Adopting a Bearded Dragon

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yonose12

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Hi! First time posting here. I'm thinking about adopting a bearded dragon from an owner who is no longer able to take care of her. I have done a good bit of research and I have experience keeping corn snakes but this would be my first beardie.

I'm trying to get a bit more information before deciding if I want to go through with adopting her. The current owner says that she's a rescue and when she was found, she was living in a bare 15 gallon tank with no lights. They've owned her for 8 months and the best idea I could get on her age is that she is probably 2-3. She does appear to be pretty large from what I can tell. They say she spends several hours outside of her cage every day and eats mainly greens and fruits with occasional hardboiled eggs (they didn't mention anything about insects). She also gets calcium powder.

I'm excited about taking in a beardie who's life experience hasn't been all that great but my main concern is making sure I'm as aware as possible of any health issues going in. I'm a little concerned about metabolic bone disease based on her early life. Are there other things I should look out for? Are nutrients a concern if she's not getting fed insects?

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Proper lighting in those tanks is crucial - if you can post pics of the dragons we can look we have two people on here who are really good about spotting MBD etc --- but you must have a decent size tank for both -- nothing smaller than a 40 gallon and this is minimum - optimal size is 75-120 for each of them -- TUBE fixtures for UVB's NO coils - NO colored lights --- bright white basking bulbs no off white or yellowish -- we can help get you set up
The dragon not getting any protein is not good I am not sure what kind of health issues that would cause but in early age like babies I am thinking of the muscle -- but we have a vet tech on here that could answer that question - so if you can post pics of the dragons and they can look and answer other questions you might have
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on the XIMG at the top of the message box then click on the pic it should post
Karrie
 

yonose12

Member
Original Poster
Thanks! Just to be clear, this is just one bearded dragon and I don't actually have her yet. I do have a few photos from her owner which I've attached below. She's currently in a 55 gal tank with reptile carpet. She has uvb lighting but it appears to be a coil bulb so I'll be replacing that and probably putting her on slate or tile for the time being. My longer term plan is to build her a diy 4'x2'x2' enclosure. Also, I should say that health problems aren't necessarily a deal breaker for me. I just want to make sure I'm aware and equipped to handle them if necessary.

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The tank size is good- getting her out is even better- gives her a break- the coil is no good- better would be a 24" fixture w/ reflector and a Reptisun 10.0 bulb T 5- or Arcadia 12% bulb for both of them - she looks good-- but they are masters in disguise for hiding illness-
Karrie
 
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