Adopting a Beardie!

[youngster]

:D I'm adopting a sub-adult Bearded Dragon soon! Can't wait I'm reading up on them right now. Any tips from experienced keepers?

[Gungirl]

Yay congrats!

[SnakeyJay]

Congrats. :)

[youngster]

Someone I know is going to college and can't take care of him anymore so he's giving him to me!

[cowboy#88]

iv heard that they only bite when they see u with their food

[NennaMeerkat]

I would suggest giving the guy some room to dig IE not carpet or tile bedding. Most adult dragons can tell the difference between bedding such as Sani-Chips or Alfalfa pellets vs. crickets. Also since it will (hopefully) be eating his veggies and those are fed in a bowl...there is no risk there either. My guy (who is 5) LOVES to dig out a hole every night to sleep in. If he can't dig himself a hole he gets really anxious and unsettled.

Also remember the dragon will need a special light (can't remember what it is called) along with a pretty high heat heating lamp. Do a general 12 hour day cycle and have the two lights you will be good to go.

As for food DO NOT feed any kind of lettuce or cabbage. Stick with collard and mustard greens. Also my guy seems to enjoy squash of almost any variety. Alfalfa (whole not sprouts or dry hay stuff) is also very good. Hopefully your guy is eating veggies, if not offer him some he will probably eat them up. Though keep in mind he will still need crickets and will probably be eating a lot of them. My guy eats 40 crickets a week, if not a bit more.

[youngster]

I would suggest giving the guy some room to dig IE not carpet or tile bedding. Most adult dragons can tell the difference between bedding such as Sani-Chips or Alfalfa pellets vs. crickets. Also since it will (hopefully) be eating his veggies and those are fed in a bowl...there is no risk there either. My guy (who is 5) LOVES to dig out a hole every night to sleep in. If he can't dig himself a hole he gets really anxious and unsettled.

Also remember the dragon will need a special light (can't remember what it is called) along with a pretty high heat heating lamp. Do a general 12 hour day cycle and have the two lights you will be good to go.

As for food DO NOT feed any kind of lettuce or cabbage. Stick with collard and mustard greens. Also my guy seems to enjoy squash of almost any variety. Alfalfa (whole not sprouts or dry hay stuff) is also very good. Hopefully your guy is eating veggies, if not offer him some he will probably eat them up. Though keep in mind he will still need crickets and will probably be eating a lot of them. My guy eats 40 crickets a week, if not a bit more.


Yep he's coming with everything he needs. What substrate should i use? Sani-chips?

[SpOoKy]

Yep he's coming with everything he needs. What substrate should i use? Sani-chips?

I would highly recomend a 50/50 clean dirt/play sand mix. your beardie will thank you when he/she can play and dig. You should check out this website it is really good.
Beautiful Dragons (http://www.beautifuldragons.com/home.html)

[NennaMeerkat]

I would say sani-chips as play sand and dirt get rather messy and somewhat difficult to clean up and such. Not only that but I think it holds in moisture. BUT it is a more natural substrate and if that is what you want to go for then go for it. Like I said dragons are generally careful eaters and won't dive head first to get crickets running through substrate...at least not adult ones or near adult ones.

On my dragon I use half sani-chips and half alfalfa pellets. Gives a nice smell with the alfalfa pellets and adds a bit more "bulk" to the substrate which my dragon seems to enjoy.

[Nismo89]

I'd say house him on what your friend is using. If something happened while in your care your friend could get mad and blame it on you changing the substrate or something like that. I don't own a beardie but thats just my two cents on the issue because even though they are a friend they could get mad at you just to get mad at someone IF something happened. If anything else just talk to your friend and say hey I think it'd be better to use such and such a substrate and see how they feel.

[Valvaren]

I just want to add in my opinions. Personally I don't like using any lose substrate, I use tile.

My reasons : Any loose substrate in my mind causes a risk, whether it be impaction or bacteria. Now a lot of people use this type of stuff and have not had a problem but i've seen many many owners who've done it and their dragons have suffered for it, its one of those chances you can take and see how it goes. With substrates like this its hard to keep them really clean especially something like sand, its like a litter box and like any loose substrate you have to completely empty it out every so often. Also with looser substrates they can be dusty and can very well end up causing eye infections. Again just my two cents but a lot of dragon owners including myself refuse to run the risk and instead us things safer.

I use tile for a lot of reason : I don't have to change it and its very very easy to clean, no risk of her eating it or getting anything from it, it files her nails, you can get many different colors and textures. It has no risks, as for burrowing or digging I had a separate little 'bowl' full of sand for Thil to use, she never did, she knew it was there and would often sit in it. After brumation she wasn't the same very sluggish and lethargic, I couldn't find anything wrong and her temps were perfect. I took the sand out, on a whim, the next day she was up and about and ate a full meal for the first time in months (up until this point it was a roach or two a week, and she never lost weight which is why I thought she was slow waking up). I blame the sand.

Also the special light you need is a UVB, tube not coil. Coil bulbs have been known to cause a lot of eye problems and have problems emitting the right amount of UVB which is essential for dragons. The best bulb out there right now is the ReptiSUN, some people use ReptiGlo, I had one ended up selling out an extra 50 bucks to ship in a reptiSUN and never went back. ReptiGlo can cause problem over time and are basically an 'okay' bulb.

This is just a few things I wanted to say, I don't want to spam or overwhelm you, I highly recommend you checking out Beardeddragon.org its an amazing place full of really knowledgeable people who will go through whatever you want and help you decided what you want to do. I bought my dragon on a whim, I didn't know anything about them, and they taught me everything, they honestly saved Thil's life. Dragons are hardy lizards, and when I first joined that site two years ago there weren't many people posting. The last year the place has been flooded with people posting for help for their dying and injured beardies due to points I made above because pet stores have terrible advice and products. As I stated above, its the biggest point I really hope to make in my life that yes we have an obligation to give animals the most realistic experience but that doesn't mean we should emulate the things that harm them, oddly enough that is the biggest reason i've seen a lot of dragons die, because people take the whole 'realistic' thing to seriously. Ultimately its up to you what you do with your dragon but I would like for you to talk to some people who've had to deal with the issue that occur from some 'questionable' husbandry issues.

[NennaMeerkat]

I would like to point out that the BEST loose substrate you can use for a dragon is alfalfa pellets. They are to big for young dragons to ingest, larger dragons who do accidentally eat one or two while hunting crickets have it naturally broken down in their system, and there is no chance of impaction like you will get with the fine fake sand that you buy in most pet stores. Also if it gets wet it does break apart but does not mold. And it even keeps the smell down from poo. Many dragons enjoy digging through substrate and why not give them something to dig through that is fairly safe?

Most impaction comes from sand and usually from younger dragons who do dive into the sand after crickets. They are clumsy eaters when they are young but usually as they age they get better at JUST getting the cricket and nothing else. And on top of it the sand isn't "natural" sand but the man made stuff. That is why a lot of people say play sand, but it is still a risk. In my own personal experience and talking to other breeders at local expos most everyone I talk to says Alfalfa is the way to go.

And apparently after doing some research the pellets actually taste BAD to the dragons so they will spit out any particle of them they taste. So if your dragon eats one with a cricket more than likely that is gonna be one lucky cricket..PA-TOOEY

[Nos]

for greens mine really like dandelion leaves.

[Valvaren]

Nutrition Content (http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html) best place for list of veggies, how much to feed, how often what is safe and not safe, really really good!

[SpOoKy]

I would like to point out that the BEST loose substrate you can use for a dragon is alfalfa pellets.

Sorry but I am going to have to disagree. NOTHING in the wild lives on anything like alfalfa pellets. I have always had both my beardies on sand/dirt and have never had a problem with the eating it or if they did it came right out. Lizards do not get impacted in the wild it is only a captive problem. If your husbandry is correct you should not have these issues.
Your beardie will thank you for giving him/her something he/she can dig and burrow.

[NennaMeerkat]

Sorry but I am going to have to disagree. NOTHING in the wild lives on anything like alfalfa pellets. I have always had both my beardies on sand/dirt and have never had a problem with the eating it or if they did it came right out. Lizards do not get impacted in the wild it is only a captive problem. If your husbandry is correct you should not have these issues.
Your beardie will thank you for giving him/her something he/she can dig and burrow.

My guy does enjoy digging and burrow in the pellets just fine, only recently did I put in some sani-chips as well.

Also something I was reading last night suggested using a Tile or Slate for the entire tank but to add a tub of Alfalfa pellets for a digging area. So if you are afraid of having loose substrate all over you can keep the digging area tub instead. Information came from that bearded dragon site someone else posted.

Bearded Dragon . org • Index page (http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/index.php)
Do a search in there little search box near the top and to the right "alfalfa pellets" Lots of interesting posts that talk about not only alfalfa pellets but also the digging box.

[SpOoKy]

So if you are afraid of having loose substrate all over you can keep the digging area tub instead.

I should have mentioned that Im not against splitting the substrate. My youngest beardie had that in the first smaller tanks he grew up in for a bit. About 3/4 of the tank was sticky tiles and the other 1/4 was divided with a stripe of styro foam so dirt/sand could be added. When he was really small he spent time on the tile. His bowl of veg and worms would be on the tile. As he got a little older he spend all his spent all his time in the dirt. His adult tank is completely sand/dirt and he loves digging burrows under his bowls and rocks. (I don't see how pellets could hold this shape for them).
Since he is getting an older beardie, I think the beardie would benefit more from sand/dirt.

[youngster]

I'm getting everything he uses along with the animal so I'm just gonna use whatever he has him on unless it's totally wrong. I'm guessing he has him on sand.

[SpOoKy]

Good idea, sometimes beardies to handle sudden substrate change to well. Best to have him for a bit and get to know what his personality and habits are. That way if you decide to change it you can tell if everything is okay with him like appetite, behavior...