Reptile & Amphibian Forums

One has a lot of questions. Some may be redundant and even sound stupid to long time owner/breeders of Bearded Dragons. I know when I started raising snakes I looked at every care sheet I could find and I asked questions on the forums ( many were ignored). I received a great deal of contradictory advice. I found a wonderful man who was patient and guided me through the last four years, and still helps me quite a bit.
Now I am looking for someone to answer questions on Bearded Dragons. I have only owned him for four months. I suppose I will eventually get to the point where you experienced people are and will not need to ask questions...no matter how simple they are. Right now to me everything is important . I want to give my little guy the best I can. So if my questions seem overdone or simple.It is because I really need to know.
So :
1. will a tabletop fountain installed into his habitat give too much humidity.
2. I bath him every third day...enough or too much.
3. He is sporadic on eating his crickets & does not move around much...brumation??? Lights are on a timer for 14hrs. a day and temps are 88-110
4. Picks at his salad...
5. I give him flowering Kale ..OK?? Thought the color might attract him to eat.
6. At 6mos old how long should he be??
7. My house is colder then the reptile room...will it hurt to let him ride around on my shoulder through the house..67-70 degrees.
The reptile room is a steady 80-84
Thanks that is all I have right now.
Nancy
-----
Some of my best friends are snakes
Snakes Rule

The fountain will raise the humidity and this could be harmful to your dragon. I wouldn't bother with it at all. Dragons live in arid to semi arid conditions and d on't come into contact with alot of standing or flowing water. Humidity that consistantly stays around 50-60% or more, can cause respiratory infections in dragons.

The basking temp should always be between 95-115F. The dragon should have access to basking area that fall slightly below and slightly above that range, as well as an area that does fall within the range. Higher basking spots (ie the higher end of the range or a bit over) is typically better for young dragons.

Not sure if flowering kale is good or bad, but Kale should not be a stable green, due to it's high level of phospherous (or is it oxates?) which bind calcium and make it unusable to the dragon. Better stable greens are collard greens, dandilion greens, endive, escaroli etc. For a great list of what kinds of greens, vegetables and other foods to feed dragons and how much/frequent, check the nutrition chart at: www.beautifuldragons.com

Young dragons should be offered insects 2 times a day (more frequently the younger the dragon is) of the appropriate size (no bigger than space between dragon's eyes). Typically feed insects for about 5-10 minutes or until dragon obviously isn't going to eat any. Remove any uneaten crickets. Other than crickets, you can offer small silkworms, butterworms, small or young roaches, small newly molted superworms and occaisonally waxworms. A variety of insects helps keep dragons from getting bored with them.

The size the dragon should be at any giving point of it's life is difficult as so many factors affect their growth rate. Some dragons grow faster than others and genetics also plays a role. some dragons are slow to get started then suddenly speed up, some take longer than a year to reach their full growth etc. If something is wrong health wise, this can slow down growth as well. A 5-6 month bearded dragon should be between 10-15". The best way to tell if your dragon is growing fine is consult the breeder on how fast other siblings are growing (if they know it) or the growth rate of the parents when they were young.

Bathing. Though many dragon keepers bathe very often, I personally feel that bathing isn't as necessary as many people think. Some dragons do not like being in water (mine didn't so probably why I don't feel it's as important as others do). If the dragon is eating fresh greens regularly and show no signs of dehydration, bathing is really just a way to clean your dragon if he ran through his own poop or just doesn't smell nice. Soaking deffinitely helps to hydrate your dragon and often stimulates them to go to the bathroom. However, hatchling and young dragons who do not willing drink from sitting water (ie from a water dish) will need to be misted a few times a day to keep them hydrated or bathed regularly to entice them to drink while they bathe.

It is not common for dragons under a year old to brumate. If your dragon is not eating, lethargic or otherwise not active, something else could be wrong. I suggest bringing the dragon in with a fresh poop sample to your vet for a fecal and examination. If funds are tight, just bring in the poop sample. Most fecals are fairly cheap, typically around $20 and if parasites are found , then you will need to bring the dragon in to ensure proper dosages for treatment. Some vets do offer payment plans so you can pay off the bill over the span of several months.
-----
PHLdyPayne

I really appreciate the detailed answer..I know it takes a lot of time to type everything...but it does make a big difference.
I guess Skippy falls into the proper size for his age as he is about 12-13"
He hates to get a bath so I will probably just mist him..he likes that and lets me know when he has had enough.
He normally eats endive and escrole...sometimes he gets squash, snow peas, kale,shredded carrots cut up...he is not a big experimenter.
Nix on the fountain. Can I let him sit on my shoulder in the house if the temp is in the 70's?
I have given him Parazap twice. Thought I would try it. Maybe I should give him another couple of doses...it said 5 days in a row.
One last thing ...he seemed to only move his bowels ....since he stopped eating ...when I bathed him...as sson as he hit the water...out it came.
Thanks again
Nancy
-----
Some of my best friends are snakes
Snakes Rule

Nancy, he'll love riding on your shoulder. Just be careful. They will jump quickly and scare the heck out of you. You can buy little harnesses at pet stores. I would clip the other end of the harness to my shirt, so if Zilla did jump, he'd be ok.

Zilla likes his bath and usually poops in it. He likes it if I hold my hand under his tummy...stabilizing him I guess. I never soak him too long or leave him unattended. First he'll take a drink and dunk his head, then soak a minute, then poop. I usually do this before I feed him. then if I want to interact with him, I know it's safe.

Good luck with your new beardie. Beardies are awesome!

Maleea