sprinz03":1ttlhjg0 said:
6-7 month old female. I'm treating her for parasites - she's due back to vet Jan 27.
I'm hoping to re-home her with someone who knows what they're doing - not someone clueless like me. I'm afraid if I adopt through Petsmart or Petco she may not get placed in a better situation.
I'm in New Jersey
Don't be so hard on yourself. You obviously care for her alot scene as you have got her vetinary care.
Unfortunately many pet stores give people incorrect information but thats not your fault and you have come to the right place to get the correct information about the set up and care she needs.
If you read through the care sheets and some posts on here could you will know enough to keep her happy and healthy and you will learn moe as time goes by.
The most important things to get your head round are:
Temperature - 100-110 basking temp and 80ish cool side temp. This needs to me measured with a digital thermometer wih a long wire and a probe at the end or an infared temperature gun. The round dial thermometers can be inaccurate.
UVB lighting - Get a Repti-SUN 10.0 or Arcaida D3 12% UVB tube light (make sure its not coil) and your beardie should be able to get within 6-8 inches of the bulb at the closest point. There should be no plastic or screen between the bulb and your beardie. You can get a flourescent fixture from a DIY store for the bulb.
Feeding - Crickets, Horn worms, Silkworms and Dubia Roach are all great feeders. Avoid meal worms as they have a hard shell and can be difficult to digest. You should also feed her fresh veg daily, see this site
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Calcium and vitamin supplementation - At her age you should be supplementing one feeding a day of live food with calcium 5x a week and vitamins 2x a week.
It does seem a lot of info at first but once you have got your head round the basics you should be ok.
