New to Beardies - Fairhope, AL

[DuelingPokemon]

Good Evening everyone!

I am Sam and Sam I am! :3 (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)
Anywho, I am new to the Bearded Dragon family having just recently finished my payment on my little guy. Unfortunately, I has no pictures of him but he is due to arrive at my home on Wednesday with assurances that his caretaker is going to do over-night shipping. So, I am excited!

Said caretaker has given me plenty of advice on his diet and what his known likes/dislikes are, so I am prepared there. However, if anyone would still be willing to offer advice or tips so I can help him get settled into his new home, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CooperDragon]

Welcome to the forum! I'll bet you're quite excited to meet your new buddy. I look forward to seeing photos of him once he arrives. It sounds like he's off to a good start. I suggest reading through the care guides in the articles area for an overview of their care but feel free to ask any specific questions you have.

 

[DuelingPokemon]

Thank you so much, Cooper.

I'm very excited; I just got some recent pictures of little Nanaki (Me? Nerd? NAH! LIES!) and I have to say, I love them to pieces. He looks very healthy and Ive been told he's got a very sweet personality.

I originally thought he was going to be a dark crimson like his dad but I guess the momma coloring won out in the end!

 

[CooperDragon]

Looks like he has a nice big shed coming on. I wonder if he'll shed in pieces or just kind of explode all at once (it looks cool when they do that).

 

[DuelingPokemon]

That's an interesting thought.

I know my roommate's beardie does an exploding shed of sorts; I'll have to see when Nanaki gets here about his.

I'm just wondering if it would be okay for me to give him a warm water bath so soon after being shipped. Should I wait a day or two so he can settle or should I go ahead with a bath for him later on that same day?

 

[CooperDragon]

I'd hold off unless he is stinky and needs it. Give him time to settle in. Some of them like baths and it causes stress for others so it's not worth risking the extra stress if it isn't necessary. You could try offering him a drink by dripping a little water on his nose and see if he licks it up. If not, then he is probably getting enough hydration from his food.

 

[DuelingPokemon]

I'll try that then.

I do plan on putting in some greens and phoenix worms for him in the tank to see if he'll take a few mouthfuls. Plus, I have a large but very shallow water dish. I may fill that and let him dunk in and out of it at his leisure.

I feel very reluctant to feed him crickets though; his caretaker mainly stuck to dubias and various worms for protein and I read somewhere that crickets can carry parasites if you don't get them from the right place.

 

[CooperDragon]

Dubias are much easier to keep as well. They don't need much attention and are very hardy. They're good at eating veg scraps which is a plus. The crickets are stinky and noisy and die off relatively quickly. Having a dubia colony is the way to go in my opinion. If you order crickets from a reputable online dealer then the risk of parasites is relatively low because they're kept in clean conditions away from infection sources. Premiumcrickets and armstrong crickets are popular sources.

 

[DuelingPokemon]

I dunno about a colony at the apartment but Ive been pointed a reliable source that'll ship them at a good price and they come highly recommended.

Well, if anything, my Beardie will help me get over my "eck" of roaches as he grows up! lol

Thankfully I've got some phoenix worms in the fridge I can give him and some leftover baby dubias too. I might clean out that cricket container and put the dubias in there so it'll be easier to scoop them out.

Plus, with the scraps, a win/win situation.