elevatethis;984581; said:
Crushed Walnut = No
Heat Rock = No
I would seriously question how knowledgeable the guys at the pet shop are if they suggest either of these even as options in a bearded dragon setup.
Sounds like you have a lot of reading to do. Here's a good place to start:
www.beautifuldragons.com
Please read this page thoroughly before you purchase the dragon. They are a little more involved than most people tend to think and you need to make sure you are going to make a commitment in both time and money for the lizard.
But an answer your other questions, use a screen lid. On top of that, you need to place the basking light (to get the hot spot in the cage around 100 degrees) and then use a separate florescent fixture for the UVB light. There are special florescent tubes, similar to fish tank lights, that emit UVB radiation. Your dragon absolutely needs this to survive indoors.
Use reptile carpet or newspaper if the dragon is young, playsand can work for older dragons but it needs to be replaced quite often.
Do not use the crushed walnut shell. If they ingest it accidentally during feeding, it can tear their insides up and cause impaction, which can require surgery or result in the death of the animal.
If you feel like Bearded are too involved, look into something like a Leopard Gecko. Much less maintenance and their lighting and dietary requirements are much simpler. Great first lizard or for a child.
I'm glad to see someone is on top of things around here. I think that is some good advice, but silica playsand is not reccomended for dragons.
Here's my brief summary on Bearded Dragon care:
Temps: Hot spot of 90 to 100. Daytime ambient temps of 75 to 85. Overnight lows of 60 to 70 degrees are fine.
Lights: "UVB" bulb in the form of a Mercury Vapor (doubles as a heat lamp) or Power Compact. UV lights should only be left on 10 to 12 hours a day. I still ask myself daily, if these bulbs really are worth it? I will say that the coloration of reptiles and overall activity level increases with the use of a UVB bulb. Though as far as the bulbs replacing natural sunlight and helping the reptile synthesis vitamin D3? I'm not so sure. I still vote "yes" for the use of UVB bulbs. I will say the key to having a really healthy dragon is giving natural unfiltered sunlight. I would give the dragon atleast a few hours per week of sunlight. Place them outdoors (in the shade on really hot days) for a few hours, you'll see a definate increase in coloration and activity level the longer you keep your dragon outdoors.
Vitamin Supplements: Rep-Cal Herptivite & Rep-Cal Calcium/Vit. D3. I also like Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-all. Young dragons, hatchlings to 6-8 months of age should have some portion of their food dusted daily with the Calcium/Vit. D3 and twice a week with the multivitamin. Slightly older dragons, 8+ months I say twice a week with both the Calcium/Vit D3 & Multivitamin.
Substrate: Newspaper, Papertowels or a fine grade calcium carbonate sand. I personally like CaribSea's Reptilite calcium sand. Stay away from T-Rex's or Zoo-Med's calcium carbonate substrates, I've seen too many animals do poorly on those.
Food/Feedings: Insects should be crickets, mealworms, silkworms, and waxworms. Veggies and Greens should be consisted of primarly dark leafy greens, and a variety of veggies that contain little or no oxalates. Romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, kale, and mustard greens. Zucchini, squash, carrots, bell pepper, and radishes. Don't feed fruits, it's not neccessary. Also stay away from broccoli and calliflower. Baby mice can be given to larger dragons as well.
Young dragons should be fed 2 to 3 times a day with crickets, for the first 6 to 8 months. A dish of mealworms should be available daily, along with greens and veggies. Young dragons can recieve the occasional silkworm and waxworm.
Older dragons should be primarly be fed king mealworms (Zoophobas morio) on either a daily or every other day basis. Leafy green and veggies every other day. Baby or pink mice can be fed once every other week for adults, or once a week to condition them into breeding weight. Silkworms should be offered occassionaly and waxworms sparingly at this point.
Water: Dehydration is a big killer of young bearded dragons! Young dragons need to be misted daily to ensure they are properly hydrated for the remainder of the day. They often do not reccognize a water source for sometime. Older dragons will often be seen drinking from a dish, so mistings are no longer neccessary after the first 6 to 8 months.
Cage furniture: Place a few sturdy branches into the cage and maybe a couple large rocks. Placing a branch that extends towards the heat lamp, will aid in thermoregulation. "Hide spots" are not necessary for the most part with this species, unless of course they are brumating or digging a nest to lay eggs.
