New Bearded Dragon Owner

[lovemesomereptiles]

So I just got my bearded dragon today, he's only a few weeks old and i've never owned one so I have some questions. The first one is that, my room gets kinda cold at night so should I get a black heat lamp for night? Also how often should I be handling it everyday? And the lady at pet smart said I only need to feed him once a day but online it said three times a day?? Any help would be appreciated!

P.S,
I have a dual bulb hood light fixture right now with a UVB in one and a basking light in the other but would a reptisun 10.0 long light fixture with seperate basking hood be better?

 

[SukiLove]

My baby beardie is only about 8" long, for reference, and he eats 3 times a day. I feed him dubia in the morning after he has warmed up, he eats about 15-20, then I leave a salad mix for him all day, when I get home he gets another 15-20 dubia.

The long tube is better than the coil uvb, as for night temps as long as it doesnt fall below 68 degrees he should be fine. But if you need an extra heat source I would opt for a ceramic heat emitter. The light seems to disturb them at night.

As for handling, give him a chance to settle in and get used to his new surroundings. Then you can start petting him and picking him up. I waited for lights out to start holding mine, he is more calm then.

 

[cbbrown]

My beardie is 18 inches long and he eats twice a day, protein three times a week and greens everyday. The new vet that i've been going to said while they are young they need to eat more. Especially protein.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Congratulations on your new baby.
As far as the eating frequency, he can be offered insects 2-3 times per day along with greens, if he will eat them that is.
When they are young, you can let them eat pretty much as many insects as they would like, to help them grow.
He may still be settling in also, which can take a week or two for them to feel fully comfortable in a new home.
Yes, you will want the long fluorescent tube bulb, the Reptisun 10 is a good choice, along with a nice bright halogen or flood type of bulb. For nighttime heating, use a ceramic heat emitter so he doesn't have any light to disturb his sleep.

Tracie

 

[lovemesomereptiles]

Thank you for all the advice! Just as an update, I am using a repti sun 10.0 long bulb and a basking bulb. He eats a lot and is very happy!!! He's always excited to eat and also has no problem being handled. He's now starting to shed to I've been giving him baths daily and he has no problem with it. I'm feeling a lot more confident now about his happiness