Hello and congrats on becoming a beardie slave
Heres my 2cents...
Do not use walnut shells or calcium sand, itll collect in their tummy and could lead to death.
Use repticarpet, taped down paper towels, or cloth instead, safe and easy to clean.
As for night lights dont use one that gives off light! Red is the worst! He won't be able to sleep.
If you can go to petmountain.com and order a ceramic heat emmiter or infared heat bulb. Theyll be way cheaper and have a better selection too.
Cover 2 or 3 sides of the tank with cloth, or non pressurized/chemical soaked woods such as oak. They can see their reflection and will attack it, ppl call it cute, its not. Ever seen Flo from Finding Nemo? A sane beardy is a happy pooper!
Dont keep a water dish in the cage at all! Give em fresh greens n veggies every morning! They love mustard, turnip, and kale greens. Along with shaved butternut or yellow squash, carrots, and strawberries.
If you buy from one of those pet stores, choose a beardy that has his eyes wide open, is running all over the place, eating, climbing and generally healthy looking.
The small dark ones laying around with droopy eyes are most likely sick.
I know its alot but go read through the beardie er section of the forums, you can learn alot from other ppls experiences.
And most importantly dont be afraid to voice your concerns about anything on here!
