meet my first beardie, Saphira

Hey everybody, this is saphira, i got her about 2 weeks ago, she's 7 months old. I've decided to get her a luxury living space, so i had a vivaruim custom built, it's around 40x20x30 inch (120x60x90 cm).
She loves to eat crickets and will only go for veggies every now and then.. although i get her fresh veggies everyday.



Now since i am pretty much a newbie when it comes to beardies i would like to ask you guys for some help regarding her living quarters.. what would you suggest i change to make her as comfy as possible?

Also one more question; after her cricket meal (varies between 12.30 and 3. pm becuse of work), she will retreat to her hide and stay there until the next day. Is that normal?

Thank you in advance for any help.

Welcome to the wonderful world of bearded dragons. I love your setup, the decor is real nice and, a very handsome dragon as well.

BUT:

What ever they said about husbandry at the pet shop here you got him is usually way off base.
I noticed in your picture that you are using the crushed walnut substrate, bad idea. They can ingest it and causes impaction. You need a solid substrate like tile, newsprint, paper towels or nonadhesive shelf paper.
I also noticed that you only have one light showing in the picture. He needs a basking bulb and a UVB bulb and, since your viv is a tall one you need to get a Reptisun 10.0 T5 HO or an Arcadia 12% or 14% to fill his UVB needs. This is a critical need for his health.

Gormagon":1o2yykqv said:

Welcome to the wonderful world of bearded dragons. I love your setup, the decor is real nice and, a very handsome dragon as well.

BUT:

What ever they said about husbandry at the pet shop here you got him is usually way off base.
I noticed in your picture that you are using the crushed walnut substrate, bad idea. They can ingest it and causes impaction. You need a solid substrate like tile, newsprint, paper towels or nonadhesive shelf paper.
I also noticed that you only have one light showing in the picture. He needs a basking bulb and a UVB bulb and, since your viv is a tall one you need to get a Reptisun 10.0 T5 HO or an Arcadia 12% or 14% to fill his UVB needs. This is a critical need for his health.

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Thank you for your reply. I checked the internet on how to care for my beardie before getting her, and didnt rely only on pet shops.
Substrate is actualy pet shop sold sand, and i understand it can cause impactions, that is why i mainly feed her by hand. But i like the sand becuse i think it makes her feel home and she loves to make her a nice hole to burrow in.
As for the light, i have a UVB light, it is hidden above the door, so it doesnt blind me when im near.i think it is a reptisun 10.0, i had everything installed with the terarium when i had it made.

Hello, the ReptiSun is a tube style bulb, right? Not a coil/compact. And you will still want to remove that sand stuff. Beardies lick EVERYTHING, so the risk of impaction is still there. It can also harbor bacteria that can cause things like parasites if ingested. I would replace it with tile or shelf paper if you like the natural look.

I'm totally down with the name. My Saphira is a boy though... cause... well... it happens.

Minimum3":22migreq said:

I'm totally down with the name. My Saphira is a boy though... cause... well... it happens.

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And he has a great sense of humor, lol!

Gormagon":31z7z9ir said:

Minimum3":31z7z9ir said:

I'm totally down with the name. My Saphira is a boy though... cause... well... it happens.

Click to expand...

And he has a great sense of humor, lol!

Click to expand...

Well i think mine is a girl, i havent checked to be sure yet, since she wont let me hold her yet.

Try rubbing her beard lightly and touching her feet and tail. It might take a little it. Or just grab her and hold her will... that's what I do. Just put her on your chest really quick.