Buying a beardie

[CoopsBeardie]

Hello my fellow Beardie owners.

I'm looking into to buying my first pet ever! And since im allergic to pretty much any thing with fur, I've decided to get a beardie. I spent a good 2-3 hours at Barnes and Noble reading various beardie books. But from what ive read online and in these books, well alot of it is so different Im not sure what the "right" way is to raise a beardie.

So I'm asking you for some info, so here it goes:

Id like to start off with what lights I need and when they should be off /on (ive read its ok to leave all lights on all the time..)

Second is climate control, whats the Min/Max temp, and whats a good Humidity level? (im planning on getting a 40gal breader tank)

Third would be diet. I know crickets are great! But how often and how many (i know this will change with size), also what veggies should i give them and how often (daily, weekly etc).

Fourth is cage and beadie care. What should i use for the floor of the tank (ive read sand is bad, and good, some say use tile??). I have also read about giving your beardie a bath. How often should this be done (only when shedding? or weekly?). Also when giving a bath do I just use water or should i mix in somthing to help hydrate and aid in shedding? (if so what should I add?)

I really appreciate any answers I can get to these. I realize it may sound like basic info, but in all honesty everything i have read is different from source to source. So I would rather get this info from people who have them as pets. Im the kind of person that likes to know exactly what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. Especially when dealing with a living being.

Again thank you for all your info!

 

[akingsley9000]

Hi,

here is a list that i put together for another member of things to get:

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

Lights should be on for 12-14 hours per day, most people do 12 in the winter & 14 in the summer.

Temps depend on the age of the beardie -
baby - sub-adult - the basking spot should be 105-110F and the cool side should be 75-80
Sub-adult - adult - the basking spot should be 95-100F and the cool side should be 70-75

Diet again depends on the age of the beardie-
babies - diet should be 80% bugs & 20% veggies- as babies they will typically eat 75-100 crickets per day or as many as they can eat in 15 min 3x daily.

Adults - diet should be 20% bugs & 80% veggies - bugs should be scaled back to 30-50 feeders per week (50 being smaller feeders like cricket and 30 being large feeders like superworms)

Here is a list of feeders that can be feed:

(they are easier to read if you right click on them and save them to your desktop :wink:

the general rule of thumb is do not feed any thing bigger than the space between their eyes. this does not apply to soft feeders.

For a list of food items check this link: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Bathing - It is recommended to bathe babies 2-3 times a week & adults 1 a week.

 

[LittleRob]

This should be on the FAQ pages! Good write up.

 

[akingsley9000]

Thanks :wink: