• Hello guest! Are you a Bearded Dragon enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Beardie enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your dragons and enclosures and have a great time with other Bearded Dragon enthusiasts. Sign up today!

Soon-To-Be Dragon Mom

JennyRae

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Hello!

Firstly, I wanted to say thank everyone for the links that are provided for beginners. I've always had an interest in bearded dragons and I have lurked on several forums about them in the past. I've just never fully committed. So, it's really great to be able to come here and find really comprehensive articles about their care. I've been reading links since last night to brush back up on things and make sure info hasn't changed. I won't lie, I'll probably be reading up some more about lighting. I know it isn't as confusing as my brain makes it, but alas. lol

So, my loving, amazing husband stumbled across a bearded dragon that needs a home and he asked me last night if I wanted to go pick him up tonight. Of course, I died of happiness and said of course!

Things I've been told:
-He's a he (I'll double check eventually)
-He's 2.5 years old
-He's healthy
-He's tame

He's coming with his enclosure and lamps. I asked for the size, but nobody knew. I have a 55 gallon here just begging for a use so if his current home is too small, I'll be upgrading. We actually bought it with a bearded dragon in mind and it's remained empty for years. I have a spare lamp, but only a heat bulb. I'm nearly 100% sure I'm going to be changing up his lamp situation after he's settled and I get a better grasp on what he really needs to live his best life.

He's on sand. I know he's an adult and I'm sure he's fine on it, but I'm heavily considering switching him to tile. It would just make me feel better. Plus, it seems way easier to clean. I have hedgehogs that require daily cage spot cleanings so adding his enclosure to the list isn't a big deal.

I'm super excited about this. I want to do right by him so I'm going to go scour over more information now that this beardie dream is becoming a reality. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!
 

Hdrydr31

Bearded Dragon Veteran
Staff member
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
5,574
Congratulations! I am happy to hear that you have found info that has helped you out.. I will say a 55 gal tank is more for fish and will be too narrow for what they should have.. Dragon's need floorspace more than height, they need to be able to turn around without touching the sides. Tile is a way better option for many reasons. main things are Heat, UVB (strip lighting is the best like the Reptisun T5 HO 10.0) food items
If you look at the links below several of our comments we have put together tons of info for new comers.
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
Messages
9,390
Location
Chicago
I would change him from the sand to tile. I use a mixture of tile and repticarpet or tile and shelf liner. The 55 gallon is going to be too narrow for an adult dragon and too high. You may have some trouble getting the temps where they need to be but since he is an adult you are only looking at getting it to the 98-100 degree mark so it might not be too bad. I would recommend getting a T5 tube for UVB. It penetrates deeper into the tank than a T8 bulb.

I can't wait to see pictures! You are going to LOVE having him. They really are great pets to be owned by.
 

JennyRae

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Sooo...he's finally home and we are off to an iffy start. Firstly, he's as sweet as a kitten. I saw him and instantly fell in love. I knew he was coming home with us.

He's in a 20 gal long right now. It's waaaaay too small for him. He has this awkward curve to his tail. My hubby and I both suspect it's from being constantly curved in his tank. Poor dude. Also, we decided our 55 gallon is not suitable either. We plan to either buy or build him something MUCH better. Any links to diy enclosures? My husband is very handy. He built both of my hedgehog cages.

Moving on...we were sent home with two lamps (one with a household lightbulb and one with a UVA bulb) and a spare bulb in a box (which turned out to be a trash bulb). We literally just got him set up and when we turned on the UV lamp, the bulb blew. This was when I discovered the backup bulb was trash too. Ugh...I will have to get that sorted in the morning. That's fine. It's a chance to do it better.

I did empty his sand and replaced it with paper towels for now. We will eventually go tile.

I'll attach a picture of him. We are still debating on a name.
 

Attachments

  • 20180618_203326-1.jpg
    20180618_203326-1.jpg
    951.9 KB · Views: 14

Ryan S

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
11
There's a number of DIY links on youtube. The ones I really like for any dragon related videos are Raptor Reptiles, I'll give you a link below for their DIY enclosure video. If I was handier than I am, I'd be building this thing myself.

You're little dude is handsome, but looks like he's getting ready for a full shed or something (mine went through a shed when I first got her, but not a full one). The curved tail thing is definitely enclosure related. Take him out and let him run around, that tail will straighten out in no time. But the enclosure upgrade's a definite need. Heck, I need to do that for my dragon's 30 gal tank (I've got an older 60"x18" fish tank that I'm converting for her), and I've already had her a few months now. Time gets away if you let it.

Bulbs blowing out is bad, but thankfully that's easy to rectify. You probably need to get groceries for your little dude anyway, heh. I know people have their own preferences on light situation. Myself, I got an ExoTerra Solar Glo for my little girl, plus she also has a night glow light (basically, a red bulb). Obviously, they get alternated for day/night. I like the Solar Glo, the only bad thing is if the power flickers and it goes out, takes a good half hour for it to cool off and turn back on again. So that's a thing. Might be the same with other heat lamps, though, I haven't checked.

Tile's a great choice, I'm going with that myself along with a sand texturized mat (one type each side). Honestly if you're doing a DIY enclosure, you won't really need it. Just something to retain heat in his basking area. Or you still can put a substrate down, it's not like it'd harm anything. It's just more decoration at that point.

Whatever the case, welcome to the wonderful world of dragon ownership, from one fellow new dragon parent to another!

Raptor Reptiles DIY enclosure here:
 

JennyRae

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Thank you so, so much! I thought about the shed thing too. He looks awfully grey. I'm brand new to reptiles so bear with me. Can I still handle him? Does he need anything special?
 

JennyRae

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
I decided to go ahead and give him a soak. He loves the bath! He was gulping down water like crazy and made a nice big poo.
 

Attachments

  • image_20180619_073939-1_1529412244603.jpg
    image_20180619_073939-1_1529412244603.jpg
    27.1 KB · Views: 19

Ryan S

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
11
Thank you so, so much! I thought about the shed thing too. He looks awfully grey. I'm brand new to reptiles so bear with me. Can I still handle him? Does he need anything special?

You can absolutely still handle him, just pay attention if he starts to act uncomfortable. Mine went into a pseudo hibernation mode when she was in her shed, for a while. Never came out of her rock, always wanted to find a place to sleep, and slept all day and night except for feeding time. Eventually, she came out of it and you couldn't stop her from roaming around, finding places to crawl through and basically doing everything she could to knock her shed off. But you can definitely still handle him. I would still hold her, and she was still a cuddle bug even going through her shed, so you should be just fine with him. Just don't pull at his shed, that's really the only key thing. Plenty of soaks, plenty of spritzes will help, too.
 

JennyRae

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Thank you! So daily baths are okay for the shedding phase?

We are going tomorrow to buy supplies to build him an appropriate enclosure. I'm pretty sure we are going with something nearly identical to the one in the linked diy video above. I'm so excited to get this guy into something bigger. He's going to flip!

Oh, and I did go this morning and replace the blown bulbs so that's been handled. The original owners had him on UVA bulbs. He needs UVB though, right? *lighting still gets me confused...I swear I'm working on it*
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20180619_150602_102.jpg
    IMG_20180619_150602_102.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 11

Ryan S

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
11
I would probably say every other day. Alternate days with soaks and spritzes. But you don't want to do daily baths. And, after the shed, you can (and probably should) cut back the soaks.

Yes, UVB light is a must. If you're going for the separate bulbs, then you have to make sure you have a UVB along with the UVA/heat lamp. That's why I like my Solar Glo, it provides both UVA and UVB.

I am sure he will love his new enclosure. Especially if you give him some upward mobility, as well. They definitely like having room to move around.
 

JennyRae

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
Here is just a little update on Sam. He really seems to be coming around. His color has darkened up, but I do see some peeling scales on his face and his front feet are pretty white so I'm assuming we will have a shed in our future. He already seems a lot more perky and alert though.

Hubby and I went out last night and acquired the supplies for a 4' x 2' x 2' cage for him and he's stopping after work to pick up new lamps and bulbs (we are going with an 18" UVB bulb and a separate UVA/basking lamp). Unless there is some strange hiccup tonight, we should be able to get it assembled. This dragon has no idea what's in store for him! He's been in a 20 gallon his entire life.

He's been getting out a bit here and there to slowly start exploring his new home. He loves roaming about and searching the house for bugs. lol
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
Messages
9,390
Location
Chicago
He's probably going to be shedding a lot now that he is in the proper conditions.
 

JennyRae

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
9
I think you're right. He has more peeling on his face and head. Honestly, I'm ready for the shedding business to be over. He seems uncomfortable.

Other than that, Sam is doing GREAT. I've easily fallen head over heels for him. I'm home all day most days so he hangs out with me and my kid. I've got a travel carrier and harness arriving this week. I'm eager to make the most of this summer.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20180703_130538_032.jpg
    IMG_20180703_130538_032.jpg
    458.8 KB · Views: 4
Top