New to Bearded Dragons

[Bsd1x]

My 10 yr old son has owned a Leopard Geko for the past 1.5 years. His Geko unfortunately has MB Dieseas and requires a lot of assistance when eating and shedding. My son has been doing a great job taking care of him and will bath him in warm water during his shedding period to help remove his shed skin. My son has now started to gain a lot of interest in bearded dragons and has been asking for one now for a few weeks. I have no problem with him taking on a second pet. So I am reaching out to gain information on Bearded Dragons and the care of them. I have been doing some basic research on them and I am looking for a good place to purchase a dragon. I have not gotten to informed on the different name types of the dragons or what the difference is between a Bearded Dragon and a Leather back Beard dragon. Is there a specific difference in the two or are all Bearded Dragons the same when it comes to temperament and care? Obviously I am looking for the least aggressive dragon and the best as a pet for my son. I do not want to get one that is aggressive or non friendly with people that will cause my son to be afraid of it and not want to hold or play with him or her. Any advice on the best type of dragon for my son would be appreciated. Also if it is best to buy from a breeder or a reptile based store? Thanks in advance.

 

[BeardedHippy]

Hi, the different 'morphs' of bearded dragon are confusing as there are so many of them, but the main differences are colour and in the case of leatherbacks or silkbacks, the size of the scales.They are all genetic variations of the few natural varieties out there, some breeders will charge outragious sums for certain colours and morphs. Silkbacks may have problems shedding, but the basic care of all dragons is the same. Temperament wise, beardies are easy going and no problem to tame so you shouldnt have a problem there, but its fair to say that not all beardies like to be handled though it is rare to get one that doesnt.They are more likely to just be nervous than aggressive. For the most part its just a case of slowly getting them used to you and being handled,some take to it quicker than others.
As to store or breeder, well the jury is out on that one. Some people say that store bought ones are more likely to have problems, but the problem with stores is the same as with breeders, too many are just in it for the money so will spew out bad advice and sell you bad equipment,all in the name of profit. Both of my dragons came from a pet store and I havent had a single problem with either of them (so far) but if you can find a breeder with a good reputation, that is probably the better option. Still, even the store dragons need homes, right?

 

[Bsd1x]

I appreciate your response and making it clearer to me about the different morphs. I know the basic equipment needed for a dragon, and I plan on doing a DIY enclosure when we do Decide to move forward. Outside of the basic equipment needed would you recommend any additional equipment that is not needed but can be benefited from? Also will Dragons do better in pairs or by themselves? Thanks

 

[BeardedHippy]

Beardies are solitary creatures so should never be housed in pairs as it will eventually lead to aggression. Aside from from the basic equipment there is nothing else you will really need (maybe a microclimate controller). The biggest benefits will come from the kinds of food you feed it. As babies, they need a lot of protien in the form of live bugs. Dubia roaches ,being the most nutritious will give your little guy the best start and help him to grow fast, I cant recommend those enough. Also giving the correct calcium suppliments and multivitamins in addition to your UVB light should help bones develop properly and avoid MBD such as your geko has (quite common in beardies unfortunately).
Build your enclosure and dry run it for a week before buying a dragon, that way you can assess your temperature gradient and humidity levels and alter anything that needs changing without the added panic of having a baby beardie to worry about. Getting the most info you can beforehand is certainly the right way to go.

 

[Bsd1x]

Any recommendations on what UVB light, or specific brand name equipment to get?

 

[BeardedHippy]

You want a tube style UVB that covers 2/3s of the length of your enclosure. I use Arcadia T5 12%, they are the best imo. They come in different lengths so, depends how big you make the enclosure

 

[Bsd1x]

Question on the enclosure size for a bearded dragon, what is the minimum size enclosure for an adult dragon? Also what would be the max size enclosure you could get away with, without adding additional uvb bulbs and extra heat lamps? I am all about building my own enclosure and customizing the setup. I also want to make sure there is enough heat lights and uvb bulbs to accommodate the size of the enclosure. Is there a recommendation of how many bulbs per square foot of the enclosure?

 

[PatsyB]

Question on the enclosure size for a bearded dragon, what is the minimum size enclosure for an adult dragon? Also what would be the max size enclosure you could get away with, without adding additional uvb bulbs and extra heat lamps? I am all about building my own enclosure and customizing the setup. I also want to make sure there is enough heat lights and uvb bulbs to accommodate the size of the enclosure. Is there a recommendation of how many bulbs per square foot of the enclosure?

Min size is 36x18x18. You want something that is 2x the length of an adult dragon and at least the width and height of the length of an adult dragon.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

Agreed, beardies are very chill, a tube UVB is a necessity, and dubia are the best feeders. The smallest size enclosure should be 36" x 18" footprint (40 gallon breeder aquarium) for an adult. However, if you get a baby you should go with a smaller size aquarium and size up as they grow. Some may not agree with this, but I think the little guys do better and a smaller enclosure as it is less overwhelming. I kept my baby in a 20 gallon long aquarium. They will grow very quickly... I think I moved mine when he was 5 months if I remember right?

As far as how many bulbs per enclosure - to give you an idea - my beardie is currently in a 36" x 18" x 18" and he has one tube UVB and 2 basking lamps - 100 watt and 75 watt - to create the correct temperature gradient. However, babies need it about 10 degrees hotter so you will have to take that into account.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

As far as temperament, it is rare to find a grumpy dragon. As was said above, if anything they may be nervous and flighty, but given a good habitat and semi-frequent handling, you should not have a problem. As far as breeder versus pet store, I have a whole zoo at my house and the only animals I have ever gotten sick have come from a pet store. All of my breeder animals have been healthy. So I feel you do run a risk of getting a sick beardie if you get one from the pet store.

Some thoughts on the enclosure - beardies LOVE hammocks, I would consider adding one. Also you will find a ton of conflicting information on substrates - most experienced keepers opt for non adhesive shelf liner, tiles, or paper towels. I tried paper towels a couple of times but mine kept eating them, so keep an eye out if you go that route. Another nice beardie accessory is a leash and harness - start him with it as a juvenile though, adults could have trouble adjusting to it.

Know that babies and juveniles eat a ton!!! Mine could easily eat 60 crickets a day - I actually started a dubia colony for him when he was little because I calculated it was going to be $300+ a month to feed him pet store crickets. Crazy! So you may consider a colony. Your Leo can also eat them. My leopard geckos LOVE dubia

 

[KrissyLeigh]

Oh, oh, and I cannot recommend a temperature gun enough! Sorry, I am dumping a lot of info on your thread, but these are some things I wish I had known before I got my baby. The analog temperature gauges are not very reliable, and the digital gauges are good but I love having the temperature gun because I can move it around the tank and see the heat gradients in "real time", so I do not totally rely on stationary gauges.

 

[Bsd1x]

I can never have enough information... keep it coming. That is an awesome looking dragon by the way. Those are the colors and markings I am looking for. I will have to start looking for breeders somewhat close to me. I live on the Ohio/Pennsylvania boarder just about half way between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. I am sure I can find a decent breeder within that radius. As for Dubia for food, I would definitely consider a colony and breeding my own food source. I definitely do not want to spend that much money on crickets a month, plus they smell horrible...lol I am already involved with an expensive hobby which is Saltwater reef tanks. I would be in trouble if I had to dish out a ton more money for food on a dragon. Anything to minimize cost on the food would be entertained.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

I can never have enough information... keep it coming. That is an awesome looking dragon by the way. Those are the colors and markings I am looking for. I will have to start looking for breeders somewhat close to me. I live on the Ohio/Pennsylvania boarder just about half way between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. I am sure I can find a decent breeder within that radius. As for Dubia for food, I would definitely consider a colony and breeding my own food source. I definitely do not want to spend that much money on crickets a month, plus they smell horrible...lol I am already involved with an expensive hobby which is Saltwater reef tanks. I would be in trouble if I had to dish out a ton more money for food on a dragon. Anything to minimize cost on the food would be entertained.

Oh, that is an expensive hobby. I used to keep saltwater tanks and thought about upgrading to reef tanks many times, but I was never quite willing to put in that much effort and $$!

Skittles (my dragon) is a hypo citrus. He is not a silkback or leatherback or anything like that - he is a normal but with color morph. I actually prefer the normals because I like the scales and spikes - they look bad***!!! The Silkies and leatherback have smaller scales and spikes and just don't look as impressive to me. I did have a German giant previously and he was AWESOME! A massive bearded dragon! Skittles is 2 feet head to tail, so he is an average size for a healthy adult. I love the giants, but you don't often find them with as vivid coloration as the other body morphs.

Here is a really good article about the genetics / morphs if you are interested - http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/types-of-bearded-dragons.php

I have a few 'designer' reptiles in my collection - for the most part they don't differ in temperament from their normal counterparts. (The exception being one of my tortoises). Even my normals I usually buy from breeders, as they are healthier than pet store animals.

 

[PatsyB]

I'm with Krissy, I love the spikes! It's just amazing that something with spikes can be so loving and cute. My boyfriend always says that it's like having a cactus that loves you LOL!

 

[Bsd1x]

So I’m guessing buying from a local breeder is probably the best way. I would be afraid to order one online and have it shipped. That would probably be to stressful on the dragon.

 

[PatsyB]

I like the idea of buying locally or from a show because I like to see what I'm getting and hold it. I ordered a chameleon online and it was stressful waiting for him to arive but when I opened his box he was perfectly fine. Most companies ship them overnight and wait for the last possible minute to pack them up and ship them off. The reptile is cooled off before they are shipped so they kinda go into a sleep state and don't realize what is happening.

I got my oldest from Petsmart and my second one from Petco. Both were very alert and had all their limbs. My Petco baby has been perfectly healthy for 4+ years. My 5 year old dragon has some health issues but nothing that was caused from her being at Petco.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Not sure if anyone said this but if you look under several of our comments we have put together information on care for these critters that will help alot.. it is also located in the general care section.

All of my dragons came from Petco and are healthy.. I did however just loose my oldest Izzy last week it was out of the blue I didn't even know she was ill.. So it really is just the luck of the draw when it comes to getting your dragon..can't say enough about doing your research..

 

[Bsd1x]

Do they hold many reptile shows through out the year?

 

[PatsyB]

Do they hold many reptile shows through out the year?

Some states do more than others. Around here there is one like once a month somewhere.

 

[Bsd1x]

This weekend my son and I are going to the Cleveland reptile show.