New owner of a bearded dragon! Any advice?

[drgnfly2265]

Hey everyone! I just got back from the F.I.R.Expo today and guess what, I am now the new owner of a bearded dragon. The guy said that he or she is about 4 months old (don't worry, I will post pics). He gave me the basic advice on what to feed it and about it's living conditions. So now I am getting it's home together and trying to make it happy. I have a sulcata tortoise so I already have a toe in the water of reptiles, but of course this one is different.

So I was hoping that I can get some useful advice from you all

P.S. - I will post pics of my new beardy dragon, so hopefully you all can let me know exactly what kind it is.

Thank you

____________________________________________________________

Jamie

1 Sulcata tortoise (Bowser)
1 Bearded Dragon (No name yet)
1 Shih-tzu/Llasa Apso (Suki)

 

[chadk]

Luckily the diet of an adult beardie is pretty close to what your tort will like to eat when it comes to leafy greens. Spring mix, dandilion greens, etc.

I've tried many bugs and the best IMHO are in order:
Dubia roaches (raise your own colony and SAVE a ton of money and frequent pet store visits. Way better than crickets in so many ways...)
Pheonix worms (pricey though)
Super Worms
Silk Worms (kind of a pain to keep and feed... but my beardies loved the squishy juicy things)


Others just to mix things up now and then:
Wax worms
Butter worms
Meal Worms (only if desperate)

Some give pinkies as treats - but no need to. Maybe for a gravid female, but only about one per month...

Soak in luke warm water for 10-15 mins every other day or so. If you are lucky, this will be the time to beardie poos, and then you have less to clean in the tank and less worry it will do it when you have it out sitting on your lap...

No need for water in the tank. I did have mine in a large enclosure for a while and it had a large tub with water. It loved swimming and splashing and soaking in there. But most dont' offer any water in the tank as long as they are doing the frequent soakings.

I used a mega-ray UVB heat bulb. A little calcuim (no phosphorus or D3) to sprinkle on food.

Basking area up to 110 or so. Cool side in the lower 80s. Night drop down to 65 is OK.

Tile is probably the best substrate. Easy to clean, helps keep nails worn down, and no risk of impaction. News paper or paper towels are another option - but I like tile. Avoid any sand - expecially anything from the pet store (like calci-sand).

 

[Tom]

Chad is right on with all of that. I like the roaches as feeders too.

One thing I would add is that beardies are pretty prone to MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease), so make sure you get them in the sun as much as possible, but be careful and don't cook them. Always offer at least half shade in whatever outdoor enclosure you use. I used to just put mine on a reptile leash and sit with them outside a few times a week.

Also, use a MVB (Mercury Vapor Bulb) as a basking light indoors. These are kind of expensive, but you get heat, light and UVB all in one bulb. These will prevent MBD and they are a lot cheaper than vet visits and or losing your wonderful new pet. If your house stays 70ish at night, you don't need any night heat.

I always use a Calcium supplement WITH D3 with these guys and Iguanas, even if they are getting some direct natural sun.

Lastly, invest a few bucks in an infared temp gun for checking all your basking and surface temps. Very helpful for your outdoor sunning cage in the summer too.

 

[drgnfly2265]

Wow, thank you for all the info!

I have been reading up on the Bearded Dragon thing and I have noticed that the vegies are very close to what my sulcata eats, thats very neato. I REALLY hate roaches. So I am feeding it crickets and it seems like it enjoys it a lot. Are the crickets alright? I might have to look into the worm thing too. And what is interesting is that we won a raffle at the reptile show and won that calcium powder stuff.

Right after I posted my questions, me and my hubby went out and bought 2 bags of the Calci-sand stuff Well at least we only used one of them and can return the other. I was reading up on what to use and some people like it while others do not. I guess I should have known not to use it since I already wont use it for my tort.

Thank you for all the info

____________________________________________________________

Jamie

1 Sulcata tortoise (Bowser)
1 Bearded Dragon (No name yet)
1 Shih-tzu/Llasa Apso (Suki)

 

[chadk]

Yes, some folks do you sand, but at a risk. Most just don't want to take on that risk, plus it is harder to clean (parasites, bacteria, etc).

Also, it will need a min of 40 gal BREEDER tank. Breeders offer more floor space than typical aquariums...