shadi11

[sez]

Hi everyone,

Im going to be getting a bearded dragon but before I do i just gneed a few questions answered.

1) What substraite do they need?
2) What temps do they need?
3) How often do they need feeding?

Hope some one can help me!!!!

Sez

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[Dragona]

ok Ses - Welcome.

before you start - just ask yourself a few questions 1st....

1. Do you have the commitment?
2. Do you have the finances?
3. Do you have the time?   If so - read on!


If you are picking a dragon from a local shop, make sure that they are reputable know their business and are rearing nice healthy looking dragons.  Pretty much common sense - nice wide open eyes with no discolourment, look lively (young are very active) don't look skinny and dehydrated etc...

Try to find a nice brightly coloured or unusually paterned dragon - you may find this difficult as most shops and breeders exclude them from sale for future breeding! but you get the idea...
Pet shop dragons are more commonly females! they try to keep males for breeding purposes as they are less common( in the uk anyway).
If you get a Male - GREAT!
Only house your Dragon on it's own! NEVER mix species, or raise with another bearded dragon.  Some will argue with this but your dragon will be happier on his own as they are solitary reptiles.

Buy a good size Vivarium for your dragon as he will be growing at an extreme rate - usually fully grown 18months - 24months later!

Lighting - i recommend a a Repti-glo 10.0 30w UVB tube that also emits UVA lighting at such a young age - you will need to buy a starter kit with it too - Costs about £50 all together. £30 for tube and £20 for kit.
Lighting/Heating - Get a good screw in type bulb/fitment kit - once again depending on size of viv - a good wattage bulb to go for is 150w reflector lamp. Bulb about £8. Fitting Kit about £10.
Heating Mat - You may not need to buy one of these if you can control your temps accurately. On that Note i recommend a digital temperature themometer as recommeded here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Digital-in-out-Thermometer-Brooder-Incubator-Vivarium_W0QQitemZ160077615093QQihZ006QQcategoryZ93679QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This is the one i bought on ebay and is extremely good!
You will need to keep your Basking end between 110f & 120f and the cool end of viv between 75f & 85f.

Ah, the dreaded substrate!!! (This is always a good debate!)

Once again at such a young age and with the amount of insects he will be eating he will be pooping alot - so you want something easy to clean!
You can start with either newspaper or a tiled surface or a non-adhesive shelf liner as these will be easy to replace if needed.  You can use other substrates if you wish too - like Eco-Earth (cocunut shell) or Cleaned and sifted childrens play sand.  Sand is the biggest debated problem around in which case i'd leave until your dragon is alot older - incase of impaction (you can find out about this on other posts!) 

A young dragon may need feeding up to 3 times a day - Crickets MUST be used as the staple diet (Main Course!) You will have to puty in as many as he's willing to eat in about 10mins. Crickets must be no bigger than the space between your dragons eyes, so that they are digested properly. (it is better for him to eat 80 small crickets than 40 big ones!), the smaller and younger the cricket the better neutritional values will be available.   If he stops eating remove any remaining crickets.  Repeat this another 2 times during the day.  You can buy a small plastic mini vivarium (like the ones pet shops keep spiders in) or you can get them from hardware stores etc... to keep your crix in.

Your crickets will need dusting in calcium and vitamin powder - every other feed - this will help to maintain a good level of growth and health - as he gets older you can do this on a much less regular basis.  Dragons need a vitamin called D3 wich helps to maintain this growth health and break down of calcium and toxins, these powders used in conjuction with the recommeded uva/uvb light tube will do this for you.  You are simply replicating what the sun does.  The easiest way i find to dust your crix is to put say 50-60 at a time into a small plastic food bag with a small amount of vitamin/calcium dust and give it a quick shake! until you can visibly see the crix turn a whiteish colour.

Once your dragon is older you can try other insects such as roaches, hoppers(small locusts), super worms, locusts, and some veg Young or old about 10% at a young age and around 50% when he's fully grown - try rocket salads such as romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, squash, cabbage, dandelion is good too.  You can grate the veg and offer on a small plate.
apple, banana, normal lettuce, cucumber and other water based fruit or veg is usually pointless as there is no nutritional values to this type of food.  Lettuce can be fed for hydration purposes only.
P.S. Avoid meal worms at all costs - especially for young dragons - the Chitin(shell) is too hard for your little monster to digest and can cause impaction.

Man - there is so much info to give you - as other members here will - have a look around or search for what your after first - if you cant find it then post a question or give any of us a shout - we will be happy to help!
Good luck - we will be waiting for your pictures!!!

[sez]

Thanks Dragona, wellt he pet store I will be getiing my little baby is either gonna be 1 in chester or rhyl depending on who has some in when I get round to gettting one.  I do have the time for it as i am home all day doing my Open University courses, also i have the advantage that if i am on holiday or anything I have my mum and step dad how are willing to feed him/her. 

I shall be back in touch

thanks sez

[Dragona]

you must be close to wales then - i'm down south in Cardiff.  Hope the info will help you - if you need other info - contact me.

[sez]

Ye just abit close I live in the north in a little place called Y felinheli not to far from Bangor and Caernarfon.  Hope the weathers nice with you lol 

thank ill get back in touch when I get round to actually sorting everything out

Sez xx

[Autoshoty]

Ok, your getting a Bearded Dragon yet you do not know the basic needs of them? Try doing lots of research before getting any reptile or any pet for that matter.

1) Shelving linor will do fine
2)Between 110-115 F
3) Need to be fed everyday, Greens and Crickets.

[Timotei]

I would like to make a few of my own additions and corrections to what Dragona said...

Try to find a nice brightly coloured or unusually paterned dragon

Why on earth would you recommend this ? Colour and patterns are NOT an indicator of health!

Only house your Dragon on it's own! NEVER mix species, or raise with another bearded dragon.  Some will argue with this but your dragon will be happier on his own as they are solitary reptiles.

Absolutely not. Dragons will not be "happier on their own". If u lived here in Australia you would know that you can see them in big groups on the granite outcrops. The fact that they are also found alone does not mean that they are seeking solitude, rather that they are seeking a suitable female or male. Other bearded dragons in the enclosure are an absolute MUST IMO. Another active beardie stimulates their natural social behaviours!! IMO, NEVER raise a beardie on its own, have at LEAST 1 other with it.

the smaller and younger the cricket the better neutritional values will be available.   

Where is the justification for this ?

If he stops eating remove any remaining crickets.  Repeat this another 2 times during the day.

I find it far more beneficial (not to mention easier) to leave a carrot and small amounts of supplement inside the enclosure for the crickets to eat. This way, the crickets don't harm the beardies, and when they emerge to eat, the beardies can eat them.

Your crickets will need dusting in calcium and vitamin powder - every other feed

I would disagree, hatchlings need only 3 supplements a week, any more begins to push it for calcium overdose.

apple, banana, normal lettuce, cucumber and other water based fruit or veg is usually pointless as there is no nutritional values to this type of food.

Worse than that, they're detrimental to the beardie's health!!! Banana is an absolute no-no!

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

That website is the supreme website of bearded dragon nutrition. Consult it before trying ANY new food.

P.S. Avoid meal worms at all costs - especially for young dragons - the Chitin(shell) is too hard for your little monster to digest and can cause impaction.

Compaction is not the issue with mealworms. In fact, beardies have no real problem with the chitin. The main problem is if a mealworm is not killed when devoured; it can actually eat its way out of the beardie. Not a pleasant death.

[sez]

Ok i have done my research i do my research on every animal i get. the only reason i posted this was to get advice off who actualy have beardies so that I could make sure I had the facts correct.  Sorry if its been a while since ive been one but ive been busy sorting stuff out for my beardy.  Sorry if i wasn't clear enough in my first post.  thanks to you all for the great advice. Id like to thank Dragona  the most as hes the only one thats given me information that corrasponds with the information ive been given from books and people i know that bread them.

[Timotei]

Id like to thank Dragona  the most as hes the only one thats given me information that corrasponds with the information ive been given from books and people i know that bread them.

Gee. Subtle.

Personally i believe that personal experience outweighs any book infinitely. And personal experience, I have. I have bred bearded dragons successfully multiple times, i currently have 6 Pogona minor minor, which 99% of you would not know, as 99% of you are not Australian, yet are keeping our indigenous fauna.

[shadi11]

Sez--Great job for research.. I am glad you have.
The main place i agree with Timotei is the color.. it doesnt matter..its a matter of preference in my eyes..

The things i have issues with.. the dragons that are seen in austrailia have a ton of room to seperate if they become bothered(for lack of wording) by another dragon. lets say you got 2 in an enclosure..  they cant get away. suddenly you have a missing toe, missing foot.. missing leg..  this all happens.. i have heard of a head being crused. i personally wouldnt risk it. i have 5.. each in their own home. they are fine.. 

Crickets are typically the easiest feeder insect that is good for a baby to maintian. what else would you recommend? I have done silkworms, phoenix worms and crickets.

as far as a beardie being eaten by crickets. I know a dragon that lost 4 inches of his tail from crickets. he had bite marks everwhere..  even with stuff left in the tank for the crickets to eat..  i wouldnt take the risk..

Mealworms. this has to be addressed. it is myth they eat thru a beardie.. they dont have that strong of jaws..  the reason why they arent recommended is the meat to shell ratio is not good a dragon dont get much out of them. and they can impact a dragon. as small dragons under 13 inches they have a curve in the intestines that the shell or sand can get stuck in this has been proven by scientists. For Lawsons and smaller pagonas mealworms are ok..  not all the time though..

Calcium is needed daily for a beardie.. 5 days a week one feeding a day..  and multivitamin once a week..  as an adult they need calcium 3 days a week and multivitamin once.. as to prevent mbd in a growing dragon.