We got a bearded dragon!!

[UncleEJ]

I'm super excited! That's all ;-)

[Hoot]

:hurray:

 

Pictures! You must post pictures!!!!!

I :wub: my bearded dragon.

[Eagle]

Exciting!!

[UncleEJ]

He's pretty small, I'm thinking 3-4 weeks. Got him from Pet Smart yesterday. He seems to be doing ok. They first sold me the larger sized crickets, but he wouldn't eat them and based on what I've read I think they were too big. So I went back and got the little ones. I thought he had eaten them but it turns out the crickets were hiding. I did witness him eat a couple mealworms, but I'd much rather have him eat more crickets. How do y'all that have beardies feed them? Put some crickets in the inclosure and just let him be, or take him out? I have a million questions, but getting him eating is most pressing now. Do I just feed him mealworms for a while and add back crickets later?

 

Eta, I'm not sure why the pic posted upside down :-/

[Ottakee]

You need smaller crickets for the young ones. We would try to set 1-2 crickets down in his cage close to him and then after he ate those add another 1-2. We also feed romaine lettuce.

[MamaJeanne]

Congrats! He is so cute! We found that glass pyrex dishes were great for feeding crickets. For some reason they don't really jump out of them. Growing beardies eat tons (and I mean tons) of crickets. We ended up buying them in bulk on-line. We used Ghanns but there are other companies as well. You might want to check out beardeddragon.org. They have all the information you could ever want or need, as well as a lot of pictures of bearded dragons! :) Have fun with your new addition!

[Hoot]

It is easiest to transfer your dragon to a separate container (bathtub, aquarium, or Rubbermaid bin work well) to feed so that you're not searching all over for runaway crickets and worms. Feeders left in the primary enclosure will bite your beardie and can cause infection. I started a bad habit with my boy by tong feeding him and now the little spoiled brat won't eat his feeders unless I feed them to him. :glare:

 

Take a look at Beautiful Dragons for a list of really good, nutritious foods to feed in addition to your feeders. A good salad everyday is important.

[Rebecca VA]

n/m sorry!

[Tiramisu]

We love our beardies, too. They are good hsing companions. They will sit on shoulders and oversee schoolwork. ;-)

 

One thing we didn't know when we first got beardies was the importance of a UVB light if you don't have a chance to get them direct sunlight, live in a cooler climate, etc.

[UncleEJ]

Thanks ladies! I will try to feed him in a separate container. It wasn't fun chasing crickets around his home last night. I tried to feed him in a diff place yesterday and he seemed scared and just tried to climb out...

 

I do have the tiny crickets and gave him some chopped up baby greens and a little finely diced kiwi. He didn't seem interested in them but I will keep trying.

 

I soaked him yesterday and don't have any water in his enclosure, but I've read of people misting them. Especially while they are young. Do any of you do this or think I should?

 

I do have a heat lamp and a UVB bulb.

 

One more quick question, when I read about measurements, do the include the tail?

 

[Hoot]

Thanks ladies! I will try to feed him in a separate container. It wasn't fun chasing crickets around his home last night. I tried to feed him in a diff place yesterday and he seemed scared and just tried to climb out...

 

I do have the tiny crickets and gave him some chopped up baby greens and a little finely diced kiwi. He didn't seem interested in them but I will keep trying.

 

This is totally normal. Moving to a new home is stressful for any animal, so they will sometimes refuse food for a bit. I wouldn't worry yet. A couple of things that have always been a hit with every single bearded dragon that I've rehabbed are soft-bodied worms like silkworms, hornworms (NOT from your garden), butterworms, and waxworms as well as cooked and mashed sweet potatoes.

 

I soaked him yesterday and don't have any water in his enclosure, but I've read of people misting them. Especially while they are young. Do any of you do this or think I should?

 

Yes, misting is good for babies. They dehydrate much quicker than adults. Bathing at least 15 min. once a day and misting once a day will be very good for him. Just make sure that you bathe or mist him early enough that he and his enclosure are completely dry before the lights go out. You don't want him sitting in a wet cage all night where he will get cold.

 

One more quick question, when I read about measurements, do the include the tail?

 

There are two ways to measure. The first is SVL (snout-vent-length), which is measured from the tip of the snout to the vent (anus). The other is STL (snout-tail-lenth), which is measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. Most people would post something along the lines of 9" SVL; 18" STL to give a clearer picture of the proportion of body to tail length..

[Jann in TX]

What size enclosure do you have? What type of lights (heat) are you using? What are the temps on the cool side and under the lights? What are you using to determine the temps?

 

Questions that need to be asked because pet stores are notorious for selling you products you do not need or that do not work well.

 

Please do not feed your baby meal worms-- they are very hard on a baby's intestines (outer skeleton) and they have very poor nutrition for bearded dragons.

 

It is not unusual for a baby to stop eating while it is adjusting-- but if it becomes sluggish then you need to be concerned. We have had 4 babies and only one did not perk up after the first night... it was touch and go with that one-- I had to order an expensive overnight shipment of Phoenix worms and the baby survived (first few weeks were scary though).

 

Warning-- Phoenix worms are fly larvae (nice way to say MAGGOT). The are highly nutritious and they wiggle-- the movement gets the attention of the baby (feeding reflex is movement initiated). If your supplier is good they will keep for a few weeks before turning into flies! I just checked and there are many online suppliers.

 

MIni-mealworms (NOT the same as the white meal worms from a pet store!) are another feeder that is good for a stressed baby-- like the phoenix worms they can be placed in a small dish. Keep a slice of apple on top of their 'bran' and then pick the apple up and the little guys are usually on the slice and you can transfer to the feeding dish without having to touch them!!!

 

We also raised silkworms (had our own colony for years)-- these were GREAT feeders for the bearded dragons. If you order these make sure you get extremely small ones to feed to a baby.

 

FEED NOTHING LONGER THAN THE SPACE BETWEEN YOUR BABY'S EYES

use the distance between your beardies eyes as a guide for food size-- especially on any prey with harder shells. The beardie may be able to swallow something larger--but may not be able to DIGEST it!

[UncleEJ]

What size enclosure do you have? What type of lights (heat) are you using? What are the temps on the cool side and under the lights? What are you using to determine the temps?

 

He is in a 20 gallon enclosure but its low, so about 30" long. He has a 150 watt light on his "hot" side and its showing about 100-103*. On his "cool" side is an intense reptile UVB bulb and it is about 80-83*. There are two thermometers, one on each side.

 

 

Questions that need to be asked because pet stores are notorious for selling you products you do not need or that do not work well.

 

I bought a "juvenile bearded dragon starter kit" but need up getting better bulbs and a second thermometer.

 

Please do not feed your baby meal worms-- they are very hard on a baby's intestines (outer skeleton) and they have very poor nutrition for bearded dragons.

 

I have a bunch and that is the ONLY thing he would eat yesterday. Should I not give any at all? Or just until he will eat crickets again?

 

It is not unusual for a baby to stop eating while it is adjusting-- but if it becomes sluggish then you need to be concerned. We have had 4 babies and only one did not perk up after the first night... it was touch and go with that one-- I had to order an expensive overnight shipment of Phoenix worms and the baby survived (first few weeks were scary though).

 

Warning-- Phoenix worms are fly larvae (nice way to say MAGGOT). The are highly nutritious and they wiggle-- the movement gets the attention of the baby (feeding reflex is movement initiated). If your supplier is good they will keep for a few weeks before turning into flies! I just checked and there are many online suppliers.

 

MIni-mealworms (NOT the same as the white meal worms from a pet store!) are another feeder that is good for a stressed baby-- like the phoenix worms they can be placed in a small dish. Keep a slice of apple on top of their 'bran' and then pick the apple up and the little guys are usually on the slice and you can transfer to the feeding dish without having to touch them!!!

 

We also raised silkworms (had our own colony for years)-- these were GREAT feeders for the bearded dragons. If you order these make sure you get extremely small ones to feed to a baby.

 

FEED NOTHING LONGER THAN THE SPACE BETWEEN YOUR BABY'S EYES

use the distance between your beardies eyes as a guide for food size-- especially on any prey with harder shells. The beardie may be able to swallow something larger--but may not be able to DIGEST it!

 

The crickets I have are definitely smaller that the space between his eyes.

 

[Hoot]

He is in a 20 gallon enclosure but its low, so about 30" long. He has a 150 watt light on his "hot" side and its showing about 100-103*. On his "cool" side is an intense reptile UVB bulb and it is about 80-83*. There are two thermometers, one on each side.

 

Considering what you just posted, I have to ask a very important question. What are you measuring these temperatures with? A 150 watt heat lamp in a 20 gallon tank is A LOT. I have a 40 gal. breeder tank and rarely need more than a 75 watt in his basking area to get it up to the appropriate temperature. If you are using one of the stick on or analog thermometers I would recommend turning the heat off right now until you can get an appropriate thermometer. What you need are 2 digital thermometers with white probes. These probes sit on the surface that the thermometer reads. You can also use a temp gun, which will also give an accurate reading. Analog and stick on thermometers can be off by 20* or more. A 150 w heat lamp could literally be cooking your baby.

[UncleEJ]

 

 

Considering what you just posted, I have to ask a very important question. What are you measuring these temperatures with? A 150 watt heat lamp in a 20 gallon tank is A LOT. I have a 40 gal. breeder tank and rarely need more than a 75 watt in his basking area to get it up to the appropriate temperature. If you are using one of the stick on or analog thermometers I would recommend turning the heat off right now until you can get an appropriate thermometer. What you need are 2 digital thermometers with white probes. These probes sit on the surface that the thermometer reads. You can also use a temp gun, which will also give an accurate reading. Analog and stick on thermometers can be off by 20* or more. A 150 w heat lamp could literally be cooking your baby.

 

 

Ok, on the basking side I have a thermometer that sits outside the enclosure and has probes inside that suction cup to the side of the glass. I have them places down at about the level his rock is. Right now it says 111*. This one also has a humidity probe and it says 12%. On the other side is another thermometer that just has one probe inside and the digital part you look at in on the outside. It is 82* on that side. Currently he is hanging out right in the middle of the tank on a log.

 

I originally had a 75w bulb and the highest readings I was getting were 90-93* and it took forever to get up to that temp. In the morning it took almost three hours to get that warm. So that is why I went up bulb size.

 

I hope that helps and is all ok. I tried to post pictures of the thermometers but my ipad wasn't cooperating.

 

PS he still won't touch crickets. :-/

 

ETA I just put the therm probe actually on the rock and it was crazy hot. I turned off the light and moved it up above the enclosure about 4-5". I'll turn it back on once it cools off and see if that works. If not I will switch bulbs. His cool side is still only 83* and that's where he is now running around.

[Hoot]

Hmm. The thermometers sound right. It just seems odd that you would need such a high wattage, especially being in Texas... unless you have on the air conditioner and it is cold in the house. Or, maybe your bulb is up higher above the tank, in which case you would be heating more air space. Good to know you have some good thermometers though. :)

[Hoot]

ETA I just put the therm probe actually on the rock and it was crazy hot. I turned off the light and moved it up above the enclosure about 4-5". I'll turn it back on once it cools off and see if that works. If not I will switch bulbs. His cool side is still only 83* and that's where he is now running around.

 

Ok. I guess you were posting this as I was posting my last reply. It sounds like your probe was touching the glass before and not the actual basking spot. Yes, definitely swap out for a lower wattage bulb then and make sure that the probe is always touching the basking rock. I either attach mine to the basking spot with hot glue or a rubber band to make sure it doesn't move.

[UncleEJ]

 

 

Ok. I guess you were posting this as I was posting my last reply. It sounds like your probe was touching the glass before and not the actual basking spot. Yes, definitely swap out for a lower wattage bulb then and make sure that the probe is always touching the basking rock. I either attach mine to the basking spot with hot glue or a rubber band to make sure it doesn't move.

 

I will do that and see if the lower watt bulb will do the trick. Thank you so much for the advice!

 

On last thing, he is still not eating crickets, only mealworms. What should I do?

[Hoot]

On last thing, he is still not eating crickets, only mealworms. What should I do?

 

 

Do you know what they were feeding him in the store? If it was mealworms, he may just be going for what is familiar. It could also be that the crickets are a little too fast for him or he just doesn't like their taste.

 

What I would recommend is feeding him his salad as soon as he warms up in the morning. A couple of hours later feed him crickets. You can try pulling the legs off of a few so they can't hop and see if that does the trick. You could also try tong feeding the crickets. Another option would be to put ALL of the crickets into your separate feeding container (Rubbermaid bin or extra tank) and then put him in there with them all for about 15 min. Usually they will get excited by all the movement and start eating. Keep an eye on him though to make sure they don't start nipping at him. Repeat this again a few hours later. Babies need a lot of insects, so you'll need to feed at least twice, if not three times a day for awhile. If by the third try of the day he hasn't eaten any of the crickets, go ahead and offer the mealworms, at least for now. Give him a couple of days to settle in before panicking about the crickets. As long as he's active, eating a little of something, and pooping, he's okay and you can work with him on his diet.

 

Mealworms are definitely full of chitin (all shell, no meat) so you want to try to get him off of those as soon as possible. Personally, I'm not a fan of feeding crickets either though. My dragon has always been relatively ho-hum about them. He does, however, love soft-bodied worms (as treats) and Dubia

roaches and superworms as staples.

 

Just a quick question, you may have posted this before but I can't remember, what do you currently have on the bottom of his cage?

[UncleEJ]

There were four babies in the tank he was in at the store and the fed then the small crickets and mealworms. He has eaten mealworms and is pooping. I will try your advice about offering crickets a couple times a day and then mealworms if he didn't eat any crickets. Today I put him in a Rubbermaid bin with half a dozen little crickets and he completely ignored them, even when they were climbing on him. I grabbed one with tongs and kept putting it near his mouth and he just turned away. I have some kale on a little plastic lid with a bit of apple-carrot baby food (the lady at the store suggested this). I put a few mealworms on top of the salad and he ate the worms and possibly some of the greens.

 

He is on a reptile carpet right now. He also has a couple rocks and logs to climb on and a little log burrow thing he can hide in or climb on.

[Hoot]

There were four babies in the tank he was in at the store and the fed then the small crickets and mealworms. He has eaten mealworms and is pooping. I will try your advice about offering crickets a couple times a day and then mealworms if he didn't eat any crickets. Today I put him in a Rubbermaid bin with half a dozen little crickets and he completely ignored them, even when they were climbing on him. I grabbed one with tongs and kept putting it near his mouth and he just turned away. I have some kale on a little plastic lid with a bit of apple-carrot baby food (the lady at the store suggested this). I put a few mealworms on top of the salad and he ate the worms and possibly some of the greens.

 

He is on a reptile carpet right now. He also has a couple rocks and logs to climb on and a little log burrow thing he can hide in or climb on.

 

This all sounds like a good start. If you're adding a little of the baby food, try pulling the legs off of a cricket and putting it in the baby food. The smell of the food and the movement of the cricket should entice him to eat but having no legs and being stuck in the food will keep him still long enough for him to grab and eat him.

 

Has he eaten any of the kale yet?

[UncleEJ]

I am not sure if he actually ate any kale. It was scattered around a but but I did not witness him actually eat any. If so it was just a bite or two.

 

I will try the crickets in the kale and baby food! That's a great idea.

[Hoot]

How are things today, Melissa?

[UncleEJ]

Well I got him to eat three little crickets so far today but dunking them in baby food! I will keep doing that and hopefully soon he won't need so much help eating!

 

How long does it usually take for your beardies to wake up in the morning? We turn the light on at about 7:30 and he usually doesn't wake up until 9:30 or so... Normal?

[Hoot]

That's pretty normal. My 7 yr. old beardie takes about that long to wake and become active. His eyes open almost as soon as his lights come on, but he's not really ready to move or eat for several hours. They have to warm up first.

 

And :hurray: . I'm so glad he's eating. Soon that little guy will be eating you out of house and home. Once he gets going he could eat as many as 50 - 100 little crickets a day while he's still little.

[UncleEJ]

I am glad he is eating too!! I can't wait for him to eat that many crickets, although I may need a second cricket keeper to keep up with him!

 

At what age should/could I start giving superworms? My store only has one size (large) but I couldn't tell how big they were. I'm thinking since he seems to like mealworms better than crickets, I would add the superworms ASAP because they are more nutritious.

[Hoot]

You can buy smaller superworms online and you could feed those now. The large ones you shouldn't feed until he is much older. They grow pretty fast though. Never feed anything larger than the space between his eyes. That can be slightly amended for very soft-bodied worms, but large superworms are pretty big (about an inch long) and they are not soft. They also bite. I probably wouldn't feed adult supers before he was about a year old, and even then it really depends on his size. One thing you could do if he would tolerate it would be to cut the supers into smaller pieces. They wouldn't be live though so he might not go for it.

[UncleEJ]

Ok thanks. I will look into getting some little ones online. You have been such a big help!!!! Thanks a ton!

 

What other soft bodied worms would be good?

[Hoot]

Ok thanks. I will look into getting some little ones online. You have been such a big help!!!! Thanks a ton!

 

What other soft bodied worms would be good?

 

 

You are more than welcome! If you have any questions at all now or in the future, please feel free to PM me anytime. I've successfully rehabbed a number of beardies who had everything from aggression due to neglect, to severe malnutrition, MBD, Yellow Fungus, Photo-Kerato-Conjunctivitis, and lots of other stuff. I have a passion for animals so it will NEVER be a bother to answer any questions. Ever.

 

The absolute best soft-bodied worms to feed as staples would be Silkworms, Hornworms, and Phoenix Worms (also known as calci-worms or calcium worms from some suppliers). As treats you could occasionally add Waxworms and Butterworms. Those last two are very high in fat though so you don't want to give those too often. I typically buy my worms from either Mulberry Farms or I get them at a local reptile show to avoid paying shipping. There are tons of other places to buy them online though. You can also get crickets by the 1,000 online as well. Personally, I use Dubia Roaches as a staple instead of crickets and they work really well. Most people are a little creeped out by the idea of roaches, but they really aren't bad at all. They don't smell horribly like crickets do. They reproduce VERY easily and have live babies rather than laying eggs. And, the best part is that they can't climb up smooth surfaces so putting your colony in a large Rubbermaid bin with holes in the lid works perfectly. I've had my colony for many years and have never had a single escapee. I bought my original colony from The Roach Guy.

[UncleEJ]

I just ordered from Mulberry Farms :-). I got a package that has micro superworms and Phoenix worms.

 

The weirdest thing just happened. When I went to take him out for his soak, one of his claw on his front foot was stuck in the carpet. It was pretty hard to get it out and he bit me (of course I don't blame him!). So now I'm worried about the carpet :-/

[Hoot]

I just ordered from Mulberry Farms :-). I got a package that has micro superworms and Phoenix worms.

 

That's great. I bet he will LOVE them.

 

 

The weirdest thing just happened. When I went to take him out for his soak, one of his claw on his front foot was stuck in the carpet. It was pretty hard to get it out and he bit me (of course I don't blame him!). So now I'm worried about the carpet :-/

 

 

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the carpet. Not only does it pose a risk for little claws, but crickets and worms sometimes hide under it if you're feeding inside the tank, and getting poop out of it is not an easy task. I've heard of a couple of dragons getting the tiny fibers looped around a toe and cut off circulation and some dragons have picked and eaten at the edges of the carpet. Then again, many people have used it for years with absolutely no problems. I always recommend using floor tiles that you can get from Home Depot or Lowe's on the bottom of the tank. It holds heat consistently, it looks neat and tidy, and cleaning up messes is super easy. The kind that has just a little bit of texture to it works better than those that are high gloss.

 

You'll want to be careful of any type of surface that could catch a claw, this includes those green reptile hammocks you can buy in the pet store as well. When my boy, Mango, was a little guy I bought one of those for him and he actually lost an entire claw. I watched it happen. He jumped from his hammock onto the basking log and slightly misjudged the landing. Instead of landing flat, he caught the edge with his front feet and all of his claws slipped out of the fabric except one, which stuck and then pulled out after hanging there for just the couple of seconds it took for me to get to him. His claw grew back beautifully, but they don't always.

[UncleEJ]

I wonder if I should pull the carpet out and just paper towels until I get some tiles? What size tiles do you have in his enclosure?

 

I feel so bad bad...his little toe looks funny now. There is no blood that I can see but it's just sort of hanging there weirdly. He is still running around fine and ate a couple mealworms.

[Hoot]

I wonder if I should pull the carpet out and just paper towels until I get some tiles?

 

That is what I would do.

 

What size tiles do you have in his enclosure?

 

I think mine are 18X18. The tank I'm using is a 40 breeder so 18X18 will not fit yours. I have a smaller tank for my Leopard Gecko and I think those tiles are 3X3. If you take the measurements of the inside of your tank to Home Depot you should be able to find some combination of tiles that will work. It takes a little math and a little brain power in the middle of the store to get the right combo though. :laugh: Something I wish I had done was take an actual sheet of paper cut to the inside size of my tank so I could play tetris with the tiles in the store. Of course, if you can get someone to cut your tiles for you then you don't have to worry so much about getting the right fit with what's available.

 

I feel so bad bad...his little toe looks funny now. There is no blood that I can see but it's just sort of hanging there weirdly. He is still running around fine and ate a couple mealworms.

 

:grouphug: Don't worry. I'm sure your little guy is fine. It may be a little sore or it could be broken or it could be absolutely nothing. Even if it's broken, there's really nothing you can do about it right now anyway. In a toe, the vet would just tell you to leave it. The fact that he's active and eating is good. If it turns black, then we worry a little. In the meantime, give him a little extra love and maybe a treat and try not to beat yourself up. Stuff happens. We all do the best with the information we have at the moment. You're doing great.

[UncleEJ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think mine are 18X18. The tank I'm using is a 40 breeder so 18X18 will not fit yours. I have a smaller tank for my Leopard Gecko and I think those tiles are 3X3. If you take the measurements of the inside of your tank to Home Depot you should be able to find some combination of tiles that will work. It takes a little math and a little brain power in the middle of the store to get the right combo though. :laugh: Something I wish I had done was take an actual sheet of paper cut to the inside size of my tank so I could play tetris with the tiles in the store. Of course, if you can get someone to cut your tiles for you then you don't have to worry so much about getting the right fit with what's available.

 

 

 

 

I was just talking to DH about putting tiles in his tank and he was worried that the would break the glass. Is that a problem? Do you have anything between the tiles and the glass?

 

Silly little guy fell asleep last night standing up in the corner of his tank! Lol! I am so smitten with him already :-)

[Hoot]

I was just talking to DH about putting tiles in his tank and he was worried that the would break the glass. Is that a problem? Do you have anything between the tiles and the glass?

 

Silly little guy fell asleep last night standing up in the corner of his tank! Lol! I am so smitten with him already :-)

 

 

Hahaha! They fall asleep in the strangest positions.

 

I don't have anything between my glass and tiles and it hasn't been a problem. You could probably put felt between the two but I don't think it's necessary. To be honest, the tiles really aren't all that heavy so I wouldn't worry about it unless you drop one into the tank.

[UncleEJ]

So Toothless is doing ok, but I am starting to get a bit worried. He is still VERY reluctant to eat. Yesterday all he ate was one mealworm and a bit of baby food licked off my finger. The day before he ate three tiny crickets that I dunked in baby food and placed on his nose. I left a couple crickets and mealworms on a tray with baby food yesterday and all he ate was the one mealworm. So far today he ate one mealworm. My shipment of superworms and Phoenix worms arrived today and I have a dish of a few each in his enclosure. He just does not seem interested in eating at all.

 

I have only really been handling him to soak him, which I have been doing everyday and he drinks each time. Some days he has been calm in the water and others he's pretty jumpy. I'm thinking he might still be stressed from moving and whatnot. Should I maybe not handle him for a while? Just put water in his enclosure for a while? I am getting really attached to him and want to do whatever it takes for him to make it!

[Pod's mum]

We used to catch these on the airstrip as kids. We'd get the dogs to do the digging and then push the dogs out of the way and catch them.

We'd either let them go again or else they'd escape, so their care was a non-issue.

 

DD catches sleepy lizards and blue tongues and releases.

She's not yet caught a beared, but we do stop and watch some sunning on fence posts.

Keeping them sounds quite complex, I think we'll stick with releasing.