Ash

[crickest]

I would like to introduce Ash - our new bearded dragon. He is my son's ninth birthday present. We have never had a reptile before and are a little worried about doing things right.

Ash is close to a year old, we were told. He is in a 20 gallon long aquarium, with reptisand, a water bowl, wood branches at different heights and a flat piece of wood he enjoys sunning on. Our biggest challenge has been the heating of his viv and keeping the temp at a consistent temp. After trying and discarding many suggestions (we were in and out of the reptile store four or five times) and different bulbs, we ended up wrapping a doubled up bath sheet around three sides of his viv. It fixed the issue. We now have 95 - 105 on the hot side and 82 - 86 on the cool side. Ash is wonderfully happy, his bright colors around his eyes have come out, he's eating a dozen small crickets and a big pile of veggies pretty much every day. He's pooping regularly and is very active and energetic when he's out exploring the bedroom.

He also gives me squinty eyes when I greet him, and responds to my son's voice by cocking his head and moving to the side of his viv. He has crawled into our hearts! He's wonderful.

 

[citrusdragon]

Hello and welcome

At 1 year old he might be to large to be entirely happy in a 20 gallon tank. Check his length and you might consider finding a 40-50 gallon tank that will give him 16-18 inches to turn around in the tank easier.

Just a thought, keep looking through the posts there is a wealth of information here.

Jeff

 

[crickest]

He measures at 18 inches from tip to tip, so how old would you think he is? He is still very slender in comparison to the older dragons I saw at the retile store. He prefers eating crickets and can consume 30 small in two feedings a day. He also isn't really interested in his veggies until they have dried out and shriveled up in the viv. Does the amount of crickets he's eating indicate he's younger than we were told?

I know the 20l won't last for very long. He seems to be moving around it without problem. He hunts his crickets and basks without seeming crowded. It'll be something I keep an eye on.

 

[chris23039]

i wouldn't recommend using sand