Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello! I was wondering if anyone could answer a few of my questions. I've been looking for a nice lizard for a few weeks, and came across the beardies. I would like to pay for him out of my allowence, but I don't think my mom really likes lizards... I mean, she's not one of those freak-out people about reptiles, but she doesn't really like them, and I've got quite a few pets (2 rats and 9 bunnies). So... here are the questions:

1. Do you have to feed beardies pinky mice?
2. Do they smell?
3. What's this UVB light they need? I've got a light for reptiles, it's black and bell-shaped, and has a glow in the dark inside. It had a heat light in there before... is that OK?
4. Are they happy alone?
5. Is there a difference between a male and female, personality-wise?
6. For my first dragon, would I be better off getting a baby or an adult?

1. Do you have to feed beardies pinky mice?

No, you should not feed dragons pinky mice. some people offer them to females after laying eggs, but other than that, you shouldnt feed them pinkys as they are extremely high in raw fat.

2. Do they smell?

No, if you keep the cage clean, it wont smell. Your cickets might smell a little. Its tolerable.

3. What's this UVB light they need? I've got a light for reptiles, it's black and bell-shaped, and has a glow in the dark inside. It had a heat light in there before... is that OK?

Thats probably a black light, which you could use to keep your cage warm at night, without giving off too much light. You will need a UVB bulb as dragons require UVB to digest their food properly. They come in varying lenghts but look similar to a fish tank light. caution: there is a difference.

4. Are they happy alone?

Yes, although they look cute together as babies, its much safer to house them alone. Males will fight with other males. A male and a female will breed constantly (rough on female). 2 females will occasionally get along, but there are exceptions so its not worth the risk to try it.

5. Is there a difference between a male and female, personality-wise?

Not really, males may be slightly more aggressive, but not a big difference.

6. For my first dragon, would I be better off getting a baby or an adult?

Babies require a lot of attention and are a little more work. Adults dont seem to be as energetic and might not excite you. In my opinion, a good age for you first BD would be in the 6-8 month range.

Hope i helped! Good luck!

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**Am I the only one that gets frustrated when I cant find just plain old white paper towels?? I dont want any dorky lookin flowers in my snake or dragon cages! Its the little things in life that bother me....**

1.2 Bearded Dragons. Chong, Cheech, Unnamed
0.1 Anery Motley Corn. Cleopatra
1.0 Creamsicle Corn. Faunzy
1.1 Black Labs. Buddy, Booger
1.0 Room mate. Clayton - requires more clean up than my pets.

Hi,

My mom also hates lizards, so I keep them all in my room where she doesn't see them. Maybe you can try that too

>>1. Do you have to feed beardies pinky mice?
No, you don't have to feed pinky mice.

>>2. Do they smell?
If you clean the tank daily... especially their poop... then there's no smell.

>>3. What's this UVB light they need? I've got a light for reptiles, it's black and bell-shaped, and has a glow in the dark inside. It had a heat light in there before... is that OK?
That's just the night light to increase the temps in the tank. You need a UVB/UVA bulb and keep the basking temp up at about 100F with the cool side at about 85F. You can use the black light at night, but u need to get a UVB/UVA light for the day. I use ReptiSun 5.0 along with two other light bulbs for my beardie tank.

>>4. Are they happy alone?
Yes, if they can become agressive if there's more than 1... especially if it's 2 males in a cage. Then you'll need to separate them into diff. cages.

>>5. Is there a difference between a male and female, personality-wise?
I've heard males are a bit more aggressive and females are a bit more passive, but it pretty much differs from dragon to dragon.

>>6. For my first dragon, would I be better off getting a baby or an adult?
If you have a baby, you can keep it in a small tank for a while - but you'll have to increase the size as an adult. Babies take a little while to get used to their new place and can be a little skittish while you're starting out hand taming (unless their breeder has already hand tamed them... like mine! ) Beardies grow pretty fast and can reach adult size as early as 8 months of age.
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Cookie Monster)
1.0.0 Crested Gecko (Vas-D)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.0.2 Goldfish (Lenny & Carl)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)