Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am so excited!!! I got my first Bearded Dragon!!! What should I feed him? His body is about 4 inches long.

J.L.

Go to www.beautifuldragons.com to find a list of foods he can eat and how often. Good luck with your beardie! Merry Christmas also!
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~Shana~

0.1 Bearded Dragon (Kaida)
1.0 Betta Fish (Boo)
0.1 Cat (Ginger)
Fish Tank

Hi
merry xmas.
nice to hear you have a beardie.
but what must i feed him??
on my web site i have some nice links with good in fo about beardies.
you have a uvb lighting?
and tel me youre set up?
maybe whe see things you can improve !
i dunno how much research you dith ??
byeeeee

www.dragoncave.nl

Thank you all for your replies! My cage is about 45 gallons and has some sand stuff on the botoom. It has a waterbowl and a big log thing in the middle. It has a UVB light and a heater on the side of the cage and I'm going to set up the basking light that came with it soon. I put some carrots in for him to eat. Oh, and he ate a cricket a few minutes ago that had just molted!!! : )

J.L.

2 dogs
1 cat
7 frogs
5 turtles
2 mice
Fish
AND A NEW BEARDED DRAGON!!!!

Food:
Crickets 30 to 50 per day, fed in 3 meals.
No larger than the space between his eyes.
Offer greens and veggies daily, NOT lettuce.
Carrots are high in oxalates which binds to calcium and
prevents absorbtion.
Sweet potatoes are better.
Read the beautifuldragons.com
menu.

Baby'should be kept on paper towels, newpaper or
butcher paper, NO sand (causes impactions)

Temperature: Basking temperature 100* to
105* (some say as high as 115* But only if your tank is large enough for him to get away)

UVB light: flourescent, Minimum 24 inches long.
Reptisun 5.0 or exterra 8.0 Basking should be 6 to 8 inches.
So set your digital thermometer up at about that spot.
adjust basking bulb to get right temps at that spot.
Or maybe you got the mercury vapor bulb ($50 and up)

Don't forget your rep cal calcium and herbivite vitamins.
www.reptiledirect.com. Bulbs are cheap there too.

I am sure I missed something.
HOpe this helps.

He/ she (by the way, how do you tell?) isn't a baby. In fact, it is almost full grown. So, is the sand OK?

J.L.

Kingsnake has a pretty good discription of how to sex your dragon. just click on the care sheets link on top of page, then click bearded dragon. Also, you said your dragon was about 4 inches long?? S/He is definitly still a baby. Sexing your dragon is almost impossible at that age.
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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.

Here is a great care sheet. So, is the dragon only 4" long? If so it is just a hatchling and really should not be on sand. It also should be fed multiple times per day. Check out this care sheet.
Reptile Rooms Bearded Dragon Care page

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Stacey

I think I have confused all of you. I'm sorry, his body is about 4-5 inches long, but including the tail he is about 10 inches long, maybe more. He is awesome, but I have one problem...he hasn't touched his salad yet. I went to the grocery store and bought him the veggies and fruits recomended and cut them up and put them in a bowl, but he seems like he is not intrested. Though he has gained a little belly from the crickets I gave him yesterday. He ate a bunch, like maybe 12 . I bought them the right size too so he wouldn't choke. The sand I got him is called "Lizard Litter" and it says on the package that it is for Bearded Dragons. It's bigger than just regular playground sand. When he eats the crickets, he sometimes eats a piece or two of the sand....is that anything to worry about?

J.L.

Ahhh! I see.

I still don't like sand or lizard litter because of that very reason. If everytime they eat a cricket they get a piece or two over time they ingest a lot of substrate which can cause impactions. You can feed him in a separate enclosure or change the substrate. I put silkworms in my beardie's salad and he eats everything. Sometimes dropping pellets into the bowl to create motion will get them interested in the salad. Or you can pull the legs off the crickets (ick! I know) and put them in the salad so they wiggle and get the beardie's attention. Congrats on your new beardie sorry for the size confusion.
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Stacey

Lizard Litter is even worse than sand. It's made of crushed walnut shels which do not digest at all, and they can also get stuck up in the vent when the lizard deficates, causing irritation and possible prolapse.

"For Bearded Dragons" indeed... it used to be "For Birds" until the bird community started noticing the dangerous molds and fungi that would grow in it when it got wet, and would have nothing to do with it. Guess they gotta market it to something. It's amazing what these people will do to sell their junk.

At 10 inches, I'd still say your lizard is not an adult. They should get around 20 inches or so. 10 inches is either a lawsons, 2-3 month old, or stunted adult. Either way, too small for sand still. Paper towels would be the best thing, or non-adhesive shelf liner.
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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
1.0 pictus gecko (Nicodemus)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
0.0.1 tarantula (Calcifer)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

That is right, Kerby.
Accually from everything I have heard.
Any substrate that has a bearded dragon
on it is dangerous for them.
Only washed play sand sold for human kids
is ok. And only if they are big enough "Big Enough"
being the key here. Not age.
And there is still a risk with play sand if
you feed on the sand.
There is no laws or regulations on selling this stuff for reptile use.

Calci sand is also bad. Accually encourages the lizards
to eat the sand.

Congrats! We've had our beardies for a year now. One was only about a week old when we got him the other came from a pet store that said he was 5 months, but judging by the baby, the big guy was probably 8 - 10 months when we got him. They are great pets. I am new to these boards today and from what I've read, I am NOT doing everything right, but my beardies are quite happy healthy lizards.

About veggies - my baby is a great salad eater. We've offered it to him all his life and he really gobbles the stiff. The big one isn't as good, but he will eat 6 - 8 bites if I will hand feed the greens and he loves granny smith apples and parsnips. If he hasn't been eating salad and hasn't been eliminating regularly, I limit his crickets and he get hungry and eats his greens better the next day.

By the way, this info helped me . . . if they aren't eliminating once a day or so as they should, you can let them have a swim in warm water and they'll go every time!

Good luck, Lizard Mom!

Pat

2 dogs
7 cats
2 dragons
3 rats