then I heard some negative things about it so I stopped doing it. I take him out of his enclosure about twice a day and let him roam around my room or hold him. Anyways I'd love some advice on how to get him to warm up to me. Thanks!
 

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Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,691
Hello!

Jed and I are new to the forum. I got him 2 weeks ago this Saturday from Petco! For the first couple days he was super chill, didn't mind me handling him at all, and consistently let me feed him. He even slept on top of his log the first night. Then about 5 days into having him he hissed at me when I took him outside and jumped out of my hand. Ever since then he seems to feel threatened when I take him out of his enclosure. He doesn't let me hold him long before he wants to escape, puffs out his beard, and occasionally hisses at me. I also introduced him to my dog, I'm not sure whether that was a good idea but she has had zero contact with him since. He eats quite a bit every day, I feed him a blueberry, lettuce, and fluckers buffet blend. I have some dried out crickets but he doesn't seem to like them. I also heard that spritzing bearded dragons with water is a good way to keep him hydrated, but then I heard some negative things about it so I stopped doing it. I take him out of his enclosure about twice a day and let him roam around my room or hold him. Anyways I'd love some advice on how to get him to warm up to me. Thanks!
Ok please give him time to acclimate to his surroundings- only hold him briefly in the tank--- and good no more dog- there have been so many disasters w/ dogs and dragons--- please no more dried food and he needs live insects and fresh salads every day - I am going to post a website for you for nutrition and websites for live feeder's-- but most importantly is the basking temps and UVB-- I see a stick on those are inaccurate-- you need a digital probe thermometer to get actual basking temps- 105-110 for a baby-- how old is he? Next No coil UVB's- basking temps and correct UVB are extremely important- they control the over all health and behavior-- I can post links to UVB fixtures for you-- the behavior your getting is normal-- get a piece of clothing or fleece blanket and put in his hide so he gets used to your smell - approach from the side not from above he will think your a predator- they have a 3rd eye on top of their heads- NO COILS NO COLORED BULBS NO HEAT MATS OR HEAT ROCKS- temps at nite should be 65-75 and dark - you can use a stick on for ambient temps but not basking-
 

Skybug

Bearded Dragon Veteran
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
2,283
Welcome to the forum :) It’s actually a good thing that he’s hissing at you believe it or not (yes he’s stressed) but that means that he recognizes his enclosure as his home and something to defend, instead of running away, it usually takes a full month for them to calm down, totally agree with Sadie get him some live food , bsfl, and roaches are gonna be “best” for him, Spraying his head with water is totally fine, just dont spray into his nose or eyes(since hes so small putting drops of water on his head would probably be best) he’ll come around they usually do :)
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,691
What UVB light do you recommend? I was using a 10 UVB 13 Watt bulb.
That is a coil one of the worst I have seen yet--- please get rid of it--- you want a long tube fixture like this
there are a few on the market you can get but the most that are recommended are these - Zoo Med Sunblaster or Arcadia fixtures - for a 40+ gallon tank a 24" fixture would work - here are some links to what you will probably need to order most pet stores do not carry what is recommended but you can look
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/arcadia-prot5-uvb-kit.html 24" fixture w/ the 12% bulb replace bulb in one year I recommend a month prior to --
https://www.amazon.com/Reptisun-T5-Ho-Terrarium-Hood/dp/B00CX5HXI2/ref=sr_1_5?crid=17L4AHOMP4DSL&dchild=1&keywords=zoo+med+24+hood&qid=1625141580&sprefix=Zoo+Med+24",aps,183&sr=8-5 only 2 left here you will need this bulb as the fixture comes w/ the 5.0 hang on to it it can be used as a back up but the distance and placement is different from the 10.0
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html 22" I would get it from here Amazon was high every where I looked so this place ships fast and fed ex plus shipping is around $7 same w/ this bulb replace in one year a month prior to
When you get the UVB please post back and I will help you place it in your tank --- they have certain placement and distance
 

ReptileMom

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
19
Yeahhh please try to handle him less and keep the dog away, beardies are solitary creatures and get stressed out easily. They don’t LIKE being handled, they more TOLERATE it so give him time to acclimate to his enclosure first and then you. I also can’t stress the importance of live feeders (I use joshsfrogs.com) dusted with calcium powder and a tube UVB on the inside of the enclosure. I like ReptiSun 10.0 17w and make sure to change every 6mos, not just when it goes out. Please also make sure the temps are perfect - around 105-110 on the warm side and around 85 on the cool side. He will drink water when he needs, these are arid animals and don’t need a lot - you don’t want to risk upper respiratory infections. Focus on getting his enclosure to be perfect and introducing your hand every now and then and he will eventually let you handle him more.
 

griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
That is a coil one of the worst I have seen yet--- please get rid of it--- you want a long tube fixture like this
there are a few on the market you can get but the most that are recommended are these - Zoo Med Sunblaster or Arcadia fixtures - for a 40+ gallon tank a 24" fixture would work - here are some links to what you will probably need to order most pet stores do not carry what is recommended but you can look
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/arcadia-prot5-uvb-kit.html 24" fixture w/ the 12% bulb replace bulb in one year I recommend a month prior to --
https://www.amazon.com/Reptisun-T5-Ho-Terrarium-Hood/dp/B00CX5HXI2/ref=sr_1_5?crid=17L4AHOMP4DSL&dchild=1&keywords=zoo+med+24+hood&qid=1625141580&sprefix=Zoo+Med+24",aps,183&sr=8-5 only 2 left here you will need this bulb as the fixture comes w/ the 5.0 hang on to it it can be used as a back up but the distance and placement is different from the 10.0
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-t5.html 22" I would get it from here Amazon was high every where I looked so this place ships fast and fed ex plus shipping is around $7 same w/ this bulb replace in one year a month prior to
When you get the UVB please post back and I will help you place it in your tank --- they have certain placement and distance
Thank you so much! I got the reptisun T-5, a digital thermometer, and some live food. The guy at the petco said that I should feed him 3 live crickets a day but I looked online and it said 25-30. When I got home I gave him 5 and he seemed to want more.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,691
Thank you so much! I got the reptisun T-5, a digital thermometer, and some live food. The guy at the petco said that I should feed him 3 live crickets a day but I looked online and it said 25-30. When I got home I gave him 5 and he seemed to want more.
Do not listen to the people at the pet store at that rate your dragon is going to starve to death ---- the T 5 can sit on top of screen ONLY IF the screen is wide hole ---- NO fine mesh like a screen door if that is what it is it needs to go inside the tank approx 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor --- hang it w/ this stuff 3 M command Velcro fasteners- picture hanging wire –long plastic zip ties fishing line or potted plant wire hangers or this stuff it works great its like a Velcro strap cut into strips and wrap around the fixture https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-15-ft-Cable-Ties-Hook-and-Loop-Spool-Black-10375/304220195 ---if the screen is a wide hole place directly above the basking decor 8-10 inches
Next start feeding salads every morning here is a website http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a great staple feeder
Please get some BSFL add to the tops of his salads use them as lures DO NOT dust them order large as they are small www.symtonbsf.com hand feed him a few feed as many as you want they are great staple feeder for a baby -- Make sure you are dusting the crickets w/ calcium D3 5 x per week ONCE per feeding and vitamins w/ beta carotene 2 x per week ONCE per feeding -- your dragon should be eating 20-30 crickets 2 x per day --- I recommend you switch him over to dubia roaches they are a better feeder and easier to keep -- get a 10 gallon aquarium order like 200 of them feed dubia chow / food and water crystals www.dubiaraoches.com -- also get him some medium super worms feed 1-3 on top of his salads as well --- you can keep the BSFL on your counter or in the room w/ the dragon rinse them before serving --- same w/ the greens rinse before serving it will keep him hydrated -- you want him eating the salads now but his main diet at this point is protein but you need to get him started on salads now make sure basking temps are 105-110 -- taken w/ that probe place on the spot where he sits for basking 10 minutes or so
 

ReptileMom

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
19
Thank you so much! I got the reptisun T-5, a digital thermometer, and some live food. The guy at the petco said that I should feed him 3 live crickets a day but I looked online and it said 25-30. When I got home I gave him 5 and he seemed to want more.
Juvenile beardies act like they’re starving all the time and need much more protein than adults. I remember I would feed mine three times a day and now he eats feeders maybe once or twice a week (I offer but he has no interest). A good rule of thumb is to feed them as many feeders as they’ll eat for 15 minutes. Also make sure they’re no bigger than the space between their eyes. I can’t recommend black soldier fly larva (bsfl) and silk worms enough for growing beardies - lots of protein, I get from joshsfrogs.com but crickets are fine too - I’m just not a fan of Petco. Anyway, he’s also probably just psyched to have live protein over the dried stuff now lol
 

griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Juvenile beardies act like they’re starving all the time and need much more protein than adults. I remember I would feed mine three times a day and now he eats feeders maybe once or twice a week (I offer but he has no interest). A good rule of thumb is to feed them as many feeders as they’ll eat for 15 minutes. Also make sure they’re no bigger than the space between their eyes. I can’t recommend black soldier fly larva (bsfl) and silk worms enough for growing beardies - lots of protein, I get from joshsfrogs.com but crickets are fine too - I’m just not a fan of Petco. Anyway, he’s also probably just psyched to have live protein over the dried stuff now lol
 

griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Now that I've got live food for him, he is waaay more active and hasn't hissed at me. Unfortunately, he has started glass surfing and he hadn't done it since the first day or two but now it's frequent. Today I got one of those scenic things that you put on the back of the tank as well as a thermometer. As you can see it doesn't totally remove the reflection so he is still doing it. I'm assuming he is seeing himself and thinking its another bearded dragon because he has his beard a bit puffed out.
 

griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Juvenile beardies act like they’re starving all the time and need much more protein than adults. I remember I would feed mine three times a day and now he eats feeders maybe once or twice a week (I offer but he has no interest). A good rule of thumb is to feed them as many feeders as they’ll eat for 15 minutes. Also make sure they’re no bigger than the space between their eyes. I can’t recommend black soldier fly larva (bsfl) and silk worms enough for growing beardies - lots of protein, I get from joshsfrogs.com but crickets are fine too - I’m just not a fan of Petco. Anyway, he’s also probably just psyched to have live protein over the dried stuff now lol
Now that I've got live food for him, he is waaay more active and hasn't hissed at me. Unfortunately, he has started glass surfing and he hadn't done it since the first day or two but now it's frequent. Today I got one of those scenic things that you put on the back of the tank as well as a thermometer. As you can see it doesn't totally remove the reflection so he is still doing it. I'm assuming he is seeing himself and thinking its another bearded dragon because he has his beard a bit puffed out.
 

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Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,691
Now that I've got live food for him, he is waaay more active and hasn't hissed at me. Unfortunately, he has started glass surfing and he hadn't done it since the first day or two but now it's frequent. Today I got one of those scenic things that you put on the back of the tank as well as a thermometer. As you can see it doesn't totally remove the reflection so he is still doing it. I'm assuming he is seeing himself and thinking its another bearded dragon because he has his beard a bit puffed out.
Ok I see the thermometer but you need one w/ a probe like this
Please get the probe and place it on the log where Jed sits for basking leave 10 minutes --- did you replace the UVB? That is a priority!! Please post back on here when you get it so I can help you get it placed in the tank --- these things I am posting about are a MUST for your dragon to be healthy----
 

griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
Ok I see the thermometer but you need one w/ a probe like this
Please get the probe and place it on the log where Jed sits for basking leave 10 minutes --- did you replace the UVB? That is a priority!! Please post back on here when you get it so I can help you get it placed in the tank --- these things I am posting about are a MUST for your dragon to be healthy----
Here is a pic of the light
 

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griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
I think the brand is reptisun but I don't remember I threw the box away.
 

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Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,691
I think the brand is reptisun but I don't remember I threw the box away.
Ok no that is not a Reptisun bulb it's made in china NO good please get a Reptisun 10.0 T 8 bulb - it needs to be unobstructed No screen -- basking decor needs to be directly under it 6-8 inches the screen is blocking 30% of the rays
 

griffink074

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
13
I just removed the plastic so it's not blocking any of the rays.
Ok no that is not a Reptisun bulb it's made in china NO good please get a Reptisun 10.0 T 8 bulb - it needs to be unobstructed No screen -- basking decor needs to be directly under it 6-8 inches the screen is blocking 30% of the rays
I just removed the plastic so it's not blocking any of the rays.
 

Sadie

Bearded Dragon Veteran
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
10,691
I just removed the plastic so it's not blocking any of the rays.

I just removed the plastic so it's not blocking any of the rays.
Please have no screen either the T 8 is not strong enough to go thru the screen--is the fixture long enough to sit width wise?
 
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