I need some advice on probably everything

[Gumberc563]

Hi all.
So I just got 2 bearded dragons in 1 45, 50 or 55 gallon aquarium (The owners have no clue, I think it is a 50 gal). Supposedly the owner was no longer allowed to keep the dragons or the ball python anymore and kept them at my friend house - I think they bought them, can't deal with them and are getting rid of them.
So I have attached a picture of their current set up. I really, really want to keep the sand. I have read that sand is generally looked at as a bad idea. I understand the bacteria, the mites and parasites I am not sure about. I was thinking of getting all of the sand out, wiping the cage with(?), but not bleach. Sifting the sand thru window screening, rinsing it out with the same cleaner then baking the sand at 200 for about 45 minutes to kill anything that survived. Obviously the sand gets cooled before being put back in the cage. That is a ton of work, so what substrate is better that looks natural but is easier to maintain?
That hot rock, I know that is a no go for snakes, but reptiles bask on rocks that are hot...if I got rid of that hot rock and dropped in an odd piece of cleaned and sanitized concrete or a large rock, near the heat lamp would it absorb enough heat to be a benefit?
Speaking of the heat lamp, there is just 1 (no clue what it's wattage is) and a florescent tube of some type. I have read about the ceramic heaters and I am planning on getting one. The florescent tube will be switched out with one that provides ultraviolet light, I have no idea how old this one is or if it ever supplied ultraviolet light.
Finally, how bad of an idea is it to leave them together? Right now they seem to be getting along fine (but some of that can be due to the cool temps).
I am sure I will have a ton of other questions as time goes on. Please be kind when destroying the current cage set up - I really had nothing to do with it.

 

[BeardedHippy]

Hi, first off, congrats on the new dragons, they look sweet. I will start with cohabitation, it is never a good idea to house more than 1 dragon together, they are solitary creatures in the wild, coming together only to mate. Having more than 1 could cause dominance issues, causing stress and possible aggression, the older they get the worse it will be. You will need another tank setup eventually.
Its normal to think that because they are desert critters that sand is natural to their environment, however there is no sand in the australian desert. The reason we are all so against sand (or any loose substrate for that matter) is because of the possible risk of impaction as much as the bacteria thing. Beardies taste everything in their environment and in doing so can swallow grains of sand which can cause a blockage. This can be fatal. It may not happen if they are well hydrated, but you have to ask yourself if its worth the risk (consider the cost of vet treatment if nothing else). I would reccommend tiles (unglazed, terracotta or similar). They are simple to clean and help wear down their claws and they dont look bad.
You are correct about the heat rock, they should not be used at all. Beardies cannot sense heat from underneath, so its easy for them to get burned.The heat lamp should be providing all the heat needed. You have 2 temperature zones in the tank, a hot and a cool side and its important that you get these temps right so its vital you get the right kind of lighting, especially the UV lamp (no compact coils or coloured bulbs). There is lot of info here on this so I wont go into detail yet or this will be a long post.
Once you have the tanks set up properly, they are pretty easy to keep and you sound fairly clued up, so I dont think you will have any problems. You will find no end of articles here on food , suppliments (vits and calcium) and general health. You have a LOT of reading to do i am sorry to say. I will wish you the best of luck for now.
(by the way, you may wish to find out their gender, they look old enough to sex. If they are male and female, that is another good reason to seperate them)

 

[Hdrydr31]

Congrats on getting these 2.. Please take a look at the links below several of our comments as we have put together information for new comers that covers all areas of care and gives pictures and links to food items and everything else that you will need for these 2..
They are awesome critters and provide alot of fun caring for and enjoying them..

 

[magpie]

I responded at length in one of your other threads, but the thing with this sand is that it's likely "Calcisand" which is marketed towards bearded dragons but actually can cause impaction problems specifically. There are some that use a play sand/top soil mix with healthy dragons with a perfect setup, but you have new dragons and need to work on your setup. Plus, if they have any parasites you'd need to change it out anyway. People here like tile/slate. Get them to a vet and get some fecals done!

 

[Gumberc563]

Sigh, I like the look of the sand. But their health is more important. So unglazed tiles are ok. I have an old aquarium for the other dragon. I believe it is either a 40 gal or a 55. the lid is the aquarium style so that has to go. I have seen some where it looks like Styrofoam is covered in a rock look alike and then sealed, I might go that route in a while. they did come with a calcium powder that I assume I sprinkle on their food. I have read that since they are desert critters the cool temps they are dealing with right now is not a huge deal but theyvwill need a basking area at about 100 with the cool end around 80ish. should their hide be in the warm or cool side? the same question for the hammock they have.
Any pitfalls that new owners tend to fall in (other than the sand and having two of them in 1 cage)? that is for all of the help. I will definitely keep everyone informed on their and my progress.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Put hides on both sides and you can put hammocks on both but they tend to spend most of their time basking

 

[Hdrydr31]

Sigh, I like the look of the sand. But their health is more important. So unglazed tiles are ok. I have an old aquarium for the other dragon. I believe it is either a 40 gal or a 55. the lid is the aquarium style so that has to go. I have seen some where it looks like Styrofoam is covered in a rock look alike and then sealed, I might go that route in a while. they did come with a calcium powder that I assume I sprinkle on their food. I have read that since they are desert critters the cool temps they are dealing with right now is not a huge deal but theyvwill need a basking area at about 100 with the cool end around 80ish. should their hide be in the warm or cool side? the same question for the hammock they have.
Any pitfalls that new owners tend to fall in (other than the sand and having two of them in 1 cage)? that is for all of the help. I will definitely keep everyone informed on their and my progress.

Dont forget to look at the thread for new comers that is in the general care section at the top..that will help you alot on many questions you have as we have covered all areas.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Mark the Mailman]

Put the hide on the cool side or in the middle closer to cool side. I'm pretty new to this too but you'll learn quickly. Go to beautifuldragons.com nutrition content. Great list of foods this forum showed me.
You can bathe them in warm water every 2-3 days, it seems to help with shedding.
Give them a fresh salad every morning and make sure they're getting calcium on their food once a day. Whether you use a calcium w/d3 or w/o and how many time per week you're dusting w/d3 depends on how much uvb your dragons are getting from your uvb bulb. Once a week i dust a meal with a multivitamin. It's best to use a multivitamin with beta-carotene instead of Vitamin A.

 

[Mark the Mailman]

You can also drip water from a squirt bottle or your hand onto their snouts. Ours mostly drinks this way

 

[PatsyB]

If you want something a bit more natural looking you can try excavator clay, it's more like their natural environment.

You are right on with the temps, basking spot 100degrees and 80 for the cool side, this should be year round though even when it's winter. At night the whole tank can drop to 65 degrees, both sides, but during the day you want it warm. You also want a good UVB bulb. Most of us use a T5 10.0 HO bulb in a proper fixture. It should cover at least 2/3'rds of the tank and needs to overlap with the basking light. So put one in front of the other. The lights should be on a cycle 12 hours on 12 hours off usually works best. You could also do 14 hours on and 10 off.

Check out the link recommended above for nutritious foods. They really should be eating things that are fresh. Freeze dried and pellets offer no nutritional value. It's like eating chips and candy.

They really should be separated. Some have been successful in cohabiting but they are solitary animals that need space to move around and not have to fight over food or lighting.