Lots of Questions from a Newbie!

[jitensha]

Hey guys, so I've been wanting a bearded dragon for quite some time. This would be my first reptile pet...ever :shock: I am having an extremely experienced reptile owner walk me through this whole process. While she does have a wide range of snakes and lizards, she doesn't have experience with dragons, so she pointed me here! I don't know if I can get one yet (still trying to convince the husband!) but if all goes well, I have a ton of questions which I hope you pros can answer for me!

1) Is there any outweighing benefits (particularly health benefits) from buying from a breeder over a pet store?

2) What is feeding time like for you and your dragon?

3) I would like to know your opinion on Freeze Dried Crickets and pellets. I know with pellets you should add some water to them (right?). I would ideally want fresh crickets available daily for my beardie, but I'd like shortcuts (that aren't harmful to his health) if possible because I work 2 FT jobs.

5) Any tips you can give me for taking care of crickets as well as feeding techniques? I need the whole run down, from housing, to feeding, to transporting them from holding tank to my dragon's enclosure.

6) What bugs and vegetation do you like to give your beardies? Besides crickets, my friend breeds dubia roaches, so I hope to feed them every now and then to my dragon when I can get them, as well as super worms. Are these all acceptable? It seems like there is a huge list of vegetation dragons can eat, so I guess it's all a matter of seeing what they like to eat?

7) I saw this cage today at the pet store and am interested (especially after reading the good feedback): viewtopic.php?f=34&t=207823&start=15
I will most likely buy everything else online (because pet stores usually only carry low-quality crap anyway), but wanted to know what UV and Basking lights you could recommend to go with that enclosure.

8 ) Are pet friendly disinfectant wipes safe for cage cleaning?

9) Please, tell me something amazing about dragons, so that I can convince my husband LOL! Our main issue is we have 2 ferrets and a small dog. Since I work the 2 jobs, he does all the messy work (and yes...it's messy...we feed all our animals raw meat), and I just get home for fun playtime It's easy for me to say because I don't have to deal with the unpleasant parts of animal ownership like feeding and cleanup...what can I say to win him over?
I don't think cage cleaning would be too hard, especially early on since I plan to keep a newspaper/paper towel base. If feeding wasn't such a hassle, I could totally take 100% responsibility for the dragon, but I don't think living a life on pellets would be too healthy...

 

[Storm9711]

Most people would automatically say to go to a breeder and i do agree with it. When you buy from a good breeder your baby is healthy while from petsmart/petco they normally arnt as healthy. I bought both of mine from petsmart and they grew up fine but it all depends on how your pet store takes care of them.
When i feed my beardies it starts in the morning with some salad (mustard greens, collard greens, butternut squash), Then around 1-2 i feed them live food. I feed my baby (6 months) about 6-7 good sized dubia roaches every day, while i feed by adult beardie about 4-5 supers every other day.
I have never dealt with freeze dried crickets but i have gived my adult some red zilla pellets and he loved them. he didnt care if they were dried or wet haha. I mixed the pellets with his salad sometimes or when i was to busy to make a salad i would pour some in a bowl and he would gobble it up. But all dragons are different and may not like them the same.
I used to keep crickets but they STUNK lol. I kept mine in a 50 quart tub with some egg cartons, i made my own food for them by using game bird food, calcium dust, and fish food. I would throw a carrot or potato in there too as a water source but i mostly used water crystals. And to get them out i would get a "calcium bowl" its just a bowl with calcium poured in it, and i would band the egg carton on top of the bowl and when i had enough id get the lid top the bowl and shake it around so they'd be dusted, and id pour them into him feeding bin. But i would highly recommend dubia roaches, yeah i said roaches lol.. you take care of them the same way BUT the roaches dont stink, make noise or climb smooth sufaces. It took me 3 years to allow my self to buy them and breed them and i dont regret it. I still think they nasty but its alot healthier for your lizard and easier for you. especially if you breed them.
I feed mine dubias and supers... When i feel like it ill pick up 30 crickets every now and then. and for vegetation i feed mine collard greens, mustard greens, and butternuts squash. Ill give them red bell pepper every now and then and the same with strawberries.
The cage looks good. As long as a adults in a 40 breeder or more its good. Its fun to build your own cage.
A 10.0 uvb light TUBE is good, i dont recommend the coiled kind because theve been know to cause eye problems. and a 75 watt basking bulb is goof, i like the brand exo terra.
Since i have tiled substrate i use great value disinfectant wipes and havent had any problems. You cantell you husband dragons dont shed (fur) all over furniture or the house, they dont make noise, they are sweet hearts, and its illeagle not to have one lol. It is pretty easy to care for one but they do need alot of attention as babys so their tamed as adults. And a life on pellets for a beardie is like a life on ramen noodles for us lol.
Hope i helped

 

[Taterbug]

1) I'd go with a reputable breeder or a very good specialty petstore. From a breeder you should get information on the parents, how they keep their animals etc. a good breeder will talk to you as long as you need and some even offer after purchase support for questions or concerns. They should also be able to give you a hatch date and other details. Petstores in general take poor care of their live stock, some don't even know how old they are or have any history and over all encourage an industry that profits off of peoples ignorance and leaves lots of dead lizards in it's path. I try not to support them whenever possible. That said, many people have very good chain stores and have very nice healthy dragons from them.

2) Pepper gets salad every morning (mustard, turnip, or collard greens, kale, bok choy and arugula are my main greens, I rotate as each bunch goes off, along with butternut squash. I mix in various other veggies as they are on sale/in season). He get roaches and/or superworms for his meat at night and occasionally worms.

3) I would look at getting roaches or worms and feeding from a bowl. I sometimes work long hours and I'm not home when lights are on to give insects. Those days Pepper's feeders go in the dish and he gets them when he is ready. I haven't had luck with commercial diets and have read about a few lizards getting sick from canned bugs. I don't need to be home to feed, just pop the bowls in on my way out.

4) I don't use crickets, but your plan sounds fine. Variety helps make up for any shortcomings each item has on it's own. I love my roaches though when I fed crickets I would use a cup to dust them, then tip them out one at a time to get eaten. The stink and work to keep them healthy was a turn off for me. Roaches are easier. I also feed superworms and special worms (silks, hornworms etc) when I can get them. I feed my insects the same greens/veggies the dragon eats, and they get any veggie scraps from cooking. I used to use water crystals but prefer keeping fresh veggies in the bin instead now. Alfalfa pellets are also a handy feed to keep on hand.

5) if you can get a bigger cage, consider doing so. 4x2x2 are a good size and if you are handy (or can get someone to help you) not too hard to build. Your dragon will have more space to exercise and you will have more space to decorate with furnishings.

6) As pets, dragons are awesome. Pepper is very docile and friendly but full of personality. They are easy to keep once you have the setup correct. Generally they poop once a day or so, and their food is easy to prepair. They can appreciate human interaction but don't need it the way dogs and cats do. We have a cat, two snakes, two mice and the dragon. They are pretty interesting/entertaining to watch, and personally I get a lot of joy from them as a companion.

Poop duty sucks, but since it's just one a day it's not a big deal. I use nonadhesive shelf liner for flooring, the mess wipes up with paper towel, gets a spritz of sanitizer, another wipe and it's done.

 

[jitensha]

Thanks so much for the advice guys! It seems like both of you said the same thing about feeding. And when I spoke to my reptile knowledgeable friend she said the same thing.

I honestly just don't know if I could keep and breed roaches in my own home. I don't think my landlord would like that either if he were ever to find out! My friend who breeds dubia roaches said she could give me some to start my own colony, but just the thought of one of those buggers being lose in my apartment brings shivers down my spine. At least if a cricket gets loose, it'll just die because they're dummies...

Is the smell from crickets that bad? My friend also told me they're terribly noisy and jump out of the container. Is there any sort of staple insect I can feed them that isn't a pain in the butt? Reading online, I've found tons of worms that they can eat but I'm confused if they're good as a staple food or not.

So hear me out, and please excuse my ignorance...How does this sound for my dragon's diet (not including the veggies)?

BABY

- Staple diet of Reptiworms and/or Phoenix Worms 5-6 times a week and crickets 1-2 times a week, with the occasional Dubia treat (aka everytime I can go out and visit my friend lol).

ADULT (16+ inches...right?)

- Staple diet of Super Worms 5-6 times a week and crickets 1-2 times a week, with the occasional Dubia treat

I pass by a pet shop everyday on the way home so it's easy for me to pick up crickets every now and then, but of course pretty expensive if I had to do this everyday. I believe they also sell waxworms, so I can pick those up occasionally too. Worms seem pretty easy to take care of, don't smell, don't make noise, and I doubt I have to worry about them escaping...so having worms as a staple food seems like a pretty attractive solution for me...but is this healthy for my dragon? I can surely add a supplement like Rep-Cal Food http://www.amazon.com/REPCAL-Food-B...upplies_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0F7VC61RYMZG2J9QGZA9 to his diet if you think it's lacking, but I'd honestly would rather not have a dragon if he's just going to be 'living' off of the food I give him. I want to make sure he can THRIVE off the food I'm giving him. Do you think a dragon could live happily and healthily off the menu I suggested above with the obvious addition of fresh veggies? *fingers crossed*

Some more questions for you guys.

1) I heard babies are bottomless pits, but adults will sometimes skip a day of eating, sometimes even up to 3 days if it's before a shed. How many (a) crickets OR (b) worms should I expect to feed a week to a baby as well as to an adult? Someone told me about 40 crickets/week for a baby and about 120 crickets/week for an adult. I have no idea what this number should be in worms.

2) It seems a lot of people buy their feeder bugs online. Is there a website you recommend? And do any of these sites have automatic re-shipments or mail subscriptions?

3) So besides the greens and bugs, I've also read I should add Powdered Calcium to their food. I keep seeing "Rep-Cal"...Is this a good brand for Calcium? I was thinking of just grinding up my greens with calcium in a food processor since I read babies need small pieces of veg anyway. Is that OK? Do they need any other special foods or oral supplements?...I read somewhere that they should have multivitamins? Do I just mix that in with the bugs or the greens?

Thanks for the advice guys, especially the equipment and food advice! And again, sorry for the ignorance! I'm such a total newb to being a herp mom I'm trying to find the right little beasty for me, and I'm hoping a dragon will be the one! <3

P.S. Taterbug, is that a hognose in your avatar? It's really cute!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there !
I"ll answer a couple of your Q's. As for feeding, a baby will eat about 30 -60 bugs a day easily, not 40 a week. I don't know if that was a typo, or if your friend gave you a way off estimate. Babies need much more care to have them properly fed, and they don't do well with canned or freeze dried insects. Larger dragons can have those thongs as PART of their diet. Adults eat MUCH less but of course, much larger prey items. You may want to look for a breeder like Rio Reptiles [ Cheryl ] and consider a 12 + inch beardie that will be much hardier + easier to feed. Also a breeder who is in business for a while who knows how to ship, and what temperament the dragon has. You may even want to consider a 15-16" that can handle superworms. As for crickets, they stink when they die or aren't cleaned properly, but small crix aren't as bad as larger ones. You can feed butterworms, hornworms, superworms along with greens to a larger beardie. Phoenix or Reptiworms for babies .

 

[jitensha]

Thanks so much!! Do you think he could live off of a staple of worms (phoenix for babies, super for adult) with the occasional crickets and dubia meal?? If that's the case, I don't need to worry about freeze dried foods or pellets. I can definitely handle worms!

 

[AHBD]

Yes, that would work. There are people who sell various bugs that are listed in the " Feeders " section. Lindasgonebuggy sells variety packs . Armstrong crickets has the best price + service for bulk [ 1-2,000 ] superworms. They last a long time if kept properly.

 

[jitensha]

Thank you so much!! I'm so excited now!

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[jitensha]

HE SAID YES!!! Thank you everyone!!! I have a beautiful little girl on hold from a breeder while I get her habitat all set up Her name is Panini!

 

[Taterbug]

HE SAID YES!!! Thank you everyone!!! I have a beautiful little girl on hold from a breeder while I get her habitat all set up Her name is Panini!

Awesome! I love the name

 

[jitensha]

Thank you so much!!! You were all a huge help!!! <3

 

[AHBD]

Sounds like fun ! I'm glad things are working out for you ! Any descriptipn of the beardie, size, morph, color ??

 

[jitensha]

Thanks so much!!! I'm super excited
And yes! I have a photo of my pretty little Panini!

She's a Citrus Leatherback Het Translucent! She's about 2 months old, but they didn't provide a size. I'm guessing between 5-9 inches?

I can't wait to meet her!! <3

 

[AHBD]

Very pretty ! Nice orange rosettes going down the back, and she looks very healthy. She's probably about 8" long. Doesn't look like a leatherback though, l.b's are smoother. Sometimes they are leatherbacks that rougher scaled , so it's hard to say. One of her parents may be a leather, but not all the offspring will be, just about 1/4 of them.