Posted by:
reiko
at Mon Jun 16 23:48:56 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by reiko ]
you will need
-4x2 enclosure, (a baby will not need all this space, however, i have found it best to buy a big enclosure, section it off for your baby and as he/she gets older, remove the partition, this way you are not having to keep upgrading to bigger enclosures JMO) or you can buy something small and upgrade later, it depends on what you want to do really. You can also build an enclosure, ask around the forum as i know some people have some plans and ideas drawn out and have made their own enclosures taht look really great.
-UVB fixture and bulb OR a Mercury vapor bulb and fixture- you will need one or the other to provide UVB for your dragon
-heat bulb and fixture-you will need something to heat your enclosure. You will need a cool ambient side temp of 85 and a basking spot temp of 105-115, it differs from dragon to dragon but it should be at least 105.
-suitable substrate - for a baby butchers paper or newspapaer or some other non particulate substrate is best, its easy to keep clean, and your baby will not ingest it and run the risk of impaction from it. As he gets older/larger (10-12 inches) you can switch to something like playsand or what some people on the forum use, wheat bran (which is what i prefer)
-a basking log-something he can climb up on and bask, also because your baby will not be able to burrow in a non particulate substrate a hide is always nice so he can escape and hide and relax =)
-a food dish- something for his salads =)
-a good multivitamin and a good calcium supplement with D3
What your feeders will need
you can start your dragon on bearded dragon pellets by repcal (a brand that the dragons seem to prefer) in his salad but a lot of kids and adults for that matter wont eat them, so you are going to have to plan to keep feeders such as crickets (make sure that the crickets are no bigger then the space between your dragons eyes, they can run the risk of paralysis or neurological damage if too large of prey is ingested). You will need a large rubbermaid bin, egg crates, and gut load for your crickets to eat. Depending on where you live youll have to find a good place to order from, i find its good to order from someone in your area, i order from americancricketranch.com they have great service and great feeders, i am in San Diego CA and they are too. hope this helps a bit at least getting you prepared for what you will need. A proper set up for your dragon is a must for a healthy lil guy, proper lighting he cannot do without.
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RE: help with getting a Bearded Dragons - reiko, Mon Jun 16 23:48:56 2003 