Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My pet store have 7week old bearded dragons and how should I start one of tham off?? Can I use sanded or what??

No, not sand. Baby beardeds need to be on paper towel, newspaper, butchers paper, something they can't ingest.

What you do to start off.... is to look up several pages of "bearded dragon care sheets" by using a search engine such as google.com.
Beardies have SPECIFIC NEEDS and if they aren't met, it can mean illness or death for your beardie.
They are wonderful pets, but here are some questions that need to be considered BEFORE a beardie is purchased.

1. Can you commit to this animal for the next 10 yrs?
2. Are you willing to make sure that it has fresh greens everyday?
3. Babies eat hundreds of crickets per week, are you able to supply it with it's needs? Babies eat as many crickets as they can eat in 10 min. 2-3x a day.
4. Can you supply a large tank (55 gal MINIMUM) within the next year? (bigger is better)
5. Can you provide lighting and fixtures? UVB lights need to be changed every 6 mo.
6. Will make sure your beardie gets the needed Calcium and vitamin suppliments?
7. Can your beardie count on you to clean his cage everyday (poop scoop).
8. Can your beardie count on you to take him to a vet if needed?
9. Will you get a fecal check done at least 2x a year to check for parasites?
10. Will you learn all you can about caring for a beardie BEFORE you purchase?
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TheClassyLizard

I am not trying to be a jerk about this but, myself as a private breeder.....if I were you I wouldn't be purchasing a beardie from a pet shop. But I keep my babies on filtered playsand from the time they hatch and i have never had any problems with gut impaction. The only time i use newspaper is when i get an animal from another breeder or from a shelter. The way i see it is that when they hatch in the wild they are on sand then and i like to simulate their enviroment to as close as possible. But you can talk to 10 different breeders and they will all tell you somethign different that works for them. That is just normal.
If you would like to take a look at the babies i have, feel free to go to our website http://www.tntbeardeddragons.com. I have pics of babies on there, a care sheet thta will cover everything you will have a question for, and I accept all forms of payments.
I'm not trying to tell you what to do I'm just giving suggestion.
Andy Walker, TNT Bearded Dragons
Link

I know many breeders do keep their babies on sand. Even though you have never had a problem, you would recognize the signs of impaction. A first time dragon owner would not.

I just think it is safer to avoid the whole situation. There is so much to learn when getting/owning a dragon that keeping them on sand is taking an uneeded additional risk.
Sand impaction, when it does happen, doesn't happen overnight, it adds up little by little until finally there is a problem.

More and more I notice people taking the easy way out, not researching and wanting the forum to explain to them everything a bearded needs. There are a gazillion care sheets out there to read at their fingertips.
Many wouldn't even know what impaction was, let alone recognize it. Hatchlings, being alot more fragile don't have a high percentage of recovery.
Sooooooooooo...that's why I suggest paper towel.
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TheClassyLizard