Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey i have an 8 month old female bearded dragon. ive had her since she was a baby. when i bought her i put her in a 20 gallon long tank with paper towels as a substrate. i have a 100 watt basking bulb shining on her basking spot at 95 degrees...on the cool side i have a log for her to climb on.

her cage is exactly the same now except that i use sand as her substrate. she always spends her time on a branch near the top of her enclosure. i feed her mustard greens every morning, but she doesnt seem that interested...even when i feed her crickets she seems reluctant to chase after them.

I am in the finishing stages of building her a 2 x 2 x 4 ft enclosure so she should have a bigger cage soon...do you think shes just unhappy cuz her enclosure is waay too small?!

any feedback will be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

thanks,

david

It is too cold to eat.

I would recommend a basking temp of at least 120F, surface temp, measured with a temp gun.

As it is, metabolism is so slow and sluggish that food rots in the belly, not digests, and that is no fun.

And good hide spots as well, you didn't mention any.
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robyn@proexotics.com

ShipYourReptiles.com
Pro Exotics Reptiles

I'm not real sure what you mean when you say she is unhappy. You didn't give much information about her. Length, weight, etc. Is she continuing to grow?

I agree that the enclosure is too small and the basking temp is too low. The basking temp. should have a surface temp. in the 105-110 range. Any higher than that and you risk overheating the entire enclosure.

Upping the temp. would be a good first step followed by more information and possibly a vet checkup.

Just wondering if you have a log on the basking side of the tank...you mentioned a log on the cool side and she climbs it.You need something for her to climb on at the hot end as well since it's their natural instinct to perch on something when basking.Hope all the replies help.