Just my son a beared dragon set up

[Scooby1doo1]

Hi I'm Dean

My son as been wanting some dragons for a good few months, as he as been takin badly in hospital and been in for 4 days and going to be in a few days more I got them to cheer him up.

My son is 11 and as watched albet almost all YouTube vids, on caring for them.
I bought the set up used got a 4ft Viv heat lamp, uv light, a 1ft square plastic box, some cal power, 2 dragons male and femal I think he said 9months old maybe 15.

After I got them settled back in the Viv, I waited a few hrs before putting small large brown crickets in. The female had eaten then all 6, the male don't move much for the first few hrs. Seems ok now but have not put no more food in.

Ok that enough now will post in other bits of the forum

 

[beardie parents]

Welcome Dean. I hope your son gets better soon and can come home and enjoy the beardies. I do suggest you get a second setup for the beardies as in 99% of the cases, beardies do better if housed separately.

What uvb did you get? It's beardies do better if their husbandry is correct. The wrong uvb can cause health issues for beardies.

 

[Scooby1doo1]

Welcome Dean. I hope your son gets better soon and can come home and enjoy the beardies. I do suggest you get a second setup for the beardies as in 99% of the cases, beardies do better if housed separately.

What uvb did you get? It's beardies do better if their husbandry is correct. The wrong uvb can cause health issues for beardies.

Hi
Cheers for your reply

I bought them together in one Viv, the seller only had he one Viv. I don't mind buying another if needed but im thinking they was housed together. Unsure of the uv thats in but I'm buyIng another because I read that a 42" is needed in a 48" Viv. So any links of what is needed so I can buy from the local pet shop Tom would be ace.

Cheers

 

[beardie parents]

I suggest you get the arcadia 12% tube uvb bulb, they are now available in the USA. I will try to find the link to the place you can order them from, they are better than any tube uvb that is sold in the USA. If you have to order the fixture, you can get a setup that gives off uvb that is as good as a Mercury Vapor Bulb.

Here's the link for the site that sells this setup now http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/index.html There is a link at the bottom to send them an email asking questions, from what I've read, it's better to get the t5 arcadia 12% as that bulb gives off better uvb then the wider ones.
I found the email to copy of the person to contact regarding the correct fixtures for the t5 tubes [email protected]

There is a 4 page thread about this tube recently available in the USA in the enclosures forum titled "Massive big news!!!! suggest you all read" It has all the information you need to order the correct items, tho it may seem confusing at times, at least it is to me as I'm not an electrician, but you will find the person on page 2 or 3 (I can't remember which page right now) to contact to purchase what you want. I do know you need a special "high output" fixture, if I remember correctly.

I hope this helps you get the right stuff for your dragons.

We would love to see pics of your babies and BTW: welcome to our site.

Lori

 

[Scooby1doo1]

I suggest you get the arcadia 12% tube uvb bulb, they are now available in the USA. I will try to find the link to the place you can order them from, they are better than any tube uvb that is sold in the USA. If you have to order the fixture, you can get a setup that gives off uvb that is as good as a Mercury Vapor Bulb.

Here's the link for the site that sells this setup now http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/index.html There is a link at the bottom to send them an email asking questions, from what I've read, it's better to get the t5 arcadia 12% as that bulb gives off better uvb then the wider ones.
I found the email to copy of the person to contact regarding the correct fixtures for the t5 tubes [email protected]

There is a 4 page thread about this tube recently available in the USA in the enclosures forum titled "Massive big news!!!! suggest you all read" It has all the information you need to order the correct items, tho it may seem confusing at times, at least it is to me as I'm not an electrician, but you will find the person on page 2 or 3 (I can't remember which page right now) to contact to purchase what you want. I do know you need a special "high output" fixture, if I remember correctly.

I hope this helps you get the right stuff for your dragons.

We would love to see pics of your babies and BTW: welcome to our site.

Lori

Cheers again and thanks for the hope my son gets better, signed up and post via the iphone hence some wrong wording lol.
I live in the UK
I'll post pics in a min just need to upload some.

 

[drgnfly2265]

Hello and welcome! :wave: I can't wait to see the pics!

 

[Scooby1doo1]

Here is a few pics, ordered a nice stand online today for the viv.

How much do i feed them, at the mo just large brown crickets is all i have. The pet shop does locus as well but they was massive, bought some fruit as well grapes, strawberries, and carrots. How small do i have to chop these up, and do i just keep them in for an hr or 2 then remove..

My son would no this because of the researching he did

 

[beardie parents]

Your beardies look great, they are gorgeous! Oh, you live in the UK. The arcadia 12% was available in the uk long before it was available in the USA. I am not sure where to tell you to get the bulb there as I'm in the USA, down near the Mexico border. I know there are lots of people from the UK on here and they will be able to help you figure out where best to buy the bulb.

Francis, the retired vet who is an expert on uvb, along with Tracie (drache613 is her screen name) and is one of our moderators, anyway, Francis is in the UK and she's posted on the thread I suggested you check out about the arcadia's available in the USA now, if you have any questions about the best things to buy for your new beardies.

 

[zoemay]

hi i live in the UK also and ive just ordered my own 15% arcadia uvb bulb, you can get them from here http://www.roachcolony.com/uvb-lighting-tubes-31-c.asp

i would also suggest that you change their sand as it is very dangerous for them if they accidental ingest any when trying to catch their food. and i would deffinately also agree with seperating them as otherwise your female is going to end up full of eggs and she is way to young to be laying at 9 months of age. she will also get extremely stressed if your male is constantly wanting to breed with her.

hope that helps you and i hope your son gets better and loves his new beardies, they are a joy to keep

 

[Scooby1doo1]

Hi

First thank for the kind words for my son, and also thanks for the reply.

I did not no any thing about dragons, and still no nothing. So now as you say she will be full of eggs, this now make a big diff keeping them together. I have checked and there are both 15 months old, so now this must make things worse.

On the way back from picking these up, i went to my local pet shop. Told him what i had just bough, and what it comes with. So he said you will need deep clean disinfectant for reptile vivs, he advised on ground walnut grit, not cal sand. Asked what heat and UV are in, well i did not no so could not say, and also said you may need a stat dimmer type not just off on as this blows bulbs.

I just bought what he advised me to buy, but if this is wrong i don't mind replacing any thing and getting stuff thats for for the dragons.

Can you not pair males and females instead, dont they get bored??

Also what or how much do i feed them, just keep putting food in till they have had enough, how many times a day.

any basics at the mo is a must..

cheers for the info and advise

 

[EccentricME]

Hi! If anyone else answered your questions, sorry to double answer
It is quite advisable to house dragons separately. Especially males and females. The male could consistently try to mate with her and completely stress her out. In the wild bearded dragons are solitary animals, they breed and move on so don't worry they wont get bored; especially with you guys loving on them. :wink: I know people who have had luck with 2 or more females, but personally I wouldn't take the risk of them fighting or one being more dominate over the other. check out this threadhttp://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=154908

You should feed them a nice salad of collard, mustard, or turnip greens everyday. In the states I found a pre-cut bag of all of them mixed. You can add other mix in to the salad to give them a verity. Since your dragons are older you can offer a protein source once a day, like crickets, dubia roaches, horn worms, silk worms, super worms. Ect. No meal worms though. They are a huge impaction risk becasue they have a hard shell. This site is awesome for food ideas: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

Please do NOT use the walnut shell or calci-sand substrate! Don't listen to the pet shop worker. This is a major impaction risk for bearded dragons! If their bowels become impacted they could die from this. I have a rescue dragon that passed large bits of substrate for more than a week when I first got her. After seeing this first hand, I am so against any loose substrate at all. It is also very hard to clean the substrate from body fluids and there is risk for eye and respiratory infections from all the dust. The only thing I would advise is Tile, non-stick shelf liner, news paper, paper towel. I really like using slate tile, it loose nice, it's easy to clean, and it helps file their nails.

Another thing I want to add is it is really good to give them a bath once a week or more. I try for every other day. They get hydration through their vents. Just use warm water no deeper than their shoulders. Don't be surprised if they don't like it at first. If they never had a bath they might not like it right away. Just let them rest their upper half of their body on your hand so they feel supported and eventually they should at least tolerate it. My first dragon was 10mths when I got him, he is now just tolerating baths he stands there and doesn't move till he wants out. My rescue hated the bath she would jump instantly when I tried putting her in. a month later she swims in it! she seems to love it!

I think it is great that you are doing this for your son. It seems like a lot of work but once you get everything straightened out and get a routine it feels like nothing to take care of them. if you have any question don't be afraid to ask!!! :mrgreen:

 

[Scooby1doo1]

Hi! If anyone else answered your questions, sorry to double answer
It is quite advisable to house dragons separately. Especially males and females. The male could consistently try to mate with her and completely stress her out. In the wild bearded dragons are solitary animals, they breed and move on so don't worry they wont get bored; especially with you guys loving on them. :wink: I know people who have had luck with 2 or more females, but personally I wouldn't take the risk of them fighting or one being more dominate over the other. check out this threadhttp://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=154908

You should feed them a nice salad of collard, mustard, or turnip greens everyday. In the states I found a pre-cut bag of all of them mixed. You can add other mix in to the salad to give them a verity. Since your dragons are older you can offer a protein source once a day, like crickets, dubia roaches, horn worms, silk worms, super worms. Ect. No meal worms though. They are a huge impaction risk becasue they have a hard shell. This site is awesome for food ideas: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

Please do NOT use the walnut shell or calci-sand substrate! Don't listen to the pet shop worker. This is a major impaction risk for bearded dragons! If their bowels become impacted they could die from this. I have a rescue dragon that passed large bits of substrate for more than a week when I first got her. After seeing this first hand, I am so against any loose substrate at all. It is also very hard to clean the substrate from body fluids and there is risk for eye and respiratory infections from all the dust. The only thing I would advise is Tile, non-stick shelf liner, news paper, paper towel. I really like using slate tile, it loose nice, it's easy to clean, and it helps file their nails.

Another thing I want to add is it is really good to give them a bath once a week or more. I try for every other day. They get hydration through their vents. Just use warm water no deeper than their shoulders. Don't be surprised if they don't like it at first. If they never had a bath they might not like it right away. Just let them rest their upper half of their body on your hand so they feel supported and eventually they should at least tolerate it. My first dragon was 10mths when I got him, he is now just tolerating baths he stands there and doesn't move till he wants out. My rescue hated the bath she would jump instantly when I tried putting her in. a month later she swims in it! she seems to love it!

I think it is great that you are doing this for your son. It seems like a lot of work but once you get everything straightened out and get a routine it feels like nothing to take care of them. if you have any question don't be afraid to ask!!! :mrgreen:

Cheers for your reply

My son is getting better daily, and may be out of hospital on monday-tuesday cheers for all your and other posters kind words.

I bought some fruits for them as said in a few post above, but they did not touch this. So now i will buy some green leaves for them, since i have had them (24hrs) they have had a full box of brown crickets maybe 20 in the box.
My son will like to give them a bath so i will let him do this when he comes out, picking them up how often should this be done. My son as wanted dragons for some time, and i was put off because of the care needed. But as he as been through a lot this last week, i thought this is a good time for him to have them.
1 So i need green leave for them
2 need a better UV bulb for viv
3 need to remove sand, and replace with paper towel or tile
4 need another viv so to split them up
I have what is called cricket dust komodo, so do i need any other sort of vitamins for them.

Cheers for all help again to all

 

[Scooby1doo1]

Just an update

Bought some
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0002AQDWW/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1337529977&sr=8-1
From a pet shop in town, and some crickets, locus, some long worm type things, bigger UV bulb, digital temp gauge with probe, temp with light on was 34C this morning it was 22.9C cool side is about 25C going of the dial, so i think temps are good. Nice reptile stand came yesterday so I'll build this up today after work.
I'll take a few more pics later today when all is set up, or at a later date if time becomes tight.

Cheers for all info

PS I bought some books for my son to read on dragons on eBay yesterday.