Thinking about getting a Dragon.

[jjhill001]

Ok. So I've got a 15 gallon. 24in x 12 x 12. I want to get a baby beardie. What would be the best bulb for him? What about substrate, I hate newspaper and the like. Anything I should know when it comes to caring for a young beardie. Thanks.

[pinefamily]

An MVB is a good choice for a beardie; it will provide heat and UV in one, otherwise you need two globes. If you do go with separate globes (which is what we do), you don't need to buy the expensive "reptile" globes. We just go to our local hardware store and get 100w spot globes, or whatever wattage is appropriate for the size tank.
Regarding substrate, you will get different answers to what I am about to say, I'm sure. Nearly every beardie owner in Australia uses sand; the smart ones go and get playsand (for sandpits) from the hardware store. This stuff is fine as long as you dry it out if damp. Don't use calci-sand. This is the stuff that causes impaction. Normal sand as I have described will not.
A good care sheet: Central Bearded Dragon Care Sheet (http://www.australianbeardies.net/forum/showthread.php?397-Central-Bearded-Dragon-Care-Sheet)
2 good guides for feeding greens:
Nutrition Content (http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html)
Bearded Dragon Greens/Vegetables/Fruits and Treats (http://blackninjakitty.com/herps/care/troystuttlegreeniglist.htm)

We have 4 beardies that are thriving. Hope this helps.

[Tiny Boidae]

Now I don't have any beardies personally, although my brother who lives across the US for personal reasons I'm not disclosing, has several that thrive. I called him and this is what he told me:

Don't have loose particle substrate with babies. They tend to be really inquisitive and hyper when they're little and will lick everything. He keeps his adults on a mixture of sand and top soil without a problem, but the babies he just keeps on tile until they calm down a little.

For my dragons and his, we both use fluorescent tubes. I've read around that compact bulbs caused eye problems, and while I've used them for growing plants, I'd rather avoid them. Repti-Sun is great and what I use for my water dragons, although my brother uses the Exo-Terra bulbs without a problem. To save money on the hood, since they do tend to be expensive, get a shop light from a hardware store that'll hold your bulbs. They're about half the price as the ones marketed for reptiles and work just as fine.

As far as heating goes, again we both use flood lights. They're great, inexpensive, and did I say great? They can get really warm though, and get warm over a large area (unlike how most reptile basking bulbs are. I found that those tend to get one centralized "basking spot" warm, while the flood light goes for a much more general approach. Just make sure you're enclosure has places for the beardie to escape the heat and you'll be golden).
My brother also uses heat pads at night to provide gentle heat, completely optional if you're temps stay warm enough at night.

Word of warning: these guys will eat you out of house and home in order to thrive. You really want to set up a breeding colony of insect even if it's only for one, because you will become miserable after a while. Especially with a baby.

[Minkness]

Also, while a 15 gallon is fine for a baby, be prepared to get a 40 gallon breeder for an adult. Also, as mentioned previously, FOOD FOOD FOOD! They will need lots of healthy greens and other veggies on a daily basis, as well as loys of bugs. Variety is key. Crickets, roaches, super worms.

I thought about getting a bearie once, but the space, heat, and diet made me think twice.

Good luck!

[pinefamily]

As a juvenile, a beardie will eat more live prey than greens; then as it gets to adulthood it will eat more greens than prey. We actually give our adults a day or two a week off from live prey, depending on the time of year. Obviously when they first come out of brumation they need feeding up.

[jjhill001]

Well, I'm good in terms of tanks. I've got an extra 36x18x18 laying around.

Any idea on what Bulb size I should use for a 15 gallon? That is 12 inches high? I don't wanna cook the little bugger but I don't want him being too cold either.

[Tiny Boidae]

It's not really the size of the bulb that matters so much as it is the wattage, and even then you want to hook it up to a rheostat to avoid this. Just do a dry run in a lizardless container for a week or so, see if you can have a nice warm basking spot on one end and a cooler zone on the other. Generally speaking though, you won't have any problems with overheating if you use some common sense.

[pinefamily]

With the correct wattage globe, you can bypass using a thermostat; that way the globe lasts longer and is potentially a lower wattage. Depending how cold it gets in your winter, you will need to think about night time heating as well. Usually a CHE is the go, or a small heat mat to raise the ambient temp in the tank overnight.