Hey! New to the site and thinking of buying a BD..

[Toodles]

Hey guys, first time poster here from the UK.

I'm planning to get a bearded dragon soon and I'd like some info, all the info I can get infact. I'm planning to buy a book but I thought I'd ask here too, because I am sure there are things you guys can tell me that no book will.

My mate had a Chinese Water Dragon, so I'm not completely alien to owning a lizard, but I can see the two species are quite different.

I had a look in my local pet store today and they are selling babies there for £80 (roughly $157), is this a decent price? They all look perfectly healthy and were climbing over eachother and playing up at the glass!

Don't have a huge amount of room in my bedroom right now, but I plan to change that in the future. What size tank could I start out with now, and how long will it be before I have to change? The Bearded Dragons in the shop are about 5 inches long. I have a tank somewhere that is 36" long, 16" wide and 22" high. Would this do for my beaded dragon or would he outgrow it?

Heating... I know about a basking light but what temperature should the tank be kept at and should I turn it off at night? Also is a heat-proof mat required/recommended?

Pretty much know about feeding, but any tips there would be helpful.

Finally, how tame are Bearded Dragons? It said on the tank in the pet store that they are a good pet because they form good bonds with people and I've read that before. Obviously I realise this is a Lizard we are talking about, not a dog and a cat, so there should be a limit on handling and what not, but how much is too much? Would getting it out everyday for 30 minutes or so be too much? Would the lizard ever come to you when you slide the tank door open? Would you go as far to say as they grow attached to humans and actually enjoy being handled?

So many questions lol. Sorry.

 

[Catalyst]

I'm planning to get a bearded dragon soon and I'd like some info, all the info I can get infact. I'm planning to buy a book but I thought I'd ask here too, because I am sure there are things you guys can tell me that no book will.

Good on you for getting your research done ahead of time You're more likely to find helpful and up to date information on sites like this one than you will in a book.

(quote)I had a look in my local pet store today and they are selling babies there for £80 (roughly $157), is this a decent price? They all look perfectly healthy and were climbing over eachother and playing up at the glass!(/quote)

That seems a little on the expensive side for a pet store dragon to me. Here (north america) they average $60-$70 in a petstore. Regardless, if possible I'd suggest you try and find a breeder near you since that's often the best way to get a healthy, well bred dragon.

I have a tank somewhere that is 36" long, 16" wide and 22" high. Would this do for my beaded dragon or would he outgrow it?

This tank will work for a little while. As an adult a dragon needs a tank with a minimum of 6-8 square feet of floor space and that is at least 18" wide. This works out to a 75g tank (48"x18") or larger. There are also several sites with easy plans for building your own enclosure if you're interested, that's often cheaper than buying one ready made.

Heating... I know about a basking light but what temperature should the tank be kept at and should I turn it off at night? Also is a heat-proof mat required/recommended?

Basking spot temperature should be in the 100-110*F range for a baby for proper digestion and the cool side of the tank should be 80-85*. All lights (UV and heat) get turned off at night. You only need a heat source if the temperature in the tank is going to drop below the low 60s at night, otherwise the cooldown is natural and healthy for the dragon. If it is going to get colder then that, use a ceramic heat emitter (a ceramic disk with a socket that screws into the same fixture as your heat bulb) to help bump up the temperatures. Heat mats are not recommended - dragons sense heat coming from above them, not below, so they can be burned by a heat mat set too high or malfunctioning.
Just another note - for the heat light you don't need to use a "specialty" bulb. A normal lightbulb or halogen flood light (my preference cause they kick out more heat per watt) does the same job for less money, while at the same time providing lots of the bright light that dragons thrive in.

Pretty much know about feeding, but any tips there would be helpful.

Be prepared to go through a lot of bugs - a growing dragon eats upwards of 70-100 crickets a day. Ordering online will save you a lot of money, and the easiest way to keep them is in a big rubbermaid tub or an old 10g tank with pleanty of egg crating.

Finally, how tame are Bearded Dragons? It said on the tank in the pet store that they are a good pet because they form good bonds with people and I've read that before. Obviously I realise this is a Lizard we are talking about, not a dog and a cat, so there should be a limit on handling and what not, but how much is too much? Would getting it out everyday for 30 minutes or so be too much? Would the lizard ever come to you when you slide the tank door open? Would you go as far to say as they grow attached to humans and actually enjoy being handled?

How tame he is depends on how much you handle him as a baby. If you handle him regularly then he'll be very tame and easy to handle and will like spending time hanging out with you. When I first brought my guy home as a baby, I'd pick him up frequently throughout the day and hold him for a few minutes. I also let him run around in a beardie proofed room (the bathroom in my case) while I sat on the floor with him. As he got older (he just turned 1 yr old) he started getting more laid back and is happy to hang out with me for hours at a time. The main concerns with having your dragon out of its tank are that it doesn't get too cold (most house temps are just fine for dragons, but I also keep a desk lamp pointed straight down at my desk for Randal to bask in when he's in my office with me), and that you give him enough time in his basking spot after a feeding to properly digest before you take him out. So yes, they can get attached to their humans and they do enjoy being handled. My dragon is happiest when he's out of his tank

Hope this helps Definately read through the care sheets on this forum and feel free to ask any questions you have, there's a lot to learn before you bring home a baby dragon and we're always happy to help.