Thank you for taking the time to put this together! I hope it helps a lot of dragons get a proper setup. Your video is very thorough. I do have some feedback but just my thoughts so take it as you will.
Nips and minor deformities may not be bad. As long as they are alert and active, they can have happy lives even with missing toes or tails. I'd just be wary of pushing people away from "less than perfect" dragons who are just as deserving of a good home. Your advice to avoid dragons who look lethargic is good. I also liked your advice to go with a slightly older dragon if he will be interacting with kids.
For a tank, I'd say go big early. If I had to do it over I'd skip the 20g tank and go with the 40g breeder to start. This will give adequate roaming space but more importantly it will make it much easier to create a heat and UVB gradient. Since they are very good at regulating UVB as well as heat exposure, I'd shoot for a UVB tube that is 1/2 the size of the tank or at least just slightly longer than your dragon. This provides a wide enough area for them to bask under evenly which is important. They don't need intense UVB all the time so it's good to have higher UVB in the basking area while also providing low UVB areas on the cool side as well as shade areas with no UVB. Given variety they'll pick what they need.
Another important aspect of lighting is tube type. You covered coil vs tube and avoiding anything between the bulb and dragon really well but in larger enclosures the higher output T5 bulbs are a better choice than a T8. The T8 is good for small tanks at a range of 6-8'' while the T5 is better in larger tanks with optimal output at around 12-14''. These are powerful enough to shine through mesh with only about 30% loss so 10'' up from the highest basking area through mesh is fine. I'd also recommend using a fixture with a reflector. The reflectors greatly enhance the amount of UVB that is sent down into the tank. This is helpful with the T5 but almost critical with a T8. A T8 with reflector has an output of early morning sunlight level UVB at 6''. Without the reflector it isn't quite adequate in my opinion. Lighting is probably the most critical aspect of their care so it's important to get this right and spend adequate budget on it.
Thank you for giving such a thorough rundown of substrate. The sand can cause way more problems than it's worth and it's darn near impossible to keep sanitary. I really like the fake tile shelf liner you have in your setup. Best of both worlds! It's good to emphasize how messy they can get and keeping their setup clean and sanitary is key to their health. Well done.
Your food section is also excellent. Offering as much variety as possible, depending on what you can get fresh, is key. I've found that if you break down the batch of greens when you get them home it helps. I cut the greens apart after cleaning them and put them into ziploc bags with a sheet of paper towel. Remove the air and label the bag and put it in the fridge. I can sometimes get several weeks out of the greens this way. They still come out nice and crisp. The excess goes to the dubia colony.
You've given good advice regarding feeding schedules for adults and pups and I agree with you. 1-2 feedings per day for the little guys is fine. I give my adult bugs every 3-4 days and it's fine along with plenty of daily salads. I'm glad you mentioned avoiding wild bugs when possible due to insecticides. The rule about no bugs bigger than the distance between their eyes is more for the young guys. The older dragons can take out pretty much anything. My adult dragon can take out several adult male dubias without hesitation. They can chew larger objects (bugs and veges) down to size without much problem. It's the little guys you need to look out for. Monitoring weight on a regular basis is key to checking their health and progress.
As far as baths go, I'd mention that it's not worth pushing baths if they appear stressed out. It's helpful for shedding and cleaning and if they need some extra
hydration they may have a drink from a
bath. If they seem to like baths and just sit and soak it's fine but they all seem to have different reactions.
Thanks for the shout out to the forum! We will, as always, be quite happy to help anyone build the best possible life for their little buddies. I loved watching Rocky in the videos. He seems to love his veges as much as Darwin which is amazing! Thanks again for putting the video together. It's the most comprehensive care video I've seen so far. Maybe worth tagging in the articles section for easy reference. I wasn't trying to be critical with my post, I was just keeping notes as I watched and wanted to share my thoughts. Two thumbs up.
