Before we get our BD

[SDragons]

Hi everyone, this is my first post but I have been lurking and reading for a couple of months now. Thank you so much for all the amazing information. I have learned so much.

Shhh - we are giving my son a BD for his upcoming birthday which he has been asking for forever. Our plan is to give him the whole setup on his birthday and then a week latter pick his BD. I've already started buying most of the setup but still have a couple of weeks before the big surprise.

How many days before we pick up the BD should we turn the lighting system cycle on? I don't mean testing it but the actual running of the continuous cycle.

How long before we pick up our new BD should we purchase and start gut loading our crickets?

 

[Rankins]

You really don't need to turn lights on before you get your dragon. Like you mentioned just test them. Once you know the dragons is coming home, turn everything on so you can put him in the enclosure when it warm.
Some people use a timer to keep regular day lengths.
I would get the crickets the day before, but the day of is fine. Crickets gut load withing a few hrs. Dragons eat a lot!! So be well prepared.

 

[Taterbug]

If you can start the crickets gutloading at least a day or two ahead it's better, store bought crickets may have gone a while without good food or water.

 

[Rankins]

Or you can swing by my place, I gotta pile of free gut loaded crickets
I just dumped a couple thousand newly hatched crickets last night. Along with the prior hatched ones I probably got 15,000 crickets now.

 

[Kdiaz09]

Or you can swing by my place, I gotta pile of free gut loaded crickets
I just dumped a couple thousand newly hatched crickets last night. Along with the prior hatched ones I probably got 15,000 crickets now.

Can I have some HAHA

 

[Rankins]

Sure
I'll share the wealth until I run out.
But I don't deliver

 

[Kdiaz09]

Sure
I'll share the wealth until I run out.
But I don't deliver

Ah no. I live in philly. Haha.

 

[Rankins]

Start driving now, I'm on the west coast. I'll see you about a week

 

[Kdiaz09]

Start driving now, I'm on the west coast. I'll see you about a week

lmfao see ya then!!

 

[SDragons]

Thanks everyone. I want to make sure we are starting out on the right path especially with the cricket gut loading.

 

[kingofnobbys]

How old, big (in grams) is the beardie ?

Sounds like you are getting a hatchling (baby).

Pinhead / newly hatched crickets will likely be way too small if the hatchling is a month or so old, better of using 25 day old or even 1/3 sized crickets or silkworms (maybe 20mm long). Pinheads are more suitable for super young , just hatched beardies (in their first week or 2).

 

[SDragons]

How old, big (in grams) is the beardie ?

Sounds like you are getting a hatchling (baby)....

We went to a couple of reptile shows over the past few months. We've decided on a breeder who has beautiful healthy friendly animals but we have not pick the specific pet yet.

We don't think that we want one that is too small/young. We saw many very young ones from different people at the reptile shows that were so small and seemed to look very fragile.

Our focus is to pick a healthy animal who is friendly and will make a great pet for our family.

 

[kingofnobbys]

How old, big (in grams) is the beardie ?

Sounds like you are getting a hatchling (baby)....

We went to a couple of reptile shows over the past few months. We've decided on a breeder who has beautiful healthy friendly animals but we have not pick the specific pet yet.

We don't think that we want one that is too small/young. We saw many very young ones from different people at the reptile shows that were so small and seemed to look very fragile.

Our focus is to pick a healthy animal who is friendly and will make a great pet for our family.

My advise (as with all reptiles especially skinks and dragons) is unless you are in a real hurry to set up a little business breeding , hatchlings (wrt dragons and some skinks) or babies (many skinks give birth to fully formed babies) or juveniles ( YOUNG < 3 months old) are the way to go.

They are much more robust that they look and you'll benefit from having a little lizard who wont immediately need a full sized enclosure (a big cost saving) and can be raized for the first 9 months in a large modified plastic storage tub (I use 100L tubs that are stackable for my hatchlings/babies).
Benefits :
- cheap
- space saving
- hold heat well
- easy to modify (all you need are a electric drill/driver and soldering iron and some clothtape
- very easy to keep clean
- get transparent colourless sides and you can see the lizard and it can see out and see you
- less opportunity for the live insects to hide
- THE HATCHLING WONT BE OVERWHELMED BY A HUGE EMPTY VOLUME as in a fullsized (4' x 2') tank

and
getting a hatchling or baby or juvenile, you'll be less likely to get a pet who has breeder induced long term health issues due "lizard farming" because of cheap / poor diet, inadequate UVB, being kept with lots of siblings for too long and being stressed by overcrowded tanks full of hatchlings of various sizes.
It wont have time to develop / learn bad habits and behaviours.

And the little ones are very funny and often goofy to watch. BUT THEY ARE FAST and can be skittish initially. But taming and befriending your new spikey fourlegged lizardchild is half the fun IMO.

Good breeders wont let a hatchling leave unless it's good on the tooth with the insects and has started eating some grated veg and some greens and is growing well.
Every bearded dragon has it's own personality ,some are very laid back and friendly , others are more lively little livewires who take a little while to come around and become relaxed about being handled ( I have one of each - Peppa loves snuggles and being petted and has from the get go, Toothless has taken 3 months to become a relaxed hatchling when being handled and petted ).

Also if you have children, they'll get a lot more amusement and fun from watching the goofy antics of a hatchling and feeding them and occasionally reaching into the tank to pat the little lizard, than they will from a adult who will be much more sedate and lazy except when allowed to roam about inside the house (all my adult lizards get free-range time each day in the house to explore, socialise with us , look out the window , take in some afternoon sun).

 

[SDragons]

Thanks kingofnob

 

[npgeorgeuw]

I think there are arguments for and against getting "hatchlings" and what equipment and enclosure to choose, so I would look around and educate yourself before you make these decisions. Many of those decisions will depend on your experience, access to a reptile vet, environment and temp stability where you will be keeping it (year round) etc.

I would not recommend a hatchling or at least what I would call a hatchling unless only from the most sound breeder, even then I think it strongly depends on experience.. Yes things like Vitamin deficiency take awhile but if your hatchling is carrying parasites etc they don't always bloom right away and can cause a crisis to the 20-30 gram range or even later. Also things like ADV can kill a young dragon and it's not always obvious on the day of adoption that they will get ill.

I personally recommend a non-hatchling, 15-20g preferably bigger, who is strong and one of the largest of the clutch and friendly without fear of you. A nice healthy stomach, clean enclosure, healthy vibrant eyes, etc.