New care guide on the web.

[RelentlessChaos]

[End topic]

 

[CooperDragon]

Did you put this together? It's generally pretty good and thorough. The recommended tank dimensions are a bit small in my opinion and there isn't any mention of T5 lighting for larger enclosures. Otherwise it's a very good general writeup for their care.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Enclosure Size:

For baby Bearded Dragons (0-2 months old), a 20 gallon terrarium is best. The small size makes it easier for the young dragon to catch its prey. Although, as soon as 3+ months the young dragon will need a bigger enclosure if properly growing.

For juvenile and adult Bearded Dragons (3-12+ months old) a 40 gallon terrarium is the minimum recommended size for one juvenile or adult Bearded Dragon. <<< my comments : raring tubs / enclosures about 100 litres - 120 litres for beardies under 12mths old .


For custom enclosures, aim for dimensions around 3ft long, 2ft deep, and 17 inches tall. <<<< too small , recommend minimum 4ft long x 2ft deep x 16 inched tall (min depending on wattage of MVB or basking globe) for ADULT beardies.

Lighting Schedule:

The basking bulb and the UVB to a Bearded Dragon's enclosure should be on for 10-12 hours per day and then they should be off for the rest of the night. In order to make this turning on and off job easier, use a timer for the lights. <<< 10 -12 hrs of light and heat per day for basking is TOO SHORT , and reflective of WINTER lighting conditions in P.Vittepps natural range in tropical central Australia , I STRONG SUGGEST 14-16 hrs of light and heat per day , especially for young growing beardies. If you want to induce brumation , shorten the day cycle to 10-12hrs.

Providing Water:

Bearded Dragons will get a lot of their water from their food. Although, there are a few things that can be done to hydrate a Bearded Dragon. First, mist greens before offering them to a Bearded Dragon. Second, offer water directly by using a dropper. Third, offer warm baths at least once or twice a week. <<<< this is too frequent , a bearded dragon should only be bathed if :
- it is impacted (with tummy rub)
- it has soiled itself
- to assist with stubborn sheds on the tail, beard or toes
- it is too hot in the house to help it thermoregulate (bearded dragons have a PBT = 36oC)
- it has an open injury that needs to be washed and soaked in dilute butadiene solution (weak tea colour strength)
A Bearded Dragon can soak water through their vent if they don't actually drink the water.,<<< THIS IS not COMPLETELY CORRECT - the best way to get water into a bearded dragon is VIA IT'S MOUTH.
Aside from that, warm baths are good for Bearded Dragons and should be done anyways in order to keep the dragon clean.<<<< unnecessary (in the wild bearded dragons rearly incounter standing or flowing water , droughts in central Australia can last over 10 years.
Also, warm baths can help a Bearded Dragon shed if the dragon is shedding and it can help them poop if they are having pooping issues.

Healthy Greens:

In the list below, are some of the best staple greens that a Bearded Dragon can eat daily.
• Collard greens.
• Turnip greens.
• Mustard greens.
• Dandelion greens.
• Endive.
• Escarole.

add kale, buk choy and puk choy greens as good staples.

 

[RelentlessChaos]

Thanks for the feedback all and yes, I made this website as a result of being overwhelmed by care messages on my Facebook page. It can be hard trying to not forget something and I have already done a ton of edits to the page since it went live a few days ago. Of course, I will continue to update the site as needed.

As for the dimensions of custom enclosures, I should have clarified that those are the minimum expectations. My current PVC cage are those dimensions and it is very spacious compared to my glass terrariums (mostly because of the depth). Although, I agree that the more space the better.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Thanks for the feedback all and yes, I made this website as a result of being overwhelmed by care messages on my Facebook page. It can be hard trying to not forget something and I have already done a ton of edits to the page since it went live a few days ago. Of course, I will continue to update the site as needed.

As for the dimensions of custom enclosures, I should have clarified that those are the minimum expectations. My current PVC cage are those dimensions and it is very spacious compared to my glass terrariums (mostly because of the depth). Although, I agree that the more space the better.

Standards set by Parks and Wildlife here in Austalia specify a MINIMUM foot print of 4ft x 2ft for a single adult bearded dragon (one must be licenced to keep bearded dragons here , and must meet minimum housing standards and husbandry standard to continue to keep the species as a pet.

 

[RelentlessChaos]

Take it easy King.

Feel free to click on the About tab at the top of the page.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Take it easy King.

Feel free to click on the About tab at the top of the page.

Just making sure you have your facts right, nothing worse than poor guidance given to inexperienced keepers .

Everyone here in Australia (very few exceptions) has adult beardies in tanks that are a minimum of 4' x 2' for a single adult beardie.

I was under the impression and thought you wanted some input and wanted the caresheet to be a good as possible before publishing it online . just trying to help.

 

[RelentlessChaos]

Again, I appreciate all of your input King. If my website is bad overall then just tell people to avoid it or feel free to make your own.

 

[CooperDragon]

Woke back up due to the tornado sirens going off. Nasty storm going through =). I think it's actually quite good and helpful. The water absorption during baths is a hot topic. Remember this thread? https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=222029 I do think that some of them enjoy baths and it stresses some out so I do it on a case by case basis. Some of my guys drank from the bath sometimes and would get regular baths and Darwin is just OK with them so he only gets a bath when he's soiled and needs to be cleaned up. I offer all of them drops of water on their nose. I stop if they don't want to lick up what's offered but give more on and off if they do. It simulates how they tilt their heads forward and drink rainwater or dew coming from overhead.
For lighting, I use a combination of my own research and the information that Taterbug has gathered into her charts which I find to be quite helpful https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides
As you mentioned, there is a LOT of info out there and it's difficult to process it all into a one size fits all guide (I've tried) but it's helpful to try and I think you're doing a good job with it. Just treat it as a living document and constantly tweak it as you learn more and have new ideas about the various topics.
Storm is passing. No damage that I can see. Didn't get carried off to Oz this time =).

 

[DaisyDragon123]

Well with the exception of increasing light times times to 12 - 14 hours, I think it looks good. I would imagine kale was left off as a staple green because of calcium binding (?) maybe. It comes up every now and then as controversial. I offer it.

His care sheet looks very similar to the ones on this forum and other online breeder sites.

I can't offer criticism on the bathing because I have had more than one vet recommend it. I can't remember if you addressed water level and temp. You wil need to do that and I may have missed it.

As far as cage size I read where you did say minimum. Be sure you stress minimum 40 gallon glass breeder tank. That is the minimum recommended in the US. Bigger is better but I think this guide is more for newbies.

The t5 lighting oversight is understandable. It is harder to find a t5 with reflector hood at pet stores and the employees would tell.you to use the range of a t8 and thereby burn the dragon's eyes. Reptisun 10.0 has been standard in the US for years. I think most people would be safe with that.

Overall, I think it is pretty good.

 

[RelentlessChaos]

I actually have my beardies on a 10-12 hour schedule for winter and 12-14 hours schedule for spring/summer.

Just something I missed but I'll fix it now.

Overall, there are a lot of opinions out there and I've seen it over and over again where one person will try to force their opinion upon another. This is why I've said in my about section that it's best to always research advice from more than one person to narrow down who is right or what is right as far as care goes.

For example, King says to add certain greens such as bok choy or kale.. but I won't listen to that because when I search for more than one opinion online regarding bok choy or kale as a staple, they're nowhere to be seen near the staple category.

See the links below for example.

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

http://blackninjakitty.com/herps/care/troystuttlegreeniglist.htm

http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded-dragon-nutrition-data.php

http://www.fireandicedragons.com/food_chart/food_chart.html

As for the rests of his posts, I didn't really read any of it since he's throwing a tantrum over trivial things despite me being really close to what he believes. (Such as why baths are helpful or enclosure size).

Overall, I think it is pretty good.

=). I think it's actually quite good and helpful.

Anyways Daisy & Cooper, I appreciate all the opinions and advice since it will help me with anything I've missed or should add & ty for liking it overall.

 

[kingofnobbys]

OK ... I've offered some suggestions with reasons , you can accept them or not - no skin off my nose.

 

[Taterbug]

You page is well written and attratcive... As a matter of opinion though care sheets and feeding guides are a bit of an echo chamber. This has the effect of normalizing certain things and even "do lots of research" can just mean the same incorrect or misguided information is found repeatedly and assumed to be reliable. Too many sheets try to make things simple rather than really advocate exceptional care. If you expect your guide to have a decent reach its a good opportunity to help improve the standard o care rather than perpetuate dated or minimalistic standards.

Enclosure size : dragons can be active lizards and are semi-arboreal. Smaller cages limit the potential behaviors and range of enrichment that can be offered and setting "Minimum" standards for pet keeping basically sets the bar too low and promotes the idea that "minimum" is the same as "good". Based on my limited experience with reptiles a 40 gallon size enclosure is cruel for a lizard the size of a bearded dragon. A lot of new keepers will happily adopt minimum standards and never go beyond the initial research.

Lighting : there are a lot of advancements in lighting. It's fine to start with the tried and true but at least having links to further reading for more information would be good. With the current technology a T8 reptisun 10.0 set up like that is, again, the bare minimum. Lighting especially can be overwhelming but as such an important aspect of care it seems important that new keepers know their options or where to look down the road.

Food : ever notice how the food guides look really similar? Does that mean they are independently confirming the same information? Or that they are just different versions of the same thing? Some of the claims, like for the acceptability of kale or other greens aren't supported by research and literature outside the bearded dragon community.....

 

[DaisyDragon123]

Tater, I agree with you. Caresheets should be a jumpstart, not the end all. I am in the process of moving and am going to up my cage sizes once I get to my new location for better enrichment. Articles and caresheets do have a recycled factor. The truth is that most people are never going to upgrade from what a caresheet says. Most don't even do proper research contrary to what they say.

How many times have you read the following: "I've done research and have finally got my dragon, superworms, and sand"...something to that effect. At this point I feel that those who really care for their dragons will provide health care, do their own research, and perhaps buy reptile related books that go beyond the basics written by professionals or well regarded hobbyists.

I'm glad that you mentioned kale. I feed kale and spinach in small amounts. However, by the time you explain the term small amounts it gets very exasperating. Like mealworms. They can be a part of the diet, but it never fails if someone says yeah there okay as a small part somebody else will feed overfeed them daily.

I would be interested in a detailed caresheet covering "controversies" with notes from works cited, but your average owner apparently wants cliff notes.