Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I was having some trouble with my 2 and 1/2 month old eating...I purchased her on suday and now today I think she finally got use to her new 55 gallon and all the things in it. This morning she ate about 7 dusted crickets and seems very lively. My question is is it ok for a beardie to jump off of their basking log to the sand surface to chase crikets? Another question is how can I get my beardie to drink? I spray her 2 times a day and give her a bath every 3 days but it doesnt seem like she drinks. For the past 4 days she wouldn't leave her basking log now she's running all around the tank and right now she's on the cool side scratching against the glass. She doesn't even seem interested in her veggies tho she does take one bite when I hand feed them to her. Another question I have is would a Merc. Vapor bulb be sufficent for UVB if placed above her baskign spot? or should I use that in combination with a 48" reptisun 5.0? Also I noticed that she has black spots and lines on her underside whenever she's in her tank...I don't think it's the temps because her basking site is 107.8 during the day and cool side is around 80. I don't think that she's stressed out because she in my bedroom and not too much goes on in here. Whenever I pick her up it seems as if the spots dissapper. Any help would be great.

Thanks alot,
-Justin

I think you both are having the same problem. That size cage is a bit too much space for a little beardie. Try sectioning off part of the cage. I think they just get a feeling of insecurity when there is just sooo much space especially with one basking spot and not too many places to hide.

Justin, you said the cool side is around 80. have you measured that or is it a guess? You may be surprised at how far the temp. can vary from one side to the other. Also, what kind thermometer are you using? If it's one of those dial kind from the petstore, throw it out. They do not work! Get a digital one with a probe for indoor/outdoor use. Put the selector to outdoor and put the probe where you want to measure.
(As a test, next time you are in a pet store, look at several of the dial type thermometers and see how much the vary from each. They should all be the same, they are on the same rack, but I bet they will or can be as much as 5 deg. difference.)

Hope that helps guys.
Joel R

Ok Joel... going to argue with you here.... lol

that cage size is fine for a 7 month old... some 7 month old dragons are pretty darn big

>>I think you both are having the same problem. That size cage is a bit too much space for a little beardie. Try sectioning off part of the cage. I think they just get a feeling of insecurity when there is just sooo much space especially with one basking spot and not too many places to hide.
>>
>>Justin, you said the cool side is around 80. have you measured that or is it a guess? You may be surprised at how far the temp. can vary from one side to the other. Also, what kind thermometer are you using? If it's one of those dial kind from the petstore, throw it out. They do not work! Get a digital one with a probe for indoor/outdoor use. Put the selector to outdoor and put the probe where you want to measure.
>>As a test, next time you are in a pet store, look at several of the dial type thermometers and see how much the vary from each. They should all be the same, they are on the same rack, but I bet they will or can be as much as 5 deg. difference.)
>>
>>Hope that helps guys.
>>Joel R
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

Please fill me in.
Joel

Tyler said " is that to big for a 7 month old baby should i get something smaller for the time?"

>>Please fill me in.
>>Joel
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

They hatched out on May 6.

I'm the private breeder he is talking about.lol

Joel R

LOL LOL LOL

Well, I was going on what he said and he said 7 months hahahaha

Ok, section the tank off LOL

But I was "right" in my answer for a 7 month old

>>They hatched out on May 6.
>>
>>I'm the private breeder he is talking about.lol
>>
>>Joel R
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

Glad we both have a sense of humor LOL

That dragon almost doubled it's age overnight!

>>LOL LOL LOL
>>
>>
>>Well, I was going on what he said and he said 7 months hahahaha
>>
>>Ok, section the tank off LOL
>>
>>But I was "right" in my answer for a 7 month old
>>
>>
>>>>They hatched out on May 6.
>>>>
>>>>I'm the private breeder he is talking about.lol
>>>>
>>>>Joel R
>>-----
>>Lisa
>>www.beginnersbasics.com
>>
>>
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

I didn't even catch the 7 month part. I even went & looked and Justin had said he did 7 dusted crickets and Tyler said he got home at 7. That's where I thought you got 7 from. "Sorry."lol

That is funny.
Joel

Todays lucky # is 7. perhaps I'll sell 7 dragons today? lol

Joel

7 #315 to my front door!! I'll be home from 7a.m. to 7 p.m.
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TheClassyLizard

Sorry, he has been claimed. lol

Joel R

Hey... that would be nice! Good luck to ya! lol

I don't have 7 dragons for sale lol only have 3 and need them gone ASAP. Two babies may be leaving tomorrow (local sale) That will just leave the adult male that needs to be sold.

Oh oh oh... I know how #7 can be lucky for me..... Those darn eggs are on day 67 today... maybe, maybe, maybe today is the day? LOL

>>Todays lucky # is 7. perhaps I'll sell 7 dragons today? lol
>>
>>
>>Joel

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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

OK, send me yours too!..lol
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TheClassyLizard

LOL errrrrrr you sending me the $175 plus shipping? LOL

>>OK, send me yours too!..lol
>>-----
>> TheClassyLizard

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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

Sure! You take Monopoly money, right?
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TheClassyLizard

hahahahaha NOPE!

>>Sure! You take Monopoly money, right?
>>-----
>> TheClassyLizard
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

20 Classy Lizard Hammocks?
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TheClassyLizard

nope... visa or mastercard? lol

>>20 Classy Lizard Hammocks?
>>-----
>> TheClassyLizard
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

OK, let's barter...
I got a pretty white cat that insists on laying on my computer desk, lays against the monitor and changes the light/dark by pressing on the buttons. Now you can't refuse that!

ps..ok, I'm done (before we get in trouble)..lol
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TheClassyLizard

With all due respect since I value you your guys experience and knowledge here and I wouldn't want anyone to read this as me trying to be an a-hole, but Justin has only had 1 of the five questions he asked in this post answered in the last 20 or replies to this message. Seems like maybe it would be appropriate at this point to take this conversation to private e-mail or instant message.

I am still new at beardie ownership but I will take a stab at answering some of the questions from my experiences so far, and similar set-up to what Justin has. It seems perfectly normal for them to jump of there basking site to go after live food. I also notice that my dragon does not drink for a few days when I spray and then all of the sudden he will. I would trust a dragons instinct to drink when they feel they need it. The scratching and running seem like normal behavior. Mine barely touches his veggies but keep offering. When they are young they don't care for the veggies as much but will convert to eating more when they are older. I have no experience with the MVB's, just stiplight style UVB bulb.

Hope this helps and feel free to jump in with the admittingly more experience you guys have. I just wanted to make sure some of the questions didn't get lost as the thread seem to go off on a tangent.

"Hi I was having some trouble with my 2 and 1/2 month old eating...I purchased her on suday and now today I think she finally got use to her new 55 gallon and all the things in it. This morning she ate about 7 dusted crickets and seems very lively. My question is is it ok for a beardie to jump off of their basking log to the sand surface to chase crikets? Another question is how can I get my beardie to drink? I spray her 2 times a day and give her a bath every 3 days but it doesnt seem like she drinks. For the past 4 days she wouldn't leave her basking log now she's running all around the tank and right now she's on the cool side scratching against the glass. She doesn't even seem interested in her veggies tho she does take one bite when I hand feed them to her. Another question I have is would a Merc. Vapor bulb be sufficent for UVB if placed above her baskign spot? or should I use that in combination with a 48" reptisun 5.0? Also I noticed that she has black spots and lines on her underside whenever she's in her tank...I don't think it's the temps because her basking site is 107.8 during the day and cool side is around 80. I don't think that she's stressed out because she in my bedroom and not too much goes on in here. Whenever I pick her up it seems as if the spots dissapper. Any help would be great.

Thanks alot,
-Justin"

n/p

Yep, I figured someone would say something soon...That's why I stopped.
But..I never have "fun" tangents on the forum *stomping foot*
Dang! First time in 3 years and I get squashed...lol
But..You're right.
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TheClassyLizard

my bad i thuoght it was seven months lol
oops well anyways i guess joels right i mean he did hatch him in all
sorry all for the habik (i think that is how you spell it?) i created
i am blonde you know
any ways sorry
Tyler

Lisa & I were just messing around, don't worry about it.

Joel R

Joel, if you've ever looked at those humidity gauges in the petstore you'll see those are even worse then the temp gauges. I was walking around one day looking at the prices of tanks. In one of them there was a humidity thing sitting in it. I highly doubt that the humidity of petsmart is 85%. I have one in one of my tanks (not because I bought it, but because the other person had it in there and I keep forgetting to remove it. I know it does not have 65% humidity. I highly doubt that oh, i'd say a half an ounce of water, on the other side of the tank, would generate that much humidity. The dish is 3 1/2 feet away from the dish.

Okay, It can be normal for some juvie dragons to show little to no interest in veggies. Like BigFil said,, keep offering and eventually he will or should take to them. What kind are you offering? Some times an individual dragon may not like one particular kind, or several kinds. Variety is the key.

Lighting,
Yes mercury vapor does do uvb and basking tasks, however, especially in a cage as big as yours, you need much more light!
This is a very debatable subject but from my experience, once the UVB is met, light intensity must be addressed. It is a balancing game. You have to get as much light as possible, while not going over the temps.

Trust me on this, I did not buy it at first but when I added another strip light to my baby bins, I saw a big difference. (Thanks B)
Just try adding normal fluorescents to it, not reptile bulbs, just white cheap bulbs. (for intensity purposes only). The light intensity just gives them a calm feeling (in my opinion).

Water:
I have several dragons who don't seem to drink ever either. That is when soaking RepCal pellets is a blessing. If they are eating them, then you know they are getting some water through those. They are like little sponges.

Running around & scratching is normal too. So is basking a lot. Just sitting in the cool side all the time and not going to the basking spot is a cause of worry but basking is not. That's what they do most the time.

I hope that help & sorry for running off subject earlier.
Joel

Thank you all very much for your help! I went to school, came back and I have a million replys...lol I took a double take to make sure they were all to my post =). But thank you all and if anyone else has any suggestions I would really appreciate it. Oh and where would be my best bet to get a double bulb 48" flurescent containter/holder/socket thingy lol that you just have to plug in rather than hardwire?

Thanks again,
-Justin

As one of the abusers of the forum...I'll give you that answer..lol (then I won't feel so bad)
You can get them at Home Depot or Lowes.
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TheClassyLizard