newbie needs help/info

[camaro87]

Hello I've always like bearded dragons but never had them I always had aqauriums with fish instead but now I've decided to switch I've got rid of my fish and have an empty 55 gal tank I wanna use for a couple bearded dragons. So my question is what needs to be done to my tank for the dragons to live/survive in? Also what kind of care? Feeding do they need? Thanks.

 

[cashrokxsz]

ok, u need alot of stuff if all u have is the tank. im going to start with the most important enclosure stuff u need:
1. a reptisun 10.0 flourescent tube light
2. a hood with a reflector for the flourescent tube
3. a halogen heat bulb that produces uva
4. a clamp lamp with a ceramic socket
5. a substrate, anything thats not particle [carpet, shelf liner, tile, paper towel]
6. a food dish/water dish [the water dish isnt completely necesary if beardie is bathed daily]
7. a cave or hide of sum sort

now for the health of ur beardie:
1. feeder insects [crickets, roaches, worms, grubs]
2. leafy greens [collard, kale, turnip]
3. calcium with D3
4. heptivite [multivitamin]
5. reptaid for under 250g or reptaid XL for over 250g [helps prevent and treat parasites]
6. acidophiliz+ [a digestive tract conditioner]

thats about all u need for a bearded dragon to succeed. o i forgot sumthin else u need, alot of patience.

to the other posters who read this, if i missed anything feel free to add it on to the list.

 

[N3LRX]

One thing missed is the fact the beardies are mainly solitary and territorial animals. I would not advise putting more than one in one tank. Doing so might end up a disaster. If you plan to get a 'couple' then you will need two enclosures and all the necessary items to go along with his/her environment.

 

[cashrokxsz]

actually, 2 females will get along juhs fine. just make sure they r indeed females. but never put a female and a male in a cage together. we all kno what happens. this can lead to a lil girl havin unfertilized eggs too soon n can cause death.

 

[Buggsy]

actually females can be just as dominant and aggressive as males. When housing two together it is not just unwanted eggs you face, there are severe and often deadly dominance issues. They will lie on each other, one may become too scared to move or eat, they will display to each other, all of which is terrible stressful to each and neither will do as well as if they had their own space.

I would also like to point out, its great you are doing your research now, but a 55 gal tank is a little too narrow for beardies, they like floor space really. It will be good to start off with but will need replacing for a 40 gal breeder at least down the line.

 

[dragonxxxx]

buggsy you took the words right out of my mouth, i'm always stressing that 55 gal, 40 gal, even 65 gal tanks are to narrow. a 75 gal has decent floor space but those are to tall. get a 40 gal breeder to start, and thats all you will need.

 

[camaro87]

ok so i just picked up my new 75 gal tank which is way bigger and more floor space then my old 55gal tank. im just at the point of getting the tank set up and picking up all the lighting stuff etc.. then i plan on picking out a beardie. one question i have is there specific tempuratures in the tank? if so what are they and how do i keep them at that certain level? oh and for lighting i need a baskign lamp and a regular day light bulb with uvb right?

 

[Paradon]

Try this site: http://www.anapsid.org It's one of the greatest I've come across so far--and it's free! Make sure you read other link about captive issues and many more, not just about bearded dragons. You can learn from that site how to care for reptiles, even the sick ones, and make them thrive for years.... There are so many things you need to learn! Please try to read everything! :mrgreen:

 

[camaro87]

great site lots of info. still reading it though. in the meen time im still getting my tank set up and was wondering is it safe to use rocks and such from somewhere like my own backyard for decor? i figure as long as it's clean and all. but just want to make sure.

 

[cashrokxsz]

yea. dats perfectly fine. jus soak it in a 10% bleach solution. or just boil it for 30 mins.

 

[camaro87]

Great great cuz I know rocks and sucj for decor can get a bit pricy in the stores

 

[cashrokxsz]

thats the pet store hustle. but we can do all these things ourselves.

 

[Nasubi77]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet:

You also need a digital thermometer with a probe on a wire, or a temp gun. These are the only ways to accurately measure temps.

Your basking temp should be 100-110 degrees...on the higher end of that range for a baby.

And the temp on the cool side of the tank should be around 80.

As for feeding, a baby should be offered live bugs 2-3 times a day. Let him eat as much as he can eat in about 10-15 minutes. This can equal 50 or more bugs a day. Make sure your crickets are smaller than the space between his eyes. Dust one meal a day, 5x a week with the calcium and 2x a week with the multivites.

A fresh salad of dark, leafy greens and other healthy veggie should be offered every day, chopped into bite sized pieces. Here is a good list to see which veggies are good and which ones are not! Beautiful Dragons Nutrition Chart

 

[camaro87]

great thanks. im putting ceramic tiles in my tank now but im wondering would it be better fo rthe beardie to put some tiles that have sum "texture" to it rather then just smooth glossy tiles? just becuase i was thinking it might be "slippery" on the smooth/glossy ones and the ones with a rough like texture will look alot nicer and be easier to walk on. also is it best to put the tiles right to the floor of the tank and grout n seal em to the tank/glass? or put them on a removable wood platform? or just lay them in there loose so they can be removed? the loose way im thinking theres gaps inbetween the tiles and i dont won't their little toes or nails getting suck in there.

 

[Nasubi77]

great thanks. im putting ceramic tiles in my tank now but im wondering would it be better fo rthe beardie to put some tiles that have sum "texture" to it rather then just smooth glossy tiles? just becuase i was thinking it might be "slippery" on the smooth/glossy ones and the ones with a rough like texture will look alot nicer and be easier to walk on. also is it best to put the tiles right to the floor of the tank and grout n seal em to the tank/glass? or put them on a removable wood platform? or just lay them in there loose so they can be removed? the loose way im thinking theres gaps inbetween the tiles and i dont won't their little toes or nails getting suck in there.

You are absolutely right. Get the textured type of tiles so it won't be slippery for him. If you have a glass tank, grouting the tiles would not be a good idea, but if you have a wood enclosure, that could work. It would add a lot of weight, though. Most of us just lay them in there. I, personally, have never had a problem with toenails getting stuck. The biggest problem with having space between the tiles is that poop will seep in between the cracks. I use a layer of the shelf liner underneath the tiles to keep the glass safe and to absorb this seepage, and replace the liner when I do a thorough tank cleaning every few weeks. I have considered caulking the seams with silicone. If you do this, let it dry completely and then let it "cure" under the heat light for at least a couple days before you put your dragon in to make sure any residual fumes are gone. Most of my tanks are some combination of shelf liner/paper towels and tiles. I try to figure out where they like to poop and put paper towels in that area. It works for two of mine, but the others just poop in random places, so I haven't quite perfected my ideal setup. I'm in the middle of building new vivs, so I'm just going to make do until then, but I think my tiles in those will be grouted. Just play around with it and figure out what works best for you.