First Time Bearded Dragon Owner

Hello everyone!

My name is Kirstyn. I am a first time bearded dragon owner. I've fallen in love with bearded dragons after my friend got one and just knew it would be the pet for me. After loads of research, I order from a breeder (FireandIceDragons); my little guy is a mix between a super citrus dragon and an ice dragon. I'm so pumped to receive the guy in about a month, due to him just hatching on March 1st. I have been researching for almost two months over bearded dragons because I didn't want to make an impulse buy; I wanted to be experienced and informed before getting a dragon. Anyways, I'm so nervous for my dragon to arrive. I was wondering from you guys if there was anything you wish you would have researched more before you got your bearded dragon, or any advice on anything that you've learned from the experience of having dragons.
Thank you everyone! Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated because I believe you can't learn EVERYTHING from a book.

-Kirstyn

Greetings and welcome to the world of dragons!
Be sure to post pictures of your new little bebe once s/he arrives!

Hands down. UVB.
While I didn't have any issues with MBD personally, I used a coil bulb until December of last year. I blame my lack of research on a UVB why the growth of my girl Simon is stunted. She is nearing 2yrs old and is only 16.5", she's never had a great appetite.

I am learning with my new addition, Richter, that adequate UVB makes a huge difference. Going from a dragon raised with a 26w coil bulb to Reptisun T8 10.0 has made my youngest an eating machine. Many other things could affect appetite (heat, feeders, variety) but I think improper UVB was my biggest mistake.

Make sure the tank is going to fit in your car :lol: At the moment I've got no tank for my guy because we couldn't get it into the backseat of the car (even when the door got taken off...)
Good luck!

Proper UVB, proper substrate, and enclosure sizes. I didn't realize how much space an adult needs. I also didn't realize what a big difference a proper high output T5 UVB would make. If you have any questions about his care when he arrives please let us know.

I do have a question! So I got all my supplies. My little guy is that.. little, so I got a 20 gallon long tank. It has paper towels and pretty basic set up. Food bowl, water dish, basking rock. I have my basking place with a 8.5 clamp lamp and a 75 watt clear halogen bulb. I have a light fixture and a 10.0 reptisun T8 tube. Now the breeder I got my dragon from said I need a UVB 10.0 lamp. Since I already have the UVB tube and basking light, does this go on the cool side of the tank? I've been so confused. Thanks for any help you can provide.

KirstynMichelle":3ss20jsd said:

I do have a question! So I got all my supplies. My little guy is that.. little, so I got a 20 gallon long tank. It has paper towels and pretty basic set up. Food bowl, water dish, basking rock. I have my basking place with a 8.5 clamp lamp and a 75 watt clear halogen bulb. I have a light fixture and a 10.0 reptisun T8 tube. Now the breeder I got my dragon from said I need a UVB 10.0 lamp. Since I already have the UVB tube and basking light, does this go on the cool side of the tank? I've been so confused. Thanks for any help you can provide.

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I'm not too sure what the breeder means by a UVB 10.0 lamp considering you already have one.
A reptisun T8 10.0 is an adequate amount of UVB for that tank size and another one is not required.

As far as lighting goes, a bright white basking bulb, UVB, and a possible ceramic heat emitter (emits heat but no light, often used over night to keep the tank above 65 degrees but not required in a well heated house) are really the only lights you should need. Some people will add another basking bulb, but there is no benefit to multiple UVB lights as that will only increase the range of the UVB exposure, not the UVB absorption.

I'm sure you're well aware but I wanted to add just in case: a 20g will not last your little guy long. They grow at crazy speeds and will need to be upgraded in just a few months depending on the size of your dragon. A 36x18 (40g breeder) is often considered the minimum for a larger/growing dragon

Yes! I have a 20 gallon long for now. I have a 40 gallon breeder in storage in my closet for the little guy. If he outgrows the 40 breeder, I would like to build my own vivarium next if it comes to it. Thank you so much for your response! I guess I can understand the point of more UVB the more chance for exposure, but it seems like alittle much.

KirstynMichelle":2fnamykg said:

Yes! I have a 20 gallon long for now. I have a 40 gallon breeder in storage in my closet for the little guy. If he outgrows the 40 breeder, I would like to build my own vivarium next if it comes to it. Thank you so much for your response! I guess I can understand the point of more UVB the more chance for exposure, but it seems like alittle much.

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I responded but the site went down and it did not go through

Glad you have a back up enclosure! If you need some DIY tips or ideas, there is a great DIY section on this forum