Bearded dragon husbandry raincheck

Question
QUESTION: Hi!
'Moi' (Bearded Dragon Female) is currently living in a 47 gallon breeder, and
she was about 8 inches when i got her, apparently she was 6 months old. Not
too sure about the shops accuracy though. Anyway, she was doing well, and
was eating quite nicely, about 20 crix a day for a month, then my parents
were getting concerned about keeping crix in the house, so I moved on to
using superworms, which have been fed on fresh veggies and kept on wheat
bran substrate (as reccomended by a professional herpetologist for 15 years).
She used to love them, then I decided to start her on some Dubias, which are
also fed on fresh veggies. But somewhere along the way, she seemed to have
lost her appetite, and would rather just lay basking on her basking spot, and
lost interest in food. Now she'll eat perhaps 2 superworms and 1 Dubia a day.
and fresh veggies are always available to her.

When i got her, I was using an Exo-terra porcelain glow clamp lamp of 150
watts. I got her about a year ago by the way. I recently (2 months ago, added
an additional reptisun 10.0 in addition to the exo-terra. I just changed the
exo-terra today to a powersun (zoo-med) 150 watt and dumped the exo-
terra since I heard zoo-med was better. Now the temps in the cage are:

Warm side: 105 F
Cool side: 90 F

Her appetite hasn't really improved much, but I wanted to see if there was
anything i could do to help her become a bit more lively again. She's now
about 14 inches, and hasn't shedded for at least 2 - 3 months. But before that
she shedded. I would be happy to communicate via email if that is more
convenient. I love Moi and want to keep her happy.

If this helps she's a orange translucent beardie.

Thanks so much.

ANSWER: Hello Jay,

The 47 gallon tank is pretty good sized then.  That is really funny that your parents were worried about the crickets, but not the dubias!  Do you have a digital probe or temp gun you are using to measure the temperatures?  The basking temperature is fine, but the cooler end temps need to come down to around 78-82.  She may be getting too hot.  
Do you have any pictures of her?
They will slow down on their eating at around 8 months or 10 months so they will need less feeders & protein as they reach adulthood but will continue to fill out into their 2nd year.  She is rather small for her age if she is around 1 year or so.  
I use chicken laying mash for all of our feeders.  It is very well rounded & has high calcium & protein.  
So, did you use just the Exo terra porcelain glow lamp only, for the first year you had her?  If so, she didn't get any UVB exposure which is why she has not grown much.  Great that you added the Reptisun 10 recently.  Is it a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  How close is it to her, & is there plastic in between the light & her?
The Zoomed basking lamp is fine.  It needs to be placed directly beside the Reptisun 10 tube bulb.  
Have you used calcium since she was small?  Are you using calcium for her now?  She may be deficient in calcium, since she has not had any UVB exposure for quite awhile.  
If you prefer, you can contact me email, that is fine too.  My email is:
Drache_613@hotmail.com

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Tracie,

Thanks very much for your response. Yes, the reason my parents were
concerned about the crickets was because of the noise. Our apartment isn't
too big so the noise travels a long way. I will include a picture in an email.
Will she continue growing? Or is this it? That is one thing that's been on my
mind for a while. Yes I was using the Exo Terra porcelain Glow lamp for 1
year. But the bulb was in fact a UVA + UVB Mercury Vapor Bulb. which was
running at I believe 120 watts. The ZooMed is above a steel mesh while the
Reptisun is inside the cage and has about a  18 inch distance from the base of
the cage. The Zoomed is a Mercury vapor, and the reptisun is a tube light. I
am using a powder that is called Vitaminas TT + electrolitos (with calcium
added). and i feed that to her orally about once every 2 weeks, I usually give it
to her through a syringe, which she is a bit fussy about, but she does drink all
5 ml of it, which is great.

I would really like to see her grow, but i know beardies have their growth
stages... so is she at her full size? Or will she continue to grow?

your information on her reduction in appetite is extremely relieving, because
she never used to be like this. Thanks! Hope to see a reply soon

ANSWER: Hello Jay,

Oh of course, the noise from the crickets chirping.  LOL  It can get quite loud!  We breed crickets, so I know.  
She should grow more for you, yes.  
Ok, so you were using the Solar Glo which is the mercury vapor bulb.  It was a good bulb in 2008-2009 but this year, they have changed the specs on the bulb & not all of them are very good now.  
The Zoomed basking light will be fine.  Is it the Powersun mercury vapor bulb then?  If so, make sure & watch her carefully.  There have been reports of eye problems with these bulbs.  They are known for emitting low wavelength UVB emissions, which are dangerous.  Has she had any problems thus far?  If not, maybe you have gotten an ok one.  Good the Reptisun 10 tube bulb is fine, no problems with that one.  However, how close is the Zoomed powersun from her, 12 or so inches?  I am just trying to make sure the UVB exposure is where it needs to be in relation to distance from her.
One thing that you should increase though is her calcium intake.  She does need straight calcium several times per week.  Can you get just a plain calcium powder, with no vitamins added to give to her at least 3 times per week?  That could help with her growth as well.     
It is hard to know exactly how big she will be, as that is determined by genetics & care.  The average lengths usually run between 16-20 inches.

Let me know how she is doing.  
Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes it was the chirping that drove my parents mad!

Correct - I was indeed using the Solar Glo. I am indeed using the Powersun
Mercury vapor bulb. She gets about a foot down from the basking lamp at
maximum. How can i get straight out calcium? And more importantly how do
i feed it to her? Because recently she hates the syringe (orally) so im going to
have to look at another method.

Another question, how do i keep the cooler end of the tank cooler? Should i
put some more shade? Or should i put a fan on top of the cage (above the
mesh? - that can be arranged within minutes)?

Answer
Hello Jay,

Keep in mind also, that there have been some problems with the Powersun, too unfortunately.  This has not been a good year for lights in the reptile industry!  Just watch her for eye problems such as squinting, avoiding the light, lethargic behavior, & loss of appetite.
Well, you should be able to find powdered calcium at the pet store I would presume.  The calcium can be used to coat/dust her crickets,  roaches or any other feeder.  Just dust once daily, 4-5 times per week.

Well, the cooler end of the tank should be around 78-82, but is ok up to around 85.  If it starts getting up over 85 on the cooler end, she is going to start overheating & may not want to bask at all.  
What are the temperatures running on the cool side right now?  You can put a little more shade if you want to, if it's needed.  A fan would be ok if it was hot enough, but it probably wont be necessary.  

Tracie