Preparing for our first Beardie! A few questions...

[Dragon4Me]

Hi Everyone,
I have been reading the postings on this site for about a week and half (and I mean hours of reading) and have learned so much, thank you! My 14 year old daughter and I will be bringing home our first beardie in a couple weeks. He was four months and the breeder and I thought it would be a good idea for her to keep him(?) for a while longer to make sure he would be a good fit for us being new to dragons and also to give me time to properly research and gather what we need to bring him to a safe happy place to live. He should be about 5 months or so when we get him. We have been to visit him and of course, already in love. He is a leatherback and so handsome!

So today I got a lot of what we'll need. Here is a list and I have a few questions - was wondering if I could get some input.

What I have:
Exo Terra Terrarium 36x18x18 (equals 50 gal)
Repticarpet
2 digital thermometers with probes
18" light housing (got at Walmart) for the Reptisun 10.0 I'm ordering online
Command hooks (so UVB is inside tank)
New bathing bin
Reptical Calcium (phosphorus free w/D3) and Multivitamins
Food Dish
Large twisted branch structure (and will allow him to get up higher to bask)
Large hide that he can also climb/crawl
(I was going to keep it simple for now so he can adjust and crickets can't hide as easily from him)
*have not bought basking light/dome yet until I get input

Basic questions:
Is 18" UVB long enough for this tank or does it have to be 24"?
Can the hide go anywhere or should it be on hot/middle/cooler end of tank?
Given the set up I am describing and the fact that he is 5 months, what Watt basking bulb do you recommend? and it needs to be clear white? any brand right?
Do basking lights ever go inside the tank or always above the screen lid so beardie can't somehow come in contact? I ask because he is so little but needs higher basking temp and the tank is 18" high - I'd either have to have basking light inside tank or be able for him to get pretty high in tank to get within the right distance (6-8"?)

Food: The breeder is a home breeder, very small scale and has quite a variety of pet reptiles - I felt very comfortable with everything I saw...cleanliness, health of the lizards (everything from dragons, to water dragons, a Tagu, tortoises, Uramastics), all were active and alert. The only thing is that she focuses on using small superworms for the juve as the staple protein instead of crickets. I guess she has had some bad experiences with them and has found superworms work well for her. But I have read on here that they
are not great for the young ones because of the exoskeletons, crickets are better.
So my question is...I was planning on trying to shift him to crickets when we bring him home. I'm assuming it may be a gradual thing and I should plan on giving him both to transition him to the crickets? or would trying to switch him be too much change on top of whatever relocation stress he is going to experience and I should wait until he has settled into his new home?

Easy questions: When is a beardie considered adult - 1 year? Is 14 hours of light okay for him - not too much? Can someone send me the instructions to upload pictures through photobucket?

Sorry for the long message - I've been waiting until I could put it all in one.

Thanks for any responses, I appreciate it!
Jennifer

 

[Onlymediocre]

HI!! okay, heres a link on how to upload pics >> viewtopic.php?f=30&t=167225

Its so great ur doing ur research 1st And ur gonna be so happy choosing a beardie for a pet

Okay the tank u have is fine, but I rlly dont think its gonna last too long (they grow like crazy!) If u still have the stickers on it, u may want to consider returning it for a 40 gal breeder (that way u wont have to get another one later on, and I believe petco is doing their $1/gal sell until the 19th, so thats a thought)

Id get the 24" reptisun 10.0 tube, I think its supposed to cover about 3/4 the tank (someone correct me if Im wrong there) and u mount the UVB inside the tank where while ur beardie is basking he.she is withing 6-8 inches from the light.

For a basking bulb, get u a regular household old fashion bulb, clear...not an energy efficient one (these are gettin a lot harder to find) but u should be able to get them at a dollar store, i believe the ones i use are 60w, but for $1 a pack, u can get different watts and figure out which one u need to get ur temps right... The walmart here quit carrying reg bulbs, so u could check urs, but odds are a dollar store is ur best bet. Which the tank being 18" tall, ull want to put the baskign light on top of the screen. The only times Ive seen them inside is when ppl make their own custom vivs, and those are typically 24" tall. there isnt a standard distance away for the basking bulb, only the uvb, the basking bulb u have to put at whatever distance gives u the proper temp range (100-110) so what ull do is sit it over the side u put the branch on, and hell be able to move up and down the branch to the temp he feels comforable which (so some spots on the branch may be 110, then further down 109, 108, etc)

The breeders problem with the crickets was probably that they stink, lol. They have a very strong smell to them, especially when ur dealing with 1000s as she woulda been. oh they smell awful, lol U are correct on not giving superworms to small beardies, they have a kink in their digestion tract until they reach about 16", so it could pose a impaction risk. Hes probaly not gonna eat too much at 1st anyway (due to relocation stress) but u could just go ahead and start offering the crickets, no need to try to wean him off the worms, lol. Mine were fed dubia roaches from the breeder, and I continued to feed them (cause I alrdy had a colony going too) and I went to a reptile show and grabbed 1000 crix (way cheaper at a reptile show) and they loved them, having never even seen one before, u woulda thought I starved them by their excitment in the crix, lol. So u can def just start giving crix, theyre natural instinct, is hey its smaller than me and moving, Im gonna catch it and eat it. Just make sure u get crix that are shorter length wise than the space inbetween ur beardies eyes to hlp avoid impaction U may want to look into Dubia roaches too, they have 2x the protein and are VERY easy to breed.

I think beardies continue to grow until around 2 yrs old... so Id consider 2 yrs an adult. IDK what the actually ages by definition are. But 5 months should be a juvie, I think. then around a yr to 18 months a subadult? maybe someone that knows those terms and ages better will come along and comment (hint hint) lol

Okay I think thats everything? anything I missed or any other questions feel free to ask

well dang I did miss something... put the cave/hide on the cool side now I think thats everything, lol

 

[daner923]

Hi there! Sounds like you have things going quite well.. You can use the 18 inch or 24 inch, no problem. UVB should cover 1/2 to 2/3 of the tank. Generally, a beardie is a sub-adult from about a year to 18 months, and considered an adult at 18 months, but should continue growing (at least in stockiness, if not length) up to 2 years old. You can probably switch to crickets, even if he's picky for a few days, he'll get the message eventually! As for the basking light, I use a 50 watt basking bulb from the pet store, and my basking spot stays about 105F (but it is winter, and my house stays pretty cool this time of year, so I might need a dimmer come spring time).

I might suggest leaving out the hide at first - sometimes beardies that are relocating will hide rather than bask, and you don't want to encourage that. After a few weeks to settle in, you can add the hide back.

Onlymediocre: the tank she currently has is in fact already a 40 gallon breeder, except it's about 1.5 inches taller, so its actually a 50 gallon breeder . It's the same tank I have. Plenty of space.

 

[stormwolfe]

Hi!

I'm new to the forums and to Beardies so welcome!

Since you have the exact same Exo-Terra set-up I do, one note of warning, do not set the basking light directly on the screen top. It will melt the plastic around the screen and even the styrofoam backdrop if you use it. Get a light stand or one of the stands that affixes to the back of the terrarium - both are adjustable and will save you from finding you have to replace the screen top!

Best of luck! Can't wait for pictures.

~ Stormwolfe

 

[daner923]

Stormwolfe (and everyone else): If you get a fixture for the light that fits between the plastic struts, it is no problem. I have three lights over my tank ( 60W CHE for night, 50W basking light, and 60W incandescent for ambient temp/lighting), and no problems with the struts in over a month.

 

[Dragon4Me]

Thank you all very much....that was a great help. I'll be buying the other items shortly. I'm just as excited as my daughter, lol. And I like the idea of holding off on the hide. He doesn't have one now in his 10 gal so it won't be taking away something he is used to if I leave it out for a bit.
Can't wait!!!!

 

[jacody]

I'd also hold off on the hide, I've never used one for mine because I've read conflicting things about aggression problems while using one. they're fine with basic furniture that will allow them to get close to their light sources and maybe some other small things to spruce it up, that's all you need really, once they start pooping everywhere and you have to strip the viv down to clean you'll be happy to have less...

 

[daner923]

Eventually, you will want a hide if your beardie decides to brumate, because it gives him a place to nap!

 

[Dragon4Me]

Okay here goes, these are pics the breeder has sent me...he is a leatherback.
In the last few days "Look how I'm growing!"

This was a couple weeks ago

This was yesterday

"I'm learning how to hang out with people!"

Is it just me or is he cute??