ThNew guy

[ThDude]

Hello all, I am ThDude.

I'm a first time lizzard owner as of today, I have done some research and decided to go with the bearded dragon as my first and maybe only lizzard.

I had my tank set up most of the way aside from the uv-b light I had to buy today.

I got a young bearded dragon, 3-4 inches in length. I know they may grow up to 24" male and 20" female.


Currently I have a uv-b and uv-a light for my 10 gallon starter tank. If I have my facts corect my UVA light is for heating and basking and the UVB is for d3 absorption. If I have this corect then I have my UVA light off as it is 8pm here and dusk is here, should I leave the UVB light on or turn it off at night?

In the tank I have a long hollow, hole filled log resting on its side partway propped up on its end. I have a semi cave like wood thingy that he/she is using as a perch and a slab rock about 1/4 inch thick right under the UVA light for basking.

Also food and water dishes, currently I have meal worms set out for it which it did eat, I will switch to crickets Tommie or the day after.

Do they require spraying or misting the environment?



Anyway welcome to myslelf

 

[drgnfly2265]

Hello and welcome!

What kind of UVB do you have? Coil or tube?

Stay away from mealworms because they can cause impaction. Crickets are alright to use (make sure they are the correct size), but there are other feeders out there that are a lot easier to use. I loved using reptiworms when my beardies were growing up. Are you providing greens too? Even though they might not eat a lot of them it's always a good thing to start giving to them and start them young to get used to them.

Don't spray or mist the tank since that can cause too much humidity and can cause respiratory problems. Give the little one warm baths and that will help hydrate him/her.

What kind of substrate are you using?

We would love to see pics of the little one when you have the chance! And a pic of the viv too if you have any questions.

 

[jessica domke]

hello there & welcome!!! since ur a beginner, talkin bout the mealworms, u shudnt feed ur dragon those. especially if it's a baby, bcuz of the hard exoskeleten...very hard 2 digest, may get lodged in the intestines(impaction), not be able 2 pass thru & quite possibly cause ur baby beardie 2 die. plus they have a very high fat content & an over weight beardie is very bad!!! as 4 the lighting, since it's only a 10 gallon enclosure, i wud stick w/a 5.0 repti-sun or repti-glo uvb/uva tube light. u shud invest in a timer 4 both ur heat bulb & uv light. w/the lights staying on 12-14 hrs a day. the hot side 4 a baby shud be between 105-110 degrees f & the cold side 80 degrees f, that way ur beardie can thermoregulate itself(if it gets 2 hot or 2 cold). a hide really isn't the best idea 4 a new baby, they may decide 2 spend most of their time hiding instead of soaking up the proper amount of uv rays & heat. a hide isn't required until ur baby is an older juvenille.

 

[jessica domke]

now ne1 plz correct me if i'm wrong, it's been just bout a yr since my beardie wuz a baby, so i'm trying 2 remember everything correctly! there's a huge difference in looking after a baby, juvenille & adult beardie!! but keep in mind, bearded dragon's r very addicting & they require a good amount of attention & money!!! ur new baby will be quite small so start off w/a 20 gallon tank & just keep it simple at first. u will have 2 give ur baby bout a week er so 2 adjust 2 his/her new home..w/that said he/she might not eat right away..but don't let that scare u! 4 ur enclosure u will need substrate(don't use sand!!!! many ppl beg 2 differ, but they can swallow it & it will get stuck in their intestines & possibly not be able 2 pass it thru em & die. so best bet is 2 not even chance it)...i wud say either reptile carpet, newspaper, papertowel or tile. than a basking area, either a bigger rock or a limb of some sort. u want 2 make sure it isn't 2 close 2 the top of the screen lid where ur heat & uv light will be, that can cause problems! than u need a food & water dish, the food dish u will need 2 keep full & in ur baby's site all day, every day. (normally when a baby, a beardie won't eat their greens right away, which is y u keep it in their site all day & mist a few times a day 2 allow the greens 2 last longer & 2 hydrate ur beardie)the water dish as well, just be sure 2 make sure u change the water out daily! the foods u have 2 choose from u can check out on this site: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html as a variety is best!!! it's always a good idea 2 start ur beardie out young, trying 2 get him/her 2 eat the greens/veggies & fruits at a young age(some beardie's r very pickey when it comes 2 food). this is the variety i give my dragon: dandelion greens, mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, kale(only occasionally), watercress(once in awhile), prickley pear cactus pad, just bout ne type of squash, peas, green beans, lima beans(once in awhile), mango, grapes(occasionally), apples(once in awhile, but not 2 often), pineapple(occasionally), blueberries, crickets(no bigger than the space between ur beardies eyes), phoenix worms, silkworms, hornworms(wud be 2 big 4 ur baby) 4 a baby beardie the food intake shud be 80% bugs 2 20% greens/veggies/fruit. & w/that said, u will need calcium & multivitamin powder as well. dust the crickets &/or salad w/the calcium powder every day, the multivitamin powder once a week. 4 the lighting, it is very important, 2 help aid in digesting of their food, shed & just good 4 their health in general. u will need source of heat & there r many different options 4 that. 4 a 20 gallon, i wud say either a 75 watt or 100 watt heat lamp wud work. u might have 2 test it out & see. the heat light shud sit at one end of the tank(where the basking post/limp/rock is) & be between 105-110 degrees f 4 a baby. w/a cooler side being at 80 degrees f, cuz beardies need 2 have different temps available so they can thermoregulate themselves, from the hot end 2 the cool end. & keep in mind, bearded dragon's come from the deserts of australlia, so they like it hot & dry. humidity shudnt get above 30 percent, a water dish shud keep it around that exactly. u will need a uv light extending the whole length of the enclosure as well. it must contain uvb & uva rays, the best 2 brands r arcadia & repti-sun...but u can use a repti-glo(just make sure ur beardie can't get 2 close 2 it, cuz repti-glo's have been known 2 cause eye problems!) 4 a 20 gallon u can get a 5.0 or 10.0 uv tube light. some ppl use the coil uv lights, but i've always used the tube uv lights, as i believe many ppl on here do as well. investing in a timer 2 be sure the heat & uv light comes on at the same time every day is a good idea. oh & u will need a thermometer & a hygrometer 2 be sure of ur temps & humidity, cuz u never wanna guess!!! u can either buy a lil spray bottle 2 mist ur dragon w/water or a dropper..whichever u prefer. i have always used a spray bottle, but some people have used a dropper. mist ur beardie quite a bit when he/she's a baby, so ur baby can stay hydrated! beardie's won't drink out of a bowl of standing water(in the wild they lick the dew off the leaves), although some can be trained & learn 2 drink from their water bowls..but this takes much time & practice. if u ever c ur beardie under his basking spot, w/his mouth gaping open, that means he/she is hot & is trying 2 cool down...almost like when a dog pants. make sure when misting, it is a light mist, not harsh. don't handle ur beardie awhole lot when u 1st get him/her. i kno it will be tempting, but they kind of go thru shock when they get moved 2 a new home, so give ur baby a week er so 2 adjust! give ur baby a bath every week 2 help aid w/shedding & 2 hydrate him/her. the water in the container or tub shud be very shallow, no deeper than bout half way up the front legs of ur beardie & NEVER leave him/her un-attended while bathing! some beardie's h8t their bath time, some love it...it just depends cuz all dragon's r different!!! a few weeks after having ur dragon, be sure 2 give enough attention 2 him/her, cuz otherwise ur beardie won't be use 2 u & u don't want that! lol. be sure 2 clean out the enclosure & the basking limb 1-2 times a month w/either a 20% bleach 2 80% water solution or just use soapy water(which is wut i do). as soon as ur dragon poo's tho, clean it up right away!!! by the way, dragon poo tends 2 smell pretty gross!!! haha! i use baby whipes 2 clean up my fat boy's poo. well 4 now that's bout all i can think of...like i said if ne1 disagrees or thinks i missed something out, post it!!! & chelle, there r 3 stages 4 a bearded dragon...a baby, juvenille & an adult. they all require different needs & care, just be sure 2 ask lots of questions on this forum & do plenty of research!! again, welcome 2 the wonderful life of dragons & welcome 2 the best forum out there!!! hope i helped!​

Read more: http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/index.php?threads/beardie-newbie-xx.5377/#ixzz1orNo5wj8

 

[Jp]

Hello & Welcome 2 the Forum.

 

[ThDude]

Hello and welcome!

What kind of UVB do you have? Coil or tube?

Stay away from mealworms because they can cause impaction. Crickets are alright to use (make sure they are the correct size), but there are other feeders out there that are a lot easier to use. I loved using reptiworms when my beardies were growing up. Are you providing greens too? Even though they might not eat a lot of them it's always a good thing to start giving to them and start them young to get used to them.

Don't spray or mist the tank since that can cause too much humidity and can cause respiratory problems. Give the little one warm baths and that will help hydrate him/her.

What kind of substrate are you using?

We would love to see pics of the little one when you have the chance! And a pic of the viv too if you have any questions.

I'm using that green padding the pet stores sell, I forget what it's called.

I work right next to a pet store so tomorrow I will get crickets. He/she ate one of the worms but it was even smaller then the gap between it's eyes. I hope it will be ok.

It is a coil, looks like something I would use in a basement, don't know why it was $20. It's a 25 watt bulb. The heater one is 75 watt, it's a blue day light. I am getting any other supplies tomorrow after work, maybe a timer and I need that powerder supplement.

So far as greens I was thinking lettuce and some spinish would work?

To be clear I want this tank to be perfect and don't right to the dot. I know I rushed buying him before I had the proper food, kicking myself over that.

Can't post any pictures as I'm on an iPad at the moment, I will end up posting on photobucket and linking it to here.


@domke wow a wall of text, I finished reading it and got most of it covered. I don't plan on picking up the bearded dragon for at least a week.

What is a good daily schedule for dragon care, and how long should a bath last?

 

[jessica domke]

glad i could be of some help thdude! as 4 feeding spinach & lettuce those r both no nos! lettuce has very little nutritional content & spinach is a very bad idea, bcuz it binds calcium. if u click on the link i posted above in the very long post, it has a good chart 4 food & it's nutritional value. as 4 the feeding schedule 4 a baby dragon, always have greens/veggies/fruit available, all day every day...as far as insects, u shud feed a baby 2-3 times a day live feeder insects as many as ur baby will eat within 10-15 mins. remember, food should be no bigger than the space between his/her eyes! a bath can last 15-25 minutes...whichever u prefer. ur baby most likely won't like a bath, mine still doesn't & he's almost a yr old..some like it some don't..but it's required 4 hydration, 2 aid in shedding & 2 keep ur baby clean

 

[ThDude]

Will read the link, I will be sure to cut the veggies small.

I will buy the crickets tomorrow. I guess here soon I should start a cricket farm

 

[jessica domke]

well it all depends...if u have the time, u can start breeding them. they require lots of maintenance, including cleaning out their cage every day or every other day. the cleaner the live food, the healthier they r 4 ur dragon. gutloading crickets 24-48 hours b4 feeding 2 ur beardie is advised as well. this way they're nice & nutritous 4 ur beardie. u can gutload em w/either the stalks from greens or just put some greens & veggies in their cage. but must be changed every day if not all food is consumed. might want 2 also invest in 'fluker's orange cube cricket diet' just put a couple of the cubes in the cricket cage so the crickets can stay hydrated...no water, they will drown.

 

[ThDude]

Well, maybe for now I will stick with buying them at the store. After all I'm just starting out.

So what's a good number to put into the tank at the first feeding? Five or six?

 

[jessica domke]

well 4 the 1st feeding yah, u might want 2 start w/just a small #. some beardies won't eat right away, after u bring em home 2 their new home. make sure there's no place they can hide in ur beardie's enclosure as well & never leave ne crickets roaming around the enclosure after feeding is done, they will nibble on ur poor beardie!!! so just start out w/a couple, c if ur beardie takes interest & chomps em down. & once u can get ur hands on some calcium w/d3 powder & multivitamin powder, put a little of each powder in a bag w/the crickets..gently shake the bag 2 coat the crickets w/the powder. calcium powder once every day & multivitamin powder once a week!

 

[ThDude]

Grabbed some dandy lions(sp?) from outside and broke up the yellow flower for it, it actually ate a little of it.

Well I'm getting some turnip greens from the store today as well as the crickets.

 

[jessica domke]

dandelion greens & flowers r 1 of the best food 2 feed ur beardie. just be careful when taking nething from outside, especially bugs, never kno wut they may have came across...pesticides, diseases etc. they're not always available 4 some ppl in a food market, but i have an organic market here that i get my dandelion greens from. u can also buy seeds off of ebay.

 

[ThDude]

I have thousands of dandy lion flowers and greeds around my house. I won't ever have to look far for them accept in the winter time.

First feeding 10 minutes ago. It ate 3 crickets after it finally saw them and I stopes in two more to see if it was finished and it ate one more. The cricket that's left is hiding from the bearded dragon so o am keeping an eye on um. I think four is a good amount to do. It may have been very hungry cuz it's last real meal was yesterday noon time

I also changed out my 75 watt light bulb for a 150 watt one. The temp it holding around 103 and a little higher on it's basking rock. I'm making sure its not too hot, it's mouths not hanging open which is good, water is in a shell on the cool side, also I am putting in "dew rocks" on the cool side to damp with water since they lick dew more then they would drink from a bowl

 

[Aleena]

Mine drink from a soaking bowl just fine. Not often, but then again they don't need to often. And when they feel like it they'll go soak in it. They like that better than when I make them take a bath because they can control how long they're in there for. Of course... they get their baths anyway... just to be sure.

 

[ThDude]

He/she is so cute. Every time it chases a cricket or climbs a rock I get excited.

It was waving at me earlyer right after I put in the crickets, it waved and would not eat the bugs so I took a step back it it moved forward a little, it's like I couldn't be close to the tank while it tried to eat. I left the room and peeked around the corner and it ate all the crickets.

I believe it has eated 7 total today.

 

[ThDude]

First bath today and it's going good, I put him in the sink with around 80F water and he started drinking after I put a water droplet on it's head. It moved around a little in the water but it seemed to enjoy its bath.

Feeding time is next.

 

[jessica domke]

all of that sounds wonderful thdude!!!!!! so glad 2 hear all is going well!!!!!!! remember 2 never leave un-eatin live food in ur beardies enclosure after he/she's done eating tho, cuz the crickets will munch on ur dragon & u don't want that. i've seen some pretty disgusting pics from that! awesome 2 hear ur baby isn't freaking out in the bath...mine's never liked his baths. wish he'd swim around & nose dive like some dragons do...maybe u'll get lucky in that case! & i'm sure ur beardie ate more while u weren't in the room, cuz he/she's still not use 2 u yet. like i said, give it a week er so & that shud be enough time. just try 2 increase the live food intake by a couple every day & how is his/her salad eating going?!

 

[ThDude]

I'm not sure if it's eating the dandy lion flower/green, but I am feeding the crickets the greens before I feed the crickets to my dragon, that way it gets it's veggies even if it does not know it.

I'm getting some collard greens from the store today for my dragon, gotta find out which veggie it likes best.

My dragons a lazy eater, it's not hunting its food much, more like it waits for its food to get close to it then it eats it.

It ate a total of 8 yesterday, all we're the size between his eyes, can I over feed him or is this normal?

 

[Josh]

Looks like you're already getting lots of good help.
And I'm a bit late to the game, but Welcome to the forum!