A few questions for someone whos looking to get a beardie

[menohobo]

1) Id prefer to get a beardie that requires the least amount of feeding, or easier to take care of food wise, so after some research, it showed this to be adults. Where could I get an older beardie? I was told you could buy them online, but would you have to go to the store if its far away? I'm assuming they dont ship live beardies? (Sorry for the cluster of thoughts)

2) If i purchase an adult beardie, what are the disadvantages of doing that as opposed to getting a younger one?

3) On the subject of Crickets, would I be able to keep my Cricket Keeper in my garage, or on my porch? Or is that a must keep inside?

4) Could I feed the beardie phoenix worms as the main live insect? (I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with roaches right off the bat, even with all of the positives with them that I've read about)

Thanks for any responses, this will really help!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, you might look on Craigsist for an adult, but you'd really want to see it to check that it's not in bad shape , but don't go alone. And yes, beardies get shipped all over the country by the 1,000's and even out of the country. When you pick a beardie , ask for pics of it's set up and ask if it has any sores or skin problems. A few missing toes or tail tip being gone are not a problem as long as they;re healed. Phoenix worms are very small, you could use them but it would take a lot to make a meal for adult beardie. Crickets will not live long in a cricket keeper, it's way too small. But a medium plastic tote for $5-$10 at Walmart or Dollar store just cut a big hole out of the top for airflow, they won't escape. And yes you can keep them in the garage or porch if it doesn't go above 95 degrees [ 90 may be tops ] or below 60. You can also buy superworms which live long + are super easy to keep....a sweater box with oatmeal or bran, leaves from collard green + a few sweet potato or carrot slices. Keep them at room temp. or a bit higher. You can alternate between crickets, Phoenix and superworms for a good diet along with greens like turnip, mustard collard, dandelion, endive mulberry and clover leaves as well as squash.

 

[SDragons]

We keep our cricket Rubbermaid container in the basement. I order 1000 at a time and do a complete clean of the bin once a week (transfer all living crickets to the open bin with new cardboard (coffee trays) and food, and fully clean out the old bin). It doesn't smell at all this way

 

[kingofnobbys]

1) Id prefer to get a beardie that requires the least amount of feeding, or easier to take care of food wise, so after some research, it showed this to be adults. Where could I get an older beardie? I was told you could buy them online, but would you have to go to the store if its far away? I'm assuming they dont ship live beardies? (Sorry for the cluster of thoughts) <<<< people do ship live lizards by courier services , some even by aircourier .... I wouldn't , I'd rather locate a local breeder who is inside an hour's drive .

2) If i purchase an adult beardie, what are the disadvantages of doing that as opposed to getting a younger one? <<<< younger is better , less change of the previous "owner" ruining it's health by feeding it inappropriate foods or undernourishing it.

3) On the subject of Crickets, would I be able to keep my Cricket Keeper in my garage, or on my porch? Or is that a must keep inside?
<<<< I keep my crickets (I buy in bulk once every week or two, about 800 x 2/3 sized crickets by mailorder) and keep my crickets in tubs (of about 80) in a box in the kitchen - . I change the carrot pieces and add more dry repcal adult beardie pellets as needed to each tub and remove any sick or dead crickets every 3 or 4 days in winter (every 2 or 3 days in summer) , and add buk choy greens to gutload and boost the Ca in them a couple of days before using the crickets in that tub as feeders for my lizards......works fine for us . Separating the bulk crickets into keeper tub (ex - petshop cricket tubs are used that I've cleaned and sterilised) ensures if I get batch of crickets that include some who are sick or have be parasitised by tiny wasps, I wont loose all my crickets in a mini-pandemic, only those in 1 or 2 tubs (this happens sometimes).

4) Could I feed the beardie phoenix worms as the main live insect? (I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with roaches right off the bat, even with all of the positives with them that I've read about) <<<< yes , they are an excellent staple feeder insect .

Thanks for any responses, this will really help!

Best feeder insects for a beardie are
phoenix worms/calcigents/calciworms/BSF maggots .... don't need to dust these with calcium
silkworms ....don't need to dust these with calcium
gutloaded calcium dusted crickets or roaches.

Mealworms and superworms are best reserved to use as treats.

 

[Karenxx67]

Hi do phoenix worms have another name?
I cant see them for sale in the uk?

 

[SpacialCoogs]

Black Soldier Fly Larvae

 

[Karenxx67]

Thanks x

 

[menohobo]

1) Id prefer to get a beardie that requires the least amount of feeding, or easier to take care of food wise, so after some research, it showed this to be adults. Where could I get an older beardie? I was told you could buy them online, but would you have to go to the store if its far away? I'm assuming they dont ship live beardies? (Sorry for the cluster of thoughts) <<<< people do ship live lizards by courier services , some even by aircourier .... I wouldn't , I'd rather locate a local breeder who is inside an hour's drive .

2) If i purchase an adult beardie, what are the disadvantages of doing that as opposed to getting a younger one? <<<< younger is better , less change of the previous "owner" ruining it's health by feeding it inappropriate foods or undernourishing it.

3) On the subject of Crickets, would I be able to keep my Cricket Keeper in my garage, or on my porch? Or is that a must keep inside?
<<<< I keep my crickets (I buy in bulk once every week or two, about 800 x 2/3 sized crickets by mailorder) and keep my crickets in tubs (of about 80) in a box in the kitchen - . I change the carrot pieces and add more dry repcal adult beardie pellets as needed to each tub and remove any sick or dead crickets every 3 or 4 days in winter (every 2 or 3 days in summer) , and add buk choy greens to gutload and boost the Ca in them a couple of days before using the crickets in that tub as feeders for my lizards......works fine for us . Separating the bulk crickets into keeper tub (ex - petshop cricket tubs are used that I've cleaned and sterilised) ensures if I get batch of crickets that include some who are sick or have be parasitised by tiny wasps, I wont loose all my crickets in a mini-pandemic, only those in 1 or 2 tubs (this happens sometimes).

4) Could I feed the beardie phoenix worms as the main live insect? (I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with roaches right off the bat, even with all of the positives with them that I've read about) <<<< yes , they are an excellent staple feeder insect .

Thanks for any responses, this will really help!

Best feeder insects for a beardie are
phoenix worms/calcigents/calciworms/BSF maggots .... don't need to dust these with calcium
silkworms ....don't need to dust these with calcium
gutloaded calcium dusted crickets or roaches.

Mealworms and superworms are best reserved to use as treats.

Are Phoenix worms easy to keep alive and at home in bulk?

 

[SpacialCoogs]

https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/growing-phoenix-worms

 

[menohobo]

https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/growing-phoenix-worms

They appear to only show a little grouup of maybe 100 worms. Wouldnt it take much more to feed a younger beardie?

 

[kingofnobbys]

Yep , I think calcigents (BSF maggots / phoenix worms) are at most 1" long so I expect you'd need a few hundred per week per hatchling (up to 3 months old).

 

[Scherfz1]

i feed my guy 20 Phoenix worms per day with about 10-20 crickets, he munches on the worms as he pleases, but he doesn't always eat all 20 so i throw some out. most i have tossed out is 6 one day. i toss out any thing he doesn't eat so there is no chance of disease spread. on the worms i bough 1000 of them and it has been two weeks and he isn't even through one tub of worms. i figured he would have eaten more, he's just over 3 months old.

but being new myself i have a question for the elders and more knowledgeable, if he eats more Phoenix worms than crickets, is it pointless or even worth it to dust the crickets?

sorry dont mean to hijack a thread.

 

[Sharpy]

Hi do phoenix worms have another name?
I cant see them for sale in the uk?

Hi Karen
I'm in the UK too. I'm lucky my local small petshop orders them in especially for me otherwise I have to buy online. In the UK they tend to call them calci worms. Hope this helps.

Kay

 

[SkyeNoelle8]

1) Yes you can purchase them online, and yes they can be shipped to you (in some cases) but it might be a little easier to check websites such as craigslist, or petfinder, in which you dcan specifiy where you live and what you want so that you can provide a better home for a beardie who is no longer wanted.

2) I don't have the knowledge or authority to properly answer that for you :?

3) Yes, your garage would be ok, but probably not your porch. An animal might find them and make a mess, and they are also more exposed to nature, (diseases, parasites, bugs, temperature) and more prone to sickness or death.

4) Yes, they are a fine staple feeder.

 

[Karenxx67]

Thanks Kay x