Ive found a 5yo male seemingly healthy bearded dragon that the original owners are not interested in keeping. It was originally for their kids but when the kids lost interest, the parents took over until they could rehome it.
Between now and when I pick him up some time in the coming weeks, I'd like to setup my plans for his care.
My current bearded dragon has been with me since she was 2 months old, so she grew up being acclimated to handling and I learned how she behaved as she grew up. I'm not familiar with acclimating a rehomed older beardy like this, and at the very least I need him to be comfortable coming out of the tank for cleaning purposes or me being in the tank for cleaning purposes. Any tips on introducing him to my home and myself with the least possible stress would be appreciated.
He needs a Viv upgrade from his current 75 gallon which will be coming within 6 weeks. My current beardy will be moved to her new tank which was planned before this anyways, and he will take her old 210 gallon tank. But aside from this, I also need to replace his substrate (reptile carpet) and possibly his decor which is mostly rocks or slate that don't look the most stable. I haven't seen it in person to confirm yet. Should I make the changes to his current tank immediately upon rehoming, or delay that to not add additional stress during rehome?
There's two concerns i have with his current care. His owners have fed him crickets, mixed leafy greens, blueberries, and strawberries on a regular basis. Aside from that, he also has a compact UVB bulb. I will be moving him to dubias, mixed greens, and an occasional treat instead. I will immediately replace the compact uvb with a tube on the day of picking him up. However my question aside from that is if I should have a vet check up sooner than later between the high sugar diet and compact UVB? Or if I should get one anyways with him being the second beardy in the house.
I know they need to be kept separate and I should wash my hands between handling either, so that is covered.
Any other misc tips or things i should know would be greatly appreciated, namely just because I took care of my current beardy from 2mo old so rehoming a 5yo will be new to me.
Between now and when I pick him up some time in the coming weeks, I'd like to setup my plans for his care.
My current bearded dragon has been with me since she was 2 months old, so she grew up being acclimated to handling and I learned how she behaved as she grew up. I'm not familiar with acclimating a rehomed older beardy like this, and at the very least I need him to be comfortable coming out of the tank for cleaning purposes or me being in the tank for cleaning purposes. Any tips on introducing him to my home and myself with the least possible stress would be appreciated.
He needs a Viv upgrade from his current 75 gallon which will be coming within 6 weeks. My current beardy will be moved to her new tank which was planned before this anyways, and he will take her old 210 gallon tank. But aside from this, I also need to replace his substrate (reptile carpet) and possibly his decor which is mostly rocks or slate that don't look the most stable. I haven't seen it in person to confirm yet. Should I make the changes to his current tank immediately upon rehoming, or delay that to not add additional stress during rehome?
There's two concerns i have with his current care. His owners have fed him crickets, mixed leafy greens, blueberries, and strawberries on a regular basis. Aside from that, he also has a compact UVB bulb. I will be moving him to dubias, mixed greens, and an occasional treat instead. I will immediately replace the compact uvb with a tube on the day of picking him up. However my question aside from that is if I should have a vet check up sooner than later between the high sugar diet and compact UVB? Or if I should get one anyways with him being the second beardy in the house.
I know they need to be kept separate and I should wash my hands between handling either, so that is covered.
Any other misc tips or things i should know would be greatly appreciated, namely just because I took care of my current beardy from 2mo old so rehoming a 5yo will be new to me.