Age & Feeding: Bearded Dragon

Question
QUESTION: I believe my Beardie to be about 8 months old (total length incl. tail: 12"). He is kept alone in a 100cm x 50cm x 50cm tank. Do you agree with my estimate of his age?
Also, Dandelion, Collard & Mustard greens are very difficult to source where I live; I can easily get brocolli, cabbage, kale, endive, turnip, butternut squash, carrot, parsnip, spinach, avocado, aubergine, rocket, green beans & similar, and with this list in mind, what do you suggest I feed him?
Regards,
Daniel

ANSWER: Hello Daniel,

Well, just strictly going by the length to determine the age is very difficult because of the differences in genetics & breed can cause a wide range of lengths for the ages.
The average length is around 6-8 inches for 2-3 months of age, & they should be around 12 inches at around 4-6 months roughly.  Those are rough estimates.  
So, when did you get your dragon?  Where did you get him from a breeder or a petstore?
The greens & veggies are fine, but do not feed brocolli, cabbage, spinach or kale very often.  Do not feed avocado at all, they can be toxic.  
Here is a great feeding list for you to look at to give you some ideas.    www.beautifuldragons.com   Click on the nutritional link.  
Do you feed crickets, or worms?
The size of the tank is decent being a little over 3 feet, & just short of 2 feet wide & tall.  You might however, want to upgrade a little more if & when he gets larger.
Are you using UVB lighting?

Tracie

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

QUESTION: Hi Tracie,
I got him from a pet shop about 5 months ago and since then he has grown magnificently although, based on your estimates, it sounds like he is a little small for his age. I mainly feed him brown or silent crickets although I will occasionally buy black crickets too. I like to vary the size I buy for him. I would generally buy small/medium locusts for diversity but I don't feed them to him in any great quantities. I give him the occasional Jumbo Mealworm too, as a treat or a last resource if I can't get crickets for a day or two (my supplier can be unreliable).
I am planning on building him a custom vivarium when I have the money saved. Would 2.5m x 1m x 1m be too big?
I am currently using a 50 Watt Exo-Terra Sun-Glo Neodymium Daylight Basking Spot Bulb for heating purposes and a 26W compact incandescent 10.0 for UVB. I use a fine particle substrate and have had no impaction scares as of yet.
Do you think this is an appropriate set-up for him? Are his needs being satisfied? How many 15mm crickets should he be eating per day? Also, what are your thoughts on using solely a 125 Watt Mercury Vapour bulb?
Many thanks & regards,
Daniel.

ANSWER: Hello Daniel,

I would prefer to see you use the Mercury vapor bulb.  The compact 10 UVB light, what brand is that?  They are not very good & are hard on their eyes too.  Some put out hazardous low wavelength UVB too.
Are you talking about the Solar Glo mercury vapor bulb?  If so, that would be fine.
Make sure you have a ceramic base light fixture to handle at least 300+ wattage to handle the wattage safely.  
The cricket size needs to be smaller than the space between the eyes, that is how you can gauge the proper size for him. He should be eating at least 50 crickets per day.  Probably more, if given an opportunity to do so.   
Do you use calcium supplementation?  How often do you use it?  He needs it 5 times per week, since he is still growing.  
Let's see, the 2.5 meters is a little over 6 feet tank, by 3 feet wide by 3 feet tall.  That is perfectly fine, he will have plenty of room to run around!!  :-))


Tracie

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

QUESTION: Hi Tracie;
Sorry about the double post!
I will get a Mercury Vapour bulb. I was mistaken about my UVB lamp however; I am using a 26 watt ReptiSun 10.0 self-ballasted compact fluorescent lamp (item no. FS-C10E). The ballast is ceramic and has a 250W safe maximum.
There is 1" between his eyes. He seems full after 10 to 15 crickets - hesitant to go for more, despite the fact that they are in a container angled for his ease-of-access and moving (and thus very visible). He will always go for a mealworm.
I use Zoo-Med's 'Reptivite' Reptile Vitamins with D3 on all live feed and sometimes on his veg. I powder the live feed extensively about 3 times a week making sure there is a heavy excess in their container for them to stumble through/brush against. They are always heavily coated in white powder.
I feed them 'T-Rex Calcium Plus Food For Crickets' which I have just now noticed is 40% ash. Should I revert to banana or veg? I changed to dry pellets as I found the fresh food decomposes very quickly and fungus starts to grow.
How frequently should I change his sand?
Regards,
Daniel.

Answer
Hello Daniel,
OH!  The Reptisun 10 compact & coil light is very dangerous & is terrible on the eyes, too.
Please turn that off & get another UVB light, ok?  
Don't forget to use a halogen light for the basking bulb.  
I would dust the feeders 3-4 times per week.  
You feed the crickets dry pellets & veggies?  That is fine.  You can use cotton balls for water, just don't have any standing water.  Don't use bananas they have too much phosphorus in them.  
I would change the sand out at least every 6-8 weeks.  Just use a thin layer so you don't waste it.

Tracie