EVERYTHING I need to get before bringing home a beardie?

[Robert0151]

I know there's a million of these posts, but I'm making a list if everything I need BEFORE I buy a bearded dragon. I just want to be completely prepared and I'm making sure I have everything on my list. Please help..! :lol:

 

[Oki05]

Tank: Size depends on how old he is. If he is a baby size can be 20g if older a 40g if you plan on getting a baby then later you would need to at least upgrade to a 40g

Lights: You need a Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% for UVB lights Heats lights you need a light that can have heat up to 110 if it is a baby or 105 for an adult. You will need to make sure his cool side is 75-85. Allso at night if it goes below 65 you will need a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) dont go with a red light or black light these lights can disurb their sleeping.

Subtrate: If a baby you can go with paper towels or newspaper. If older go with Repti carpet or tiles. DOnt go with sand to much can go wrong with sand.

Make sure he has a climbing branch, hide log, and a good basking area.

Food: As a staple you can go with dubias, crickets, or even pehonix worms. As treats you can go with supers.

Thats about the basic that you need to get.

 

[bunnyrut]

Tank: Size depends on how old he is. If he is a baby size can be 20g if older a 40g if you plan on getting a baby then later you would need to at least upgrade to a 40g

Lights: You need a Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% for UVB lights Heats lights you need a light that can have heat up to 110 if it is a baby or 105 for an adult. You will need to make sure his cool side is 75-85. Allso at night if it goes below 65 you will need a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) dont go with a red light or black light

Subtrate: If a baby you can go with paper towels or newspaper. If older go with Repti carpet or tiles. DOnt go with sand to much can go wrong with sand.

Make sure he has a climbing branch, hide log, and a good basking area.

Food: As a staple you can go with dubias, crickets, or even pehonix worms. As treats you can go with supers.

Thats about the basic that you need to get.

few additions to that.

Tank: make sure it is a 40 gallon breeder. it needs to be long.

with the food you will also need calcium to dust them with. also multi vitamins. 5 days dusted with calcium, 2 days dusted with vitamins.
crickets are obviously the easiest thing to get your hands on. but make sure the are only as long as the space between your beardie's eyes. i suggest ordering by bulk (1,000). you will need a separate container to keep them in, i have an extra 10 gallon tank to use for them, but a 2.5 gallon is also fine for pinhead crickets (or you can get the cricket keeper from the pet stores).
dubias are the easiest to keep and breed, if you don't mind keeping roaches in your home. they will be the most cost effective breeder, and the best one for your beardie even into adulthood. (can't climb the glass, quiet, and don't smell bad as long as you keep them clean).

phoenix worms are pricey, but they are loaded with calcium and great for a growing beardie (or any reptile). they are soft-bodied so you never have to worry about impaction. even the large size are fine to feed to a 2-3 month old, since they are very small to begin with. they are also known and reptiworms.

baby beardies eat A LOT. you can go through 1,000 crickets within 2 weeks depending your your baby's appetite.

 

[Oki05]

Tank: Size depends on how old he is. If he is a baby size can be 20g if older a 40g if you plan on getting a baby then later you would need to at least upgrade to a 40g

Lights: You need a Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% for UVB lights Heats lights you need a light that can have heat up to 110 if it is a baby or 105 for an adult. You will need to make sure his cool side is 75-85. Allso at night if it goes below 65 you will need a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) dont go with a red light or black light

Subtrate: If a baby you can go with paper towels or newspaper. If older go with Repti carpet or tiles. DOnt go with sand to much can go wrong with sand.

Make sure he has a climbing branch, hide log, and a good basking area.

Food: As a staple you can go with dubias, crickets, or even pehonix worms. As treats you can go with supers.

Thats about the basic that you need to get.

few additions to that.

Tank: make sure it is a 40 gallon breeder. it needs to be long.

with the food you will also need calcium to dust them with. also multi vitamins. 5 days dusted with calcium, 2 days dusted with vitamins.
crickets are obviously the easiest thing to get your hands on. but make sure the are only as long as the space between your beardie's eyes. i suggest ordering by bulk (1,000). you will need a separate container to keep them in, i have an extra 10 gallon tank to use for them, but a 2.5 gallon is also fine for pinhead crickets (or you can get the cricket keeper from the pet stores).
dubias are the easiest to keep and breed, if you don't mind keeping roaches in your home. they will be the most cost effective breeder, and the best one for your beardie even into adulthood. (can't climb the glass, quiet, and don't smell bad as long as you keep them clean).

phoenix worms are pricey, but they are loaded with calcium and great for a growing beardie (or any reptile). they are soft-bodied so you never have to worry about impaction. even the large size are fine to feed to a 2-3 month old, since they are very small to begin with. they are also known and reptiworms.

baby beardies eat A LOT. you can go through 1,000 crickets within 2 weeks depending your your baby's appetite.

yea sorry forgot to mention that the live food shouldnt be bigger then the space between your beardies eyes. And like bunnyrut said 5x a week with calcium and 2x a week with calcium and vitamins

 

[Robert0151]

Ok, I have a 55 gallon tank, and the paper towel already. What brand of vitamins and calcium should I use?

 

[Robert0151]

Also I'm ordering from online,so when I get my dragon in the mail, should I just put him in the tank right away with some dusted insects and veggies, or let him/ her take a bath to relieve stress?

 

[Oki05]

you need calcium that is just calcium and then calcium with vitamin D3 also when you get him just put him in his tank and leave him for a few days but throw some food in there for him so he doesnt get to stressed

 

[Robert0151]

Can I use different calcium at different times?

 

[Robert0151]

Bump

 

[daner923]

Some people say you need calcium with D3 only sometimes, with plain calcium othertimes, but I don't think it is entirely necessary to alternate. If you have a ReptiSun, you do need it to have D3. If you get a MVB, you don't use D3. pretty simple.

Also, don't feed superworms until he is 16 inches long.

When you get him, make sure you feed him on a normal schedule (2-3 times a day, with the correct dusting each day), as well as constantly have veggies available. Minimize handling if he is stressed and skittish, but you do need to give him a bath within a few days so he stays hydrated. Don't put a water bowl in the tank, as this just raises the humidity. Also, do not leave crickets in the tank outside of the 15 minute feeding window, as they can bite and hurt your beardie.

 

[Robert0151]

Update: I just went and got all of the proper lighting ( reptisun 10.0, che, 90 watt basking light) and the fixtures, I got rep cal calcium with d3 and without, a food bowl and some paper towel. My decor and thermometers are coming in the mail. What am I missing?

 

[bunnyrut]

Update: I just went and got all of the proper lighting ( reptisun 10.0, che, 90 watt basking light) and the fixtures, I got rep cal calcium with d3 and without, a food bowl and some paper towel. My decor and thermometers are coming in the mail. What am I missing?

a dragon.



is the hide part of the decor? one of the half logs from a pet store works well. they can climb under it to hide.
i also kept a small shoebox with a hole in the side for them to climb in to sleep. a lot cheaper than the ones they sell, and you can just throw it out when the out grow it. Priority mail boxes from the post office work too.
the pricey hides look nicer though.

do you know where you are getting your beardie from?

 

[Robert0151]

I did order a half log, and I have no idea where I want to get my dragon from. I know I want it from online, but I just don't know where! Any suggestions?

 

[carlisv]

You'll also need a box grater for grating squash, carrots, sweet potato, and the like. I have some plastic syringes for dripping water on their noses between baths. More things you might find handy are shed aid, an extra tooth brush, power strips, a light timer, an adjustable light stand, one or two hammocks, and a clamp light for letting him/her chill on a favorite comfy spot (Richard's is the arm of the loveseat - I have a clamp lamp and an old MVB (too old for UVB but still good for heat) that keeps his favorite after-bath lounging area at 100 degrees). I also crocheted a harness/leash out of fluffy yarn so he can explore without getting lost, or you could buy one.

It wouldn't hurt to get a variety of CLEAR light bulbs so you can experiment to get the temps right. I saw that you had gotten a 90 watt basking lamp, but a plain old WalMart light bulb works just as well - just make sure it's clear, not soft white, reveal, or any tint. The outside weather and household temp will affect the tank temp, so I keep a variety of wattages to change out the bulb if raising and lowering the lamp stand isn't doing the trick. And I have a reptarium for taking my boys outside (one at a time, of course) when it's nice outside. It's the same size as a 40 gallon tank and only cost $35.

And you might as well open a PhotoBucket account, so you can easily post pictures of your new baby on this site! We love baby pics!

 

[Robert0151]

You'll also need a box grater for grating squash, carrots, sweet potato, and the like. I have some plastic syringes for dripping water on their noses between baths. More things you might find handy are shed aid, an extra tooth brush, power strips, a light timer, an adjustable light stand, one or two hammocks, and a clamp light for letting him/her chill on a favorite comfy spot (Richard's is the arm of the loveseat - I have a clamp lamp and an old MVB (too old for UVB but still good for heat) that keeps his favorite after-bath lounging area at 100 degrees). I also crocheted a harness/leash out of fluffy yarn so he can explore without getting lost, or you could buy one.

It wouldn't hurt to get a variety of CLEAR light bulbs so you can experiment to get the temps right. I saw that you had gotten a 90 watt basking lamp, but a plain old WalMart light bulb works just as well - just make sure it's clear, not soft white, reveal, or any tint. The outside weather and household temp will affect the tank temp, so I keep a variety of wattages to change out the bulb if raising and lowering the lamp stand isn't doing the trick. And I have a reptarium for taking my boys outside (one at a time, of course) when it's nice outside. It's the same size as a 40 gallon tank and only cost $35.

And you might as well open a PhotoBucket account, so you can easily post pictures of your new baby on this site! We love baby pics!

VERY helpful tips! I am going to make a photobucket account once I get my beardie! What size household is warm enough to reach at least 105 degrees?