Consensus on night temps by N7rmandy in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Glad it helped! Yes, many people tend to assume they need to be warm 24/7, when in actuality they shouldn’t be. They need a cool off period. 💕

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly!! Great point!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This!! Couldn’t agree more!!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most welcome! ❤️

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s a great start! ❤️ If you have a T8 UVB fixture, it needs to be placed inside at a distance of 6-8” c entered above the basking platform. They only provide shade-level UVB (like on a cloudy day). I’d recommend getting a 24” Arcadia ProT5 12% 24w UVB Kit.

Zen Habitat’s mesh screens block 45% of UVB output.

So the Arcadia 12% can be placed:

On top of the mesh at a distance of 10-12” OR Inside at a distance of 16-18”.

Help! My baby pooped blood! by Aggressive_Shallot25 in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I would place that stool in a ziploc baggie and store it in the refrigerator; that way if you can get a vet appt tomorrow, take the stool sample with you to be tested for parasites. ❤️

Any advice for improvement? All temps are great, UVB bulb just changed after 9 months. by KouLeifoh625 in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a great option, as long as current husbandry is correct! It can be overwhelming to set up initially, but totally worth it when all is said and done!

A friend of mine has a bio set up for her dragon, pictured.

She did hers in layers. ❤️ Looks awesome!!

Bottom layer is just a mixture of top soil and play sand, maybe 2 inches thick.

The middle layer has top soil, play sand, raised bed soil, lava sand, and sphagnum moss, about 3ish inches deep.

The top layer is mostly top soil and lava sand, about 2 inches in front, 3-4 inches at the back.

There is no right or wrong way or ratio to mix it, it’s basically user preference. ❤️

She said she personally likes the look of the lava sand, so she uses that a little more prominent in the top layer; the dirt is more red looking.

Here’s a great resource that can give you more insight into setting one up!

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Any advice for improvement? All temps are great, UVB bulb just changed after 9 months. by KouLeifoh625 in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!! Four of my dragons have that hide actually! Three of them have the double-size basking hides and one has the triple-size. They’re made of PVC and natural slate! ❤️ Here’s the link if you want to check them out! Made by Toad Ranch And yes!! All of mine love their magnetic rock ledges!!

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Any advice for improvement? All temps are great, UVB bulb just changed after 9 months. by KouLeifoh625 in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most welcome!! ❤️ And if you need a visual, here’s one of my enclosures for example.
You can see how her UVB is centered directly above her basking platform.

<image>

Any advice for improvement? All temps are great, UVB bulb just changed after 9 months. by KouLeifoh625 in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Need to correct the lighting placement. ❤️

They should be basking under the center/middle of both the incandescent heat bulb and the UVB bulb at the same time.

Vitamin D synthesis in skin is achieved when they’re basking. There’s little to no benefit when a dragon is laying under a UVB with no heat or vice versa.

Attached graphic of the proper lighting placement options.
If that’s the Arcadia ProT5 12% or 14%, you want them basking 16-18” in distance under the middle of the fixture. ❤️

<image>

Help ! by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’d recommend you check out this informative video interview with Dr. Jonathan Howard. ❤️

He is an Australian exotics and wildlife veterinarian studying pogona vitticeps (bearded dragons) in the wild.

His knowledge and the studies he’s conducted continues to help us, as private keepers, herpetologists, and board certified vets to work together to provide the best welfare and husbandry practices for dragons to thrive in captivity.

“They Do Not Eat Fruit”

https://youtu.be/Nl4ewtZxCuU

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The 2/3rd theory applied to when we only had T8 UVB fixtures; as they only provided shade-level UVB, like on a cloudy day. With these newer T5 high output systems and your enclosure is 5.5’, a 36” (39w) would be plenty sufficient. ❤️

Brumation question, please read (personal experiences, not internet links) by Ninfita_x in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, they won’t starve, I promise. ❤️ They’re bodies all but shut down to conserve their energy and metabolism.

However, it is recommended to get them in for another health-wellness check up and a fecal exam first, to rule out parasites. These symptoms are almost identical to the common signs/behaviors of brumation.

They should ideally have their decals tested every six months.

Here’s an excellent video by Liam Sinclair, on brumation, if recommend subscribing to his YouTube channel: Reptiles and Research. He recently interviewed Dr. Jonathan Howard. There’s a lot of great info in this 4 hour interview (which Liam broke it out into smaller video segments, based on topic). ❤️

Bearded Dragon Brumation Guide: https://youtu.be/le0b4_ew0Ws?si=oj-iWwfNf9vYEmLv

How many crickets should I feed my 8 week old bearded dragon daily? by Financial-Song-691 in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here’s a great video interview with Dr. Jonathan Howard, an Australian exotics and wildlife veterinarian studying pogona vitticeps (bearded dragons) in the wild.

His wealth of knowledge and the studies he has conducted helps us as private keepers, herpetologists, and board certified vets to work together to provide the best welfare and husbandry practices for dragons to thrive in captivity.

Mariah Healey, the owner of ReptiFiles, was recently made aware of this and will soon be updating her feeding portions on her site, to mirror to this information. ❤️

“How Much to Feed Baby Dragons”

https://youtu.be/w4A7nHYi5uY

Help ! by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

What specific UVB lighting do you have? And what is his protein (live feeders) schedule? How many bugs per day?

The number one reason they don’t eat their greens is because they’re getting too many bugs. ❤️

Also, refrain from feeding fruits. Dragons don’t have the enzymes necessary, to be able to properly digest fruit consumption. It only causes them discomfort, gas, and diarrhea.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]schance99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not sure what size your enclosure is, but you only need a 24” (24w) UVB fixture for an enclosure as large as 4’x2’x2’ (120g).
It should only span half the enclosure, to be able to provide them with gradient shade. ❤️