May be getting an unexpected beardie soon! HELP!

[fastfoward5k]

My cousin got a Bearded Dragon from Petco ( ) a few months ago. He did do research and was planning it, but now that he has it, he doesn't enjoy it as much as he thought he would. So because it is not on his mind, he always forgets to care for it. I will be going up to visit him soon, and may come home with a new pet! Right now it is about 4-6 months old and is housed in a 20 gallon long tank with a basking spot, proper foods, etc. I haven't seen it since he got it (probably 1-2 months old then), but it is probably healthy. I was actually planning on getting a BD soon (not this soon), but I don't know much about them yet. I already have Leopard Geckos and a Crested Gecko, so I'm not a beginner in herps, but I don't know much about Bearded Dragons. So if you could give me a crash course and post some good, reliable care sheets, I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

 

[lizardgrrl]

Hi Fast,

Welcome to our beardie world! :wave: There are links for excellent caresheets and articles on the site here, http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/ The Beautiful Dragons site has a page on nutrition that is the best info on the web, with color-coded staples, good treats and dangerous foods for your baby, and if you have questions on any of it, a post under the different categories in these forums will get you pretty immediate answers. I hope this helps. Good luck with your trip, keep us posted when you get your baby, and people here LOVE pictures! (hint, hint) :laughing6:

 

[fastfoward5k]

UPDATE ON BEARDED DRAGON:

Last night, I called my cousin about exactly how it has been housed/cared for. He said:

20 gallon long tank with screen lid :?

Half the substrate is bark, half is calci-sand

He has a big stick that goes up right under the heat that he basks on :mrgreen:

He has a log to hide under

He has a Fluker's Clamp Lamp with a 75 watt lightbulb :?:

He has no additional UV

He is fed crickets, kale, and one other vegetable that I forget the name of; all are dusted/gut loaded :|

He is about 4 months old and 10"-12" from head to tail :?:

"She" was "accurately sexed" by the pet store (Petco) guy when 1-2 months old :lol:

His name is Blu :| I might change it

My mom said that I can probably have it. Once I get him, I'll immediatly get him a 40 gallon breeder (I found one on craigslist.com right near my house for $50 and includes some stuff). They will give me everything they have for it now (tank, decor, etc.). (So this means I have an extra 20 long... :twisted: .) I need to research beardies, and fast! :study:

 

[fastfoward5k]

Can anyone reccomend any care information sites (other than this one of course)? :wink:

 

[Jiffy]

I hope you get to take Blu in.
Make sure you invest in a good uv light right away. Also make sure to get some calcium and vitamin dust.
Make sure that for the new viv you are getting from craigslist, that you clean it out really well beforehand.

 

[fastfoward5k]

The guy selling it on craigslist said it has barely been used, but I'll definitely be cleaning out the 40 gallon breeder anyway. And yes I will immediatly invest in a 10.0 UV strip light. I'll post pictures as soon as possible! I have seen her once before, but she was tiny then. I can't wait!

 

[Elora]

Here are some basic things that you probably already know but ill mention them anyways just in case

-Dont use calci sand when you put her in the new tank. paper towels or reptile carpet is fine for now. Later on you can get some tiles. very easy to clean up poop.

-if you continue feed her crickets make sure you gutload them. not very much nutritional value when you get them straight from the pet store. I buy phoenix worms. they are way easier to keep and dont escape all over the house!

- you can give your beardie a bath a couple times a week. if you fill a container or sink up to her armpits and have it be luke warm. its a good way for them to keep hydrated and they sometimes love it! its so cute to see them swimming around and splashing. just keep a good eye on her while shes in the bath.

-An exellent way to take temps is with a probe thermometer. the stick on ones are not that accurate. most people would like to keep the basking point at 100 and the cool side at 85.

- when you get her the reptisun 10 tube uv light you will need a fixture. dont wase 30 dollars on a fixture from the pet store. you can get one from homedepo that is light weight and only 8 dollars. you will have to take off the cover that goes over the bulb though. it will block the rays. you can set it right ontop of the screen.

-if it gets cold in your house you can use the ceramic heat bulbs. i have one on at allt imes becuase we dont turn the heat on that much durning the winter. I have a basking bulb, a heat emiter bulb and the uv tube bulb and i turn off the basking bulb and uv bulb at night. the ceramic heater bulb goies into a dome fixture like the one you use for the basking bulb but it dosnt emit light. just heat.

thats all i can think of for now. the greens that he is being fed sound okay. im sure more people will be around to offer more!!

 

[fastfoward5k]

Thanks. I'm actually not getting that beardie anymore, but I'm getting another one. And all those tips were really helpful!

 

[midnight_962002]

I know that you are not getting that one anymore. But, for yours check out http://www.beardietales.net

 

[fastfoward5k]

Thanks! That web site is great. 8)