First beardie coming soon, need some serious advice.

[Preezy]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum (and the hobby). I've been thinking and researching about beardies for a while now and finally decided to commit. I bought one of those 40 gal tank bundles that they sell at Petsmart (comes with the double dome lighting, sand which i don't plan on using, and the uvb bulb and hood). I'm also planning on buying some other things for it like a hammock, some logs and possibly a waterfall (not to sure about that yet). I plan to use paper towels for now since i want to raise it as a baby. I have a couple of concerns though and want to get them sorted out BEFORE i go buy a baby beardie.

1. Is a 40 gal tank way too big for a baby? if so, what would you use to block off half of the tank until it grows big enough.

2. My biggest concern. I work almost every day from either 10am - 5pm or 5pm to 12am midnight (its always random). What do you guys recommend i do in terms of feeding with this kind of schedule? There are some day where i literally work the entire day but thats usually only a once a week every other week type deal. I know they must be fed every single day so I do not want to mess up their diet just because i'm not available to feed them. Is there a way to bypass this? Maybe leave them food BEFORE i leave for work early in the morning or something? Please tell me what you guys recommend i do for this.

3. Their food source. I plan on buying crickets from the shop every 2 weeks (like maybe 300 crickets every 2 weeks or so.) I've been told babies don't normally eat more than 8 - 10 crickets a day, but of course this is not always the case. I also plan on buying them phoenix worms for variety. Now, as with my second concern, could i feed them live insects while having a dish full of veggies available for them every day? Just in case i'm not home to feed them their insects, they can eat those veggies if they get hungry is what I was thinking, but again i'm not entirely sure.

4. When i finally do decide to buy a beardie. Do i just buy one from petsmart/petco or should i get it from a breeder, and if so....who do i go to?

Please help me out guys

 

[CooperDragon]

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for doing research ahead of time. It will make a huge difference! I have some suggestions that will help you out.

The kits are meh at best. The 40g tank is fine for a young dragon but it will be cramped for an adult. You may eventually want to build your own. For now, I'd make sure there is at least a hide and some climbing branches. The goal of the habitat is to create a gradient of UVB and heat. The dual fixture that probably came with the kit is probably not going to be useful in the long run. I suggest getting a dome fixture rated to 150w and an adjustable lamp stand. That should go over one end of the tank to provide heat and bright light. The heat in the basking area should be 100-110 with some 90s around that and a cool side of 75-80. You need to measure this with an accurate thermometer so an IR temp gun is recommended. Just raise/lower the lamp fixture to get the proper temps. Otherwise you can get a lamp dimmer and cut a bit of power and get the same effect.

UVB is critical and I suggest putting a lot of your budget toward high quality UVB lights. The compact that comes with the kit isn't much good because it puts out a narrow, intense cone of UVB that isn't ideal for basking. I prefer the tube style UVB lights because they provide a nice wide spread of UVB across the basking area - enough for a dragon to fit his whole body in the area and bask evenly. A UVB fixture should be about 1/2-2/3 the length of the tank. For a 40g breeder I suggest one of these:
This fixture http://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ
With this bulb http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-10-0-Lamp/dp/B00AQU8HAO/

Or this combo set http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

They should be mounted about 12'' above the basking area for optimal output. You want to create a gradient of UVB just like with the temperature. Have higher UVB in the basking area, but also provide hides and shady area with no UVB so your dragon can self regulate.


For food, their appetite varies depending on their age and current growth cycle. Sometimes they can put away 75+ crickets at a time. Sometimes they'll eat 5. Offer them bugs twice per day for 10 minutes or so until they lose interest. Calcium dust on the bugs 5 days per week or so and a good multivitamin one or two days per week. The schedule can be based on your schedule as long as it's relatively consistent. I would get timers for the basking and UVB light so you can set it and forget it. A baby may ignore salads in favor of bugs to get the protein they need to support growth spurts. It's still a good idea to provide a fresh salad every day to make it a familiar food option. This makes it easier when they transition to mainly veges at 12-18 months. Adults only need bugs a couple three times per week while salads are their main diet. I reference this list for ideas about what to put in their salad http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

As far as where to get a dragon, I would get a baby from a reputable breeder. If you want an older dragon, check out social media or the for free section of this forum. There may be an older dragon who needs a good home.

 

[JLollino]

Welcome! Awesome that your doing your research first I didn't and after spending a decent amount of money at first after a week I realized basically everything's petsmart told me was wrong and had to redo everything and spend extra money.
1. I started both my babies out in a 40 gal and they had no problems, a lot of people say it's good or it's bad and to be honest IN my opinion just buy the 40 gallon and they'll be fine so you don't have to spend unnecessary money. Just make sure they have places to climb on and under
2. Is my identical problem that I had and I am going to give you the best piece of advice I ever got and that's to go from crickets to dubia roaches. I can't stress enough how much easier they are and how much more healthy they are for your dragon. I'm not 100% against crickets but after switching to dubia and now having my own colony I'm about 95% against them haha. In the case of being busy and always having to work like me and sometimes work days can be all day dubias have the biggest benefit of being able to go in a dish and be in there all day that way your dragon has food when he wants it and you don't have to worry about if they get fed . Crickets can't really just be left in a tank in my opinion as they can bite and they hide and they're a nightmare. Crickets are fine if you can monitor and be there when you have to feed but since you will be gone half the day crickets aren't too recommended. I do it as follows
8:00Am - their lights go on (GET A TIMER FOR YOUR TANK LIGHTS) super important if you know that some nights you won't be home till late or leave early. Since it's colder now mine are set from 8 to 8:30pm
8:30 I put in a fresh dish of veggies and a bowl of Dubia roaches with steep enough sides they can't get out and I'm off to work
When I get home the dubias are always gone and the veggies are too. I feed them at like 5 but I feed them without the bowl so they can build a bond with me. One at a time.
8:00pm bring em out for a little cuddle sesh and they're knocked out by 8:30-9 and then in to their tank so they don't get too cold.

4. This is where I may have just gotten lucky but my first beardie was from petsmart

And my second I got like 3 weeks after my first is from a breeder.

My one from petsmart has not had any problems and is a big girl now at about 8 months. But I did a quick Google search online when I impulsively bought her to see what I should look for and I picked a good one. So I really can't say much about petsmart other than if you pick a healthy one I see it as a good thing your taking a baby dragon out of petsmart and giving it a much much better home.

Hope this helps a little, anything else just let me know

 

[Preezy]

Well, the problem is that dubia roaches are illegal here in FL x.x so yeah theres that little problem..Also i was actually looking for good breeders to get my dragon from. But i can't really find any that is within my price range. I also don't feel comfortable with having them shipped in a tiny box, so yes i may just get it from petsmart. Crickets and worms seem to be my only option. I will probably be buying phoenix worms and about 500 crickets at a time online. Again, still trying to find a good site that sells them cheap without a ridiculous shopping cost. Its always the shipping cost with those sites..

 

[JLollino]

Well, the problem is that dubia roaches are illegal here in FL x.x so yeah theres that little problem..Also i was actually looking for good breeders to get my dragon from. But i can't really find any that is within my price range. I also don't feel comfortable with having them shipped in a tiny box, so yes i may just get it from petsmart. Crickets and worms seem to be my only option. I will probably be buying phoenix worms and about 500 crickets at a time online. Again, still trying to find a good site that sells them cheap without a ridiculous shopping cost. Its always the shipping cost with those sites..

Ah illegal, well that's out of the question haha. But ya if breeders are a little high in price range I would go to petsmart but definitely look up what traits and behaviors to look for when shopping for beardie a there. Off the top of my head I know things like alertness, size are important. Also the reason I picked my little girl was because I saw that if you see a bearded dragon laying on top of another one it's not because they're cuddling haha it's because the top one is the dominant one and they're basically stealing the one on the bottoms light. My baby was on the top and that's why I picked her. It shows she's the stronger of the the two and more likely imo healthier. It's Phoenix worms are definitely good, seen a few places that have them. I think mulberry farms. Can't really remember.

 

[Preezy]

hmm, definitely something to look for then. Do you recommend any sites for buying crickets and other bugs from?

 

[AHBD]

For feeder insects look at Armstrong crickets, Rainbow mealworms, Ghann's , Lindas gone buggy, Hungry lizard. They all sell various insects....other posters may have suggestions as well.

Also wanted to mention that there are several breeders in Florida, maybe one is near enough to you...I know that Dragons4you has nice dragons and great prices. Then there's Draggintails , Fairy tail dragons, Bearded dragon.co [ Rio Reptiles ] all in Florida. There may be reptile shows coming up in your area as well depending on where you live that will carry feeder insects and that these breeders may be vending at. Just thought I'd mention that option.