Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm thinking seriously about getting a beardie but am a little nervous, I'll admit, about getting one without as much info about them as possible. Please help me out and give me as much info as possible, from the simple, everyday know-how to anything else you can think about. I haven't read a lot of the books but I have a brother that is into snakes and other reptiles (he showed me you guys)I was hoping for some good advice especially on habitats, food (how much), frequency of food, approximate cost of the BD's once semi-established (if possible, let me know whether it is in US funds or otherwise since I live in Ontario). I want to know everything about these guys and what to expect because, we all know, no animal follows the rules that are in the books. It's good to know that there is a place I can go if something weird happens (other than the vet) I know that the petstore near me will be very helpful for info as well but I want as broad a spectrum as possible. Let me know what you know....

I can give you a breif overwview of information but nothing anyone can type on this forum is going to be enough to give you the knowledge to properly care for a beardie. There is just too much to say. Check out Beautifuldragons.net, they have GREAT care sheets, GREAT nutritional information and more. Also, although i agree with you about books i would get the book "The Bearded Dragon Manual" by Phillipe de Vosjoli, it shoul be available at any pet store, large bookstore, and if all else fails, online. This book is really good, especially the newly updated version. Although i must say i disagree with a few things in the book, i.e the temps he states they should be kept at (too low) it is overall a very good resource for beardie care.

A few pointers:

CAGING: Beardies are medium sized active lizards. They should be provided a cage large enough for them to have several basking spots at various temps, room to run, dig, and hunt. The minimum sized cage for a baby beardie of ANY size (even the tiny ones) is a 20gallon long. This is the smallest size tank that can safetly reach an appropriate thermogradient (high temps on one end of the cage and cooler temps on the other)

HEAT/LIGHT: Heat should be provided to your beardie by the use of overheat spot bulbs and Under tank heaters (UTH), although their tanks can be heated without the UTH, do not heat it with only an UTH, always use spot lamps. The heat should all be on one side of the cage with temps ranging from 95-115. Some people opt for even high temps, my personal idea is to give your beardie a gradient and set up basking spots in a variety of different temperature zones so your beardie can choose. Temps should only be measured by a digital thermometer or a temp gun. Never trust the stick on thermometers from pet stores. In addition to heat lighting beardies also require UVB, which is an "artifical sun light bulb." The most commonly used form of this is a florescent tube, although there are alternatives. These bulbs can be bought at any pet store and should be place where the beardie can get within 12inches of the light. Make sure not to let packaging fool you, some bulbs claim to have "UV rays" but it needs to be UVB. A good way to tell if it is a UVB bulb is you will usually spend at least 20$ on it.

SUBSTRATE: For babies under 1yr their substrate should be made of something they cannot ingest such as paper towels, newspaper, lineliom(sp?), tile, or reptile carpet. Dont use sand with a baby as they have a high risk of impaction. Never ever use Calci-sand, Viti-sand, or any other sand that claims to be digestable with ANY sized lizard. If you want sand as a substrate it can be used once they are over a year.

FEEDING: Check out the nutrition page at beautifuldragons.

well im outta time....

hope this helps!

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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican kingsnake
1.0.2 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Rose Hair Tarantula
1.0 BTS
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

one of the best ways to learn is to come here and read all the posts...also, there are plenty of bearded dragon web sites with good info...be wary of pet store info, since it is not always right...you could get all the info on what supplies you would need and then price said items and availibility at the pet stores or even on-line...also, do plenty of research on food, so you can decide which is best...I've learned more here then anywhere...

a few things...
you should use a temperature gun for checking the temps in a beardie cage...don't waste money on the temp. gauges they sell at pet stores...
never use a heat rock, they can seriously burn a lizard, even kill it...
purchasing feeder insects on-line is less expensive than buying at pet stores...pet stores also have limited choice on the size you buy...although there also can be problems with buying on-line...