hanan":9b9cd said:
Hey there! :wave: We just brought home today our first bearded dragon (first reptile also!) He (or she!) is just a baby.
Hello and welcome :wave:
hanan":9b9cd said:
He (or she!) is just a baby. Not sure how old. About 4-5 inches long. We set up a nice home for him. We all hope he likes it. He seems to enjoy the limbs to climb on so far. I am just afraid the temp will get too high.
Sounds like your beardie may only be a few weeks old....though it could be older. How fast they grow depends a lot on their care and conditions of their home.
How hot are your temps? The basking area should be between 105-115F. From everything I've read here, I think younger beardies need basking temps closer to 115. You should also have a cool side at about 85F. Beardies also need
UVB light. Some more seasoned posters can tell you which UVB is best.
hanan":9b9cd said:
The pet store lady said I should feed him every other day but I read on this site feed the young ones 2-3 times a day. Do I just toss some crickets in there or a few at a time? I totally have no clue!! I really need to read up on this!!!
I'm fairly new to beardie ownership and Ozzy is nearly a year old, but I'm pretty sure the info you were given is wrong. From everything I've read, young beardies are supposed to be fed 2-3 times a day. You should let them eat as many crickets as they can consume in a 10-15 minute period at each feeding. Be sure not to leave crickets in with your beardie as they can actually chew on your beardie and cause nasty sores. Also, make sure the crickets are no bigger than the space between your beardie's eyes so he will be less likely to develop impaction problems. Also, you should be dusting crickets with rep-cal or something similar once a day.
You can also feed some worms. Phoenix worms are very high in calcium and good for growing beardies. I'll leave some other suggestions to more experienced owners, but I do know you're not supposed to feed mealworms. They are difficult to digest and cause impaction problems.
hanan":9b9cd said:
I totally have no clue!! I really need to read up on this!!! Any suggestions for a name? Maybe I should find out if it is a boy or girl first.
I appreciate any advice!!
You might want to wait on a name for a short time since beardies can have some unique personalities. A lot of times after spending time with your beardie you will come up with the perfect name. Knowing the sex might help too.
I'm sure a lot of other members will respond and give you more advice than I've given, but the care sheets on this site are also very good sources of information.
Usually when you post with questions other posters will ask a bunch of information so they can help you out. Usually they will ask:
What size tank or viv?
What is the basking temp?
What type of UVB or MVB bulb you use?
What temp on the cool side?
How old is your beardie?
What do you feed him and how often?
How often do you mist or
bathe your beardie?
What type of calcium and vitamin supplements do you use?
How often do you use them?
What type of substrate is he on?****
****The substrate issue is a widely debated topic here. However, I think just about everyone agrees that calci-sand/reptile sand is very harmful to beardies (yes, this is the stuff the pet store usually tells you to purchase). From what I've read, it's a lot like the cat litter that gets wet and clumps together....so when baby beardie ingests it from catching crickets, it will form hard clumps and be impossible to digest. This can cause impaction and even death. Most people agree that non-adhesive shelf liner or newspaper is best for babies. After your beardie is about a year old, you can use clean, sifted playsand (like at home depot) if you want a sand substrate. It can still cause impaction, but is much safer than the calci sand.
You'll find a lot of great people here that are all very knowlegable about beardie care. If you have any specific questions, just ask. I hope I helped a little.