A bearded dragon from Santa Claus: CandyCane passed away :(

Like the title says, I'm looking into and thoroughly researching bearded dragons to see if one would be a good fit for my family. My son has been telling me for weeks that Santa is probably bringing him a snake or a lizard and I should prepare myself, so that's what I'm doing. I have 8 year old twins, and a bearded dragon would be their one big gift from Santa Claus. They would not be the primary caretakers for obvious reasons, so I'm also researching what level of care they need, etc. I've learned they need quite a bit when they're younger, and I'm also trying to figure out if this is financially feasible for my family as well. I'm posting mainly because I have a question about habitat. I've been looking at different potential terrariums and I found one called the zen habitat. It's 4 feet long by 2 feet wide, so plenty of room. I'm just wondering if any bearded dragon owners on here have any first hand experience with these enclosures? Also, hoping to find a good breeder in Louisiana that will have some fun morphs, hopefully the bright yellow colors. I wouldn't mind having one shipped, but it would be easiest for us to pick up on Christmas Eve from someone local if that's at all possible. I have a veterinarian (for my dog) that also sees bearded dragons so that's in order. Anyway, just saying hello and introducing myself because I'll probably have lots of questions lol. Thanks!

 

[KarrieRee]

You can try silkworms- they are a good staple feeder as well-- www.reptilianarts.com. www.mulberryfarms.com. www.coastalsilkworms.com
mulberry was out of stock last I looked- if you order them make sure you get food too they need to have their containers cleaned out every day and they do eat alot
Karrie

 

[opaquelace]

A picture of the dragon mansion as it sits currently. Wilbur was having a staring contest with the dog before I took this picture, and CandyCane is just basking in all her orange glory. They need some sort of rough rock so their nails can kind of dull down as they're long atm and I'm not having any luck filing them (their fingers are too bendy lol) and I'm too scared to clip.

 

[KarrieRee]

You can get a rock or some sort of piece of semi rough tile in there - maybe put the food bowls on it so they haft to go onto the tile piece to get to the food bowl - I have slated or textured ceramic tile in the whole tank so the nails stay pretty filed down w / them walking around on it ---
Karrie

 

[Claudiusx]

Did you see one of the holdbacks KPS is showing off on their Instagram?

OMG if it was for sale I would buy in a heartbeat!

-Brandon

 

[opaquelace]

Did you see one of the holdbacks KPS is showing off on their Instagram?

OMG if it was for sale I would buy in a heartbeat!

-Brandon

Yes! I love it. WIlbur doesn't have any "blue" bars or anything, but you can see faint almost black spots sometimes along his back. Did you see the trans red leatherback he had up a while ago? It sold really fast for $500.

 

[Claudiusx]

Yes it looks a lot like Suki, if we are thinking of the same one. I might have scooped it up myself if I would have known. I have 1 more spot available... technically.... (at least 1 more spot that I could potentially convince my wife on LOL) and I wouldn't mind getting 1 more male.

I kind of want to dabble in breeding again. But we will see. It's always a fun idea until you start having 60 mouths to feed.

-Brandon

 

[KarrieRee]

Lol
Karrie

 

[DragonPete]

Yes it looks a lot like Suki, if we are thinking of the same one. I might have scooped it up myself if I would have known. I have 1 more spot available... technically.... (at least 1 more spot that I could potentially convince my wife on LOL) and I wouldn't mind getting 1 more male.

I kind of want to dabble in breeding again. But we will see. It's always a fun idea until you start having 60 mouths to feed.

-Brandon

Yeahhhh. Might want to wait till things are a little more settled. DW has enough on her plate atm. ?
Love that red though!! Omg! So beautiful! ?
-Dee

 

[Claudiusx]

Gotta start prepping for the future now DEE!! :mrgreen:

-Brandon

 

[DragonPete]

Gotta start prepping for the future now DEE!! :mrgreen:

-Brandon

Lol! ? uh huh. I'm sure DW will agree. (?!?) ?
-Dee

 

[opaquelace]

Yes it looks a lot like Suki, if we are thinking of the same one. I might have scooped it up myself if I would have known. I have 1 more spot available... technically.... (at least 1 more spot that I could potentially convince my wife on LOL) and I wouldn't mind getting 1 more male.

I kind of want to dabble in breeding again. But we will see. It's always a fun idea until you start having 60 mouths to feed.

-Brandon

Lol I definitely see why people get more than one after taking the plunge into the first one. I’d love to have a hypo zero leatherback. A really nice white one. But I can wait until my kids are older or out of the house. Then I’ll have to get my own cage though because the ones CandyCane and Wilbur live in are theirs to take with them. My husband and I used to keep a reef tank and it’s the same kind of feeling. They’re super fun to watch and bring a certain something into the house that you wouldn’t otherwise have. We THOUGHT these beardeds would cost less money than an expensive reef tank but so far with their food nope lol. As they get older sure though.

Both of the beardies were super enthusiastic for snack time and both bit a different finger. It’s amazing how powerful their bite feels for their size. Thankfully no broken skin and it was an accident. I think I’m going to have to keep the worms in the palm of my hand instead of pinched between my fingers because if they see my fingers their tongues are reaching lol.

 

[Claudiusx]

They will start getting cheaper soon. They are nearing full size already, and you'll want to start cutting back their bugs and transitioning to more salads in the coming months if they keep growing at this rate.

I don't believe in a timeframe to do that type of thing, I suggest it based off of maturity and body size.

Then, you'll have time to start your own colony of dubia roaches so that you can feed 2 more babies

I've always wanted a saltwater tank. When I was a kid my mom had one for a bit. She wasn't very good at it though because I remember her being very upset at all the money she spent and it not working out after only a couple months lol!

-Brandon

 

[opaquelace]

They will start getting cheaper soon. They are nearing full size already, and you'll want to start cutting back their bugs and transitioning to more salads in the coming months if they keep growing at this rate.

I don't believe in a timeframe to do that type of thing, I suggest it based off of maturity and body size.

Then, you'll have time to start your own colony of dubia roaches so that you can feed 2 more babies

I've always wanted a saltwater tank. When I was a kid my mom had one for a bit. She wasn't very good at it though because I remember her being very upset at all the money she spent and it not working out after only a couple months lol!

-Brandon

Haha. I’ve noticed them slacking off the bugs already. And CandyCane at least eats her full salad every morning. Wilbur about half.

Saltwater tanks take patience. It’s about three months of a tank running with just the rock and sand and water and lights before you can add anything, and then you should add things slowly. They’re so colorful and the fish are so vibrant. And clownfish can have personalities like bearded dragons lol. We had midnight clownfish that were solid black and when we’d clean the tank they’d swim in and out of our fingers.

 

[opaquelace]

So it is time to upgrade some things in the beardie enclosures now. The branches are a little too flimsy for them and their hiding logs are a little bit too much of a tight fit now. So I got them some handmade tents from Etsy and I got them each a bamboo bridge that I'll hang from the top of the enclosure. I'll still keep the branches and such for fun jumping spots but they need to be more secured and I can't do that where they currently rest.
The tents:
https://i.etsystatic.com/21602834/r/il/efae39/2237251840/il_794xN.2237251840_kwbo.jpg
The bridges:
https://i.etsystatic.com/17863436/r/il/688d81/1624910743/il_794xN.1624910743_eskm.jpg
Each one is customized for my kids. Green and pink for Marilou, yellow and green for Silas.

 

[ComicBookMama]

So it is time to upgrade some things in the beardie enclosures now. The branches are a little too flimsy for them and their hiding logs are a little bit too much of a tight fit now. So I got them some handmade tents from Etsy and I got them each a bamboo bridge that I'll hang from the top of the enclosure. I'll still keep the branches and such for fun jumping spots but they need to be more secured and I can't do that where they currently rest.
The tents:
https://i.etsystatic.com/21602834/r/il/efae39/2237251840/il_794xN.2237251840_kwbo.jpg
The bridges:
https://i.etsystatic.com/17863436/r/il/688d81/1624910743/il_794xN.1624910743_eskm.jpg
Each one is customized for my kids. Green and pink for Marilou, yellow and green for Silas.

I love the tent idea... might need to get one for Figment! Been wanting to change things up for Fig's hab, too, so I'm keeping an eye out for rocks and branches on our family walks, but no joy so far... rocks too big and heavy for a glass tank, everything too narrow in terms of branches. Ah well. Love your updates... I'm living vicariously through your decorating! :lol: