Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi all, every morning when i check on my bearded dragons, they have thier mouths open, i am thinking becasue it is too hot in thier cage? should thier mouths be open like this? Because of this, i only have thier basking lights on at nite. Maybe i should by a lower watt bulb to keep it on all day? Also, do they like thier cage to be humid? (how ever you spell it lol) thanks for any help

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying or wanting to be rude, I just want to point out a few things for the sake of your dragons.

First & foremost, you have to remove the guesswork, you have to know what their basking site's temperature is, without a doubt. Go to Wal-Mart or anywhere else & get an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer, one with that gives both readings. They're $11 at Wal-Mart.

Dragons sometime bask with their mouth gaped. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. While this could indicate excessive heat, its not affirmative. As long as a dragon has a cooler area to escape too, they'll almost always do so when they get too hot. But there again, remove the guesswork with a good thermometer.

By leaving their basking light on at night, you're not letting them get the rest they need. This time of year it should be 12 - 14 hrs daylight, 10 - 12 hrs night. You're throwing their body clock all outta whack.

A handy way to adjust basking site temps is to use a high-wattage bulb (100-watts or so) and splice a $5, 600-watt, dimmer switch into the power cord to adjust the output. If you're not handy with electrical, you can pick up a rheostat at a petshop for about $30 that does the same thing & is ready to go. Plug and play.

You can also raise/lower bulb to adjust temps if your setup permits.

Cage should have low humidity.

Get the thermometer, ASAP. Make sure your hot end & cool end ambient temps are where they should be & know for sure what your basking temps are.

Have a good one!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Every dragon is different and some like it hot. So full time gaping is not that unusual.

My concern is that you are heating their enclosure at night. That is wrong. Nightime temps. should be room temp. down to the mid 60's. This is necessary for them to slow their metabolism and sleep properly. This should be for 10-12 hours this time of year.

The basking site for and adult dragon should be 105 measured with a digital thermometer with a separate probe. 100-115 for babies or juveniles under 12". The ambient temp. should be 85-95 on the hot side and 75 or room temp. on the cool side.

Dragons like it dry but not too dry. 60% is the max. 25% is about the minimum. Remember this is relative humidity in their tank. Not what you see on weather forcasts.

Thank you for being nice and letting me know i was doing it wrong. i now have fix it so they wont be confused. i have the uvb lights and the basking lights on now, and tonite i will turn it all off... thanks so much... oh yea, how do you feel about feeding them pinkies for the adults? if so, how many a month? thanks again

A timer would be best for consistant on/off times.

I don't feed pinkies. They are high in fat and just have never seen the need. Plus I'd feel cruel if I did.

Hey!
With all due respect, can you point me to where I can find solid proof that rodent pups are high in fat?

Beardies are known to eat small vertebrates in the wild. I feed mine rat pups here & there and he LOVES them. They are probably the most nutritious single thing they can eat. However, if fed constantly, rodents can cause a little diarhea, requiring more hydration than normal. Rodents a few times a week are good for beardies and they love them.

Have a good one!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Best I can do for now