Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting my son (and me too!) a Beardie soon and have a couple of questions for you experienced enthusiasts.

1. we have purchased an aquarium and have a basking rock with fake plants coming out of it. Are these fake plants harmful?

2. What type of cage and how big do you keep crickets in?

3. Living in Minnesota it's still cold here and we have been waiting for it to warm up before ordering our dragon. How safe/reliable is it to have your dragon shipped?

Thank you for responding.

The fake plants should not be harmful aslong as they wont easily break off if your BD tries to eat them, which it will attempt to if the fake plants are green.

For keeping crickets, I use a 5 gallon bucket from homedepot with the top cut out and screen stpled over it *for ventalation*, and then take egg crate and layer that inside of it, so they don't kill eachother by trampling eachother.

As far as shipping goes, i've never had a dragon shipped to me, and if no one else can answer that question for you, i'd go up to the Breeders/Dealers/Stores section at the top of the page, and go to and of the bearded dragon breeders pages and ask them what's a safe temp for shipping. The breeder you buy it from should be responsible enough to know whether or not shipping a dragon to your area will be a risk or not.
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1.1.0 Bearded Dragons
Quebert & Isis
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www.funnymanreptiles.com

You probably already know this, but just in case...

Basking or heat rocks are good to keep your dragon warm at night when he's sleeping, but you also need to provide a lamp for him to bask under during the day, and also a separate flourescent reptile lamp that provides UVB wavelength light. These things are necessary for the dragon's metabolism. There are lots of care sheets posted on the web that will tell you about proper husbandry. Just do a web search for "bearded dragon care sheet".

They make great pets just as long as you spend a little effort/money in the beginning to get them set up properly. For your first dragon try to get a male so you won't have to deal with providing a suitable place for egg laying later on. Have fun.

I use a 58 quart storage tub for my crickets...with plenty of egg cartons (cardboard) and paper towel rolls...I even invented a system so that I never touch the crickets since I find them gross now that I keep so many
When I purchased my beardie I had him shipped to me...I can't say for every breeder but my guy arrived healthy and I have not had a problem yet...he was thirsty when he arrived but not dehydrated...he was a little stressed but I'm sure they all are in a new place...I know if it is cold they will add a heat pack(s) to the box to help keep them warm...
whatever you do, continue researching...I thought I did plenty before purchasing my beardie and still found out many right and wrong things...Good Luck...