baby beardy

Question
QUESTION: hi , i just got a bearded draon and she seems very healthy eating and pooping very well and she is very alert and curious, but her toes seem to go stiff not all the time but when she stands they stick up and she opens her mouth quite a bit i was wondering if this is normal and if not what might it be? she also moves around her tank lots . she has a 46 gallon tank and all the proper uvb and heat lighting and the tank temps are 85 on the cool side and 100 on the basking spot  and she can get about 8-9 inches from her basking bulb.

ANSWER: Hello Amy,

What type & brand of UVB lighting are you using?  Is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil bulb?  
What type of basking light are you using, a bright white light or a colored bulb?
What are you measuring the temps with, a stick on type of thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun?  
Does she open her mouth when she is under her basking light, or just in general?  
It is very normal that she is running around alot because at that age, they are very active.  
Her toes do they stick up like that when she is just standing?  So she stands more on her heels sometimes?  They will do that from time to time, but at least as she is running on her feet properly & they don't stay stiff that should not be a problem.
Are you using calcium supplementation?  How often do you use it?  As a baby, she needs it 5 times per week.  
Do you have an undertank heater?  The bottom of her tank is not too ho t is it?  What type of substrate are you using to line the bottom of her tank?

Tracie

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

QUESTION: i have a repti glo 8.0 30w desert terrarium lamp, tube bulb
and a repta sun incandesent 75 watt basking bulb
yes she has a medium undertank heater
and i have two stick on thermometer one on each side and and a probe.
she only opens her mouth when shes in the basking area and not all the time but mabye 15 short periods a day give or take. yes she stands on her heals lol  it is kinda cute but she doesnt do it constantly and she walks and runs very well. yes i do give her calcium and vitamin d3 about 5 times a week, she eats around 20 crickets a day and seems to like her veggies, and as i have a gecko and have loved him for 7years i never use sand in a babys tank so she has indoor/outdoor carpet.


Answer
Hello Amy,
Great, the Reptiglo 8 flourescent tube bulb is fine.  Just remember to change it out after 6 months.  They don't make too many of those anymore, so when you upgrade next, get a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb.  Don't get the Reptiglo 10 tube bulb because they are not very good lights.  
I would not use the undertank heater during the daytime when you have the basking lights on.  She is probably getting overheated.  They don't have heat sensors on their belly & cannot determine when they are getting too hot.  They can get burned too if it gets too hot on their belly.
The stick on thermometers are most likely giving you inaccurate readings.  They only measure the ambient temps & the temperatures of the glass.  To get an accurate reading of the basking temperatures, you will need to get either a digital probe or a temp gun.  
That should take care of the temperatures if she is getting too hot.  Just turning the undertank heater off should fix the heating issue.  If your tank is getting under 60 or so at night, you can turn the undertank heater on.
Great that you are using the carpet, no impaction issues should occur with that.  
That is sufficient on the calcium, no problem.  How often do you feed her, she should be offered feeders at least 2 times per day to give her an opportunity to get as much protein as possible since she is growing.  Good she likes her greens & veggies, too.

Let me know how it goes.

Tracie