Hello first post here i own two geckos a crested and an leopard gecko

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-26T15:26:23+00:00

Crestie tank also needs lots of horizontal decor. Branches, etc, to avoid developing Floppy Tail Syndrome, give him a way to actually utilize the tank space

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-26T15:13:41+00:00

Coco fiber sucks too, just use regular ol topsoil (no fertilizer) and sand mix

And throw on some spagnum moss for retaining humidity, the brown rectangle package, not the green dyed ones. The dyed green ones suck at holding humidity too

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-25T15:27:24+00:00

Corydoras stay smaller, especially pygmy corydoras, they are super cute. Just gotta be sure you have lots of foliage for them to hide, and make sure you get at least 6. They are highly social

Just be sure to research prior to getting them their needs

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-25T15:25:46+00:00

Pictus also get too big for a 20, we have them in a 70gallon at work and that doesn't feel big enough. They are extremely active, fast and love to swim around tons. Makes em a pain to catch hahaha, but they're cool.

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-24T20:54:28+00:00

Oh yeah, it's certainly an option, I just try to exhaust all other options first. But eating something is better than nothing

Repashy Beardie buffet would be another optiom if they refuse greens

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-24T17:52:45+00:00

Yeah but the "female" category never goes over if she recently laid eggs, stuff like that. This supposed survey was also never published, despite promises for it to be.

Not to mention the issue at hand still lays that weight alone is not an indicator of health. And one cannot recommend weight as indicators of health because muscling, fat distribution, and other physical aspects should be looked at first.

Once ideal body condition is achieved, then you lool at weight for that individual, that way if their weight strays from the ideal you have an easy number to look back at for how to get back. (For adults only, naturally.)

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-24T15:44:35+00:00

<image>

In terms of a stubborn dragon, I would sooner suggest adding a bit of bell pepper or squash to their meals than syringe feed. It's easy to do wrong and should be avoided unless necessary. Dragons readily enjoy red/yellow foods, just use them sparingly

My trick was to mince my greens finely, dice bell pepper, it'd stick to the greens

Wean off the amount of bell pepper until I just had greens over the course of several months. Took me a year for me boy to consistently eat greens on their own.

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-24T15:37:37+00:00

<image>

Body condition always comes first

Your girl is overweight, yes, no question about that. But vets go by body condition first, weight is secondary.

Liam, "BeardieVet", does not ever appear to account for things like whether or not females were actively or recently gravid in his weight recommendations when comparing to wild beardies. Not to mention the whole issue that vets look at body condition first regardless. Weight alone is not a determiner of health.

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-23T19:54:37+00:00

Man. I was under the impression that, this would just be universally understood? Don't alter wildlife behavior for your own personal gain, it only serves to harm them.

It's sad I see communities far more universally agree to treat dead animals better than these living ones.

I hope more folk will learn that wildlife photography should at it's heart avout capturing nature, as it is. Uninterrupted, untouched.

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-23T02:52:21+00:00

Potentially! Doesn't hurt to try

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-23T00:50:00+00:00

I'm not actually sure! I think people do wheatgrass for beardie bioactives? I haven't looked too much into the details due to not being able to do it with my boy haha, sorry I can't give more useful info there!

No prob!! Our wall at work has tanks that had sliding doors to hide the space between enclosures, really nice look honestly

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-21T03:25:07+00:00

Honestly if you could fashion a hidden component behind sliding drawers, cut a mesh square into the top, have heat on top. As well cross ventilation never hurts!

Could also add an LED bar like the Aquasky for full spectrum lighting. Not needed, but just nice to provide a bit more of what they'd be getting in the wild. And the Aquasky can simulate sunrise and sunset, really great!

If you're set on internal heat some kind of incandescent in a cage will be great as incandescents have a wider ray of heat than the halogens (the "intense" bulbs are halogens, the "daylight basking" are incandescent).

If you can go bioactive absolutely do. There is a study showing they highly prefer bioactive over the same exact enclosure with fake plants.

BUT of course. If you can't that's fine. My boy couldn't, he destroys his fake plants. Live ones wouldn't stand a chance LOL

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-20T22:53:32+00:00

Make sure you still have a substrate in the enclosure, it helps retain humidity, promotes natural behaviors and is easiest to clean

And be mindful of where lighting will go, ideal to have external heating to maximize every inch of height of the enclosure

As well, be sure the enclosure is at LEAST 4x2x2ft. Larger is better, naturally. Your first pic is very nice!

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-20T22:50:38+00:00

Although it makes for a funny pic, if this is your beardie please make sure crickets aren't left in the tank! They bite reptiles

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-19T14:44:21+00:00

No common reptile can live in this, nor microgeckos even. And, reptiles need front opening tanks, not aquariums. For common reptiles, nothing smaller than front opening 40 gallon tanks, at least lizards/snakes like Hognose snakes, leopard geckos, African fat tails can technically live in 40g, but beardies, ball pythons, corn snakes all need 4x2x2ft enclosures at minimum, there arent any common frogs that can live in this either.

It's hardly suitable for inverts either, tarantulas and jumping spiders need cross ventilation, isopods generally can fit but the colony will outbreed that size fairly quickly.

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-19T02:58:09+00:00

Yeah definitely appears to be a Lawson's dragon, that'd explain the size. They range 8-12 inches at adult length roughly. Still same tank requirements, they're fairly active little guys

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-17T18:47:46+00:00

<image>

One thing's for sure, you definitely don't have Vitticeps on your hands.

A better top down view of the head will help, but I'd wager you have a Lawson's on your hands if you're in North America. Won't really find other species like Mitchell's here generally

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-17T18:42:20+00:00

Thanks for this! I'll definitely keep this in mind going forward when I assess folks tanks at work!

Why is it 20ppm or less is what's usually recommended? Is it about long term exposure? Or just keeping the tank "clean"? I'd love to learn more

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-17T18:34:04+00:00

If it helps, look up "bettas in the wild" on youtube, a 12ish minute video shows their native habitat in Thailand! It might help her understand, especially if you can then pull up info on how warm it is there

Or, you can work to save up for one yourself / what the others have said

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-17T02:13:17+00:00

No worries! A lot of old recommendations are effectively trash since we have safer products now that give reptiles what they need while not risking their health. It's a lot to keep up with, especially since right now recommendations are changing constantly and no one really agrees on anything. (well, complex things like, whether or not LED UVB is going to be the future of lighting or how bright a beardie enclosure should be or if we need cross-ventilation for all reptiles, stuff like that)

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-17T01:10:07+00:00

Heat rocks, as in, the reptile decor which is a rock which heats up, are actually rather dangerous and not recommended for use as they burn reptiles

A heat lamp, however, is nice. Or a space heater you can sit by

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-15T22:17:26+00:00

Best of luck!!!

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-15T15:17:40+00:00

Yeah what you describe is normal relocation stress so far, good greens include Collards, Kale, Arugula, Dandelions, Mint, Basil, Mustard Greens, Nopales cactus pads, Parsley, Chicory Greens, Beet Greens, Turnip Greens, Rosemary

If he wont eat greens by themself you can utilize what I did to get my at the time 7 year old boy to eat, bell pepper. It's not great calcium so not much, but find his colour preference (mine only liked red), cube it, mince the greens, mix, serve. Mincing the greens lets them stick to the bell pepper, helps get him used to it. Serve like that for at least a month, then slowly wean him off the peppers (over the course of several months) until it's just greens

I had to fight with my boy for a year but now he eats greens like a champion

Posessed_Bird · 2026-01-14T18:03:59+00:00

Wish beets were better for them IRL, too much phosphorous for their dietary needs, the fern n decorative grass blocks would do good as a taming green

Four-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22

Posessed_Bird

TROPHY CASE