thinking about geting a bearded dragon =]

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A

akimbo

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Sep 17, 2010
440
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31
missouri
so i just ordered a bunch of stuff from petsolutions.com i think i am going to put him in my 55g tank while he matures and then i am going to build him a bigger home later and maybe add more if i like them... i have no exp with reptiles so should be a fun experience =]... i havnt bought my dragon yet wanting to get some tips and get his cage set up first...

so i have a couple questions :P

1st it said that they wont drink standing water guess i need to create some kind of waterfall effect?

2nd give me a idea of a feeding schedule (i know what to feed)

3rd and heres what all i got so far feel free to add stuff that i need to make his home good

1 head glo infared bulb 100watt
1 exo terra water & feed dish
1 R-Zilla Dome Lamp
1 Reptile Waterer
4 (5lb bags) repti-sand white
2 gut load cricket food
1 tough tops w/ hinge for 55
1 sand scooper

sorry for the questions just want to make sure i get everything right before i get the lizard =]
 
You will need to get a UVB bulb as well. absolutely essential

Beardies really don't drink water all that often, but when they do it is standing water. They are desert lizards, water is not a big deal to them. I have known people to not even provide a water dish for their beardies as they get all the moisture they need from the veggies they eat, but I always think you should provide just in case it wants it.
You will feed every day, a couple appropriate sized crickets and a mixture of dark leafy greens such as collards, mustards and dandelion greens with things like strawberries, carrots, and bell peppers as treats.

You will want to get a temp gun, beardies need high temps, wich is not hard to achieve but you need to be able to accurately measure the surface temperature, not just the ambient temperature of an area (which is all you achieve with a dial thermometer)

If you are starting with a little baby keep it off the sand till it has grown a bit. I am never a fan of the damn reptile sands.... regular play sand works much better and is much cheaper. But the repti-sand will be fine for a juvenile or adult, it is just to dusty and grainy for the little ones and easily causes eye problems.
 
as far as the lighting/ should i get another dome lamp or will a light strip from an old fish tank work
 
Ok all I can say is varied diet is key and feed atleast 2 times a week. I would do fruit/veggies one day and insects/meat the other feeding make sure you use vitamin powder on the crickets.

I had a screen porch at my parents lake house and my bearded dragon lived on the porch all summer with the dogs and stuff and he would climb up into a hanging plant and take blue berries from my hand we also had a iguana and we'd roll grapes and blue berries across the floor and watch them chase their meal. Great animal highly recommend one if you can love and care for it.
 
Most around that size are around $50, bear in mind that they grow quick as hell so start off with a good size tank. As to feeding, I feed mine once a day and let him graze as he pleases on greens. I also feed him about 30 crickets every week and a half. As to water, mine is rare in that he does drink from a water dish, but I still soak him in the Tub once a week just to help with shedding. As to basking Temps, mine is an oddball in that he prefers low temps, he is usually found basking where the temp is only around 87-92 degrees. He has two other spots, one at 101 and another at 115 but he never uses them at all. Some say to fed crickets everyday and when young this is fine, but as an adults this is a really bad idea since their protein requirements are lower and high protein leads to obesity in them. Also once he settles in try to spend at least an hour with him a day interacting, doing so makes them very sociably and eager for contact.

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WOW!! All your feeding schedules make my 3 dragons sound like pigs.

From 6" to 16" I was feeding twice a day, up to 50 crix per feeding, plus they ate their salads.

Now that they are adults, 19- 23" salads every day and 10-15 raochs per week.
 
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