Hi everyone,
I'm getting my first bearded dragon on Saturday as a surprise for my kids, and I've never even owned a reptile before. I need help! I feel a little overwhelmed at all the things I need to know -- I thought I was on track with asking a lot of questions at the pet store and checking a book out from the library, but the book and the store keep contradicting each other! So, I thought a community of actual owners would have the best answers to my final questions. Here they are, if you're able to help a nervous lizard owner out:
1. I know one side of the tank should be warmer, and the other cooler. I believe I read 80 degrees for the cooler side. But how do you regulate the heat on the cooler side? Don't you just use one heat lamp, or do you need a heat lamp on each side of the tank? (Our tank is a 90 gallon)
2. While the pet store recommended reptile carpet for the bottom of the cage, I think I'd rather use sand. The book I have says it's fine to use sandbox-type sand. Would that be just what you can buy at stores like Toys R' Us? How do you clean that out of a heavy tank when you need to? I would think you would dump it out every once in a while, but my tank is heavy. Do you think scooping most of it out and then vacuuming the rest would work?
3. My book says the lights can be a fire hazard. I was planning on putting the tank in my kids' room, since it will be their pet, but is that safe? Do any of you keep in in your children's room? If we don't put it there, our next option is downstairs in my husband's office room, but that's also carpeted. Should I have it on a bare floor in case of fire, or is it not that much of a worry?
4. Should I get a hide for the beardie? The book says they need one, but the pet store said not to get one because they might go into early brumation if they have one.
5. The store said I didn't need a night heat lamp, to just turn the regular heat lamp off at night and on in the morning. Is that true? It doesn't sound right to me.
6. What about heat pads that go under the tank? Our tank came with some, but the lady at the store said don't use them, that the beardie will get too hot because they don't feel heat through their stomachs and could sit over it too long.
7. How long can you keep them out of the cage? Will they get too cold after a while and is there some way of knowing if they're getting cold? Does it make a difference if they're being held vs. walking around on the floor?
8. If I get a water dish, should I still mist the dragon and cage with a spray bottle? Or should I just mist and skip the water dish?
9. Does their basking spot need to be right under the heat lamp, and should it be near the top of the cage, like a tall branch, so they're closest to the heat?
Sorry if this was way too many questions for one post. I didn't realize I had so many questions until I started typing. I just hope I can figure this all out by Saturday! So excited, but worried I'll forget something!
I'm getting my first bearded dragon on Saturday as a surprise for my kids, and I've never even owned a reptile before. I need help! I feel a little overwhelmed at all the things I need to know -- I thought I was on track with asking a lot of questions at the pet store and checking a book out from the library, but the book and the store keep contradicting each other! So, I thought a community of actual owners would have the best answers to my final questions. Here they are, if you're able to help a nervous lizard owner out:
1. I know one side of the tank should be warmer, and the other cooler. I believe I read 80 degrees for the cooler side. But how do you regulate the heat on the cooler side? Don't you just use one heat lamp, or do you need a heat lamp on each side of the tank? (Our tank is a 90 gallon)
2. While the pet store recommended reptile carpet for the bottom of the cage, I think I'd rather use sand. The book I have says it's fine to use sandbox-type sand. Would that be just what you can buy at stores like Toys R' Us? How do you clean that out of a heavy tank when you need to? I would think you would dump it out every once in a while, but my tank is heavy. Do you think scooping most of it out and then vacuuming the rest would work?
3. My book says the lights can be a fire hazard. I was planning on putting the tank in my kids' room, since it will be their pet, but is that safe? Do any of you keep in in your children's room? If we don't put it there, our next option is downstairs in my husband's office room, but that's also carpeted. Should I have it on a bare floor in case of fire, or is it not that much of a worry?
4. Should I get a hide for the beardie? The book says they need one, but the pet store said not to get one because they might go into early brumation if they have one.
5. The store said I didn't need a night heat lamp, to just turn the regular heat lamp off at night and on in the morning. Is that true? It doesn't sound right to me.
6. What about heat pads that go under the tank? Our tank came with some, but the lady at the store said don't use them, that the beardie will get too hot because they don't feel heat through their stomachs and could sit over it too long.
7. How long can you keep them out of the cage? Will they get too cold after a while and is there some way of knowing if they're getting cold? Does it make a difference if they're being held vs. walking around on the floor?
8. If I get a water dish, should I still mist the dragon and cage with a spray bottle? Or should I just mist and skip the water dish?
9. Does their basking spot need to be right under the heat lamp, and should it be near the top of the cage, like a tall branch, so they're closest to the heat?
Sorry if this was way too many questions for one post. I didn't realize I had so many questions until I started typing. I just hope I can figure this all out by Saturday! So excited, but worried I'll forget something!