bearded dragon questions

[welsher7]

i think i'm picking up a new reptile enclosure this weekend. its 53"x20"x20". its a custom made enclosure thats all glass. i was thinking about a bearded dragon. everything i have read that they need to be feed the protien(crickets or whatever else) twice a day when small. also that they should be fed a couple hours after they have been awake. so they have been able to warm up. and should be fed a second time a couple before lights off so they have time to digest. now with my schedule i could have the lights come on at 9am and feed the first time around 12. but i leave for work at 2 pm and don't get home most nights until around 11pm. so i couldn't feed the bd a second time, and keep an even day and night cylce. is it ok to only feed the crickets once a day? or would be unhealthy for the bd? there would always be salad in the enclosure. at what size or what age do you stop feeding so much protien? i would really like to fit it in my schedule but if i can't. i guess i will try to find a larger one that doesn't need the protien twice a day. i have class from 9am-12, and then work from 2pm-11pm and i can't think of a way to make time to feed it twice. there won't be anybody else home that would be willing to feed crickets while i'm at work. any suggestions on how i could work it out or if what i read is wrong? or just any other ideas on what i could keep that is tame like a Bd that doesn't mind being handled would be cool.


thanks,
Dan

 

[Magenta]

Ive had mine for 6 years. Once a week he gets crickets, meal worms or silk worms. Daily he gets some kind of vegs. I use to dust the crickets with vitamins but he would spit them out so now I gut load them instead. They are pretty easy to take care of. Ill post more for you later but now we are in the middle of a huge thunder storm. Power is flickering.

 

[Magenta]

There are a lot of good sites with care sheets out there, like any new pet read as much as you can. I have been using bran as a substrate for about 5 years now, some people say its no good and some love it. I love it as long as you keep it dry it wont mold. Thats not hard to do. I clean Hermans tank every few days, spot cleaning and once a month clean it completely. Sand may cause impaction and could lead to death, the bran the dragon can eat with no problems. If you have any questions Ill try to answer them, I don't claim to be an expert but I know whats worked for me