FINALLY!! I'm a beardie momma!!!

Hi, guys! I've always loved animals. Reptiles and birds have always had a special place in my heart next to cats(three that don't mix well, I know. Crazy, right??) I recently went into a local pet store to get some food for my kitties and made a pit stop to the reptile section and spotted the beardies. I knew from a good friend, whose family has several reptiles(a number of beardies) that they were docile, hardy reptiles that were relatively easily maintained and cared for. So I went home and planned! I used an old dresser, converted it. I'm still making tweaks to it but it serves it's purpose.

Onto the good stuff! I don't have a name yet for this dude/dudette. Taken to calling it Beastie for now. Best estimate on length is around 6", maybe 6.5". Guy at the pet store told me a little over 2 months old. Tried live crickets for the first few days but they just climbed to the top of the enclosure. Switched to mealworms today and it was a happy a beardie. I'm excited to watch this baby grow and gain personality traits and quirks! Here's my new baby!

Cute!!!! Just want to say no mealworms. They cause impaction. Better feeders are silk worms, Phoenix worms, dubia and crickets.

A beautiful baby! Looks very healthy. You mentioned you converted an old dresser into a viv; do you mind sharing pics? That sounds awesome (and a lot of hard work)!!

But, I agree that mealworms are terrible impacters for bearded dragons--they have tough exoskeletons that aren't easily digested. For a strictly insectivorous lizard like a leopard gecko, they're fine, but bearded dragons are omnivorous and have different digestion. Dubia roaches are fairly cheap, you can start your own colony easily with little research, and are wonderful feeders!

Savora":1i8e1auz said:

A beautiful baby! Looks very healthy. You mentioned you converted an old dresser into a viv; do you mind sharing pics? That sounds awesome (and a lot of hard work)!!

But, I agree that mealworms are terrible impacters for bearded dragons--they have tough exoskeletons that aren't easily digested. For a strictly insectivorous lizard like a leopard gecko, they're fine, but bearded dragons are omnivorous and have different digestion. Dubia roaches are fairly cheap, you can start your own colony easily with little research, and are wonderful feeders!

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I need a feeder tank or something. My sister has a 10 gallon fish tank she's willing to lone me for a bit. Crickets can get to the top of the enclosure and as tiny as he is...Well...It just doesn't work. And I can share...Just not sure where. Lol. But for the money I spent, I could have bought the basic setup but not one this size. Only took my one weekend to finish really. I had my beardie on Wednesday after finishing it on Sunday.