Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI -
We just got a beautiful bearded dragon on Saturday from our local pet store. The owner claims to have personally owned bd for years. Everyting he sold us and everything he told us seems to be disputed here. From the calci-sand, heat rock and thermometer he sold us to the food he recommended...I am very confused. This was not only an expensive purchase but it was a gift for our 14 year old son who has wanted a bd for years. we held out until we felt he was old enough to properly care for a bd and he is very into doing it right as are we. The bd is extremely cute - now that we have him I am thrilled although I was not all that enthusiastic to begin with. Now we are all involved in his care and feeding and I am concerned we are not doing anything right.

We live in small-town usa and I have been unable to find the variety of greens necessary and have been feeding him crickets (which pet store guy said did not need to be dusted), organic romain (which he loves) and rasberries since saturday. we have two light sources - uvb and the ceramic light recommended - at least i think that is right but the thermometers are two strip ones and one round that sticks to the cage. The bedding is the calicisand which was very expensive and now I read it is unsafe. The heat rock, also unsafe. I am so confused and do not want this cute and trusting creature to become ill...

so the bottom line is - each site i visit has different info and all the forums i read also have different info. and then there is the local pet guy who again gives different info - my frustration level is high and i just want to do the right thing - i would appreciate your assistance and knowledge!!!!

Thanks!!

Ya it can be really frustrating for a beginner. First thing, never trust pet stores to tell you the truth. I'm sure there are a few out there that are decent but in general they're just out to make a buck. I also wouldn't trust any 1 persons opinion, that being said here's my opinions lol. I also live in bfe and good greens can be hard to find especially in winter. Romain will work if you can't find anything else. I would add Repcal pellets to it though for some added nutrition. Bugs of all kinds can be ordered online for a lot less than what the pet store is going to charge you. Depending on the age of your dragon crickets, superworms, silkworms, roaches, etc all make great food. Check www.beautifuldragons.com for a great food list (as well as other care info). It's good you got the UVB you'll need a spot light for the basking area though (also light intensity), the ceramic is mainly for night time if your cage gets too cold. Ditch the strip thermometers they're worthless, I'd pick up a $10 digital indoor/outdoor from walmart they've got a probe so you can measure the cool side and the hot spot at the same time. DO NOT use calcisand, it is the worst crap on the market and will almost guarentee impaction. Depending on how old your beardie is paper towels, shelfliner, newspaper, wheatbran, some people like sand for older animals, etc. they're all better than calcisand. You can keep the heat rock but I would cut the cord and just use it as a basking rock. Beardies do not have heat sensors on their bellies and can burn theirselves very bad on a heat rock. The hard bumpy topside of a beardie is designed to sense and dispurse heat throughout their body so heat needs to come from above.
Everyone disagrees a little on husbandry but most will agree on the basics. I would look at as many breeders sites as you can and take notes on each, start with mine the links in my signature. Compare them and you'll find a majority on almost every topic. Also feel free to ask questions here before you go out and spend more money on things that might be questionable.

Sean
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Heart Mountain Herps

Thanks for the info - the links and all that. I went to your website and a few others and am finding I know less and less. I feel so stupid - I guess I thought the pet store and the book we read would be enough info to care for this little guy.

I am still confused about amount to feed and making sure the heat is correct - keep the tips coming!!

Thanks again!

"we have two light sources - uvb and the ceramic light recommended"

I would almost be willing to bet that what you have is not
a UVB light but a daylight bulb costing about $5.00.
UVB lights are either fluorescent tubular or very expensive bulbs costing $40.00 to $50.00. The fluorescents are cheaper
on line. www.reptiledirect.com
24 inch reptisun 5.0. Or exoterra 8.0 24 inch. 15.00 to 16.00
I think.
Now I will go and finish reading the rest of the posts. LOL
Radena

Their business is to sell you everything they carry on their shelves. Why would he tell a customer not to buy the heat rock, the calci-sand, or the thermometers he stocks, and carries. I doubt he wants your pet injured or sick, but I know he wanted the biggest sale he could get. Fact is many people can keep animals for years, but if they where told once this is the right way by someone who was wrong, and never took it upon themselves to double check, what good is the knowledge. Most likely it's out of date as reptile care in the last 5-10 years has advanced so very much. Really glad you took it upon yourself to double check BEFORE you had problems, and symptoms.. Most Pet stores I go to hate the internet for this reason. People now have a way to reach world wide and teach/help/warn each other about the dangers, and what is successfully working for them. Also gives us a way to purchase from who they do, and save our money.

Hot rocks are not safe.. Dragons need belly heat, but not by that. To dangerous. They are known for hot spots and uneven temps. They can malfunction and you would never know it until it was to late. Reptiles get burnt as they can't feel a localized hot spot on the belly when the rest of the body and brain is telling them to warm up. Being cold blooded their bodies are as warm as their surrounding temps. It's much safer shinning a basking bulb down on a surface that absorbs heat, and can be monitored by a digital thermometer with a probe. Rocks, wood, bricks all good things that hold heat very well, and most important evenly. You know if the spot where your bulb is directly hitting is ok, and safe the rest of the surface is safe too.

The stick on thermometers are basically useless for getting a reading of a basking spot. You can keep them to give you an estimated ambient reading. Some I've seen as way off as 15 degrees when checked digitally or with a infrared temp gun.

Cali-sand is the worst for them. Why would you need calcium in the sand? Never understood that thinking.. Your pet store is thinking there is no need to dust with calcium cause the sand has calcium?? Why would you want them to eat sand in which is their toilet in the first place, and well sand LOL.. Calcium sand is like a giant antacid for the beardies tummy. They actually lose the acid that would aid in the digestion of their proper foods. A slow down in digestion with sand in the tummy, and food on top of that is a good start towards a serious problem, and impaction.

As far as lighting. The more light the better. Ceramic heat emitters are expensive too. They are good for night time when no light is needed, and you need some added warmth, but the dragons would benefit more from a bulb, and light for heating. What kind of UVB bulb did he sell you? If it is an incandescent and under 7 bucks at the pet store it's not giving off UVB. UVB can be provided by fluorescent bulbs made for reptiles such as the Repti-sun 5.0 13-20 bucks usually online. The other kind is called a mercury vapor which the pet stores by me sell for $75 plus.. You can get them online for 30-35 usually www.reptiledirect.com. They give more UVB then the fluorescent and reach further away. They also provide a heat source. Fluorescent lights will not provide a heat source.

Check out this web site for a nice, basic, and up to date care sheet. www.kakadudragons.com

also another good site with lots of info on diet needs, and for learning what is good and healthy for them. www.beautifuldragons.com

I wish you the best luck with your new family member They sure are outstanding reptiles. So glad you took the time to look up some info on keeping your new pet healthy. So many search for the info when it's to late
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Mystical-Dragons Web Site
Webshots photos

that if/when the lizard injests the sand, the calcium will help it pass easier. This is not my opinion, this is what the bag says.

I lived in a remote area when I had my first BD and one thing that helped was feeding frozen veggies. I know they're not as nutritious, but one bag of frozen veg goes a long way to supplement the diet of a young dragon, and you can give him a daily variety of food without worrying about spoilage. I used to thaw out only as much as I needed daily, and chop it to the right size for my dragon.

I started buying the terra cotta plant saucers as cage furniture, which are cool because they're stackable (no dragons tipping over or getting hurt under balanced rocks) and absorb heat. A little tougher to clean than plastic or non-porous stone, but cheap and easy to find.

Last tip: I bought a handheld temperature gun at a herp show for $25 and it's one of the best equipment purchases I ever made. (You can get them online too). And my dragons are totally worth it. I love them.

1.1.0 Bearded dragons (Titan and Tiamat)
1.0.0 Ball Python (Parantachin)
1.0.0 Sinaloan Milksnake (Oryn)
1.1.0 Red-Tail Boas (Onyx and Diamond)
0.1.0 Tabby cat (Jade)

Calcium sand is very bad for young dragons. It can cause impactions. Baby beardeds and adults need a balanced deit. Tiny crickets dusted with calcium is essental for your BD growth and for bones. As far as the heat rock, take it out. Heat rocks often become to hot burning the soft underbellies of lizards and snakes. All you really need is a basic cage setup for now. For small dragons I like the fake green reptile turf, as he gets older you can use playsand at your local hardware store. For heat I prefer Trex UVB and UVA bulb, don't buy these in a pet store you'll pay $80 for them buy online, you can also use repti sun 8.0 but you will need another heat source. The basking temps should be 95-105 degrees on one side and cooler on the other side of your enclosure. If you can't find available greens you can also use pellets mixed with the greens you have. Some of the greens I feed mine are, Romaine, red cabbage(sparenly), dandelion greens, yellow squash, carrots peas, watermelon(sometimes), endive. You can also get the mixed salad bags with darker leaves in it. I would cut back on the rasberries, these can cause trouble, the tiny seeds often will become stuck in the intestines or they will cause diarhea. Feed fruit once a week sometimes two. I hope this helps, the pet store man should be fired.
Jenn

Things Needed:
20 Gallon tank
Reptisun 5.0 UVB Bulb, 24" (www.reptiledirect.com)
Fluorescent Fixture, 24 inch (Lowes or Homedepo T12 fixture)
Digital Thermometer (Walmart,Lowes,Homedepo,Radioshack)
Herptivite Vitamins(www.reptiledirect.com)
Rep-Cal or Miner-All Calcium(www.reptiledirect.com)
250W Ceramic 8 or 10" Fixture for light bulb
Misting bottle
Paper Towels, 12 count packs
100 count 4'' paper plates
Veggies/Greens
Rep-Cal Beardie Pellets(www.reptiledirect.com)
Basking Wood or Rocks

Crickets and Items for keeping crickets:
Initial order of 1,000 crickets
Rubbermaid Tubs for Crickets
Screening for Cricket Tubs
Cricket Food.com
Rubbermaid Feeding Tubs

As you can see there are alot of caring individuals here to help (you did do something right). just a joke.

I also live in BFE. KY to be exact.
As far as finding greens...I get mine at Meijer You can go to Meijer.com to find a store near you. They have salad/greens by the bulk. I buy Spring Mix, and add a little of Arugula.
I could only find the Repcal pellets at Petsmart (usually I HATE that place...but what are you gonna do). There were some places online but I hate to pay shipping (if I don't have to).
I feed silkworms and get them from Californiasilkworms.com (cheapest online--also a good quality). I have also started feeding canned crix and/or meal worms (my girl is 5 months old now). The rasberries are a good choice! I also feed frozen veggies (actually I mix it with my Repcal pellets to make them moist). I also use Reptivite vitamins. (she seems to like it).

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Hangin with the Herps
ZZ