Reptile & Amphibian Forums

first let me say I just got my first bearded dragon and have a couple of questions first how often do they use the bathroom I got mine on last friday he went that day but has not went since he is eating fine 15 to 20 1/4 inch crickets twice a day plus a salad with collards and mango he is about 12 inches long from nose to the end of his tail which brings me to my second question is he big enough to have playsand as a substrate right now I am useing newspaper. oh yea his temps should be right 106 in basking spot around 80 in cool end of tank am I doing everything right or am I missing something. he has water in a dish plus I puthim in a tub of warm water for about ten min today.

It's possible that he won't goto the bathroom all that time from the stress and all... but it's also possible he could be a lil impacted. I would give him a warm soak in some water about 1/2" high filled with luke warm water and let him soak for a bit.. just keep an eye on him it will help him pass anything if he's a bit impacted from the stress of the move.

Temps are good for that age and size . I would continue to keep him on newspaper for the first month or so regardless of size. I say that because it will be easier to keep it clean and monitor his stools once he starts going. After that it's personal opinion about switching to sand or not. some say it's great some say it's not so great. But I would hold off for at least a few weeks to monitor his stools.

If you do decide to use sand, be real careful when feeding the veggies. Don't want the sand sticking to it and then having him digest it.. like if he pulls it out onto the sand then eats it. Try and minimize that as much as possible.

goodluck with your new dragon!
brandon
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Dragons by Nature