NEW BEARDED DRAGON NEED HELP PLANNING :)

[Slamber9]

Hey guys! So today's the big day! I'm getting a new bearded dragon. But before I do I just want to make sure I have everything handled! I had a bearded dragon once before but she died of a kidney failure. But I am ready to get a new one. I have a 20 gallon tank, Zilla Green Terrarium Liner, 1 big water bowl, a branch for them to climb, a log for them to sleep on and a rock to bask on, I have 2 light fixtures, day, night, and uvb light. (UVB will stay on all day with the day light, 75 W, and the Night is 75 W and I will use that with no uvb at night) I was wondering if If I should put vegetables in even if they are young and leave it in all day? What kind of vegetables? Also how many crickets should they eat a day? I understand when a reptile relocates they don't eat as much but I just want him or her to be extremely healthy. My last bearded dragon had like 12 crickets a day as a baby and never had anymore. ALSO should I give them worms as a young one?

THANK YOU GUYS I AM SO EXCITED!

 

[Slamber9]

Hey guys! So today's the big day! I'm getting a new bearded dragon. But before I do I just want to make sure I have everything handled! I had a bearded dragon once before but she died of a kidney failure. But I am ready to get a new one. I have a 20 gallon tank, Zilla Green Terrarium Liner, 1 big water bowl, a branch for them to climb, a log for them to sleep on and a rock to bask on, I have 2 light fixtures, day, night, and uvb light. (UVB will stay on all day with the day light, 75 W, and the Night is 75 W and I will use that with no uvb at night) I was wondering if If I should put vegetables in even if they are young and leave it in all day? What kind of vegetables? Also how many crickets should they eat a day? I understand when a reptile relocates they don't eat as much but I just want him or her to be extremely healthy. My last bearded dragon had like 12 crickets a day as a baby and never had anymore. ALSO should I give them worms as a young one?

THANK YOU GUYS I AM SO EXCITED!

 

[Ancalagon]

You don't need a light at night. It messes with their sleep cycle. If your house dips lower than 65 degrees at night, you can get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) that doesn't shine a light or has any color.

Also, is the UVB a bulb or a tube? Tubes work better. This forum sings the praises of the Reptisun 10.0 (and honestly I wasn't entirely convinced until I got one myself, but ever since owning one my beardies appetite has doubled and he's growing like a weed)

And you'll want to get a larger tank eventually probably. Petco does there $1/gallon sale in April/May so you can snatch yourself up a 40 galloner for pretty cheap. (Or build/thrift/repurpose one)

Good luck and best wishes for you and your new guy!

 

[Ancalagon]

And feeding depends on the beardie! I've heard tales of babies eating like 40-50 crix a day, but I think that's a overt exaggeration as mine eats anywhere from 2-10 in a go. Just feed them 3x a day for 10 to 15 minutes at a time as many they can eat. And have greens available all the time.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there...it's obvious that you're excited. A few q's for you....do you have a bigger tank from your previous dragon ? A 20 gal. will only last a few months because of beardie's quick growth rate so it's good to have the larger one ready. And are you getting 2 ? You were referring to " them". I'd advise only getting one, babies can and do bite off feet/tails of siblings. I'd suggest you not use a night light, it disrupts their sleep....these are sold by stores just to make money when in reality there's no need for them. If your temps. get below 65F at night you can get a CHE [ ceramic heater ] that produces heat but no light. For feeding, be SURE that the insects are no longer than the space between the eyes of the baby....it's not important for larger dragons, but for babies it's critical. They can die from impaction.What type of uvb isit ? Long tube or coil/compact ? Some of those do not give off much uvb.....the long tube Reptisun 10.0 are recommended. Veggies like turnip, mustard, collard, dandelion can be offered finely shreeded, anything hard must be grated [ like squash or carrot ] not given in chunks. So there are a few tips....have fun with new baby + post pics.

 

[Slamber9]

So nothing at night if it is above 65 degrees? Basically nothing for 8 hours? I just want to make sure so they don't get sick you know? We do have the bulb. We were thinking about the tube once we got a larger tank. Wow that's incredible good for you. Do you think the tube and bulb have the same effect? Just not really sure what the difference is? Also what should the temperature be in the tank. Ive heard it should be really hot but then others tell me to not keep it that hot in such a small tank because it can burn them. What do you think? We wanted to have a young one and by August get a larger tank, definitely nothing small than 40 and up to 55. Thank you for the advice ill definitely keep an eye out for that. Aw thank you that's is really sweet of you! Thanks for everything i really appreciate it. Also what kind of vegetables should i keep in the tank and should it be over night as well? And should i sprinkle calcium powder on the crickets?

 

[Ancalagon]

I told you!

Beardeddragon.org: Let me sing you the song of my people!
Beardeddragon.org: REPTISUN 10.0 UVB TUBE T8 AT 6" FROM BASKING SPOT T5 10-12" FROM BASKING SPOT MOUNT INSIDE VIV BEST UVB LIGHT OUT THERE EVERY OTHER UVB LIGHT IS SUBPAR

I love it! ? But it's true. INVEST in one of these. They are absolutely the best for your dragon (minus actual sunlight) and will prevent a lot of diseases to keep your beardie happy!

 

[Ancalagon]

The dragons come from the Australian outback, which is a desert. Nighttime temps can drop 20-30 degrees. You want to keep it between 65 and like 75 ambient temps (I had to train my boyfriend not to run our ice box A/C at night because of this), but yeah they do fine without it. They actually do better than if you kept it at 80-90 because that's not what they are used to. They like it a little cooler at night.

And no lights! Nothing! No red or blue or orange or purple or rainbow! It messes with their metabolism. If AND ONLY IF your house gets lower than 65, get a CHE, which emits heat but not light.

 

[DaddyGeek]

Do you think the tube and bulb have the same effect? Just not really sure what the difference is?

I've never done it myself but there are owners who have tested the bulbs and determined there is a significant difference in the output of the bulbs vs tubes. I have always used reptisun 10.0's and they work great. If you have to stick with a 20 gallon tank for now they make them in 18 inch versions and you can get them cheap on beardeddragon.co

Also what kind of vegetables should i keep in the tank and should it be over night as well? And should i sprinkle calcium powder on the crickets?

I keep collards with squash and carrots around, and yes, sprinkle the crickets with calcium powder. I also do a little bit of multivitamin powder once or twice a week.

 

[Slamber9]

Haha that made my day thank you so much I really appreciate everything and all your help!!

 

[Ancalagon]

Tubes don't really give out heat, so you don't really need to worry about them getting hot. You can get a tube and then an undercounter light fixture from Walmart for $10 and mount it into the tank with some 3M picture hanger strips ($4 for a pack that'll last you years). I have a 100w heat lightbulb in one of those clip light things that you use when you are working in a garage ($8 at Lowe's) over his basking spot. And I'm super paranoid about fire, so I don't let anything sit on my screen top. I have a stand ($25 at Petsmart) that I clipped the basking light to. It's also nice because I can control how fast or slow the basking spot heats up by moving the light closer or farther away.

Make sure you have a good thermometer to read the temps in the tank too.

 

[Slamber9]

oh wow okay thank you for the information, a lot of helpful information! Where can i find multivitamins for that? and thank you for the picture and everything you guys have helped so much! I do have 2 thermometers! i am super excited now!

 

[Ancalagon]

Herbivite? Is that the brand? You can get it at a pet store. Probably the same pet store you'll get your crix from! Also, don't be afraid to shop around for other feeders. They're usually cheaper and you can buy them in bulk. I feed mine Phoenixworms as a staple and keep them in a mini fridge next to the beer (because nobody in my house likes maggots in our regular fridge...or beer...weirdos)

 

[AHBD]

The mods. will prefer that you keep this in one subforum and actually not in the E.R. They will probably merge this to the other one in the general forum.

 

[Slamber9]

See I didn't realize I posted this in the ER and when I tried to delete it I couldn't but thank you!!!