beardy questions...

[scarface2jz]

i feel like my beardy is growing slowly, he was born late september and i bought him 10/18/08 at the hamburg, PA. reptile show, when i got him home he was 2 1/2" long... hes now about 5" long, so at 3-4 months old hes only 5" long... is this small for his age ? i was at the local exotic reptile shop and they had a pair of 4 month olds going on 8"... kinda got me thinking could the fact that hes in a 10 gallon tank be affecting his growth ? hes shed 2X so far in my care... he also doesnt eat like ive seen other beardys... he doesnt eat many crickets, maybe 6 a day when i offer a dozen, he could care less about wax worms, and doesnt even look at the romain lettuce i give him, i cut it so small i see the crickets dragging it across the cage, lol so i doubt its too big for him... i try and keep his ambient temps at 90-92 and his basking area around 110-120... he was the most active in the whole lot, and the only one basking out of the whole clutch, so i figured he would be healthy... he also hates to be handled... could my beardy be a bit "special" ? after all this time with me reaching in to feed him, clean his cage, arrange the decor he still hasnt gotten used to me... kinda discouraging

and one more question with a pic, the breeder said hes a sandfire with some blood in him... is this a wild claim to make the sale or does he present the traits ? what the pics dont show is hes got some serious awesome red coloring behind his ear





this pic is him the week i got him... for reference hes in the corner of a 10gallon tank and hes next to the calking (which im sure most of you know about how big that is)

[Beardedragon]

Alright keep the temps at 100-110, 110-120 is way too hot.

Get him out of the 10 gallon, it is way to small for even the smallest beardie and he is probably stressed and with such high temps unable to get to the cooler temps he needs to get to.

What type of uvb do you use? Im not going to say for sure but 99% of the time this is the reason for problems.

What do you dust the crickets with? ( This is the other important part)

Cut the waxworms and lettuce out of his died, offer silkworms,collard greens, and squash instead.

What substrate do you have him on? If its sand switch him to paper towels.

What size crickets are you giving him? For his size id say he needs 1/4-3/8 in size.

After these questions are answered and fixed hopefully we can find out why the little guy is not growing

Oh, and about lineage. blood and sandfire are "lines" so to speak but really do not matter, from what all ive seen over the years is people naming off what they are off of what colors they have on them. Im betting the parents did have sandfire and blood in them, but were still brownish.

[scarface2jz]

Alright keep the temps at 100-110, 110-120 is way too hot.

Get him out of the 10 gallon, it is way to small for even the smallest beardie and he is probably stressed and with such high temps unable to get to the cooler temps he needs to get to.

What type of uvb do you use? Im not going to say for sure but 99% of the time this is the reason for problems.

What do you dust the crickets with? ( This is the other important part)

Cut the waxworms and lettuce out of his died, offer silkworms,collard greens, and squash instead.

What substrate do you have him on? If its sand switch him to paper towels.

What size crickets are you giving him? For his size id say he needs 1/4-3/8 in size.

After these questions are answered and fixed hopefully we can find out why the little guy is not growing

Oh, and about lineage. blood and sandfire are "lines" so to speak but really do not matter, from what all ive seen over the years is people naming off what they are off of what colors they have on them. Im betting the parents did have sandfire and blood in them, but were still brownish.

120* is right on the basking spot, the ambiant is 90-92, for cooler temps his basking rock doubles as a large hide which he can go under where my digi thermometer reads 78-82, and from time to time i will see him under there, its more of an arch than a hide, but he likes it i guess, he has a bit of a temp gradient to work with, he also has a small under tank heat pad on the hot side, as for the enclosure, i think tomorrow im gonna go into my room with a tape measurer and sit down and draw something up, give him something around 70+ gallons, i was thinking 5'Lx2'Wx2'H, should be good for him and i wanted to get him (it) sexed and introduce a mate of similar age, im not looking to breed and make cash, but i would like to give it a try down the line when they reach maturity, the lighting i use a zoo med 75watt basking/day bulb and night purple bulb, if thats not sufficent i think ill pick up something for the new enclosure... i use gutload and cricket food, to keep my crickets going, and dust them with calcium before feeding, collard greens and squash ? cooked or raw ? how should it be cut up ? hes currently on calcium sand, i know the risk for impaction but i monitor every feeding and hes never mistakenly gotten a mouthfull of sand, hes a very meticulous hunter... doesnt just lunge and bite. i have access to silk worms no problems, i use small-medium crickets, bout 1/2" long and a bit smaller varied... i was hoping he would grow quickly, but i guess thats not working as planned... thank you for the help !

[Beardedragon]

120* is right on the basking spot,

Get it down to 105, 120 is much to hot.

for cooler temps his basking rock doubles as a large hide which he can go under where my digi thermometer reads 78-82

Get rid of the hide, beardies are known to over use them.

he also has a small under tank heat pad on the hot side,

Beardies do not feel belly heat, meaning if it were to malfunction they could get burned and not even move.

i wanted to get him (it) sexed and introduce a mate of similar age, im not looking to breed and make cash, but i would like to give it a try down the line when they reach maturity,

Beardies of the opposite sex cannot live together. Dominance issues and over breeding are the result and even death. Not only that but you will also need to know his linage via whos related to who for both beardies three generations back. Inbreeding is a huge problem and can result in weak, mean, or deformed babies. Not only that but beardies are severely over bred, we really do not need anymore in the market. unless they are highly colorful, which your is pretty but what I do not think breeding standards. If it is a girl she has had a slow start and I doubt she would be the prime candidate to breed anyways once back on track.

the lighting i use a zoo med 75watt basking/day bulb and night purple bulb,

Do not use the night time bulb unless your temps get below 75 at night, and if they do get a ceremic so they are not stressed by the lights.

i use gutload and cricket food, to keep my crickets going, and dust them with calcium before feeding,

What kind of gutload? Most are crap. especially high calcium brands. What is the brand and name of the calcium and vits? D3? No phosphorus?

collard greens and squash ? cooked or raw ? how should it be cut up ?

Raw, cut up to where he will not choke on them.

hes currently on calcium sand, i know the risk for impaction but i monitor every feeding and hes never mistakenly gotten a mouthfull of sand, hes a very meticulous hunter... doesnt just lunge and bite.

get him off that right now. Beardies love to lick things when your not watching.... and also... WHY? Its something that is know and proved many times to cause death, costs more than paper towels or tile and is hard to clean, why would you use it? The cons way out number the pros if there are any that you can find with calci sand, or normal sand for a beardie so small.

i have access to silk worms no problems, i use small-medium crickets, bout 1/2" long and a bit smaller varied... i was hoping he would grow quickly, but i guess thats not working as planned...

thats good, the silks are the best feeder you can give a beardie and make great treats! If you have trouble getting him to get his vegies throw a few on top of it.





Your not using any uvb, that is your ( well, one of all the above) problem right there. Id recommend a MVB bulb to make things simple, and because he has had a slow start. just make sure you use it only once you get a larger tank because it will cook him and overdose uvb him er... All the calcium you have used has been 100% useless just because you have not given him any uvb, doesnt that suck because of the hassle of dusting the crickets!!

Hope this caresheet helps...- Matt

[Beardedragon]

He has a very long tail btw!! Maybe im just seeing things but the first thing I noticed was how long it was

[scarface2jz]

Get it down to 105, 120 is much to hot.

Get rid of the hide, beardies are known to over use them.

Beardies do not feel belly heat, meaning if it were to malfunction they could get burned and not even move.

Beardies of the opposite sex cannot live together. Dominance issues and over breeding are the result and even death. Not only that but you will also need to know his linage via whos related to who for both beardies three generations back. Inbreeding is a huge problem and can result in weak, mean, or deformed babies. Not only that but beardies are severely over bred, we really do not need anymore in the market. unless they are highly colorful, which your is pretty but what I do not think breeding standards. If it is a girl she has had a slow start and I doubt she would be the prime candidate to breed anyways once back on track.

Do not use the night time bulb unless your temps get below 75 at night, and if they do get a ceremic so they are not stressed by the lights.

What kind of gutload? Most are crap. especially high calcium brands. What is the brand and name of the calcium and vits? D3? No phosphorus?



Raw, cut up to where he will not choke on them.

get him off that right now. Beardies love to lick things when your not watching.... and also... WHY? Its something that is know and proved many times to cause death, costs more than paper towels or tile and is hard to clean, why would you use it? The cons way out number the pros if there are any that you can find with calci sand, or normal sand for a beardie so small.

thats good, the silks are the best feeder you can give a beardie and make great treats! If you have trouble getting him to get his vegies throw a few on top of it.





Your not using any uvb, that is your ( well, one of all the above) problem right there. Id recommend a MVB bulb to make things simple, and because he has had a slow start. just make sure you use it only once you get a larger tank because it will cook him and overdose uvb him er... All the calcium you have used has been 100% useless just because you have not given him any uvb, doesnt that suck because of the hassle of dusting the crickets!!

Hope this caresheet helps...- Matt

got the temps down... just breaking 100 now on the basking spot

i have 3 different hides/basking rocks i change up between my gecko enclosure and beardy (yes i clean them)

the UTH has a failsafe or some nonsense that my local herp guy sold me, only heats to 90* he had told me... i take his word, hes been in business successfully for 10 yrs + and is the only shop in my county thats all reptile and has venomous and exotics, (12ft croc monitor, puff adder, king cobra, many reptiles $2,000+, and he breeds chondros on site)

as for breeding... i guess i should just breed my pastel BP and leave it at that

the night temps with the night bulb sit at 78-82, this is the first ive heard that i shouldnt use a night bulb for him... i guess ill use heat pads and a thermostat for the new enclosure, that should do the trick...

my gutload is made by r-zilla w/ calcium

the food is made by rep-cal

the dust is also rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium with vit D3

next trip to the store i will pick up squash and collard greens

i will definitely pick up a new substrate for him to put in the new enclosure as well as the UVB...

thanks alot for the help matt, by the end of tonite or tomorrow nite i will be posting pics of the new enclosure in progress or hopefully finished... BTW i want to paint the wood black, whats a safe paint to use for the beardy ? BTW im building 5x2x2... should be enough for him

[Beardedragon]

got the temps down... just breaking 100 now on the basking spot

i have 3 different hides/basking rocks i change up between my gecko enclosure and beardy (yes i clean them)

the UTH has a failsafe or some nonsense that my local herp guy sold me, only heats to 90* he had told me... i take his word, hes been in business successfully for 10 yrs + and is the only shop in my county thats all reptile and has venomous and exotics, (12ft croc monitor, puff adder, king cobra, many reptiles $2,000+, and he breeds chondros on site)

as for breeding... i guess i should just breed my pastel BP and leave it at that

the night temps with the night bulb sit at 78-82, this is the first ive heard that i shouldnt use a night bulb for him... i guess ill use heat pads and a thermostat for the new enclosure, that should do the trick...

my gutload is made by r-zilla w/ calcium

the food is made by rep-cal

the dust is also rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium with vit D3

next trip to the store i will pick up squash and collard greens

i will definitely pick up a new substrate for him to put in the new enclosure as well as the UVB...

thanks alot for the help matt, by the end of tonite or tomorrow nite i will be posting pics of the new enclosure in progress or hopefully finished... BTW i want to paint the wood black, whats a safe paint to use for the beardy ? BTW im building 5x2x2... should be enough for him

5x2x2 is perfect Just make sure the uvb you get him is correct, go with any of these and nothing else, Reptisun 10.0 Fluorescent tube light ( NOT the twirly bulb), Powersun MVB bulb, T-Rex MVB bulb, or a MVB from reptileuv.com. Anything else
I cannot vouch for and from what is available is a piece of crap ( Espacially anything make by Flukers or ESU)

About the wood painting, if you do it I would let it sit for a few days and then seal it and let that sit for a week. Id leave it plain because of the time it takes and he really needs a new home.

Just take out the heat pad, good or not the beardie does not feel any warmth from it so its pretty much just a product the pet store made you buy to make money off of it( Kinda like if your paralyzed from the heel down, why get feet warmers?). Did the same guy tell you to get the calci sand?

Beardies are a traile and error lizard, you learn as you go and make mistakes but after that everything will be set and you will know enough to get a second beardie

[scarface2jz]

5x2x2 is perfect Just make sure the uvb you get him is correct, go with any of these and nothing else, Reptisun 10.0 Fluorescent tube light ( NOT the twirly bulb), Powersun MVB bulb, T-Rex MVB bulb, or a MVB from reptileuv.com. Anything else
I cannot vouch for and from what is available is a piece of crap ( Espacially anything make by Flukers or ESU)

About the wood painting, if you do it I would let it sit for a few days and then seal it and let that sit for a week. Id leave it plain because of the time it takes and he really needs a new home.

Just take out the heat pad, good or not the beardie does not feel any warmth from it so its pretty much just a product the pet store made you buy to make money off of it( Kinda like if your paralyzed from the heel down, why get feet warmers?). Did the same guy tell you to get the calci sand?

Beardies are a traile and error lizard, you learn as you go and make mistakes but after that everything will be set and you will know enough to get a second beardie

i actually use a reptisun 10.0 on my red eared sliders, so i know exactly where to get that, as for the wood painting, i will read into that further, but i think an extra day or 3 in the 10 gallon wont be too bad, hes got some room, the heat pad is an under tank stick on, is that reusable ? cuz ive been needing one for my BP, may as well switch it if i can, the reason i got it in the first place was my in tank ambiant temps wouldnt go above 84, so i got it to help out and it does, the shop owner said he recommends newspaper for a baby beardy, but if he doesnt eat the sand there shouldnt be a problem... when i set up the tank what had happened was i researched beardys but wasnt intending to buy one, i went to the hamburg reptile show to get my pastel BP and saw this lil guy for $30 and i had about an extra $100 in my budget to set up a tank for him, so impulse buy, but i knew than that i would need a larger tank (5x2x2) and the 10 gallon was intended to use for 2-3 months, i also knew what i needed to care for him... im hoping he will end up big and healthy, besides him being timid hes very active and doesnt appear stressed, but appearance can be deceiving

[Beardedragon]

Im not sure about the heatpad, normally once you stick it on it should stay for like or until it dies/ you dont need it anymore. I think theres a DIY on how to take one off somewhere around here?

[scarface2jz]

eh... ill just leave it on the tank and when i move out the beardy ill pick up a corn snake or something.... ive always wanted one