a few questions about beardies from a soon-to-be beardie owner. :D

[aether]

heyy!! im looking to get a bearded dragon, but i have some questions about them!!

some backstory to help u guys answer a lil easier: the bearded dragon im looking to get is rather small, im guessing maybe 3-4 months?? im unsure of its gender, as the enclosure has maybe 5-6 of them (hoping for a male). for my safety, im not comfortable sharing where im getting my bearded dragon from . if there are any other details that i should include to help making answering these questions, lmk!! (im so sorry there are lots of questions, i have anxiety and i dont know much abt bearded dragons)

1. i go to school from 8:30-2:50 and get home 3-ish, is it safe to leave a heatlamp on during this period of time? my parents r worried itll catch fire (n i am too lol).
2. i have a terrible fear of crickets and roaches, but i want the best for my beardie. are there any things i can substitute these things for?
3. planning on using a relatively large uninhabited fish tank for my beardie (89L/22.983 gallons), this should be good enough right??
4. can i turn the lights off at night?
5. i have a cat (7, burmese) and 2 puppies (1 & 1, moodles). my cat usually comes downstairs to my room, which is wear im planning on putting my beardie. however, my dogs rarely come downstairs. one of them comes down sometimes, but only when nobody is home and the doors are opened. if i close the door, my dogs wont be able to come in, which is good-ish. but im more concerned that my cat might taunt/hurt my beardie. will they be okay? is there any tips for getting them used to eachother so they dont fight while im gone?
6. how often should i let my beardie out??
7. the tank i have has a white light and a blue light option. is it pointless putting these on? im not sure if they emit heat.

thank u!!!
(he/him/his btw)

 

[Pancake151]

@KarrieRee can help you set up all the lighting! And yes, it’s safe to leave the heatlamp on for that long! I’m also still in school, and what I do is turn their lights on at around 7am, and then at about 7pm, an hour before I go to sleep, is when I turn it off.

About the bugs, you can‘t really substitute with others. I suggest using crickets and dubias, as well as superworms. And also, it’s not a good idea to get a bearded dragon without research, so I suggest waiting a bit to get one, and only when you are knowledgable to get one. For me, it took about a year of research to convince my parents, and even then it’s still not a good idea to get one without them knowing much.

You can’t let your other pets near the beardie, at all. Cats and dogs are natural hunters, and will eat it.

Just don’t get a beardie without proper and thorough research first. I’d suggest waiting and hanging about here, so we can help you learn about everything before getting a dragon.

My main point is, don’t get the beardie yet.

 

[AHBD]

Hi Aether, getting a beardie is exciting but the previous poster is right about needing more time to get everything in order first. Lights need to be on about 13-14 hrs. a day for most of the year. Besides a good heat bulb you'll need a good uvb long tube bulb like a Reptisun 10.0 t5 or Arcadia D3 12-14%. Since you live in Australia you might think about setting up an outdoor pen, beardies thrive if they get real sunlight, you can go on youtube for ideas if you want to look in to it. The tank size you mentioned will only do for a baby, you'll need about a 60 or more gallon for an adult, and they grow quickly.

 

[aether]

@KarrieRee can help you set up all the lighting! And yes, it’s safe to leave the heatlamp on for that long! I’m also still in school, and what I do is turn their lights on at around 7am, and then at about 7pm, an hour before I go to sleep, is when I turn it off.

About the bugs, you can‘t really substitute with others. I suggest using crickets and dubias, as well as superworms. And also, it’s not a good idea to get a bearded dragon without research, so I suggest waiting a bit to get one, and only when you are knowledgable to get one. For me, it took about a year of research to convince my parents, and even then it’s still not a good idea to get one without them knowing much.

You can’t let your other pets near the beardie, at all. Cats and dogs are natural hunters, and will eat it.

Just don’t get a beardie without proper and thorough research first. I’d suggest waiting and hanging about here, so we can help you learn about everything before getting a dragon.

My main point is, don’t get the beardie yet.

hi!! thank u for ur advice. im getting my beardie in july next year for my bday, and im using this time for research still! hoping to gather more info before i do get one! the lighting thing is a good idea

 

[Rocky2022]

let us know how it goes- good luck

hi!! thank u for ur advice. im getting my beardie in july next year for my bday, and im using this time for research still! hoping to gather more info before i do get one! the lighting thing is a good idea

 

[KarrieRee]

hi!! thank u for ur advice. im getting my beardie in july next year for my bday, and im using this time for research still! hoping to gather more info before i do get one! the lighting thing is a good idea

This place is the best place to get help setting up your tank --- we can help so look at these resources on this site

Bearded Dragons - Care Sheet

Written by Jeremiah "Podunk" Jaeger in June, 2003 Updated by Deb Buss in May, 2013 Introduction Choosing your Bearded Dragon Housing Lighting Heating and temps Substrate Feeding and diet Water Bathing Disinfecting Hygiene General j1Introduction These gentle beasts are from Australia but are now...

www.beardeddragon.org

Beginner Guide to Bearded Dragon Lighting

A Basic Lighting Setup for Bearded Dragons Here is a basic lighting setup for a beardie. The tank in this picture is a 40-gallon breeder, but the same goes for larger and smaller enclosures. ( * = Optional ) Which UVB light should I use? The best UVB light for bearded dragons is a ReptiSun...

www.beardeddragon.org

Beginner Guide to Bearded Dragon Lighting

A Basic Lighting Setup for Bearded Dragons Here is a basic lighting setup for a beardie. The tank in this picture is a 40-gallon breeder, but the same goes for larger and smaller enclosures. ( * = Optional ) Which UVB light should I use? The best UVB light for bearded dragons is a ReptiSun...

www.beardeddragon.org

there are other articles under the Resource tab --
if you have any questions please ask -- there are plenty of knowledgeable people on here

 

[aether]

This place is the best place to get help setting up your tank --- we can help so look at these resources on this site

Bearded Dragons - Care Sheet

Written by Jeremiah "Podunk" Jaeger in June, 2003 Updated by Deb Buss in May, 2013 Introduction Choosing your Bearded Dragon Housing Lighting Heating and temps Substrate Feeding and diet Water Bathing Disinfecting Hygiene General j1Introduction These gentle beasts are from Australia but are now...

www.beardeddragon.org

Beginner Guide to Bearded Dragon Lighting

A Basic Lighting Setup for Bearded Dragons Here is a basic lighting setup for a beardie. The tank in this picture is a 40-gallon breeder, but the same goes for larger and smaller enclosures. ( * = Optional ) Which UVB light should I use? The best UVB light for bearded dragons is a ReptiSun...

www.beardeddragon.org

Beginner Guide to Bearded Dragon Lighting

A Basic Lighting Setup for Bearded Dragons Here is a basic lighting setup for a beardie. The tank in this picture is a 40-gallon breeder, but the same goes for larger and smaller enclosures. ( * = Optional ) Which UVB light should I use? The best UVB light for bearded dragons is a ReptiSun...

www.beardeddragon.org

there are other articles under the Resource tab --
if you have any questions please ask -- there are plenty of knowledgeable people on here

thx so much!! <33

 

[aether]

let us know how it goes- good luck

sure will and ty!