Looking for extra knowledge :)

[Tak]

I'm not unfamiliar with beardies but I've never personally owned one so I'm looking for advice such as what should I look for when I go to get my first one? I'm very interested in the beardies that are more brightly colored(citrus, sandfire, and if I ever find one in my price range a blue or black one) but I'm unsure if they have different temperaments or needs according to their breeding. I know that they need fresh fruits, veggies, crickets, dubia, mealworms, and some people give them small mammals but what things should I avoid at all costs? I'm familiar with lighting(I used to own an iguana) and I know they like to run and sometimes climb on things, I intend on building the habitat myself so it can be awesome(I really don't believe in keeping animals in tanks that aren't aquatic). I will, of course, be doing my google research as well, I want to know everything I possibly can before I finally choose a beardie. Any advice whatsoever would be gladly accepted. Also, is it ok to use feeding tongs(those giant tweezer type things) in order to give them their assorted bugs or would they likely hurt themselves on it? I like the idea so that there aren't excess insects to chase after it's done eating but unsure how wise of a plan that would be. I'm also curious about substrate, I heartily dislike astro turf as a cage liner, but I'm unsure what else would be acceptable.

 

[diamc]

This should help. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=202940 If you have any questions after reading it, let us know.

 

[Tak]

Thank you very much, that is in fact highly useful to me ^_^

 

[diamc]

Good. We can discuss it further after you read it all.

 

[Taterbug]

I've never heard of temperaments or special needs, but it might have more to do with parents than morph/color. Silkbacks (scaleless) are the only ones I know of that have particular need differences. Same as any other herp, General Heath check and if possible a history when picking one out.

Most advise 4x2x2 as a good cage size, but I'm not convinced more wouldn't be used if given. It's what I have and I'm happy with it, and give out of cage time too.

They can be fed with tongs, but some people experience lazy dragons who don't bother to hunt after too much hand feeding. Unless you get a dragon with a coordination problem they won't hurt themselves on the tongs. Bowl feeding or feeding one at a time can help limit free ranging feeders. Pinkie mice is a contentious topic, I think the consensus around here is they are more risk than reward. Food is basically the same as for an iguana plus the insects.

I use non adhesive shelf liner, it's easy to clean. Loose substrates are generally not advised as they can pose an impaction/sanitation risk. Other people use tile, newspaper and paper towel.

Good luck on your research!

 

[Tak]

Thank you, very helpful information

I personally don't like the idea of feeding pinkies... I don't know what diseases they may be carrying and really, I used to have pet rats that I raised up from birth til they died, it would be weird using baby versions of them as a food. I figure if they can get the same amount of nutrition from bugs and nutrition supplements, that's good enough for me.

I plan on building a fairly large cage. At least 4 foot long, but I kind of want to give it extra levels. Granted, any time I can I'd be taking it out(I love how they tend to just stick on me like velcro, lol) but I want it to have a good and interesting area to explore(especially if I pick one out that turns out to be high energy) and multiple basking spots would be nice I think... I'm incredibly clad to have found out about those che lamps though... I was worried that I'd have to have lights on when I was sleeping(I know very well that heat rocks are a huge no no).

I like the idea of the non adhesive shelf liner too. One of the things I was reading suggested tile, but tile in my experience tends to be kind of cold and I'm distrusting of the idea that it would be a good plan.

I am curious if beardies like climbing as much as iguanas seem to though... I'm torn between using ramps in the cage to allow for roaming or using things like branch type objects or rope. Also, it does say that live plants are a bad idea because the beardie would eat them, but what if it's a live plant that's ok for them to eat? I haven't decided if that's actually an avenue I want to pursue but the question is there, lol.

I still haven't decided how I want to go about purchasing one either... I feel like just buying from some breeder that would ship it to me isn't what I want. That doesn't give me the chance to check out the dragon prior to buying to see if we'd even get along...

Lots of debates going on in my head about which way is best to go, lol

 

[Taterbug]

Fortunately you aren't loosing out if you don't feed rodents so it's not a big deal.

I can't speak for adults (my adult was disabled and not able to climb) but the little ones like to climb. I've seen both ramps and branches on people's setups. I like the idea of a bigger cage to allow better gradients and multiple basking options. I just don't have the space for it. Lol.

Tile is not too bad, it needs to be a more natural finish so its rough or it's too slippery. I don't like having to tear up the whole floor if poo seeps I between the cracks though. Slate and sandstone do great for keeping the nails filed though.

I got mine at a reptile show, we got to meet the breeder and handle several lizards and spent a long time talking to them. It's also a beer way to see a few different breeders too.

 

[Tak]

If I do decide to do tile, I'd want to put grout in between the pieces... But I don't know if that's a dangerous idea or not. I personally dislike keeping anything other than aquatic life in a tank... I used to keep rats and if you kept them in a tank the air flow wasn't good enough to allow excess fumes from urine and feces to dilute and it's very bad for them. I'm sure that with reptiles that's less of a consistent problem but old habits die hard. Besides, if I have a cage with ramps and doors that open down the full length of the cage it'll be easier to clean and take up less space than, say, a 55 gallon fish tank, lol. I'm likely to end up taking my friend's beardie, though I'd originally wanted one with more color. Who knows, maybe someday I'll build a second cage and keep two.

 

[Taterbug]

I love front opening cages for reptiles.

Usually people don't grout between tiles to make cleaning easier. I imagine it would be fine if you could seal the grout with something waterproof (silicon maybe?)

 

[Tak]

I would imagine aquarium sealant would be acceptable. Thanks for reminding me it exists, lol

 

[Jcdaniels2]

Tile will be as warm as the tank is, people actually get dark tile because it holds heat better than carpet, and we all know any kind of sand is a no no, even the calcium sand