Autoshoty

[Snakes Incorporated]

 

[LizardLady]

Bearded Dragon

Housing:  An enclosure for a bearded dragon should be at least 40 gallons to accomdate their adult size.  If kept as a pair, aim for at least 55 gallons.  For a decorative substrate, calcium sand is the best and most natural looking choice.  Provide a large branch under a heat lamp for basking.  You'll notice they will spend a great deal of their time there, especially after eating.  An appropriate sized hide box will be needed for each individual.

 For water, a small water dish will suffice.  They may also drink droplets of water if you mist the inside of the enclosure.
Environment: A bearded dragon's captive environment should mirror its natural one  the rocky, semi-desert regions of Australia.  The proper temperature for bearded dragons is 75 to 85 degrees, with a UVB light basking area of around 90 degrees.

Feeding:  Adults can be fed insects every other day, with daily fruits and vegetables.  For young dragons, feed appropriately sized crickets.  For adults, along with larger crickets, you can add mealworms and superworms as a treat.  Insects should be dusted with calcium/Vitamin D powder.  Fruits and veggies offered may include: greens, romaine lettuce, carrot or radish tops, pesticide-free flowers like dandelions and clover, carrots, bell peppers, cooked potatoes, raspberries, bananas, apples, grapes, and peaches.

I am sorry but your care information is not good at all.  Calci sand is horrible and causes severe life threatning impactions.  If you want to use sand at all, the only thing recommended is washed and sifted playsand you get at Lowe's for about $3 for 50lbs.  Personally I prefer carpet, it is easy to clean and wash.  Do not leave water bowls in with beardies, they can easily drown in them.  Bathing a few times a week along with misting is enough hydration.  Beardies also require UVB not just a heat lamp.  I use 100 watt EB Mercury vapor lamps on mine and have had wonderful results in health and size, those can be bought at www.reptileuv.com for about $40 each.  The best thing about them is that they put out good uvb until they burn out.  I have one that is over 2 years and still putting out acceptable amounts of uvb.

Basking area temp should be no less the 100 degrees.  Mine are all set at 110-120 so that they aren't spending all day under the basking light just to stay warm.  The cool end of the tank should be right around 80 degrees.  Lights should be on a 12/12 daily cycle and increased to 14/10 during the summer months.

The diet you recommend is aweful!  Never EVER feed meal worms. their skin is hard and can cause impaction, not to mention they have very little nutritional value.  I usually stick with Superworms and Crickets for the most part with occassional horned worms for the adults and pheonix worms for the babies.  Feed your dragons all they can eat in a 10-15 min. period.  Babies under three months should be feed twice daily, dragons over 3 months once daily and adults a couple times a week.  As far as greens and vegetables go,  Young dragons I usually feed nothing but leafy greens (collards, mustard, turnip greens, endive..etc.).  Do not feed your dragon or any lizard anything with the word lettuce in it, it has very little nutritional value and is mostly water.  Vegetables should be grated squashes, never feed carrots, parsley, beet tops, radish tops or kale as they are high in oxalates and bind the calcium from entering into the blood stream.  Never feed young dragons fruits with seeds, it can cause impaction!  Absolutely no potatoes!  Bananas I don't feed at all, but they can be fed on a rare occassion, they are high in potasium.

[Autoshoty]

Very good info. Can't have people posting the wrong info and having beginers read it and use that cali sand and such...

[Dragona]

1st of all - he did not say a water bowl - he clearly states a small water dish will suffice! Which is fine - besides i've never heard of a beardie drowning in a water bowl - they may be docile but they're not that stupid!

Besides i bath mine in about 12" of water in the bath and one of my females shuts her nostrils and swims around under water ! lol.

Also there is nothing wrong with feeding lettuce! there are no bad ingredients in it - it's just that it's made up of 85% water - this is great for dragons hydration especially if they don't drink much or are ill and you are trying to re-hydrate them again. (same for cucumber 90%water)

I agree with you that they are alot of mistakes in the original post as he obviously is more experienced with the snakes as his username sugests and also you are correct about NOT posting this kind of info on here if he wasn't 100% sure in the first place! as Newbies and recent beardie owners could follow and cause illneses, and even death to their beloved pets.

One last thing:
Temps for adults should actually be NO higher than 105f basking as the main purpose for this is to help the dragon digest it's food correctly - as they get older the digestive system becomes slightly more flexible in breaking down the food - where as you would notice things like crix legs and heads etc... in the poop of young dragons if the temps are not correct.
110-115f is good basking temp for young, and between 75f-80f in cool or shaded areas too.

My last request to anyone who is unsure of infomation they are about to post is:
DON'T POST IT!

[shadi11]

Also there is nothing wrong with feeding lettuce! there are no bad ingredients in it - it's just that it's made up of 85% water - this is great for dragons hydration especially if they don't drink much or are ill and you are trying to re-hydrate them again. (same for cucumber 90%water

Actually in small very small amts lettuce can be fed. but large amounts arent good. as they can cause dehydration because they contain too much water and will cause diarrhea.

Temps for adults should actually be NO higher than 105f basking as the main purpose for this is to help the dragon digest it's food correctly - as they get older the digestive system becomes slightly more flexible in breaking down the food - where as you would notice things like crix legs and heads etc... in the poop of young dragons if the temps are not correct.

Why no higher? I actually adjust based on the dragon.. if the dragon will bask for a reasonable amount of time determines my temperatures. I have 2 adults who prefer close to 110. otherwise they sit and bask all day..  2 others like 105-107 range..  I have always recommended adults not to go over 110. Never heard the 105 though

[Dragona]

i've never heard of diarrhoea (this is how we spell it in the uk!) in a bearded dragon as i have never experienced it - i personally believe they do not drink enough anyway!

I suppose you can argue the toss about temperature's - Nobody's wrong - nobody's right? 2f -3f is such a small measurement of heat it's hardly noticeable, so i suppose i contradict myself a little there but like you say - depends on the dragon.  But i personally find and recommend 105f for adults.  I also find if i put my temps over this my dragons do not spend sustained amounts of time basking when they should, and usually alternate between middle of the viv and the basking quarters in alternate periods.

I was also once told if the temps are too high digested food is liquidised too much and is passed too quickly through the system - i'm not sure how accurate that is but thought i'd mention it anyway!

[shadi11]

Mine drink water usually daily. at least every other day. I have never used lettuce because of being told its good to move impaction. it has too much water content in a regular diet. I have added romain lettuce occassionally as it has vitamins other veggies dont. maybe a couple days a month though.

I was also once told if the temps are too high digested food is liquidised too much and is passed too quickly through the system - i'm not sure how accurate that is but thought i'd mention it anyway!

I havent been told this.. Interesting. I will look into it.
If they are sticking in the middle. i take my temp gun and usually adjust the basking spot close to that temp..  Thats normally how I figure it.
I dont want to sound like I am arguing with you. Just finding it interesting to compare.

[Dragona]

I have never used lettuce because of being told its good to move impaction.

If it is good to move impaction why aren't there any posts recommending people to use this method if impaction occurs - (or have i mis-understood that last quote)

it's news to me.  I usually recommend a good reptile specialist vetenirary surgeon for impaction who has a good reputation.

Hey, great comparing mental notes - but what the hell - as long as everybodys dragons are healthy (and they will be if you dont follow the first post on this topic!) everybody's happy.  But good to learn from what other methods are used by other owners - you never know when you might need to utilise the ideas of others.

One last thing i forgot to mention - My dragons dont drink as often as yours - that seems extremely frequent to be drinking water - considering also that bearded dragons are often attracted to moving objects (water is usually in-effective unless it is moving eg, waterfall) Although dont use these as they humidify the vivarium way too much! but i notice if i were to either wiggle my fingers in the water dish she will notice it and then attempt to drink it - or in the bath - they tend to drink alot then too - which is great for hydration through both skin/scale absorbtion and orally.  On that note - To any newbies or inexperienced owners - a simple way to check for de-hydration is to very lightly pinch and pull the side of your dragons body using finger and thumb raising the scales - If the skin settles back down to where you lifted it from it usually means your lizzard is propperly hydrated - if the skin lifts and stays there with out returning to its original state and seems stiff to rebound - then it can mean your lizard may be dehydrated - you may also notice heavier breathing - BUT, i wont go into to much detail on this thread as the post was originally based on another topic.
regards.

[shadi11]

If it is good to move impaction why aren't there any posts recommending people to use this method if impaction occurs - (or have i mis-understood that last quote)

It has been. Maybe not here yet. there hasnt been an impaction issue I have seen though. but on other boards I have seen it. apples and lettuce. a common reccomendation to move impaction.
Mine probably drink more. I make the water move. drip on noses or whatever. they get baths daily. as most peoples dont. its just what I do.. 

[Dragona]

True - it's good to bath - but i don't think every day is needed - but stick to your methods if they're happy.

I was having a quick chat with a herpes specialist (herpologist i think!) if that s what you call them? in Aberystwyth University who was on a day visit whilst i was delivering and co-incadently we got on to talking about drinking and i mentioned the post about diahorrea and he says "Water cannot cause it???" diahorrea is an effect of a virus or over poisoning of either the stomach or liver etc.... something like that anyway - Where did you here about too much water causing this as i'd like to track down the source - cheers.