Baby Beardie questions, please give advice

[ryuwx]

Hello guys, just got my first central beardie last weekend, very excited, he is about 4 weeks old, his name is Chivas

the enclosure is 90x50x50, made by timber, left hand side is 75w Reptile one ceramic heating bulb, the other side is Reptile one UV bulb.

here comes the questions, :shock:

1. my baby beardie seems like to sleep a lot, he got home yesterday and ate 2 crickets then hide at the corner and starting sleeping, even crickets climb over him he is still asleep, is this normal, do baby beardie sleep a lot?

2. I placed the thermometer at the heater side of the enlcosure and the temp is about 28-31 degrees, is this the right temperature? at night time I turn the ceramic heater bulb to about 25 degrees and I switch the UV bulb off, am I doing the right thing?

3. I put a thin cloak of calcium over the crickets, i put 5 crickets into the enclosure at once, if beardie dont finish all of them, do I need to take the remaining crickets out by the end of day or I can leave them inside? would the crickets hurt my beardie? I am using the small crickets from pet store.

4. is 75w reptile one ceramic heating bulb enough or should I use 100w ones? or use the red colour heating bulbs?

5. do I need to give baby beardie shower regularly?

My first beardie, I want to take good care of him, please give as much as advice you can, greatly appreciated!

another question, should baby beardie go toilet everyday? havnt seen his poo poo yet...

 

[black_headed_mon]

hi,what u need is a basking spot of 40-43(directly under the heat source,needs to be taken with a temp gun not the therometer)i would go get a flood light from bunnings as beardys associate light with heat,probably only need a 60w. hot end 30, cool end 26. i don't heat at nighr but depends on where u live i guess.please take crickets out if he doesn't eat them,they have been known to drink out of their eyes while sleeping.i would mist him with water every couple of days(warm) and even give him a bath once a week,not to deep,up to his shoulders.oh yeah i would move the uv light closer to the heat source,no good up the cool end.hope this helps bhm

 

[MetalMick]

Breadies worship the sun, I would replace the ceramic heater with a nice white light directed at the 35~38 degree basking spot

The temperature at the cool end shouldn't get over 29 degrees and night time temperatures of around 20~21 are ideal (but always over 16 degrees)

 

[SeaShell]

Crickets climbing over him can stress them out a lot, and possibly turn them off crickets for a while. I would definately be taking out what he doesn't eat. I agree with black_headed_mons temperatures, and whilst he is still so young, I would still keep higher temperatures at night. Definately make it nice and bright in the enclosure (by using a white light instead of ceramic heat emitter).

They shouldn't sleep a lot, during daylight hours, when its nice and bright, they should be alert, upright and relatively active. If hes sulking in the corner its possible that hes shedding, or that he's stressed out.
Generally a baby that is eating enough will poo every day.
He will be stressing out a lot since moving to a new enclosure, to help him out of the stress will be to keep it hot, bright and quiet. Don't put too many crickets in there, and try and get extra small crickets instead of small crickets = safer size, and less threatening size

 

[1131035]

You will learn a lot quickly here don't worry. I am sure your dragon will be great congrats

 

[ryuwx]

Thanks guys, I will change the heater to a higher watt one tomorrow, and I will remove the crickets right now! lol!

 

[black_headed_mon]

Thanks guys, I will change the heater to a higher watt one tomorrow, and I will remove the crickets right now! lol!

i think u missing the point u don't need any higher wattage light u can get them at pet stores,reptile one basking light(15 bucks) or woolies,bunnings,big w etc etc for 3 bucks.(phillips flood light)don't take offence we r only trying to help,we were all noobs once!p.s reptiles are addictive *peace out*

 

[ajandj]

hi and welcome. I agree with the comments above, you need a basking spot for your beardie - as it's been covered l wont add to that part.
Your beardie should be eating heaps more than that.
What size crickets are you feeding? You shouldn't feed anything bigger than the space between their eyes. DON"T leave crickets in with him, they are nasty little buggers that will bite your beardie.
What else are you feeding your new friend??? You've not mentioned anything about greens. Beardied dragons cannot survive on a few crickets tossed in an enclosure. At this stage even if your beardie doesn't eat them, you need to offer greens at least 2twice a day.Everyday things are dandelion greens and flowers( most people have them in their gardens or lawns), endive, carrot greens, beetroot greens, turnip greens. You can also add things like nasturtium flowers and leaves, rocket, basil, lavander, parsley, rosemary flowers and leaves, bok choy, celery leaves. Below is a food list to help.
Ok, next questions l have for you
is what substrate is your beardie on (the floor of the enclosure)
Do you have anything for your beardie to climb on?
Do you have a hide where he can get out of the heat if he needs to?
You meed to make sure your dragon is hydrated, mist a couple of times a week and bath once a week in warm water. I bath daily when in shed as it helps to remove the skin> NEVER, NEVER peel shedding skin off your dragon as it does hurt then. Bit like when you have that annoying flap of skin near your fingernail and you pull it off, it hurts and stings.
Is your dragon petshop bought?


I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but by reading your post, it seems you've done no research into the care of a dragon.
Dragons are beautiful and amazing creatures that will thrive and give you years of enjoyment providing you look after their basic needs.
What made you buy a dragon? Just our of curiousity?

 

[Bel03]

Sounds like everyone has given you the best advice possible. I am only knew to beardies also, & my little guy is only very young too. He eats between 10-15 crickets a day, & about 5 woodies, he has also started picking at celery leaves, bok choy & he ate a kernal of corn yesterday. I use a 75W Day light Basking Lamp, his basking spot is 40-45 degrees. His cool end temps are about room temp 27 degrees, cant do much to bring them down when outside temps are 35+ degrees, but i keep offering him water from my finger which he licks off. He also has a water bowl at all times, which as of yesterday i seen him take his first sip of water from. He is very alert & active through the day, he does have little naps, but not alot through the day, id say your beardie will be more active with a higher basking temp. My uv is also 10watt, & up the same end as the heat lamp. As i said, im also new, but hope this gives you a few ideas.

 

[ryuwx]

thanks for the advice guys
Firstly, i bought the beardie from a breeder and the enclosure is made by the breeder as well. the substrate I use is reptile sand in red colour, very fine sands which is recommended by the breeder... I placed a sink wood so he can climb on and also he can hide underneath. I read some books and did a bit of research before I got my beardie, but still this is my first beardie, I am a noob. I did mist my beardie twice a day, before I go to work and when I came back, the uvb and ceramic heating bulb is always on during day time, I switch the uvb off at night and leave the heating bulb as it is.

I changed the ceramic heating bulb to a 100 watt one today and its showing about 31-32 degrees at the hot end.

one good thing is I did found him go toilet today, one bad thing is he didnt eat any cricket today, i placed a little bowl of water and a little bowl of bok choi in the enclosure.

I rang the breeder and he said because he fed him around 16 crickets on the day i got the baby beardie home thats 2 days ago, he said do not worry too much and just let the baby settle.

I am hoping my baby will eat some crickets tomorrow and I do really care about my beardie.

I dont know what else I can do now, maybe just leave my baby quiet and hopefully everything will get better, when I pick him up he looks pretty active and his eyes are very bright...

hope he will settle into this new place quicker, the breeder told me not to worry too much, if the baby still not eating till thursday, i will call sick leave from work and take my beardie to the breeder and have a look!

 

[JAS101]

pics of the enclosure would be helpfull

 

[melissagalea2]

i hav kept beardies on and off for over 10 years, and never had two the same, they all cope differently. i would use the advice given here as it is quite spot on.

all new beardies take around a week to settle in when u bring them home, and until he is eating well and happily running around i would make sure you dont handle him as he wont need anymore stress added.

i have a small water fountain in my babies enclosure and they quite often are seen sitting in it.

i for one do not use or recommend sand for young babies, it is just my personal opionin. i use vynil tiles u get from bunnings and line the bottom of the enclosure. that way its easier to clean out and there is no risk of impaction.

once u get the temps right and he settles in u shouldnt hav too much of a problem. but i do recommend to every new reptile owner that they should do as much research as possible before purchasing any animal.

all the best.

 

[black_headed_mon]

omg!!! u need a basking spot of 40-43 it doesn't matter if your hot end is 31-32 thats fine.go buy a temp gun or get one off ebay they are really cheap,best 30 bucks you'll eva spend

 

[Bel03]

I use astro turf for my beardie, i agree with Melissa, sand isnt really any good, if your beardie swallows any, it cant digest it......but others do use sand, so i guess it is your choice in the end, just be aware that it can cause impaction. Also, as above, your basking temp needs to be at least 40 degrees, as i mentioned in my post yesterday, your beardie should become more active & therefor eat more, if it has the right basking temp. Its great you have the breeders help, but you need to be sure you find out exactly how to set it up to reach the correct temps. Goodluck, i hope it all works out for you & your little guy.

 

[tyler97]

buy a PHILLOPS FLOOD LIGHT from BUNNINGS. That should do.the trick as others have said move the uvb to the other side of the enclosure and have the basking spot at 40-45°C. Beardies love the sun. I have tried using a Ceramic Heat Bulb and didnt see my beardie basking until i started using the PHILLOPS FLOOD LIGHT and then saw them under it nearly all day. So what i am trying to say is GO OUT AND BUY YOURSELF A PHILLOPS FLOOD LIGHT FROM BUNNINGS AND MOVE THE UVB TO ATLEAST THE CENTRE OF THE ENCLOSURE. And post some pics of the little guy and his enclosure.

 

[leamos]

My pygmy beardies were the same until i added a small aquarium light, not for additional heat or uv but just to brighten the tank, worked a treat. Beardies tend to be sleepy in low light enclosures