New to Bearded Dragons

[hoppslover]

I just picked up my first bearded dragon on Wed. He is such a cute little guy. I have seen him eat a cricket and a few meal worms, but other than that nothing else. Am I right in thinking that like my Leos it will take him a few days to get settled in with his surroundings? Also he seems to just sit on his basking rock pretty much all the time. I think I have seen him off of it once or twice. Please tell me if this is the behavior I should be expecting out of him at this point.
Thanks

 

[T&KBrouse]

Congratulations, Tim! Beardies are such great little lizards. Give him a few days to get settled in and his appetite should perk back up. They like their temperatures HOT, too, so its not uncommon for them to bask for what seems like forever.
How old is your new guy?

 

[Lena]

Give him a couple of days to settle in. He should start eating massive amounts of crickets from you soon!

Also - Make sure you have high enough temps and a UVA/UVB source, as this contributes a lot to appetite.

 

[hoppslover]

I got him from a pet store. The vet told them that he had a sprained leg. It looks to be healed now. They said he was probably around 2 or 3 months old. I have a 75W bulb I am using for his basking area. And I have a reptisun 5.0 bulb that I am using for the uvb. The thermometer says his basking side is around 100.

 

[Lena]

My recommendation is to get the reptisun 10.0. The bulb you have isn't going to give off enough UVB/UVA. Also, make sure it spans 2/3rds of the enclosure and that he can get within 6-8 inches of the bulb.

Are you using a digital thermometer? Those basic ones are usually 10 degrees off. I like to keep my beardie at around 110º, but each bearded dragon has it's own preference as to how hot they like it. So just watch how close he gets to the hottest point or if he avoids it, and adjust accordingly.

 

[hoppslover]

Ok I will make the adjustments. Thanks for the advice Lena.

 

[Lena]

No problem. Best of luck. Post tons of pictures as the little fella grows!

 

[star]

Try some superworms they usually go nuts for those.Also in a few months or so take your beardie out for some natural sunlite-and watch those colors really fire up.Dontforget to soak them in warm water twice a week would be great while misting your dragon in the morning.They need to stay well hydrated.

 

[hoppslover]

Here is a couple of pictures that I took of Eddie. He is such a cute little guy.
Second picture he is sleeping. Its cute how he hangs his head over the edge of the rock.

 

[nevinm]

cute little guy you got!!! congradulations. some times babies dont eat vegies. thats not a problem as long as they are eating something. also they eat more crickets when theyre younger, and more veggies as they grow.

lena is right, a 5.0 isnt going to be enough UVB. you deff need the 10.0, and make sure its with 10" of where the dragon likes to bask because the UV dissapates after that. and remember that light is only good for about 7 -8 months at most. once the animal gets bigger, and in a bigger tank, you really should get a zoomed power sun, i recomend them to EVERYONE. its so worth it.

nev

 

[Lena]

Mercury Vapor Bulbs are definately great!

Glad to hear someone of experience uses the powersun. I'm buying two this week.

 

[hoppslover]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[hoppslover]

Ok so I put the reptisun 10 on his tank. Its about 10" above where he basks. Hopefully this will keep him nice and strong.

 

[Lena]

Try to get him a branch that he can climb on to get a little closer to the bulb. They say the general rule is 6-8 inches for the right amount of exposure..

 

[hoppslover]

So I come home from work today and the little lady was really excited. She snapped these pictures for me. I think he is doing really well.

 

[Amber7399]

what an awesome little guy Tim! HE IS SO CUTE!

 

[hoppslover]

Thanks Amber

 

[nevinm]

i can tell just by the head tilt that little thing is ready to be fed..... feed him... LOTS!!!

 

[hoppslover]

He has been eating more. Its good to see. The funny thing is that he jumps off his rock "so you hear this crash sound when he hits the paper" to eat, and then just as fast as he is got down eats a some then he jumps back up on his rock. You would never know he had a leg injury. One question though for you Nevin. He was shedding when I ot him. Am I supposed to help him with his shed like I would my Leos, or will he take care of this himself?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Pepper]

If you see it stuck on his toes and it doesn't come off yeah, they can lose toes too.

But I find they seem to have a lot less trouble getting their shed off.