Beard trimming and other newbie questons

[cboehlkejr]

i am new to beardies but not reptiles (used to have a boa, savannah and iguana). someone at work is looking to put 2 dragons up for adoption. male/female both about 6 years old with all the equipment (will they mate?).
i have heard the average lifespan is 10 years is that accurate? i have read different stories about the cricket virus, are they still readily available as a meal item?
someone mentioned trimming the beard and didn't seem to mean their nails, am i missing something? they haven't been handled for quite a while (her son moved away) should i be concerned bringing them into my house with kids? thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Honda99300ex]

deffinately wouldn't recommend trimming the beard, never heard of that and it just doesn't sound right...

 

[cboehlkejr]

i had a feeling but didn't know if i was missing something. i didn't see anything in the discussions either.

 

[Pithecellobium]

I can't believe someone would tell you to trim their beards :shock: . Beardies don't grow beards, what they refer to as beards are part of its body. Essentially, you would be cutting your pet's throat, not the best advice to say the least.

 

[Bradleyv1714]

Yeap, the beard is part of the bearded dragon and no sort of cutting should be done to it. lol! Crickets are still available but I am not totally sure if the virus is still around.

 

[cboehlkejr]

good chance the beard trimming comment was to pull my leg, but i wanted to make sure i wasn't missing anything. thanks for the update on the crickets. any clue on the handling question? thanks

 

[Bradleyv1714]

oh... sorry! totally forgot to answer that question!

I would it should be fine as long as the kids don't put their hands on or around the beardies mouth (I learned about this the hard way when I first got my little one. lol) another thing is that as long as you hold him and take him out often he will get more comfortable and just enjoy the company and will become nicer and not so violent that's currently what I am doing to my baby!

 

[cboehlkejr]

thanks for the reply bradley. these are a pair of 6yr olds. i figure there will be a time of adjustment and will ween everyone.

 

[Bradleyv1714]

My neice which is 2yrs old has been living with us for a while now and she would get really close, move to quickly and touch around the mouth area... After repeating a million times not to do that she still did it once and Ace bit her which I thought was funny but it broke her skin and got some blood out of her little finger. it wasn't that bad but if your kids listen to you and will be smart enough to follow when you say not to do something or something specific because they will get hurt, then you can do it!

 

[protiemama]

I'll answer a couple of points others missed: My kids love "their" dragons. The dragons sit on their laps to watch TV and seem to enjoy watching a game of chess now and then.
I took one of my dragons (Ramoth) to a major Girl Scout event receintly. Hard to tell who enjoyed it more, Ramoth or the kids. That said, hand washing is a must. We have a small farm, the kids know, if you handle or pet anything, wash your hands!

As for mating, probably. You do know they need seperate vivs right? Dragons do not like the company of other dragons. (Except for the short time required to mate) They will be much happier and healthier in their own homes.

I hope you enjoy your new friends for a long time. What are their names? You do know pictures are required around here right? We seem to all have an addiction to picts of other peoples dragons. :mrgreen:

Sandy H

 

[cboehlkejr]

my kids are 8 and 6, so i hope i can get the message across (that said...some lessons are learned the hard way) i have already told them we will be taking it slow and getting the lizards acclimated to their new home and get them used to being handled again. thanks for the input.

my son is a cub scout and my daughter a brownie...so i see some interaction there as well.
sandy i am a hobbyist photographer...so good luck stopping me from posting pictures! i love macro photography, so i hope to give some different perspectives.
will post after i get them home (need to renovate office first to have space)

to my understanding these 2 are kept (and have been kept) in one large tank (and to my knowledge have not reproduced)
will have to ask for some details. and no, i didn't know they liked the solitary life. guess i need to read some more.

thanks again

 

[protiemama]

I think you will find they perk up after you seperate them. Since they have been kept together and no eggs- I have to wonder- are you sure they are not both females? ( 2 males would likely have shredded each other by now)
Looking forward to those promised pictures. If you start another thread, please let me know where to look. I don't always find time to browse.
The care sheets on the home page are great sources of info. I learned so much from them. The folks on this site are always ready to help. You can find some great housing ideas from the enclosures threads or the DIY section. Some of the dragons have nicer digs than I do! :lol: Everyone on the boards jokes- When we die we want to come back as one of Barbara's dragons! :lol: (fresnowitte) She knows how to spoil a beardie. She is the one with Zac-n-Wheezie, the world's oldest 2 headed dragon (s). We all love Z-n-W.

My girls are Allison and Ramoth. Their thread is in Beardie Tales, if you want to check them out. Welcome to the site and congrats of becoming a beardie slave. (They are in charge) :mrgreen:

Sandy H

 

[cboehlkejr]

they have lived their lives in a 4.5' tall by 4' wide x 2' deep cage.
they did produce eggs within the past year but they didn't hatch.

i will have to get the cage and see about setting up a partition.

hoping to get them soon...will post pics