Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, this is how the final setup goes...tell me if anything is wrong...

-10 gallon tank....no substrate....just bare bottom.

-100 spot bulb to create a surface temperature on a rock of about 101 degrees. The air temperature is about 94 on the warm end under the basking bulb. On the cool end (furthest away from the bulb it is about 83 degrees. (tested all this with a digital thermometer)

-2 reptibulb 8.0's within 7 inches from tank floor.

-He has a water dish, a food dish (usually containing one or a mix of the following: collared greens, kale, bok choy, or snow peas...these of course are all shredded rather finely.

-He also gets as many crickets as he will eat. I feed him 2 at a time until I notice they are gone...then he gets 2 more...today he ate 6 crickets. (The crickets are about 1/4 of an inch and are always dusted)

-He also has a plastic plant he likes to climb up when it's time for him to sleep.

-His current length is exactly 6.5 inches and his current weight is 11 grams. He's 6 1/2 months old.

-He eats vegetables and crickets and seems healthy...I'll post his new weight and length maybe a month from now.

Thanks for all the help, suggestions, opinions, and even complaints...if there are any final suggestions to this set-up, let me know.

a bigger tank will give you more control over the temperature. i know you disagree, but im going to tell you anyway to raise the basking spot to about 110ish. a non-particulate substrate will be good to prevent the beardie from sliding around. good with the uvb. dont dust evvvvvery time; it is possible for a beardie to develop hypercalcemia (i could be using the wrong term...basically its possible to get too much calcium and/or vitamins). 6 crix is awfully low; should definetely be feeding at least twice a day. most of us say 'feed however many the beardie will eat in 10-15 minutes'. thats usually 10-30. per feeding. if your beardie genuinely isnt interested in any more than those 6, and i think you said you have a clean fecal, you might want to try adding regular flourescent bulbs to increase light intensity or using Parazap to increase appetite. good with the greens. a water bowl is fine if you monitor the humidity, but generally beardies have a hard time recognizing standing water as a source, so you should still mist him sometimes. they catch on to that much easier
your husbandry isnt awful or anything, you just asked us for what could be improved, and there's the stuff i noticed im trying to point out the things youre doing right (greens, lots of uvb, etc) so you dont just get frustrated.
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python (mr snake),0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake (CK),1.1.0 leopard gecko (sebastian and vilma),0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa (luce),1.1.1 bearded dragon (kaipo, dulce, and kellen), 1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (adam and eve)

I would also add, use papertowel or newsprint for a substrate...makes it alot easier on the dragon. I hope he grows well with the changes you have made. You certainly seem determined to do what's best with your dragon, including researching many sources and asking about the inconsistancies that inevitably occure. Keep in mind that dragon care is still relatively new and intensive research on proper care and husbandry isn't exact yet. But with more and more concerned dragon owners out there, more research is being conducted to learn the best way to care for our little spiny friends.

-10 gallon tank....no substrate....just bare bottom.
>>>I'd line the bottom with paper towels (makes for easy cleanup)
>>>10 gal. tank should be fine for a baby.. but you'll need a larger tank soon.

-100 spot bulb to create a surface temperature on a rock of about 101 degrees. The air temperature is about 94 on the warm end under the basking bulb. On the cool end (furthest away from the bulb it is about 83 degrees. (tested all this with a digital thermometer)
>>>Temps are fine. In a tank that small, you don't want the cool end to be much hotter.

-2 reptibulb 8.0's within 7 inches from tank floor.
>>> I'm not familiar with reptibulbs.. make sure they provide UV

-He has a water dish, a food dish (usually containing one or a mix of the following: collared greens, kale, bok choy, or snow peas...these of course are all shredded rather finely.
>>> You don't need the water dish unless your beardie is like one of my females and drinks from a dish (most won't and changing it is a waste of your time). Instead mist the dragon regularly and bath it once or twice a week.

-He also gets as many crickets as he will eat. I feed him 2 at a time until I notice they are gone...then he gets 2 more...today he ate 6 crickets. (The crickets are about 1/4 of an inch and are always dusted)
>>>Try leaving a dish in the cage with live crickets. Snap the back legs off first so they can't jump out of the dish. Maybe he'll eat when you're not around.

-He also has a plastic plant he likes to climb up when it's time for him to sleep.
>>> I'd get rid of the plastic plant if it's green and "leaf-like" because he may try to eat it.

-His current length is exactly 6.5 inches and his current weight is 11 grams. He's 6 1/2 months old.
>>>Definitely very small for his age... could just be a genetic trait... some dragons just won't grow. I'd have him checked for parasites if nothing changes with your current set up.

-He eats vegetables and crickets and seems healthy...I'll post his new weight and length maybe a month from now.

You also might want to try offering more than 2 at a time (and don't stay to watch him eat). Sometimes it takes more movement than 2 crickets to stimulate their appetite. If he doesn't eat them all just remove the remaining ones before his lights go out... using a feeding dish and pinching off the cricket's back legs may make it easier to remove the remaining crickets. Other than that what you're doing sounds pretty good. Good luck.