So ever since I joined, there's been some changes...

[Daeyang]

Alright! So my beardie Daryl, is now, HOPEFULLY, in the perfect enviroment.
Before I joined this site, I used calci-sand. Now, I use
A small layer of calci- sand, paper towels on top and then a layer of newspaper.
The calci-sand is a very thin layer, so its at least a softer surface for Daryl.
During the day her usual heat, is at about 100˚F but if it's cold out, her tank is about 80˚F :/
I'm not sure if thats alright, but it's because her tank is right next to the balcony.
Her tank is a 55 gallon tank ( I think ) I got it for free from my teacher cause he was getting rid of it.
She is under a year old, I think, I got her when she was about 6-7 inches. Now she's 16 inches.
I mainly feed her superworms, and a few rasberries a day.
I do need help though, she will only eat rasberries or grapes. NOTHING ELSE! I get her dandelion greens, she won't eat them, collard greens, Nothing!
And I'm only 15 years old, so its hard to feed her veggies everyday also, cause I have a lot of homework everyday

 

[richard]

what do you mean by usual heat? baskin spot should be 100 to 110 and cool side should be 80 to 85. what kind of uvb do you use? try offering greens first thing in the am then give worms about an hour after. some get used to that and will eat the greens first

 

[Daeyang]

Well the basking spot is about 100, and i use a uvb bullb, not sure what it is cause I lost the box, but I got the info on here. And supposably its a good one and I'll try giving greens first thing in the morning I guess, thank you.^_^

 

[Mountain Bearded Dragons]

what do you mean by usual heat? baskin spot should be 100 to 110 and cool side should be 80 to 85. what kind of uvb do you use? try offering greens first thing in the am then give worms about an hour after. some get used to that and will eat the greens first

Well the basking spot is about 100, and i use a uvb bullb, not sure what it is cause I lost the box, but I got the info on here. And supposably its a good one and I'll try giving greens first thing in the morning I guess, thank you.^_^

Agreed with the both of you

 

[Jp]

If the cold weather is affecting the temps inside your dragon's enclosure than a C.H.E (Ceramic Heat Emitter) is recommended for extra heat.

 

[Germ]

I would suggest moving the enclosure away from the window, as it is susceptible to drafts in colder weather & possible drastic heat spikes in hot weather if the sun hits the window. The beneficial, useable UVB rays from the sun, can not penetrate a solid filter such as glass.

I don't understand the purpose of the thin layer of Calci-Sand under the paper. IMHO Calci-Sand should not be in a BDs enclosure at all.

You seem quite vague about accurate temps, do you actually know? What are you measuring them with & where. Could you give us 'Accurate' temps taken directly at the basking spot & at the floor area furthest from the heat bulb?

I also suggest varying the live prey item menu. Particularly if you are feeding mainly supers & are having a problem keeping consistent heat at the basking spot. Supers are harder to digest, so the temps should be right on, if using them. Your BD sounds to be the size & age to be starting to need more Greens than Prey. You could start only feeding Live Prey every other day with a constant supply of fresh greens daily. The previous suggestions of feeding greens in the morning are good ones, replenished or freshened up if needed when you get home from school. I would refrain from feeding fruit altogether, until it takes to the Greens, then feed fruit as a treat only. Here is a link to a very good Nutrition list that is color coded as to what is good to feed, not so good to feed & how often.
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html

What is the Day/Night schedule, the time the lights are turned on in the morning & off in the evening? If you look closely at your UVB bulb itself, there should be printing on it someplace that will tell you the brand & strength & you could pass that info on to us if you are unsure of it's quality. The CHE recommendation is a good one to keep night heat up, if it is needed because the ambient room temps drop below the mid to low 60sF at night. During the day, if added heat is needed, any household white or clear bulb will work quite well, of a wattage sufficient to bring the temps into the desired range . BDs thrive on Bright/White light (UVA).

Pictures of your set up are a big help.

Good Luck,

 

[Daeyang]

Basking Spot: 100˚
And the UVB is:

Repti-Sun 10.0​

 

[Fliehigh]

Please do not use CALCI-SAND, it binds and clumps in the BD's intestines and cannot be digested.

 

[Daeyang]

Alright so I'll take the calci-sand out, but there was no way for her to get to it unless she teared through all the paper

 

[Fliehigh]

It is all about acceptable risk.

I would recommend that you remove the calci-sand just incase your BD does get it and eats some, but it is your choice. if you wanted to use sand, please do some reaserch and then use washed playsand. Unlike calci-sand it will not bind together, ALLTHOUGH there is still a risk of impaction.

 

[Em Lynch]

I use this sand

Willow has been kept on sand by her previous owner for over a year and no harm done, i feed her everything in a large metal high rim saucer so no sand is ingested

 

[Germ]

While you may have been lucky so far, Calci-Sand is one of the more dangerous substrates for Impaction threat ... A Graphic example ---

This X-ray image is probably the most real example that I've ever seen, to make people fully aware that this is a very real and dangerous threat, and not just blown out of proportion.

Photo credit: BD.org

Yes, all those white areas in the belly are Calci-sand! This beardie was more like a "Rock with legs & a tail" than a normal beardie. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and shows the intensity of the problem much more effectively than words ever can.

BDs 'taste' things with their tongue to check out their environment, the risk of ingestion is not only there when they eat. Just putting the info out there along with an educated opinion.

Good Luck,

 

[Fliehigh]

I have used this same xray to try and express the dangers of Calci-Sand.

IMHO I believe that calci-sand should not be allowed to sold at least it should have a large print warning on the bags!

 

[Em Lynch]

I am educated in the risks, i'm not sure what to do about it, she really enjoys soft fabric so perhaps a reptile mat would be a better choice? i don't know if my local pet store sells them.

 

[Em Lynch]

anyway why do the company's label the sand as perfectly safe if digested? if theres no truth to it

 

[Germ]

Ask them? But the truth of it, is in the real world, experiences have shown, that it can & will clump together when moistened, can harden like cement. The X-ray tells the story. If you like a loose substrate, Children's Washed Play Sand is a much better choice. It falls apart when moistened & will pass right through if ingested, providing of course, that it is not large pebbles, small stones & you properly Hydrate your BD. Non Particle substrate is, by all means, a safer choice, but I have used Washed Play Sand for many years for all my BDs >10+".

 

[cybercat]

Is she eating greens yet?

 

[Em Lynch]

Thanks for the advice germ i'll definatley invest in some children's play sand! seems as its a cheaper/safer option

 

[Daeyang]

Is she eating greens yet?

She still has problems with veggies sometimes...but on rare occasions she'll eat it..

 

[Aleena]

While you may have been lucky so far, Calci-Sand is one of the more dangerous substrates for Impaction threat ... A Graphic example ---

This X-ray image is probably the most real example that I've ever seen, to make people fully aware that this is a very real and dangerous threat, and not just blown out of proportion.

Photo credit: BD.org

Yes, all those white areas in the belly are Calci-sand! This beardie was more like a "Rock with legs & a tail" than a normal beardie. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and shows the intensity of the problem much more effectively than words ever can.

BDs 'taste' things with their tongue to check out their environment, the risk of ingestion is not only there when they eat. Just putting the info out there along with an educated opinion.

Good Luck,

Sad part is I've seen an x-ray that looked very similar to this on one of my beardies when he was a young'n. We got the calci sand cleared out obviously, if he lived to be a virile dragon! It was a close one though! His clumps weren't quite that big and we were able to get them to break up with a bath once a day for a week.