New and trying to get educated before getting my BD

[Rutabaga]

Good morning, all. I have been lurking on these boards for a few days and decided I would go ahead and register.

I am looking to get a beardie this spring as I want to take a few months to do plenty of research and give my husband and son time to build a custom viv (using the crossfire design). I want to be sure I have the viv done and decorated, all temperatures tested and regulated for a few weeks and my head together on feeding, etc.

This will be my first bearded dragon but not my first adventure in reptiles. My son has had his corn snake for 6 years now and we had a leopard gecko for 3 years before he passed away (I've learned alot about substrate, etc since the leo passed away).

With all this being said, I certainly hope you don't mind me hanging around, posting and asking questions so that I am as prepared as I can possibly be for my beardie.

Here is what I know for sure I am doing...

1)The viv will be the Crossfire design
2)for lighting - reptisun 10 and a household bulb for basking.
3)I will probably have a ceramic heat bulb as well for night time only as it tends to get cold in my house at night.
4)For food....I really want to avoid crickets as they really creep me out. I was hoping to go with silkworms or phoenix worms as the main protein source. and greens of course. Does this sound ok?
5) I am hoping to get my beardie from a breeder and not the petstore. I live in central VA, so if there are any breeder close to me that would be great. I also have family in DE, so that is an option as well. I really don't want to have my beardie shipped...I'd rather pick him/her up from the breeder, if that's not an issue.
6) I have already researched herp vets and have found 1 in my area that is only 10 min. away!
7) Substrate I am going to use tile. I don;t think I am going to grout it down..prob just place it over paper towels so that they are removable for super cleaning.
8) digital thermometer w/probes and I am planning on attaching the display part to the front of the cage so that at a glance I can see the temps on the cool and basking sides. Any thoughts on the best brand to buy?

Please fill me in on anything I might be leaving out! I look forward to being a part of this awesome community!

 

[Derek32]

hey welcome...nit sure if baltimore is maryland is close to you but i recieved my first beardie friday in the mail from baltimorebeardies.com and i was very peased with them. tom the guy who i bought my beardie from is very knowlegeablle and even if they are too far to drive you can ship im sure VA is closer to baltimore than i am(new york) so shipping will not hurt the beardie at all.

 

[midmichicer]

Sounds like you have done your research and everything looks good to me. I can't give you any breeder info though, sorry. Most are usually shipped. A lot of people use Dubia roaches instead of crickets and there is a guy on here that sells rept-worms that a lot of people love too.

 

[NCSUCarrie]

It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you are going to do and overall things sound great to me
For the food. It shouldn't be a problem to not use crickets. The phoenix worms are great for young ones because they are small, easy to digest, and quite nutritious. Silkworms or hornworms would certainly be another choice. If you end up getting a younger baby, you would just need to get the smaller and younger silks/horns. Dubia roaches would be another consideration - go check out some of the info on them before you shudder and decide they aren't for you They are also really nutritious and if get a colony going you'll have babies ready to feed to your little one by spring Babies eat a TON of insects

I'd certainly recommend using a reputable breeder versus a petstore. However be careful and try to get some recommendations for a breeder before going with one - some are very unscrupulous and are in just for the money and you'll get a less healthy pet. I'd see if your vet can recommend any beardie breeders that they either work with or have had good experiences from other clients with I don't know of any breeders up in Virginia, so I'm no help with that.

Hope you enjoy being here and reading about all the other beardies on this site to help whet your appetite for your soon to come baby! And don't worry about asking a lot of questions. We've all been there at some point too
You've got a lucky beardie waiting for you out there

 

[nair88]

welcome! sounds like you have done your research and have everything everything pretty well under control. like midmichicer said, another great feeder you could try is dubia roaches.