My new Beardie(pics)

[PDDM]

Ive just gotten my first beardie today,its a juvie...Im pretty sure its healthy,Im just so happy i got this Guy/Girl,Ive had him/her just over 2 hours now and its ate 10 crickets, 3 mealworm pupates,3 darkling beetles(one red two black) five mealworms And right now in its food bowl it has a mix of romain leaves and carrot mixed with some of that exo-terra juvie dragon pellets and i sprinkled some calcium on it,hardly any...it was carnivorous calcium by t-rex i plan to get herbivores or omnivores if i hear it does no harm. temps are 100 on the floor maybe higher on the branch he basks on. Hes also ate quite a bit of the salad mix tonight. I have some pics,Of its enclosure,I know it may be small but as the beardie grows ill update its enclosure to be bigger(in the end i think ill have him/her in a 50-55 gallon) If anything is wrong with what im doing please inform me.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/504/5360IM000499.JPG

For Me the pic isnt showing up,I have all of them on my gallery on this site if yourinterested in seeing,thanks.

[Bartman]

You need to right click on the image in your gallery and then copy and paste the URL into the image tags

here you go :)

http://ssnakess.com/photopost/data/504/5360IM000499.JPG

[Greg West]

http://ssnakess.com/photopost/data/504/5360IM000499.JPG

I would have to say you are going to want to flip the cage right side up soon. that sand is going to be verywhere other than the cage. Also the uv does not go through glass, so the uv on top of the cage right not is useless. Also where is your basking lamp? How are you achieving 100+ degrees?

Greg

[Bartman]

Id also like to make some suggestions...you really need a heat lamp on top of the tank. You should put that tank up so the screen is on the top like it normally should be. This will allow you to rest a heat lamp on top. You also realise uvb from the flourecent light cannot travel through glass so right now it is pretty much useless. You should also get better things for the beardy to hide under to help him feel safer. You should have 2, one on each side. The substrate looks like paper towl and thats fine if it is.

EDIT : posted at the same time :D

[PDDM]

I have a heat lamp,its hanging up you cant see it,its a tight beam 100 watts its hanging because at first it was too hot and making the glass hot the temperture on the basking spot is 103, I dont plan on using sand for a while until its big enough that i need a larger tank,And about more hiding places i heard somewhere its not good for them while there young because sometimes they could stay in the hides and not get enough light and etc,any truth to this? The tight beam is UVA,Is UVB absolutely needed?Like as in no calcium or supplementation can replace it?

Edit:Nevermind,I thought Flourecent lights uv rays cant go through the glass but you only said uv,so im gonna assume you meant in general ill be going to flip it now,but about the hide thing?Ill put oner in for now,later.

[PDDM]

Ok its done,flipped properly,my heat lamp is a tight beam on those new exo terra glow lamps btw,i put a cool whip container in for now for a hide.

[peterm15]

ive also heard the hide stories... i dont have a beardy but ive read up on them alot...

but then again ive also read " you dont NEED uv lights (its suggested) but you can get away with sublemting..."

[BoidsUnlimited]

Originally posted by peterm15


but then again ive also read " you dont NEED uv lights (its suggested) but you can get away with sublemting..."

THAT...is a load of doo doo.

[Bartman]

Agreed, the full spectrum light is required to allow proper bone growth. The can get mbd if they grow up with out it.

The heat lamp is also not going to work well through glass. The glass is going to dispurse the heat all around the tank and you wont get the "basking" spot you need. The heat lamp should have the right type of bulb which directs all the light and heat into a small surface area, which will create a basking spot.

And again, the uv light will NOT travel through glass. As for the hide thing, beardies dont even use them, so imo their not neccessary. Id still put 2 to allow them to hide if they'd like, but if you see he isnt using them then you can just take them out. Allow him to choose himself, and not you choosing for him :D

Other then that it looks good. Not using sand is actually safer, although im not 100 percent sure if sand is an impaction issue for beardies.

[PDDM]

well he's still small so iguess there would be an impaction risk,then again the way it eats seems to be shooting out its toungue then biting,and yes the tank is flipped and everything is good,i have a tightbeam says it focuses 35% on on spot creating a basking aren and what not. Should i put a rock or something so he can lay on something to bask?

[Bartman]

Yes he should have something raised above the ground in order to allow him to get closer to the light and bask. He should also be easily able to sprawl out on it, so try using cork bark or slate rock.

[PDDM]

Will do.Thanks for all the help Bartman,Hopefully ill get some Decent pics soon (just got a digi cam havent mastered it yet...at all)

[PDDM]

I forgot to mention my right click doesnt work on my mouse...So i cant post pics properly,Andyways heres some direct links to the pics:
1)http://ssnakess.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=29801&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1
2)http://ssnakess.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=29800&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

(Also Ive Read Nothing on Morphs Can Someone Tell me what kind mine is,i looks normal but has spots all over its underside as youll see in pic 2)

Heres the Enclosure Now:http://ssnakess.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=29802&password=&sort=1&cat=504&page=1 ( Looks Kind Of bare...Some tips on what to add in would be nice)

[Bartman]

Its looking better but id still change a couple things. First off id move the heat lamp more to one end so its not in the middle. This will offer a heat gradient, so he can go from end to end to heat up and cool down. That is why you should have two hides, one on each end so he can choose the cool down or warm up and still feel safe.

The basking spot should also be moved up even hire and be much bigger. He should be able to sprawl out on a flat surface. This is a perfect set up I quickly found in a quick search on google. Here's the link

http://www.lihs.org/files/caresheets/BD_tank.gif

So as you can see the rock is fairly close to the heat lamp. In your tank, their is a large distance from the top to the basking spot, so in your case your going to have to get it even higher. Id also highly suggest not using that type of thermometre to check the temps. Invest in a digital thermometre, as those will get the ambient air temp, the digital probe ones can get a more exact measurment.

Other then that it looks perfect. You dont really need to add anything more as its juts more for you to clean but the types of things you can add are rocks, slate rock piled up (which make good basking spots) cork bark pieces, grape vine, etc.

[PDDM]

The basking spot thing...i just am a little bit wooried about because the ground temp is 107...i dont want him to burn himself,he seems to love basking on his little branch in the sun,i think its ok where it is,but i will try to get bigger rocks,my mom just bought a few for her rock garden that i may be able to use (after i put them in the oven and whole bit,forget what its cal ster-something) also i had a hide in n he chose not to use it he likes sleeping in corners,but i'll try again,and the heat lamp has been moved,the thing im worried about is that both the lights are big,and while he may be under the heat one he may not get uvb.

[Bartman]

Its not the ground temperature you want to measure. 107 throughout the tank would be WAY to hot. But the basking spot is just a small section where it should easily be at 120 F . 107 is not high, these animals come from Australia and can handle very high heats. But before you got and try to raise the temps, make sure you get a very reliable thermometre.

[PDDM]

its pretty reliable i have 2 in the tank, one under the basking spot reads 107,the throughout thetank maybe in the mid 80's.

[adamofsound]

young beardies like it HOT, i used to keep a basking spot made of levels, with the top level around 115-119, then the dragon could choose between a few different basking temps. I also provided a solid bridge under hte basking lamp as the warm side hide.

hope this helps, oh, your dragon looks like a nice chubby normal phase.
UVB is essential. it is the tried and true method. I have seen "liquid uvb" and other similar products in pet stores, but I dont put much faith in their claims.

have fun, dragons are a blast!
Adam

[PDDM]

Thanks adam,The little guys only 25g's...gotta let him throw on the pounds wich brings me to my next question: Is obesity a problem with beardies,does it happen often?

So I guess ill be making the basking spot higher,i just gotta make sure the rocks stable and not steep...

[PDDM]

Oh heres an update on the tank,hes a few inches closer to the lamp now,lol.
http://ssnakess.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=29867&password=&sort=1&cat=504&page=1

[Bartman]

There ya go, that looks way better :)

Good job and good luck with him

As for obesity, in youngsters, I dont see it happening.

[gregsaraholiver]

Babies and juveniles should have a basking spot between 105 and 115. range is 5 degrees lower for adult.

Also, hiding spots are unnecesary for beardies, In the enclosure picture that I see bartman left there is no hide that I can see but I could be wrong. My beadie (oliver - see other post) got sick after we got himn due to poor husbandry. One of the first pieces of advise I got was to remove the hide to ensure that she had no choice but to stay warm.

With juvies and babies. I have read that a hide is even less necessary or can even be harmful. Crickets have a place to hide being the main reason. Predomantly most people agree that a beardie does not need a hidding place to be secure. They are more social than that. Oliver just turns her back to me. HAHA!!

[gregsaraholiver]

that wasn't our poor husbandry I'm talking about by the way. Oliver was a childs toy for a couple months before we got her and at night she stayed in a 10 gallon (she was already 4) with a heat lamp on top. It horifies me to this day that she was kept in that thing.

[PDDM]

Yep no hide In There,The little guy Today Ate 40 Mealies And a Super Worm! Anything i drop in thecage is gone in a matter of seconds,I know mealies arent to healthy but i gutload em really well,i heard supers though are actually pretty good for beardies,anyways in three days it went from 22 grams to 32 grams,even after his poops everyday.

[adamofsound]

easy on mealies at that age.
as for the obeisity question... just make sure you have a big enough tank for him/her when it is an adult. more space= more exercise chasing down dinner. keep the diet varies and you shouldnt have any trouble.

nice work on hte set up. I found I was able to be most creative with my dragon enclosures!
keep up the good work

Adam

[PDDM]

Ok my plan is to gut load the mealies with the pellets,n dust them will this be good?