About to buy, lots of questions, please help

[apz23]

Hi,
I am about to buy a new beardie for my daughter (8). She is a reptile lover and really got hooked at the store. Have done a lot of reading and research but finding conflicting information. Would love this forum's advice.
1. I am evaluating tanks and the store owner says that for a young beardie (8-10" in length) I need a tank that is no more than 12" in height because the lights that produce heat only penetrate the tank 12 ". But I've read a lot of posts where people are buying 55+ gallon tanks. I am considering a 45 gallon breeder with is 36Lx18Wx16H. Is that ok?

2. Heat lamps: dome lamp vs all in one? I am nervous about my daughter possibly touching the dome lamps if they get to hot. But the lamps with all three bulbs are really expensive. Do the dome lamps get very hot?

3. Some people use a heating pad under the tank but the store owner says no. He says that it will confuse the animal because they live in the desert and the heat comes from above. Any suggestions?

4. The store owner also recommends feeding crickets 2x per week and use a combination of other food like roaches and meal worms with the green veggies. I see people buying crickets in boxes of 1000. I just want a pet dragon not become a cricket farm. Thoughts?

5. The store uses crushed walnut as the substrate and believes it is best. I've read that some say the walnut blocks up the beardie. Thoughts?

Thank you all in advance for your answers.

 

[citrusdragon]

Hi,
I am about to buy a new beardie for my daughter (8). She is a reptile lover and really got hooked at the store. Have done a lot of reading and research but finding conflicting information. Would love this forum's advice.
1. I am evaluating tanks and the store owner says that for a young beardie (8-10" in length) I need a tank that is no more than 12" in height because the lights that produce heat only penetrate the tank 12 ". But I've read a lot of posts where people are buying 55+ gallon tanks. I am considering a 45 gallon breeder with is 36Lx18Wx16H. Is that ok?

45 gallon would be the comfortable minimum I would recommend for a beardies lifetime home.

2. Heat lamps: dome lamp vs all in one? I am nervous about my daughter possibly touching the dome lamps if they get to hot. But the lamps with all three bulbs are really expensive. Do the dome lamps get very hot?

1 fixture set up- All in one UVB w/ heat, the best is MegaRay (HOT) http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php with Dome fixture, or 2 fixture set up- a tube fluorescent fixture (NOT HOT) with a Reptisun 10.0 with a dome fixture for a basking light (HOT) (regular indoor spotlight w/ wattage selected for proper temps) Compact Fluorescent bulbs are a no no

3. Some people use a heating pad under the tank but the store owner says no. He says that it will confuse the animal because they live in the desert and the heat comes from above. Any suggestions?

Heat pads can burn the dragon, they sense heat from above.

4. The store owner also recommends feeding crickets 2x per week and use a combination of other food like roaches and meal worms with the green veggies. I see people buying crickets in boxes of 1000. I just want a pet dragon not become a cricket farm. Thoughts?

I feed mine as many crickets as they will eat in 15 minutes 2-3 times a day when I can. They can eat as many as 100 crickets a day some say. I feed mine dubai roaches, crix, superworms, and collard greens.
A varied diet is best, they eat more greens as adults. Amount of live feeders depends on the growth stage of the dragon. Crix are so much cheaper by the 1000, pet stores will drain your wallet buying them by the 100.

5. The store uses crushed walnut as the substrate and believes it is best. I've read that some say the walnut blocks up the beardie. Thoughts?

Most people recommend no loose substrate for babies. Tile, kitchen shelf liner, reptile carpet are all options. For sub adults or older sifted clean playsand for Home Depot or Lowes works. They all require varying degrees of maintenance to prevent bacteria from developing.


This is a great forum for ideas, we are always glad to see people researching before they purchase.

Merry Christmas

Jeff

 

[apz23]

Thank you for your help!

 

[akingsley9000]

Hi,

With regard to the large vs small tank - going large now will avoid you having to buy another tank in a few months. If you think the beardie is overwhelmed with all the space or is having trouble hunting food you can you a piece of wood or cardboard to block a portion of it off temporarily.

Here is a list of items that i put together for others that may help:

Here is a list of all the items you will need for a happy and healthy beardie:

Option 1:
40 gallon breeder tank (minimum for an adult)
Basking bulb (this can be just an ordinary house holdbulb)
Clamp lamp (for basking bulb)
36" Reptisun 10 tube or Repti-glo 8.0 (if you can find it) (need to be replaced every 6 months)
Florescent light fixture (you can get these at home depot or lowes, they are shop lights)
Substrate for the bottom - non-adhesive shelf liner, paper towels, news paper, tile, washed & sifted childrens play sand (sand for sub-adults/adults only)
Thermometer - either a digital one with a probe or a temp gun
Basking platform
Food dishes
Calcium with D3 Phosperus free
Multi-vitiman
Large Cricket Keeper

Option 2:
40 gallon breeder tank (minimum for an adult)
Mercury Vapor Bulb (t-rex active heat uv, power sun or reptileUV) (these are more expenseive to start with but are much better and last 2x as long)
Deep Clamp lamp (for MVB)
Clamp lamp (incase you need extra light at the other end of the viv)
Substrate for the bottom - non-adhesive shelf liner, paper towels, news paper, tile, washed & sifted childrens play sand (sand for sub-adults/adults only)
Thermometer - either a digital one with a probe or a temp gun
Basking platform
Food dishes
Calcium no D3 Phosperus free
Multi-vitiman
Large Cricket Keeper

Things to stay away from:
colored bulbs
coil/compact bulbs
any bulbs by ESU or Zilla
Calci-Sand
Repti-Sand

~Allison

 

[Drache613]

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