My son just got his first Beardie!

I joined this forum for my son, James, as he's only 7 and not allowed to join internet forums yet lol. He wanted a bearded dragon so badly, and spent months researching them. He saved his own money and bought everything he needed, and yesterday got to buy his bearded dragon and bring it home! He named it Draco. He's so proud!

Draco is a cute little guy! Still so tiny =). That looks like a great setup. One word of caution about those hammocks. They can get their nails caught up in the holes and it can cause sprains or nail tears so it's best to use a fleece material for a hammock if he likes it. As they get bigger the suction cups can fail too so it tends to work a bit better with command hooks. If you have any questions about his care please let us know and we'll be happy to help. I look forward to reading more about Draco's adventures =)

Awww~ Draco is adorable and so is James! Let me know if you/they have any questions, I'm on daily and can probably field most of the basics.

Just to touch a few things, I want to comment that your set up looks amazing! May I ask what kind of substrate is being used, though? It looks tan-ish, and if it's sand, I would encourage you and your son to switch to something different. Also, that mesh hammock ~could~ cause foot injuries if Draco's toes get caught in it. Note that I am NOT saying that it WILL cause problems, my scale-son LOVES his and hasn't had any issues, but if you or your son notice these kinds of things, removing it may be best. Also, are the branches stable/secured? Since Draco is still so small, it's important to make sure nothing can be knocked off by and/or on to him.

Finally, and I'm only commenting on this because it is so important - what UV light does Draco have? I'm sure whatever it is it's perfect, but make sure that this does get changed every 6-12 months depending on the kind of light, because it's the sort of thing a kiddo could easily forget.

Anyway, that really and truly looks like an amazing set up! Definitely better than what Guac had when I first got him, LOL. You should be very proud of your son!

Best,
-Ellen

Welcome to the wonderful world of dragons!
Few things I want to point out
1 you uvb light looks like a compact or coil, these hurt the dragons eyes, you need to get a better uvb like a reptisun 10.0 t5 tube bulb, this is one or possibly only bulb that’s certified to be safe
2. It might look like you have a night light bulb, does this produce any sort of light at night? Or is it a CHE. If it produces any sort of light red, blue, purple you need to get rid of it, any light at night disturbs the beardies sleep, think if you had a lamp on all night when you tried to sleep. You actually don’t need a night heat source unless it gets under 65*f in the cage, if it does, get a CHE this produce heat, but not light
3. What’s your substrate, looks like tile or newspaper but also sort of like sand. Any loose substrate will end up with impacting your beardie, especially since it is so small.
4. Since it is so small and I’m guessing you got it from the pet store down the street, I suggest you should find a local reptile, even exotic vet if their is absolutely so reptile vet around to check for any illnesses.
5. I know people already said this, but get rid of the hammock, those little holes in it can catch a bearded dragons toenail and the dragon will do anything to get it out, even if that means ripping it out.
6. I really do suggest not handling it for the first few days, your baby will sure appreciate it! (Even if your son is begging to hold it) you can start handling it for short periods and letting it get used to your hand, maybe hand feeding the bugs after a few days, (like 3-4)
7. This isn’t something to change, (well) what’s your dragons diet? Bugs and greens. You shouldn’t feed super worms, mealworms, def not any hornworms, before the dragon is over 16in, even then they should only be treats. Good feeders for babies are BSFL, small crickets, and small dubias. Good veg is mustard green, dandelion green, and collard green, with occasional carrot or cucumber.

Hope I could be a help!

-Claire and Arrow

Substrate is newspaper. Definitely nothing loose like sand. Wood is secure and won't tip or move under him. He's in a 55 gallon tank, with a 48" Reptisun T5 hood with the 10.0 bulb. We also have a 150 watt heat bulb over the basking spot, and 2 CHE bulbs that we turn on and off as needed (one wasn't enough on colder days to keep the temps high enough). We've had the vivarium up for about a week making sure the temps were good before he got his beardie. The humidity was a little low, but with misting we have it right around 30 now.

We're feeding small crickets, and have the calcium and multivitamin powders to use as directed. He's also had bites of dandelion leaves. Appointment has been made with the vet for next week. He's eating really well. And I told him not to pick him up for a few days, but when James was feeding him Draco jumped into his hand and ran all over him, so he just sat down and waited for him to get back to his hands so he could put him back in the tank. He's eating well, and took a teeny bit of Apple from James's hand.

I'll keep an eye on the hammock for now and will make a fleece one for him as soon as I can.

MamatoJames":57r3gkbz said:

Substrate is newspaper. Definitely nothing loose like sand. Wood is secure and won't tip or move under him. He's in a 55 gallon tank, with a 48" Reptisun T5 hood with the 10.0 bulb. We also have a 150 watt heat bulb over the basking spot, and 2 CHE bulbs that we turn on and off as needed (one wasn't enough on colder days to keep the temps high enough). We've had the vivarium up for about a week making sure the temps were good before he got his beardie. The humidity was a little low, but with misting we have it right around 30 now.

We're feeding small crickets, and have the calcium and multivitamin powders to use as directed. He's also had bites of dandelion leaves. Appointment has been made with the vet for next week. He's eating really well. And I told him not to pick him up for a few days, but when James was feeding him Draco jumped into his hand and ran all over him, so he just sat down and waited for him to get back to his hands so he could put him back in the tank. He's eating well, and took a teeny bit of Apple from James's hand.

I'll keep an eye on the hammock for now and will make a fleece one for him as soon as I can.

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Good for you! You sure did some research, if I was you, I would just remove the hammock for now, since you won’t really know if the dragon got caught until it’s too late, but that’s your dragon not mine.
DM me on here or my instagram arrow_the_dragon if you need any help.