Should I take in a Bearded Dragon?

[tiffany8579]

A friend of mine is moving and found out he can't take his bearded dragon with him. I am an animal lover however, I have never owned a reptile and don't really know what to expect if I take his beardie in. I have read one of the care articles i found on this site and just registered for the forums. I am pretty sure its a full grown adult and i am told it will come with everything that is needed to take care if it like lights, cage, accessories etc. Is it a bad idea to move a beardie into my home if it is so used to living somewhere else? I dont want it to not be able to find a home and get put to sleep or something and I have been contemplating getting a pet but im afraid i dont really know what to expect. can they be mean or aggressive? will it try to bite me? Is there really anything that i should be worried about? any advice would be a big help. thanks

 

[beardie parents]

Beardies are the tamest most loving lizards I've ever found. We've had a total of 6 beardies (not all at the same time) The only way a beardie will be mean is the very rare one who is very testy or one who has been badly abused and is afraid. All of the beardies we've had loved to be held. You will get the odd stink eye when you do something they aren't very happy with. Before last Christmas, Goldie told me (look in her eyes) 'I put up with a lot from you guys'. That's the worst look we ever got from any of them. Ours are soo loving, they feel left out or somewhat unloved if we don't hold them as long as they have been used to being held. If they can con you into holding them 24/7, they will. Recently, I said to my husband "I'm tempted to let her (Goldie) stay here all night. She was supposedly asleep at the time but she heard it and assumed I was going to let her sleep on me all night long, which I've never done and the only way I would is if it was too cold for them otherwise.

I suggest you take him but remember, don't use any sand or any other loose substrate, they are healthier with solid substrates for several reasons. I would make sure the uvb bulb that comes with him is not too old and if the previous owner isn't sure about how old it is. Read through the care sheets on this site and ask any questions you may have.

 

[tiffany8579]

I found out today it is 2 years old. He should be moving in soon and when i get him ill take some pics to show him off a bit. I hear they are awesome as pets and Im excited to see what its like to own a lizard like this. Im glad they are loving because I plan to hold him alot and let him walk on me and hang out with me when Im home. I want to get a tupperware tub to let him soak in because Im not really big on having poo in my bathtub or sink lol. I just hope it accepts me as its new owner. oh yea, i need to find out if its male or female so i dont have to call it an it. Thanks for the reply :wink:

 

[catUK]

You'll wonder why you didn't get a beardie sooner, they are excellent pets. Ive had rabbits, hamsters etc in the past but nothing tops my beardie- she is so tame and loves being near me and cuddles. She also loves to swim which is a joy to watch.

Is it a bad idea to move a beardie into my home if it is so used to living somewhere else?

He/she may go through a bit of relocation stress but this is expected and it is not harmful. He/she will quickly get used to his/her new home. as for him/her liking you, no doubt in my mind that your beardie will form a great bond with you eventually. Good luck with your new beardie and believe me you'll fall in love with him/her so quickly!!

keep us updated when you get him/her

 

[NCSUCarrie]

they make wonderful pets and all have different personalities I seriously doubt you will regret getting him. Most are pretty docile, social, and enjoy interacting with people. Check out the care sheets on here and make sure what he comes with jives with those care sheets. There are plenty of dragons that " come with what they need" who actually come with nothing that they need ! But hopefully you'll get a good setup. If not check out things online at sites such as PetMountain, reptile supply, LLL reptile, etc adn that will save you money.
The UVB bulb that is generally considered the best and safest option right now is the Repti-sun 10-0 tube fluroescent bulb - this should be changed every 6-12 months. Without this bulb and keeping it changed regularly a lot of medical issues can arise. Also make sure you measure his temperatures in the tank with a digital probe thermometer (like an indoor/outdoor thermometer) or with a Temp Gun.
Beardies are relatively easy to care for, but do have fairly specific paramaters that need to be met for them to thrive
Welcome to the world of bearded dragons - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised Check out some of the threads on here , beardie tales and photo expressions usually have some good stories - and you'll quickly see how enamored all of us are with our lizards hehe
Carrie

 

[tiffany8579]

sorry its been so long since i replied, it actually took me until today to get him (i think its a him). i took some pics of him in his cage so you can let me know if its good or bad, any advice is helpful. he actually has some bright orange streaks on his head, sides and spines. he looks really cool and im just trying to let him relax for now because im sure he had a stressful couple weeks lol. it didnt take him long to make me a 'hello-new-mommy' gift LOL. I named him Koosh because his spines remind me of a koosh ball. I guess his former owners did not name him. they had him for 2 years and didnt name him anyways, hopefully my pics will come out onto this post. thanks again.

 

[tiffany8579]

I just looked at my post and realized you cant see the lights in any of the pics lol so here is a pic of them, one is a red light that i was told to use at night and the other is a bright light that gets quite hot and right now the temp reads at about 90 degrees. when he first got here it was 80 degrees in there and the light has only been on him for about an hour and a half. unfortunately i dont have any crickets or greens for him because i didnt know if i was really getting him until today, long story lol. i have to go out later when i get a ride to get some crickets but i was given a little unopened thing of freeze dried grasshoppers that is made for bearded dragons. i put a couple on a little dish for him and he ate those pretty fast so i figure hes gotta be starving. i gave him a few more and now he seems content. so anyways, ill stop rambling and show u the pic

 

[catUK]

Ah he's gorgeous, congratulations. Your set up looks great but can i make a couple of suggestions? replace the sand with tile or reptile carpet- sand can cause impaction, don't use the night light as it disturbs their sleep and you may want to get a digital thermometer with probe for more accurate readings as the ones you have can be out + or - 20 degrees. As long as temps stay around 70 (no lower than 60) at night he'll be fine- if in doubt you can get a ceramic heat emitter linked to a thermostat . Also i don't see a UVB bulb- this is vital, the reptisun 10 tube is the best. Have fun with your new beardie.

 

[tiffany8579]

yes, please do make suggestions lol. they are very much appreciated because i dont know much about these animals and i want to make sure hes completely happy and healthy. I dont want to trust everything I heard from the previous owner so thats why i signed up here to get a better idea of what they need. I can already see that hes gonna be a really cool pet. He loves attention. if im sitting in a chair at one side of the cage and take my eyes off him for 3 seconds he runs right over to the side im sitting at lol. he also likes eye contact and being pet. thank you so much for your help and im sure ill be checking back in regularly with questions if i cant find an answer on a care sheet. thanks again ^^

 

[catUK]

awww he sounds great!! Good luck with everything and ask away whenever you need to- there's a lot to take in when new to it but im sure you'll do a great job

 

[tiffany8579]

I bought 2 dozen crickets today and he ate them all but 1. Im really worried that his former owner didnt take care of him properly. not only is he short a light and living on sand but hes also starving. I know ill have to go back tomorrow and get another 2 dozen, im just glad they are so cheap. I bought another lamp and a UVB bulb for it so ill have his proper lighting. I attempted to buy a calcium/D3 and a multivitamin but the girl didnt ring me up for them and i didnt realize it until i got home and saw that i didnt have them :evil: lol. I tried to put him in a rubbermaid tub with some slightly warm, shallow water and he immediatly tried to jump out and i didnt want him to get hurt or lost so i put him back in his cage. Am i doing something wrong? he definitly has more energy after eating. I really hope there isnt any lasting damage from the way he was treated. I feel so bad for the little guy. hes so adorable and i want him to be healthy and happy. should i wait a few days before i try to give him a soak?

 

[Vermundor]

LOL
It doesn't seem like he's starving. Beardies are piglets when you allow them to be. He might of been given less fruits and veggies in between feedings, so that might be why he's acting ravenous.

I personally bath my lizard in the bathtub, filling it just a bit so it reached his back with luke warm water. This way he has a lot more room and can't suddenly jump out. I place my arm in there like a branch so when he's a bit scared he'll climb on my arm until he wants to go back in. This seems to work with him, so it might just work for you.

 

[rangosclan]

Our one year old male spent a lot of time trying to escape the water when we first got him home. Make sure the water is baby bath water warm just up to his shoulders and then let him run around the water. If its too cold or too hot they will be sure to let you know LOL. also, remember that basking temps should be between 105F-110F under the heat lamp. It sounds like he's doing great! I'm glad you decided to take him in. Definately check out all the pics and behavior threads, these may help answer questions you don't know you have yet! Welcome to the wonderful world of beardies, and welcome to the family of beardie lovers!!!!

 

[NCSUCarrie]

From the pictures at least it doesn't appear as if he is in too bad shape. He appears to be a decent weight - and doesn't look like he has bones that are super prominent. Many adults eat insects pretty voraciously especially when they don't get them too often. As adults they should be eating more greens and veggies than insects. There are some differing opinions out there, but I think it's fine to feed adults insects 2-3 times weekly and have a big salad available everyday. Check out the beautiful dragons website for good ideas for greens and veggies for these guys
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Getting him off sand will be helpful, so I'm glad you're on board with that Sand can harbor bacteria, parasites, and potentially fungus on top of being an impaction risk... yuck (AND it's a super pain to clean out....I kept my first beardie on sand for a few months too...lol)

As for the bath...once they get used to them, most bearded dragons tolerate bathtime pretty well and some even enjoy it. I would try again somewhere that he can't hop/ climb out of...sometimes a sink, bathtub, or a deeper container may work. You can also try putting a washcloth on the bottom to give him something to grip on. But I bet if you let him settle in for a few minutes he'll probably calm right down. I think you would be fine to soak him again tomorrow as long as you have somewhere that is OK to put him. If he's jumping on the sides he shouldnt' be able to hurt himself, but keep an eye on him certainly... I always joke it's the beardie treadmill when they try to scurry out the sides

Congrats on getting your beardie and good luck with the first few days ! It can certainly be stressful trying to get things settled in, but soon you'll both be comfortable ! It's great that he already wants to see what you are up and is sociable

 

[tiffany8579]

last night was the first night at my house and he seemed to be comfortable. The new light makes his orange color really pop out and he looks so cool. i love the little scales and spines under his chin and he lets me pet him on his chin and neck. ive tried taking him out to hold him but he gets nervous and tries to get away from me so im afraid to let him go lol im going to try and hold him a little more each day to see if he warms up to me. the pet store workers told me they cant see red so i should leave the red light on while he sleeps just to make sure the temp doesnt fluxuate too much because that can cause them to get sick. as soon as i turned off the other two lights he went right to sleep. He looks comfy on the sand when he sleeps so im wondering if its ok to give him a towel or something as a little bed when i change out the sand for the reptile carpet when i get home. I hope i got the right kind. the girl told me that he cant get his little feet stuck in it but it kind of looks like a felt. Im going back today to get more crickets and his vitamins so ill look to see if they have any other kind. Thanks everyone for the advice, this forum has been very helpful already. you guys are great and its nice to see people that love beardies so much that they will try and help anyone who is unsure about their care. thanks