FOUR days until I get my first beardie! <3 Any tips?

[BeTheChange]

On the 16th, I am getting my very first reptile.. And man am I stoked The beardie that I am getting is a Sunburst German Giant X and he is 6 months old! I am paying $150 for him which includes his entire setup as well as his Dubia Roaches.

Do you guys have any tips or suggestions for me before I bring him into my life? Anything is welcome!

Oh! And if you haven't noticed.. I am new

 

[Beardednoob]

Welcome...sweet avatar.! 8)

I would really just gather allot of information by searching through the forums or if you want I can post a rather long replay. :wink:

 

[BeTheChange]

I've been researching soooo much the last couple of weeks. I was just looking for any of those secret tips and tricks that not all the forums and websites tell you. Anything that you've personally learned from ownership.

And thanks! Hehehehe.

 

[Beardednoob]

I've been researching soooo much the last couple of weeks. I was just looking for any of those secret tips and tricks that not all the forums and websites tell you. Anything that you've personally learned from ownership.

And thanks! Hehehehe.

Hmm, would definitely be easier if you could be a bit more specific. :wink:
Do you know what the enclosure is coming with? Do you have a plan for how you are going to set it up.

 

[BeTheChange]

Well I am not really sure what kind of information I am looking for, lol. Just anything that you think would be helpful for a brand new owner.

He is coming in a glass tank, she doesn't know the tank size but told me that he shouldn't need a new one until awhile. But I've still been cruising craigslist for some good deals. I know that the minimum for a beardie is about 55 gallons, but with him being a German Giant cross I can only imagine that it should be a tad bigger.. I want to go as big as I can. But I don't have a ton of space avaliable in my current room layout.

His tank is already set up but my boyfriend and I are planning on making him some landscapes from styrofoam.. Let's see how it turns out! I am pretty scared, haha. I really want to find a bigger tank first though so that I know how big I can make the landscape instead of making one to fit his current tank then just making a bigger and better one for his new one.

She did however tell me that he doesn't like eating his veggies without a fight. I am sure that I can find some solutions online pretty easily.. But while you're here, do you have any suggestions?

 

[Claudiusx]

Welcome to the site!

As for the tips, they usually will come up when you have a problem, unfortunately, and then you will learn them. :mrgreen:

Oh but I can think of a very important tip:

DONT listen to petstores. Don't buy anything they tell you because it most likely will be something bad that you are going to need to replace. Come here for all your info. :mrgreen:

-Brandon

 

[Beardednoob]

There are a couple methods that can spark interest in greens. One being to drop the green from about a foot or higher up, when it hits the enclosure floor/bowl it gives the dragon an impression it is moving. Another thing to try is to add some honeydew or strawberries in moderation to the salad or another fruit/melon that the dragon likes to eat. Some also include feeder worms such as butterworms/silkworms/reptiworm in the salad. Generally though the dragon has perfect aim and will just pick out the feeders. Some dragon just do not really eat salad when they are under a year old, as they get older and go through their switch they tend to eat more greens/veggies.

The best tip I can offer you would be: get a good UV source from the start. Reptisun 10.0 linear tube that will span 2/3 - 3/4 of the enclosure length. Also do not use any red colored bulbs. You can save money by using vivid/natural daylight colored household bulbs. Also when measuring temperature and humidity the best option is to get an Acurite digital thermometer x2 and hygrometer. It gets placed in the cool side of the enclosure and the probe gets placed right in the basking spot. If the setup is correct from the beginning the dragons chance for having relocation stress is lower and or less stressful. When feeding him feeders, choose a varied diet over one consistent feeder. There should be a staple feeder and then 1-2 other feeders everyday. This will ensure better nutrition as not all feeders have the same nutrition. :wink:

I hope this has helped some.

Great tip by Brandon there.

 

[BeTheChange]

Welcome to the site!

As for the tips, they usually will come up when you have a problem, unfortunately, and then you will learn them. :mrgreen:

Oh but I can think of a very important tip:

DONT listen to petstores. Don't buy anything they tell you because it most likely will be something bad that you are going to need to replace. Come here for all your info. :mrgreen:

-Brandon

Thank you! That is something to really keep in mind. I usually don't trust them anyways, lol.

 

[BeTheChange]

There are a couple methods that can spark interest in greens. One being to drop the green from about a foot or higher up, when it hits the enclosure floor/bowl it gives the dragon an impression it is moving. Another thing to try is to add some honeydew or strawberries in moderation to the salad or another fruit/melon that the dragon likes to eat. Some also include feeder worms such as butterworms/silkworms/reptiworm in the salad. Generally though the dragon has perfect aim and will just pick out the feeders. Some dragon just do not really eat salad when they are under a year old, as they get older and go through their switch they tend to eat more greens/veggies.

The best tip I can offer you would be: get a good UV source from the start. Reptisun 10.0 linear tube that will span 2/3 - 3/4 of the enclosure length. Also do not use any red colored bulbs. You can save money by using vivid/natural daylight colored household bulbs. Also when measuring temperature and humidity the best option is to get an Acurite digital thermometer x2 and hygrometer. It gets placed in the cool side of the enclosure and the probe gets placed right in the basking spot. If the setup is correct from the beginning the dragons chance for having relocation stress is lower and or less stressful. When feeding him feeders, choose a varied diet over one consistent feeder. There should be a staple feeder and then 1-2 other feeders everyday. This will ensure better nutrition as not all feeders have the same nutrition. :wink:

I hope this has helped some.

Great tip by Brandon there.

Thank you SO much. That was a lot of helpful information!!

 

[Beardednoob]

By the way the Acurite digital can be bought from Walmart. costs about 12$ :wink:

 

[BeTheChange]

By the way the Acurite digital can be bought from Walmart. costs about 12$ :wink:

Good ol' Walmart! Ha, thanks again.

 

[Claudiusx]

Btw, do you have any pictures of the little pooper you are getting?

We are all picture whores here lol.

-Brandon

 

[BeTheChange]

Btw, do you have any pictures of the little pooper you are getting?

We are all picture whores here lol.

-Brandon

I do! But the pictures are horrible quality.. They are so small. I can still post them if you'd like though. You just have to tell me how to do it Hahahahaha

 

[Beardednoob]

Btw, do you have any pictures of the little pooper you are getting?

We are all picture whores here lol.

-Brandon

I do! But the pictures are horrible quality.. They are so small. I can still post them if you'd like though. You just have to tell me how to do it Hahahahaha

This should help you in posting pictures......
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=152184

 

[BeTheChange]

I CANNOT wait to spoil him!!!!! Ahhhhhh <3