New beardie: I have questions! Please help!

[Norabelle]

I am purchasing a bearded dragon very soon, and would like to make sure I have everything I need for a happy and healthy little guy before I actually pick him up. If anyone could fill me in on a few things, that would be fantastic. I'll go over everything that I know of to make sure it's all right.

Tank:
I have a ten gallon tank, as the reptile specialist told me that I won't need to upgrade to a twenty gallon until they are a bit older. (The beardie I'm purchasing is just a little fella') In this tank, I have reptile carpet, a small tree-like structure, a log that's been hollowed out and cut in half, and a reptile net. I also purchased a backdrop, as I've heard it helps reduce stress, but I've heard this can go both ways, so if someone could let me know that'd be great. (As well as anything else I might need, or need to change)

Lighting:
I have a 26W UVB light by Repti-glo that is specifically designed for desert terrariums. If this is not the right light, please fill me in on what brand and wattage I should buy. I know I need a basking light, but wasn't sure which brand to buy considering there are a ton there, coming in lots of shapes and sizes, so I need some help there too. 100-100 or 105-115 for babies? I've read they need it a little hotter to digest food.

Feeding:
From what I understand, I am supposed to feed him 2-5 crickets twice per day on top of the veggies. I was also wondering if it is safe to gut-load a baby beardies crickets, as I've heard it makes them more susceptible to parasites? Also, is there a difference between calcium dust and gut loading? I think this is the part I need the most information on. I've read care sheet after care sheet, and all of them seem to be different. Specifics of what you feed your beardie would be great.

I want to give this little guy the best and healthiest life possible, so all responses are appreciated. If anyone needs more information, feel free to let me know, and I'll post a reply as soon as possible! Thanks so much!

 

[ScooterBlenny]

I'm glad you checked first, there are some things in there that you might want to reconsider.

A 10 gallon is too small, even for a baby. It's not that they don't have enough room, it's that the tank is too small to allow for a hot side and a cool side. It will either be all hot, or all cool, and you need a gradient. I would go ahead and get at least a 20 long, understanding that it will not last long at all. I put my baby in a 55gallon, and at 4 months old, she is longer than it is wide.

Is that 26w light a coil bulb? I would recommend a Repti-Sun 10.0 strip, and a regular household bulb for a basking lamp. Or, you could go ahead and get an MVB bulb like the MegaRay, but you definitely don't want to do that with a small aquarium/tank.

As far as feeding, baby beardies are cricket vacuums. 4-10 crickets a day is absolutely not enough. A baby can put away 100 crickets a day. I would suggest feeding as many crickets as she can eat in a 10 minute period, 2-3 times per day. So that's 20 to 30 minutes a day of letting it eat all it wants. If you are concerned about feeding costs, you might think about getting an adult dragon. I order 1500 crickets twice a month, and about 800 Phoenix Worms a month - that's over $100 each month in food. Older dragons eat primarily greens, and maybe 50 crickets a week - MUCH cheaper to feed!

 

[lillybd2008]

Welcome! i wish I would have came on here before buying my beardie!!
The light you have is no good! I would upgrade the tank to that is to small for a beardie, I would go with a 40 gallon so you are setup for awhile!
A good Tube uvb light is a Reptisun 10 you can get it online for 1/2 the price stores sell it for. http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
The best UVB is the Mega ray In my opinion you can get that at reptileuv.com you will need a minimim tank size of 40 gallon and it will have to be 12" or more from your beardie with a max of 20" I think.! this had your uva/uvb and heat all in one! and people get about a year out of them.
Your little one will need more crickets then that! You will not want to leave any crickets in the cage they will gnaw on your little guy
Gut loading is what you feed your crickets and the dust is what you dust the crickets with before feeding, they can't get Parasites from the calcium that is something they can get from the crickets, I stopped feeding crickets they smell so bad I feed Phoenix worms but they are spendy $26.00 for 400
Take care! good luck you came to a great site

 

[Norabelle]

I just read that the coil lighting can be harmful to their eyes, thank god I cam here before I brought him home! If I get this mega-ray light, I don't need a UVB light? probably worth the investment! And as for the crickets, is there a way for me to get the really tiny ones? Pinheads, I mean. I looked at the pet store, but it doesn't seem like they have the best options for crickets, as they're all different sizes, even in the small tank, and I've been told this can be a breeding ground for bad bacteria. Is it best to just order online? I figured the ten gallon I had wouldn't be sufficient, so I went ahead and bought a 40 gallon thinking I'd need it eventually anyways. I'll just move everything into it tonight. Is there a specific type of structure I should get for him to bask on? And how does the gradient work if I do get that bulb? Thanks for all your help!

 

[ScooterBlenny]

If you get a MegaRay, that is your UVB and you don't need any other special light. You may choose to put another light in just to keep it bright, but you won't need a UVB strip. Another good thing about the MegaRays is that they are good for 12 months, instead of 6 months, so the cost of buying bulbs is really close to the same as a strip light. Just because the bulb is still running doesn't mean that it is still putting out beneficial light - that's why they recommend using the bulbs for only 6 or 12 months.

It's generally much cheaper to order crickets online, unless you've just got a great, cheap petstore near you. Most stores charge between 8 and 12 cents for a cricket, and I pay 2 cents a piece for them online, even after I factor in shipping costs. Again, if you're getting a baby, food is going to be a huge expense, and it is NOT an area you should skimp on.

I have my MegaRay on an adjustable stand so that I can raise and lower it to get the correct temperature. For a baby, you're going to want to hit 110 in the basking spot, and in the 80s on the cool side.

 

[Norabelle]

Thank you thank you thank you! On my way to a specialty store right now, hopefully I can grab everything needed!

 

[renich]

it sounds like you are on the right track. one item i saw was mentioned, but not in detail is temp. consider getting a digital probe thermometer. they are pretty cheap.

for a young beardie, the cool side should be around 65F and the hot/basking side 105-110F. night temps should not fall below 65F.

 

[Norabelle]

I don't have digitals, but I know where I can get them. Thanks!

 

[renich]

Excellent! Did you get everything you need from the store? Did you decide to go with the repti sun 10.0 or the mega ray?

When are you getting your beardie?

 

[Norabelle]

Yes, I got everything I needed. For now, I bought the repti-sun, but ordered a mega-ray online, and will most likely switch when it gets here. I also got a basking rock, but don't know if I'll use it till he's a bit older. I'm actually bringing him home next week some time, I wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving, because we're going on vacation, and I want to be able to be home, to make sure he adjusts well. We've had him picked out for a while, I've watched and inspected to make sure he was healthy, and gone back numerous times to check in. Now I just need to pick out a name!

 

[renich]

did you get him yet? have you chosen a name?
we'd love to see pics.