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Basic Baby Bearded Dragon Care?

ChaoSile

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
3
Location
Utah, USA
Hello! I'm looking into getting a Bearded Dragon and had a few questions.

How long could you house a baby Bearded Dragon in a 20 Gal. (L) aquarium?

What's the minimum tank size for a Bearded Dragon (Some websites I read said 40, some said 55, some said 100+)?

What are the basic supplies needed?

What exactly do Bearded Dragons eat?

Are Bearded Dragons a pet that will sit on your shoulder while you do your daily business?

Can you house multiple Bearded Dragons together?
If so, what would the minimum tank size be for two?

Are there personality differences between a male and a female?

Can/would they bite?

How often can you hold them (I'm just reading an article that say's not to really interact with them until they reach around 6 inches in length)?
 

Eavlynn

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
978
20 gallon: I don't use 20s for my beardies because they grow so stinking quick! I started my little dude (of about 5 inches) in a 40. You can make it seem smaller by putting black paper on the inside to add security. Putting it on the outside casts a reflection on the glass that they can see themselves in. My little guy drove himself crazy for a couple days before I figured it out.

Minimum tank size: a 40 gallon is the minimum. Any smaller would be cruel for an adult. I prefer 4 x 2 enclosures for my beardies, once they are big enough for them, of course.

Basic supplies: basking bulb for a basking spot if 100 - 107F. Tube style UVB (not the coil style), preferably the reptisun 10.0 T5 HO. Don't skimp on the UVB, get the best of the best. Without UVB you get MBD, is what I say. (Metabolic Bone Disease) There's more to it than that, but insufficient UVB is the biggest contributor. Once you realize whats happening, its often too late to reverse the symptoms. Hides, things to climb on, and a substrate of sorts, like repticarpet or paper towels. You'll also want powdered multivitamin with beta carotene, powdered calcium with D3 and without D3 (no added D3 if you can take them out for sun in Fairweather, but go's witch between the two during the winter so they get enough D3 to utilize the calcium during the winter). A good probiotic is good to have on hand as well.

Food: dubia roaches are the absolute best! I'll never feed crickets again. The nutrition is crickets is nothing compared to a roach. You can also feed horn worms, silk worms, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). And greens like collard, mustard, dandelion, turnip, etc. There are many occasional foods you can add to the salad.

Some beardies will sit on your shoulder when small enough. My little guy does.

Cohabbing: definitely not. Never ever. No bueno. Only one member houses two females together, but the circumstances were outside of the norm. It's not something you should attempt, as it will not end well.

Gender temperaments: no difference really. Each dragon has their own personality, but gender has little to no affect. Males can get just a tad bigger than females, and occasionally, females can lay infertile eggs even if they are never bred.

Biting: anything with a mouth can bite. It's unlikely that you will get bit. Very unlikely. My dude has never bit me, even on his crankiest day while shedding. Unless you get a dragon that hasn't been socialized for a long time, you'll be fine, and even then, they rarely bite.

Handling: I waited to handle my boy until he was 6 inches, with the exception of moving him to and from a feeding container. They are quite fragile as young juveniles, which is why it is recommended that you wait. They grow so fast that you won't have to wait long! Now that my beardies are bigger, I handle them daily.

Why a feeding container you may ask? My little guy was small and easily distracted. So I used a 10 gallon to feed him in. That way the feeders were easy to see, and if he didn't eat them, I didn't have to worry about them hiding out in his enclosure decor. I still feed my adult female in a feeding bin, but she has reduced motor function from MBD, so it helps her out. Now that my boy is pushing 10 inches, I feed him roaches one by one in his enclosure to keep an eye on things. He usually gets them before they even hit the floor.

Babies eat a LOT. They are like bottomless pits. Make sure you're up for a rigorous feeding schedule, and can provide everything they need to be healthy. Having a dragon is so rewarding when you can provide proper care, but it's not cheap! And neither are the vet visits!

Whew! There's a lot of info there. And more members should be chiming in as well. Please, keep asking questions! We love to help point people in the right direction to help them be a great beardie parent! There is no such thing as a dumb question :)

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PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
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9,390
Location
Chicago
Eavlynn gave some good advise! There's a link below my post that gives you some more general information about care and what to feed them.
 

ChaoSile

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
3
Location
Utah, USA
I see! Thank you SO MUCH for all that information! I have two more questions regarding feeding!

Can you breed the roaches for them? I'd assume constantly buying them may get a little pricy.

Do you have to feed them mice too? When I was younger my mom had told me that, and it was a bit of a deciding factor. Though, now that I'm older, it doesn't bother me at all (I have a snake).
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
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Location
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Yes you can breed roaches for them @Hdrydr31 can give you some tips if you need them. No you don't have to feed them mice. Some people like to give a pinky (a day old mouse) but it's really not recommended unless it's a female that just laid eggs.
 

Eavlynn

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
978
Heck yeah you can breed them! Hdrydr31 pointed me in the right direction for my colony. I love it, and so do my beardies. Mice aren't something that should usually be fed.

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Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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Yes you can breed roaches for them @Hdrydr31 can give you some tips if you need them. No you don't have to feed them mice. Some people like to give a pinky (a day old mouse) but it's really not recommended unless it's a female that just laid eggs.
Yep breeding them would be the way to go for sure!! They are super simple. I did write up a care info that is in the link below my comments the key is to leave the main breeder colony alone for 6-9 weeks except to change water crystals, oranges (gets them busy lol) and chow. Don't disturb any female with a red tube looking sac or she will drop the eggs before they give live birth. Have another tub for the feeders.
The great things about dubia are they are great for gut loading as their GI tract is super long (keeping the good greens inside) so your bd gets it, they are soft bellied only the adults have some hard shell but that gets digested as long as the temps are good, also making them easy to eat as they can chew them. Just make sure the dubia being fed is not widerr than the width of your bd eyes...

If you have questions about getting them going or anything that isn't clear in the thread I wrote in let me know and I'll help answer..
 

Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
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3 Year Member
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Messages
5,574
Heck yeah you can breed them! Hdrydr31 pointed me in the right direction for my colony. I love it, and so do my beardies. Mice aren't something that should usually be fed.

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I'm glad your colony is doing well :) I've had to slow mine down haha but they are just happy little bugs and now my kiddo's are brumating sigh
 

Eavlynn

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
978
I'm glad your colony is doing well :) I've had to slow mine down haha but they are just happy little bugs and now my kiddo's are brumating sigh
No signs of brumation here! *knock on wood* So dubia munching is still in full swing. I'd actually like to boost my production, so I'm gonna bump the temp up a bit.

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Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Staff member
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
5,574
No signs of brumation here! *knock on wood* So dubia munching is still in full swing. I'd actually like to boost my production, so I'm gonna bump the temp up a bit.

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oranges! increase ratio, mood music lol
 

Eavlynn

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Messages
978
They love the clementines I've been giving them. I feed carrots and greens as well with the roach chow. They like it all.

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Monty Donnelly

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
6
Hello can anybody help me with my bearded dragon. I think she might a had some scales come off!?
 

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