I'm new here and need help

[TheHoboChris]

Hi, I have been in the background reading posts and studying up and beardies for about a month or two now and think its time for my first post.

I am gonna get a baby Bearded dragon just a bit before Christmas this year and I have some questions.

How do I pick out the right Beardie?
How big should my viv be?
What lights should I have in the viv and what temps?
What is the best substrate for a baby?
What and how many decorations/climbing things should I have?
What should the dimensions for the water dish be?
How big should the food dish be?
What and how many hides should I have?
What food should I buy-when the time comes?
Do beardies need regular vitamins/supplements?
How much should I hold and play with my beardie?
How much does a beardie eat?
How much sunlight/outdoor time does a beardie need per day?

That's about it, if you can think of any other tips for me, that would be useful.

Sorry about all the questions, but I'm new to beardies, I gotta know this stuff, lol.


Thanks,
~Chris

 

[Hellstrom]

How do I pick out the right Beardie? One that is clear eyed, active,
How big should my viv be? 40 gallon breeder minimum. A divider can make the available area smaller not to overwhelm the baby instead of starting with a smaller tank and spending more later on.
What lights should I have in the viv and what temps? A reptisun 10.0 tube and a heat light, can be a normal clear house light or halogen bulb. 100-105 on the basking spot for a baby and cooler on the other side.
What is the best substrate for a baby? Paper towels
What and how many decorations/climbing things should I have? Personal preference at least one climbing thing on the basking side, and one hide.
What should the dimensions for the water dish be? Water dishes are unnecessary. They don't drink water and it raises humidity.
How big should the food dish be? Personal preference. Short enough so the beardies doesn't have to climb into it to eat.
What and how many hides should I have? At least one.
What food should I buy-when the time comes? http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
Do beardies need regular vitamins/supplements? Calcium dust and herptivite vitamin supplement
How much should I hold and play with my beardie? Personal preference. Not too much when they are very tiny, but as much as you want after that.
How much does a beardie eat? As many crickets as they can eat in 15 minutes twice a day and a small salad when they are babies.
How much sunlight/outdoor time does a beardie need per day? It's not necessary, but it is nice to have outdoor time. The reptisun provides the necessary uvb.

 

[Hellstrom]

Don't be afraid to use the google search at the top of the website to look up any questions you have in case they've been asked before

 

[TheHoboChris]

Thanks Hellstrom, but I just wanna make sure...they don't drink water?

 

[Hellstrom]

Nope, not directly. They get it from their food, fruit, salad, etc. You can mist them and they'll drink what slips down their face.

 

[TheHoboChris]

Ok, thanks.

 

[Hellstrom]

You're welcome!

 

[Poke]

They will hydrate themselves also when you give them baths

 

[Junebug0394]

Hello Chris,

How do I pick out the right Beardie?
Well it is usually good to pick one that looks strong and healthy, make sure he/she dosen't have any mucus around the eyes, nose, and vent.
How big should my viv be?
If you are getting a baby, you can start out with a 20 gallon long and you will need to upgrade to at least a 40 gallon long/breeder as he/she becomes an adult.
What lights should I have in the viv and what temps?
You will need a long Florescent tube bulb for UVB I recommend getting the Reptisun 10, and a basking lamp, the temp on the basking side should be around 105 and when he/she becomes an adult it should be around 95, as for the cool side it should be 85 during the day and can be as low as 65 at night.
What is the best substrate for a baby?
The Best substrate is paper towels, newspaper, butcher paper, reptile carpet or tile.
What and how many decorations/climbing things should I have?
You can use a rock(just a regular med. sized rock) for he/she to sit on, you can use wood(which if it is wood from outside or something you will need to bake it first to kill the germs.) You can use branches(soft non pointy ones of course.) You can also use a bird ladder set at an angle. It is really up to you how many you want to have, just as long as he/she has plenty of room to run.
What should the dimensions for the water dish be?
I use shallow round glass dishes big enough for them to swim in, but shallow so they can't drown in it, so you would want a pretty small dish for a baby.
How big should the food dish be?
A shallow saucer works best.
What and how many hides should I have?
what is up to you, you can use a cave from the pet store or an upside down box with a doorway cut. As long as it is something soft(no sharp edges). You should have at least one, if not two. you may want to put one at each end.
What food should I buy-when the time comes?
nothing bigger than the space between the eyes...Crickets, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, silkworms. and tons more, too many things to list here lol Here is a link to a wonderful color-coded list of food items. http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html/ But please pay attention to the colors on the list because they cannot have everything on the list, the green items are things they can have every day, Black = occasionally etc. You will see the key before the list starts. Make sure to keep variety in their diet or he/she might become a very picky eater!
Do beardies need regular vitamins/supplements?
Yes, They need Phosphorus free calcium supplement with D3. Dust the bugs with it every other time he/she gets bugs. There is also a key on the list I gave you a link to that tells you how many times a week according to their age. You can also feed a multivitamin supplement along with the calcium.
How much should I hold and play with my beardie?
When you first bring your beardie home, you should give it a few days to a week or so to settle in and after that you can begin holding and playing with him/her. You should hold at least a few times a week, if not every day.
How much does a beardie eat?
For example, Young beardies can eat anywhere from 20-60 small crickets a day as well as you should offer fresh greens daily. When they are babies, they eat mostly bugs with some veggies and when they become adults they should eat more veggies and less bugs.
How much sunlight/outdoor time does a beardie need per day?
As long as it is 65 degrees F or higher and sunny outside you can have your beardie outside for pretty much as long as you feel comfortable with and your beardie is happy. It's up to you. 30 minutes of natural, unfiltered sunlight is equal to a full days artificial light. Just as long as your beardie has plenty of time to heat up in the sun and then spends at least 30 mins basking.
Additional info:
*You will need to bathe your beardie at least once a week if not more, let him/her soak in luke warm water for 20-30 minutes.

Hope I helped! Good Luck! And Welcome to the world of Beardies! It's a wonderful place! If you have any more questions please feel free to ask me!

 

[TheHoboChris]

Junebug0394-Thanks for all the help and going so in depth

 

[Junebug0394]

Oops! Didn't realize someone else already replied! Lol Well I did include some different info you might need. And your welcome.

 

[TheHoboChris]

Oh, that's fine, I need all the help I can get and it's good to get different people's opinions so that i can choose the best one for me.

 

[Junebug0394]

That is very true! Good Strategy :!:

 

[TheHoboChris]

*Bump*

Could more people answer my post please? I need all the help I can get...from different people too.

 

[boxerLvr]

The two above pretty much summed it up. Not much more we could say lol. Check out the care sheets and articles at the top of the page, they are FILLED with information. I will say tho, be careful of the repti carpet. My girl Lizzy got her toe nail caught on it and limped for a few days after. I keep a 10 gal tank that I feed mine in (seperately of course). This way the crickets don't hide in their tank or in their wood.