Best Way To Start off Right With a New Beardie

[fergie]

Hi all ;D We just lost our beardie but this is not what that's about. We are going to get another once we finish grieving for Fergie. Since we got into this as dog owner and knowing precious little about how to safeguard our little reptile family members. I am going to spend a bunch of time here just reading, but if anyone can direct us to some solid reading on beardies, would be great!

The home for our beardie is actually a decent size 48" x 24" x 24" it originally had playground sand (now all gone since Fergie died), and everything that was in it has now been washed with mild soap and the inside of the home has been bleached. It's going to be a while until we get another but my biggest question is...I know this home is too big for a baby beardie, so if we do get a baby, what is the best size to start with and what is the best substrate to use?

Our last one died of liver failure, not impaction. I just want to do everthing right from the start.

Cheers everyone and thanks.

 

[egg 80]

for a baby beardie use either tile, artificial grass,paper or similar for substrate dont use any granulate substrate as impaction is more likely at such young age as for the size of the viv you will need a bigger one when s/he is older so if you want a smaller one if i was you keep the one you got but partition it so as it gets older you an enlarge the viv easily. feed the young beardies daily as many crixs as it will take in ten mins twice a day plus remember to give salad also as will be his hers main diet when older. there is a good beardie care sheet on the forum and if you search the net for a care sheet be careful as some contradict others so if your a bit confused about summut please do ask. there is plenty of readin material out there about beardies on the net and in books hope this helps
im in a bit of a rush to get out at the mo juat waitin for taxi so will try post some links in the morn and again i am sorry for your loss

 

[renich]

Hello and welcome. So sorry for your loss. It is very hard to loose a loved one. I'm with you. We lost Bernie a year ago. It's still hard and we miss him soooo much. In time, we will get another, but not right now.

We actually started our site as a notepad for ourselves when we became overwhelmed with the care of these little creatures. If you click the 'Back to Main Site' on the upper right hand corner, it will take you to our home page.

Here's a direct link for our caresheet.
Bearded Dragon Care

 

[fergie]

;D
Thanks, great info here BTW. We've been talking to other owners online and it's actually amazing how many people have beardie's! What's sad is that many owners, like us have gone out and bought a beardie only to think that they are low mtce and they really are, AFTER one knows what the heck they are doing!

Aside from that we visit the odd pet store only to see beardies in the wrong size tank, food, substrate, etc. Too bad that commercialization has gotten in the way of quality of life for our pets. - Rant for the day.

Cheers everyone and have a great day!

 

[renich]

Yes, it is unfortunate the amount of bad info that is given to new owners. That's why we are here! Been there, done that....

Glad we could help.

 

[lexi]

;D
Thanks, great info here BTW. We've been talking to other owners online and it's actually amazing how many people have beardie's! What's sad is that many owners, like us have gone out and bought a beardie only to think that they are low mtce and they really are, AFTER one knows what the heck they are doing!

Aside from that we visit the odd pet store only to see beardies in the wrong size tank, food, substrate, etc. Too bad that commercialization has gotten in the way of quality of life for our pets. - Rant for the day.

Welcome! ;D I'm so sorry for your loss. Fergie sounds like she was really part of the family. I would definitely recommend that you get your new beardie (when you're ready to get one) from a breeder rather than a pet store. There are a few here on the board with some beautiful Dragons! And, you don't have to start off with a baby, either. There are often juvenile or adult beardies available through breeders as well. That way, you'll get a beardie that was cared for correctly from the start - there are too many stories of people who purchased beardies and other reptiles from pet shops only to have them pass away months or even weeks later from having such improper care at such a young age when it's most important. :'(

I, too, have seen the way those little ones are kept in the pet shops (in fact, there's a rant on here somewhere from me about that!) and I just want to rescue all of them - of course, it doesn't work like that! :-\ Anyway, you'll find a lot of knowledgeable people here that can help with whatever questions or problems you have - and there is a rescue here in Oregon where I live called Beautiful Dragons ( http://www.beautifuldragons.com ). Their site has tons of useful info about beardie care, etc.