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Hey everyone!! My fiancee gave me an early x-mas present and it so happened to my a baby beardie!!!!! His name is Phoenix ;] YAY! ;D He's about 2-3 weeks old and looks very healthy...ANYWAY...now that i have the lil critter i have a few questions to make sure i'm off to a good start with him/her ;]

Enclosure:
20 gal. long, calci sand, water dish, 2 climbing items/basking items, vegi. dish (this is only temporary until I can get more climbing/basking type things and a few more things to fill the enclosure itself ;D )...UV-B bulb (for vitamin D3) and 75 watt incandecent bulb for basking (He gets roughly 30 minutes of direct sunlight daily as well)...heat pad under basking side of tank also provided (temperatures stay around 84-86 at all times any suggestions on how to attain the 95-105 required?)

Food/Feeding - Water:
4-5 small crickets - 3 times daily (early morning, early afternoon, early evening)...lettuce and carrots finely chopped once daily (early morning), calcium supplement provided thru calci-sand and light dusting to vegi's and crickets...water provided with water bowl, misting lizard @ feeding times and watever water is left on vegi's after vegi-washing...I hand feed him vegi's once in a while to promote owner/pet relationship and tameness (sp.?) Mealies and Waxies will be introduced once he grows a bit (say 2-3 months?)

Hmm...that's all I can muster @ this point in time...i work the graveyard shift @ a FedEx Terminal so after I get some rest if I think of anything else I'll be sure to add it in...

Any suggestions are GREATLY APPRECIATED and much abliged ;D

I'll try and get some pictures up within the next few days...I need batteries for my digi-cam ;[

THANKS!!!!

-S1N

What a great Christmas gift! Take the baby off the sand! Calci sand is the worst you can get! Baby needs to be on paper towels, shelf liner or news paper until they are adults then you can decide on what you want to use. They also need to be fed all they can eat in 10 minutes three times a day. My baby was eating 25-30 each feeding. Remember the crickets can be no larger than the space between their eyes! How far is your basking light from the branch? I keep mine no more that 7 inches away and have no troubles with the temps.

Best of luck with the little one, and I really like the name!

Agreed~
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KDRKreatures.com
Exotic Reptile Breeders - Specializing in Bearded Dragons

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Thanks guys! well I put about 15 in per feeding and he only eats probably 5-6 at best...the basking lamp is sitting atop the cage less than an inch away from the top of the basking branch...he usually stays mid-branch about 3-4 inches from the basking light...he's fairing well thus far...THANKS!!

-S1N