Brand New Beardie

[octopussiour]

Hey guys! I just inherited about a year old beardie from my boyfriends little sister. She never played with him, and once he got big enough for meal worms she stopped interacting with him altogether. I myself don't know a whole lot about them myself so I'm looking for some general advice and such. He isn't horribly big, we have him set up with all his lights set on timers (three different ones, two with clamps and one that is longer I'll have to add some pictures tomorrow.) He has crickets, meal worm, and these weird red and green things that he eats. They have his substrate as sand which i don't believe is that calcium one that he can safely eat in case he does. What type of substrate would you guys suggest? He has a nice big aquarium, 35 gallons I believe and it's long so he can run around. Should I take him into a vet at all? Also, what tips would you suggest for socializing him since he really has been messed with over the course of a year. Any other helpful tips for a starter would be great! Thanks guys!

 

[GeorgesHuman]

Hi, congratulations on your new dragon!

For substrate a lot of people on here prefer to use something solid like slate tile, paper towels, or newspaper. Loose substrate like sand is not really recommended, since it carries too many risks like impaction, bacteria, and eye problems.

As far as socializing goes, it may take your guy a little while to get used to his new surroundings. Give him a few days to get used to his new home before handling him too much. A lot of members on this site will suggest putting a shirt that you've worn and that has your smell on it into his cage with him, so that he can become used to your scent. When you go to pick him up, approach him from the front and try to slide your hand under him - birds are their natural predators in the wild, so grabbing him from above could really freak him out, especially if he's not used to you.

Enjoy your new scaly friend!