Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I am just getting into beardies, I have always known I would want one since the first time I saw one.

I have had many reptiles and currently keep a number of Ball Pythons and a Kingsnake and am most likely getting a red tail boa soon. I have researched all types of reptiles for years and read caresheets and books on beardies over and over (as I do all my pets before I get them). I actually have 2 books on them here that I keep flipping through.

I was just offered a hatchling beardie from a woman who's husband got it for her as a gift and she doesn't like reptiles, so I am inclined to take it, just waiting to see if we have the money and room right away. If not we will wait at least a few months and get one then, but I like to know as much as I can before I get them, so same questions either way.

Here are some of the things I am worried about...

Diet: What do YOU feed and what is your experiences with beardies and this diet?

Lighting/Heating: What heat/light eliments do YOU use and how effective are they?

Cageing: Not as worried about this as the others, but just curious as to everyone's varrying opinion of optimal size/materials, etc... for a beardie cage.

Thanks for taking your time to read and help a newbie! Let me know any tips you find helpful!
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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain

"You laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at you because you are all the same."

~~ Krystal ~~

Diet: Young bearded dragons need alot of insects, about 80-90% of their diet for the first 8 months should be insects with mixed greens making up the rest of their diet. For dragons 4 months and younger, 2-3 servings of appropriately sized crickets should be offered. Older than 4 months and under 8 months, 2 feedings of crickets, plus salad available all day. 8 months to 12 months, one cricket feeding a day, greens available all day. After 12 months, 2-3 insect feedings a week, salad every day. Or a few insects every day (once adult, diet should be 80-90% greens, rest insects).

Lighting/Heating: UVB bulbs or tubes. Mercury vapour bulbs designed especially to produce high amounts of UVB (can't think of any brand names of these offhand, never used them myself). Florescent tube style, good brands are repti-glo and repti-sun, made by Zoo Med and Exo Terra (can't remember which company makes which brand, sorry). Basking light can be just regular household bulbs of the a ppropriate wattage to reach basking temps between 95-115F. Any kind is fine, as long as it isn't soft glow, or dual/tri setting. These don't work with standard sockets, to get the low/hi or low/medium/high light intensities. The wattage you need depends on tank size, house temperature, distance from basking spot etc. Typically, a 35 gal tank wil need a 75 Watt bulb for the basking spot.

Caging: For young dragons 20-35 Gal long tanks are good. Once the dragon is around 16", moving to an adult cage at least 4'x2'x2' in size is recommended. These can be glass, plexi glass or wood (wood can be plywood, melamine, masonite and similiar, avoid cedars, pressure treated or other chemically treated woods.) THis assumes a single bearded dragon. Housing more than one together will require larger cages, though it is recommended to always house dragons separately. Too many things can go wrong when housing multiple dragons together.
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PHLdyPayne

my beardys eat just about anything, daily they get greens every week i get a fresh bunch of a different veriaty (collard,mustard, ect.) and sometimes toss in some treats, shaved carrots, diced tomato or apple things like that also daily i offer pellets(fluckers juvie) they really seem to like them and its funny to listen to them crunching the pellets
mine are getting bigger so i have cut back on the crix between the 2 of them they get 5 doz 3 times a week (thorn my male eats most of them he just laps them up out of the dish like an ant eater lol, my female dosnt care for them as much she really only eats them if they walk up to her) with these 3 feedings i dust every time 2 times with calcium and 1 with vitamins,i think mostly important is a fresh supply of daily food and a good variaty.

i use an exo-terra 8.0 uvb and i forget the brand of heat lamp but its 100w it keeps the basking tep at 120 and they seem to be good with this more often they bask right under the uvb, also anytime i can get them real sunshine i do(i open the window and let them sit on the kitchen floor) as long as there isnt a cold wind the really like it and it shows in there colors and attitude

i would also like to say that i have been handleing both from the days i got them they were a litte jumpy at first so only a few min at a time but it got more and more now they are truely both "lap lizzards" they will sit with me for hours watching tv or ride my shoulder while i do the cleaning around the house. thorn (my male) will even jump onto my hand when i enter his cage , unless im holding food lol.

i keep mine on sand for easy clean up. i just spot clean poops daily and everything stays looking and smelling nice, i also bath the every other day in a cat litter pan and this is where they poop most of the time, if you are getting a hatchling i would avoid sand till it gets a little bigger like 12 in or so just to be safe

anyway you asked so i shared hope i didnt bore ya,
Tony

Thanks for the info guys! That helps. Any more info on supplements?

I almost want to get an adult so I can skip the cricket diet and go for the salads with crix on the side, but whatever it takes! I love rats, but I still feed my snakes, I don't like or dislike crix (used to catch them as pets when I was a kid) just don't like the added hastle.

Thanks again for all your help!
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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain

"You laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at you because you are all the same."

~~ Krystal ~~

Try www.beautifuldragons.com for a great food list. Here's a link to my caresheets, I took my site offline when I quit breeding them but another breeder is hosting my sheets right now.

Sean

Care Sheets

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Heart Mountain Herps

Thanks for that site, I had been there before, I am glad I can bookmark it now!
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"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." - Kurt Cobain

"You laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at you because you are all the same."

~~ Krystal ~~