Just got my 1st Dragon :) help

Hey guys i just got my first dragon on monday and so far so good, hes eating chrickets well but he doesnt touch the veggies. what i was told to use was frozen mixed veggies. I defrost them and mush it so they can eat it but i never noticed them eating, i tried to hand feed them but no take. Also they dont seem to drink water either, i havent tried making the water ripple to get there attention, ill give that a shot today. I do spray them with a water bottle to keep them wet and they seem to lick there lips after. Also i was told by the breeder that i got my dragon from that to use calcium sand. Its a special sand that doesnt harm them if ingested... im not sure if thats true, i did use papertowel but all the crickets kept hiding under it lol. Anyways if anyone can tell me a few pointers for my 1st dragon...well lizard actually. i once had a turtle but i was young. Im going to give them a bath today once i get home from work to exercise and soak. Also i havent noticed they gone to the bathroom yet and ive had them for 2 days

 

Calci sand is not good and is not digestable as it says it is. Please don't use it. It's not natural and is a high risk of causing impactions. Solid substrate like tile are best. I use slate for a natural feel and because it has a texture to allow them to grip better.

Young beardies will not eat much vegtables.

Baths are great for hydration, water bowels in the enclosures just harbour bacteria and often end up being used as toilets.

copy and past the questions from here with your answers and we can check your setup for you. http://www.reptilerooms.com/forumtopic-19945.html

 

ok but i have a heatpad on half the tank, will the tile or slate get too hot for the dragons?

 

heat pads aren't good for dragons, they need heat from above and when using a heat pad for any species it should be on a thermostat.

 

ok but i have a heatpad on half the tank, will the tile or slate get too hot for the dragons? also the local reptile store doesnt have solid substrate only moss and sand and they have a specific sand for bearded dragons thats mud and sand so they can tunnel...i was told best is calcium sand. i noticed that when i was using paper towel my dragons didnt like it, they would never leave the basking spot even to chase crickets and now that they have sand they lay in it and chase the crickets...

 

humm i guess the place i got my dragon from didnt know what they were talking about...he told me to get a heat pad and just a plain UVB light....it does say on the heatpad that it is meant for bearded dragons tho...and they love laying on the sand above it with there legs and arms straigh and belly flat and just lounge

 

i have a heat pad also because my tank is too small at the moment to have the 160W UVA UVB light, i was told if i got it it would cook my dragons. so untill i get my 155gal tank to use the heatpad and uvb light then change to that bigger light once i have a bigger tank...will this cause problems?

 

please fill out the form wookie mentioned, we need as much info as possible to go on. For heat you can always use a halogen flood light from the hardware store and slate tile from anywhere that sells it like home depot.

 

but because i have a smaller tank about 30gal will it cook my dragons or no?

 

OWNER INFO
Is this your first bearded dragon? Yes
What area are you located in? Canada

PERSONAL HISTORY (Dragon)
Dragons name: Vaneron
Age, weight and length if you know? 6 weeks,5 inches
How long with you? 3days
What is his condition recently and if it changed, when? Active, Not Eating Veggies
Is he active, clear eyes and bright? Yes
Is the beard, chest or tail tip darker than the rest or than normal? no
Walking/moving normally? yes
Any physical features that do not appear normal? no
From Breeder or Pet Store? (this may make a difference) Breeder
Has he every been treated by a vet, no
If yes, for what and what meds were used/dosed and time if know?
Basking or sleeping during the day? basking
Is he going to the bathroom, how often? Have Not Noticed, no poops
If not, when was the last time?
Is it formed/normal or runny/smelly Normal
Alone or with others? 1 Other
If with others, what sex"? Cant tell yet
Soaking or misting at all and how often? soaking once a day

ENCLOSURE
Set up info tank size? 30 gal terrium
Temps -what do you use for heat? UVB light and heat pad
Basking point? yes
Cool area? yes
What are you measure it with?
What Substrate? Calci-Sand
UVB Lights type (detailed) what brand, model, and length or wattage is
How old?
How close to UVB light when he bask? 8inches
What hours for day/night? 10pm night 10am day
Do you use any type of nighttime heat, if so what? no

FOOD
How is his appetite? IS there a change? fair
What size, kind and how many/much insects does he eat daily? 15 approx
What do you feed the insects normally? Some green cubes..not sure
Is the dragon eating greens/veggies? no
What and how much?
Supplements? Cricket dust
What kind of calcium/how often?
What kind of vitamins how often
How are these given to him?

 

You need a digital probe thermometer which can be gotten at walmart or similar stores for 10 bucks or less. The substrate temps as measured with the digital probe need to be 105-110F on the basking spot.

calci sand as has been stated is a big no no.

You need to be feeding lots of crickets at that age to get the proper protein intake, between 50-100+ crickets a day. You also need to offer a veriety of greens. . Check out the site for the greens recommendations http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html You also need to gutload these crickets with good gutload like cricketfood.com.

Dragons should always be housed separately.

what model is your UVB?

If you get the correct wattage halogen flood it won't "cook" the dragon but the temp needs to be measured with a digital probe and it needs to be on a thermostat.

 

Ok I will go threw everything I see and try to help you out.

 

ok i spoke to the reptile store i got my calci sand from and they say that they are aware that calci-sand is the #1 killer of reptiles but the sand they have they handpicked themselfs and it is not lethal. i also called the best reptile vet in the city and they say that the sand i have is not lethal...so can i keep the sand? they say there is cheaper calci-sand that does kill them but the kind i have will not

 

Calci-Sand does not break down in the GI tract thats why its so deadly.
You can use play sand but no one here will recommend it.
Switching to a solid substrate is cleaner and you run no risks.
I think tile looks a lot better as well

Robert

 

i do belive you guys but i was told that the calci sand i purchased does break down. im told there is alot that does not but the stuff i have will. there was a big explanation the vet told me about this sand but i cannot remmember exactly what she said but she did say taht ill be fine and not to worry

 

i will switch tho when i get more $$ im broke now after i got all this stuff. I was also told that the sand makes the dragons feel most in there natural habitat

 

They don't live on sand IN their natural habitat. So it doesn't make them feel at home... Honestly, just use paper towel right now. You shouldn't need money for it. Otherwise use several week old newspaper. The inks are dry enough to be used for substrate then. Beardies live on hard, packed sand, clay, dirt and rocks... not loose sand. And the thing about wild animals? They don't live as long as when we have them in captivity. So you probably want to make it look natural... but think about wanting them to live the longest they can, also.

EDIT - Also, go stick some of that sand in hydrochloric acid and tell me if it dissolves. It won't. Calcium sand is the least safe of the sand... it WILL cause impactions. And it WILL cause death. The pet store will tell you anything you want to hear to sell you something. The fact that they know it's a killer and still sell it is beyond me.... sounds like they don't care, nor know what even happens to their sand in the digestive tract at all.

 

very true, well i change it to some astro turf or something lol. i dont want tiles in my tank

 

That is a first for me to see.
I allways thought people like tile in the enclosures. They make them look clean and neat.
I am a fan of Black Slate Tile.
Reptile carpet is fine.
I would not go for astro turf due to the rubber in it. lol

Robert

 

I'm also concerned that since the pet store sold you a heating pad, and two dragons (I assume they told you the dragons can live together), it really doesn't sound like they know a whole lot about dragon husbandry. I'd take anything they say about the sand with a grain of salt at this point.

Also, even if the type of sand you got isn't as dangerous as other calcium-based sands, never is it recommended to house a baby dragon on any type of sand at all. Babies are highly prone to impaction because of the way their digestive tract is laid out. Babies get impacted so very easily on just about anything, so it's always recommended to keep them on something they can't accidentally ingest.

If you don't want tiles (though they are really nice, and give tanks a more natural look), repticarpet is good. Also, you could use non-adhesive shelf liner to line the tanks. That's what I use. It's reusable (a $5 roll will last at least a year, if not longer) easy to clean, machine washable, and lays flat on the bottom of the tank, so the crickets can't hide.

You came to the right place for help! You can rest assured that everyone here only has what is best for the dragons in mind. We would not steer you in the wrong direction or make you spend money on different supplies than what you already have, if we didn't 100% feel it is the right thing. Here you have people who've been keeping dragons for many years, and have 1st hand experience with what works best for these incredible animals. Thank you for taking the recommendations made so far seriously, despite what you were told in the store.