first off congrates with the new job and good luck with the beardie. i'll help as much as i can i've been a proud beardie owner for only five months but that was after 3 months of research and even that didn't prepare me for the rings that dragons as made me jump through i swear! but this is the best place to come for help.
as for getting your beardie. i would try at a reptile show. i know in indiana they have one once a month so maybe look around that would be your best bet but if you do go for one at a petstore and are looking for a healthy guy as compared to a rescue you want one that is alert and basking. he should have all his limb and toes (bindi my beardie is missing the tip of his tail but i fell in love and don't care but i still keep an eye on it for any signs of tail rot or stuff like that at this point i dont think its a threat but i still keep an eye out) if you can have them feed the beardies and see if he eats well. that's about as good as you can do.
Now I am getting a little confused on some of the other do's and dont's. So, do I need 2 different lights? (one for heat and one for uvb)
yes. you do need both. i dont' know the best brands off the top of my head but look at the care sheets on this site they will tell you.It does get cold in my house so I do need a heat source at night also, so is that 3!?!
you only need one if it gets lower then 60 in your house then you will need a heat emiter. the night lamps that are red can sometimes irritate their sleep so you want one that produces heat but not light. Is an under the tank heater safe for that? Are we talking lots more $$$ for my PG&E bill, too?
undertank heaters are not good for beardies they can only since heat on there backs not bellies. they can't feel how hot it is under them and can burn themselves simply by staying in one place to long. but as i said most people keep there homes above 60 so you should only need the two lights. and need relpace every six months. the heat lamps maybe more often but they are less them ten dollars the good uv lamps are more expensive but like i said you only need to buy them twice a year.
Does it matter if I use a temp gun or the regular little ones with a stick at the bottom? (I don't know what those are called, they are a small version of the ones that it looks like you stick into a turkey.)
temp gun is best but a probe(ithink that is what you mean) thermometer will work as well but you want it to have a digital read out not a dial. do not use the ones they will try to sell you that is a dial and sticks to the side of the tank they are not accurate and can be as bad as 20 degrees off.
are paper towels safe to line the bottom of the tank or will i maybe lose a cricket under there. I read that you should not leave the live food in the tank over night, so what if I can't find a lost cricket and it pecks at my little beardie? Ah ha, maybe I will change the paper towels each night after I have fed him and hes had time to get them all.
paper towel is great. later you might see about investing in ceramic textured tiles. good for there claws. i would also say the easiest solution i've found the the cricket question is to spend ten dollars to get a ten gallon tank. move your beardie into it, paper towel is fine, and feed him there. then when he's done you can easily catch the large beardie and put him back in his home leaving the evil dangerous crickets in the feeder cage. i spent every night chasing crickets around his cage trying to get them out. the last time i did it i ended up dropping a kricket keeper with 500 crickets on the floor and they ran everywhere. the next two weeks i spent laying glue traps all over my apartment to catch them all.
i think the other thing i heard you mention was the fact that you shouldn't interact with them the first two weeks. i've never heard this and i think the opposite. i would say try to talk to him as much as possible. touch him pick him up and cuddle him.
bath him. feed him. shower him with your affection. this will help him bond with you and i think reasult in the better pet. though for the first two weeks don't be suprised if he doesn't eat well or seem skittish or grumpy. just keep an eye on what the temp is in your cage and try not to change his cage alot or move his cage this might prolong his relocations stress. my beardie stressed out for a few days just because the moved his cage less then ten feet so avoiding changing too much in the first couple of weeks (changing his paper towel doesn't count but don't change from paper towel to tile right away lol) any more questions just ask.
Nhà Cái Cá Cược Trực Tuyến Đáng Chơi Nhất 2024
