bearded dragon tips?

bearded dragon · 03-03-09, 01:12 AM

hi,

i want to get a bearded dragon but i have no experience in keeping lizards or pets for that matter. so i was wondering if you could help me out with this....

what do i need to know when getting one?... like what does it eat? do i really need to get an aquarium? and how big does it have to be? and how much is it on the average?

thanks guys...

Chu'Wuti · 03-04-09, 10:04 AM

I have never owned a bearded dragon, but you could check out this care sheet to get you started:

Frequently Asked Questions - Dachiu

Good luck!

siz · 03-04-09, 10:44 AM

Bearded Dragons are awesome pets! I have a few any really enjoy them. They can be expensive though and they eat a LOT.
You do need to get a tank. One beardie will eventually need about a 50g or 60g tank. It's better to start off with a 20g tank if you get a younger one. It puts less stress on the animal and it makes it easier for it to find food etc. This will last for a while before you will need to get it's adult enclosure.
You will need a UV light and also a heat light. Put the heat light to one side of the tank. This will create a hot side and a cool side. Beardies like warm temperatures..the hot side should be 95f to about 105f and the cool side 80f at the lowest. Buy a thermometer (preferably digital) to read the temps.

Beardies eat crickets, mealworms, superworms, hornworms, roaches etc. Crickers are a staple food you can buy at pretty much any pet store. Before you feed crickets to your dragon they should be "gut-loaded" which means you feed them healthy food so your dragon is eating a healthy, nutricious cricket. Insects should be supplemented with calcium and vitamin powder. I use ReptiVite vitamins. To supplement, you "dust" the insects by putting them in a bag or container and adding a small amount of powder and you shake 'em! (Not too hard LOL) This will lightly dust the crickets in powder. Calcium a few times a week and vitamin once or twice a week.
They also eat veggies..dark leafy greens are best. I will try and find a link to a food guide. Some veggies are bad for dragons so make sure you research.
They get their water from veggies and also from occasional tank mistings.

Ummm that's all I can think of right now...I'll give you a link to an awesome group of care sheets and if you have any other questions I'd love to help!
Exclusive Dragons - Bearded Dragon Care Information Library!

OH and here are some pictures of the little fellas

Wolfus_305 · 03-06-09, 06:39 AM

That's some really good information!
My beardie has a piece of wood to climb on near his baking spot, he sleeps there a lot. He also has a little half-hollowed-out log that he liked to sleep in...he's too big now but he sort of lays across it now.

Awww the second picture is so cute! What character!!

Kendra

siz · 03-06-09, 08:40 AM

Haha yeah he's a sweetie

Chu'Wuti · 03-07-09, 12:59 AM

Great beardies, siz! I agree with Kendra--that second photo shows a real character!

I'm so glad you two have such great information to share with our new bearded_dragon member!

zazzygrlrbi · 04-02-09, 01:17 PM

Now heres something I can give advice about! Well take all advice with a grain of salt anyway. Everyone does things differently. Well first of all, if you're getting a bearded dragon, you have to make sure you really want it. Im sure you have snakes and its not really the same thing. As for eating, let just say that you can give them nothing bigger than the space between their eyes. Thats like a golden rule. Anything bigger and it might cause terrible problems with digestion. As for treats you can give it any type of the following: locusts, mealworms, waxworms, and silkworms. Remember, only as treats. Greens and crix should be the staple foods for their diet. Don't give them lettuce though, please.

And as for crickets, that brings me to calcium. Bearded dragons need calcium and d3. So to help this along, you can spinkle calcium on their crickets. You can give them d3 probably like once a week or so.

Also, dont forget the UV light which is very important. Make sure you get a light that is suited for a beardie. I personally have started using the r-zilla desert 50 lights for my beardies, which I would recommend but of course there are other good lights out there like ReptiSuns and MegaRays.

I also want to point out substrates which I'm sure you know about. Babies should be set on paper towels, as they get older you have your choices. Beware though, that ever substrate presents its warnings and there is no telling if a substrate will cause impaction. I know people that use only tiles and liners because of super fear of impaction. Then I know others that use playsand, calcisand and even wallnut shells and have never had problems. So it all depends on you.

Yes you need a tank! If its a baby, it can survive on about a 20 gallon tank, but as it gets bigger it should stay in a 50 or 75 gallon tank even. Price varies, I talked to someone that came across a 50 gallon tank for 30$.

I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but well you can keep researching! Good luck with your beardie adventure.

asudeM · 04-15-09, 10:50 AM

I just want to add that on the hot side, to my understanding it can be from 95-115 degrees, but no more than 120. Anything under 95 I believe is too cold. And yes basically all of the information you've received here is good. I have zilla desert T5 bulbs for my leopard gecko (I don't have a beardie) and they are really good. I haven't tried the MVB since I think they're a little strong for my leo but yes those might be good too. Any other specific information, just post it. If you want random information then just browse the caresheets.

siz · 04-15-09, 02:26 PM

120 is tooo hot! 105 for adults and 115 max for babies.

auburn_09 · 05-15-09, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siz

Bearded Dragons are awesome pets! I have a few any really enjoy them. They can be expensive though and they eat a LOT.
You do need to get a tank. One beardie will eventually need about a 50g or 60g tank. It's better to start off with a 20g tank if you get a younger one. It puts less stress on the animal and it makes it easier for it to find food etc. This will last for a while before you will need to get it's adult enclosure.
You will need a UV light and also a heat light. Put the heat light to one side of the tank. This will create a hot side and a cool side. Beardies like warm temperatures..the hot side should be 95f to about 105f and the cool side 80f at the lowest. Buy a thermometer (preferably digital) to read the temps.

Beardies eat crickets, mealworms, superworms, hornworms, roaches etc. Crickers are a staple food you can buy at pretty much any pet store. Before you feed crickets to your dragon they should be "gut-loaded" which means you feed them healthy food so your dragon is eating a healthy, nutricious cricket. Insects should be supplemented with calcium and vitamin powder. I use ReptiVite vitamins. To supplement, you "dust" the insects by putting them in a bag or container and adding a small amount of powder and you shake 'em! (Not too hard LOL) This will lightly dust the crickets in powder. Calcium a few times a week and vitamin once or twice a week.
They also eat veggies..dark leafy greens are best. I will try and find a link to a food guide. Some veggies are bad for dragons so make sure you research.
They get their water from veggies and also from occasional tank mistings.

Ummm that's all I can think of right now...I'll give you a link to an awesome group of care sheets and if you have any other questions I'd love to help!
Exclusive Dragons - Bearded Dragon Care Information Library!

By vitamins once or twice a week you mean D3?? If so, d3 should be given once, maybe even once every two weeks. Sorry thats just me and from what I have heard people say. It can be dangerous if you give too much.

The only thing you didn't touch on was substrates. Not that beardies have such a big issue with it as other reptiles, but still. Some people use uth, others prefer just the basking. honestly I don't know why people would want to give a belly burn. As I said, thats just me. Also, keep an open mind to everyones' suggestions on substrates because it is a topic that is over used and over discussed. I have heard people condem everything even paper towels, so take all advice with a grain of salt. me, for example, I use ground walnut shells (the one zilla makes) as substrate for my beardies. I love it, and I've never had issues. But you would not believe the things people say to me because they've "heard" or "read" some people's bad experiences. Which is unfortunate, but not very common in my opinion. I mean honestly, the people you actually run into on the internet that have actually had negative experiences with substrates is very small. If you notice most people that post just say they've heard. Anyway what I am trying to say is after thorough research on proper husbandry in general you can start making your own conclusions.

sailingtakesme · 07-08-09, 11:49 AM

I doubt that person is going to come back to read the replies. I use zilla 50 tubes, too, for my bearded dragons and like them, too. But has anyone used them or knows of someone who has used them for uromastyx?? My husband is thinking of getting these instead of mvbs for his uro when he gets it. He has a great collection of herps.

carciady · 07-09-09, 01:18 AM

I have 12 adult Dragons and 20 babys at the mo, I never mist them in the tank but I do bath them now and then in tepid water (be aware they may poo in the warter lol), here is a site that I use alot.

Beautiful Dragons

Ps Siz nice dragons.

angel604 · 12-10-09, 03:37 PM

Ok I will touch on substrates please this is my opinion form my experience , I used walnut substrate as well and it did harm my baby he injested some when chasing his crickets {assuming thats how it got in his system} and the sharp walnut tore up his insides {vet confirmed after he passed away} , I have heard calci sand can cause impaction but I just dont like the fact it is messy especially if my girl walks in her water and gets it on her feet and i take her out and get s everywhere it also changed her color {dyed her skin}. some people like paper towel easy to change quick clean up but i dont care for the look , I have finally tiled all my beardys tanks with a nayural stone tile it has a bit of texture making it easy to grip. you can grout it if you want I didnt I ike being able to take them out and doing a deep clean when needed. But there is some of MY opinions on substrates you should research and try a few different if thats what it takes but find what works for you and your dragon.
Everything else seems to be covered pretty well by everyone else , its alot more work setting it all up but once you get the temps right and learn the diet do's and dont's they are really an easy lizard to care for and they are full of personality.

siz · 12-11-09, 02:12 PM

I use either paper towel or very finely ground sand that I actually buy from a breeder who lives locally. Paper towel for the little guys and sand for the big guys. I wouldn't personally use walnut shells because of impaction, or calcium sand for several reasons (a few of which being impaction, shed issues, and the smell lol, I really don't like the stuff..). I've heard tile is a good one to use, minus the, uh, smear factor, lmfao. I like paper towel because there is little to no risk of impaction, easy to clean, easy to see if babies or new arrivals are crapping normally etc. I like sand becaue it looks attractive, easy to clean with a scooper, and the dragons can dig a bit, which I find the girls especially really love.

Those pictures are so old now. My little red lady is much bigger, haha. If I get a camera for Xmas I'll have to snap some new shots of the group

Dragons rock!