Maybe getting a beardie

[Musilitar]

Hi everyone!
I'm interested in getting a beardie, and I have a few questions.
Do YOU think it's worth it to get a beardie? So far I have 1 leopard gecko, soon to be 2.
Are beardies in general more handleable than leopard gecko's?
I might be getting a 3 year old one, I am right that he will be mainly eating veggies, as in the contrary small ones will eat mainly crickets and locusts?
Is a 47"X20"X20" a good terrarium length?
Do they really eat that much?
In general, how do you like your beardie?
Thanks in advance, it would be much appreciated!

 

[Echostatic]

i think its worth getting a beardie, but they are very high maintenance in comparison.

i dont know how handleable leos are but beardies seem to crave attention and handling, if done properly. very handleable.

a 20g long tank is a good size for a beardie up to 12" in length, a 40g breeder is the minimum size for 12"+.

from birth to 1.5 years they can eat anywhere from 40 to 200+ appropriately sized insects a day, and they need it.

i like my beardie a lot. she is very laid back and friendly, and is curious about what im doing when im in viewing range usually.

i recommend www.bearded-dragons.com for your beardie needs.

http://bearded-dragons.com/boards/index.php/topic,22.0.html
their care sheet, its the best ive seen.

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
the nutrition guide most of us use.

im happy to answer any further questions you have.

 

[Musilitar]

OK thanks!
As for the tanks, I have no idea how gallons work, could you say it in inches maybe?
Yeah I've read their caresheet yesterday, helped me a lot.
I don't mind the high maintenance sounds like it's worth it.
So, I might be getting an adult, and I was thinking to do the feeding like this:
Fruit and vegetables everyday, insects twice a week?
Is that a good feeding schedule?
I found most of the info in the caresheet
One bad thing, my mom doesn't like them!!
She LOVES my leopard gecko, but she finds beardies "freaky and scary"!
Any tips on that?
She even said that she wouldn't feed him when I was gone even though she does that for my leo.
I think beardies are sooo cute
As for the substrate I decided to go with the same thing I did with my gecko, which is big rocks as substrate, no impaction risk, good heat absorbtion and easy to clean!
Umm yeah, I think that's it, if I have more questions I'll ask
Greetings Lode

 

[Echostatic]

a 40g breeder is at least 36 inches long by 18 inches deep and 17 inches high.

if youll look on the nutrition guide you will see that all fruits are labeled inblack, meaning they arent good for everyday feeding, but more like a once a week treat. collard greens, mustard greens and squash makes a good daily meal. feeding around 30 appropriate insects weekly is a good amount for an adult.

my mom didnt like mine until i went on vacation and she had to feed and bathe it. she liked it after spending time with it.

big rocks might make it hard to feed crickets, im not sure exactly how you intend to do it. you could use textured ceramic tile, i find it to be very easy to use.

 

[Musilitar]

Ok, than the tank I will get if I get will be good
That's good to hear!
Well the person currently has him on sand, but I will change it to the rocks.
I do not like tile because it's so flat, the rocks will be fine

Thanks for the info on the insects, I will spread it like this then:
2 times a week insects, each of those times 15 of them.
I guess this is not enough for a daily meal? Should I do the insects+veggies on those 2 days?
I will do fruit like once a week?
And yeah I have no idea what those veggies are called in Belgium but I have found a dutch nutrition guide so I know WHAT to feed.
Some of the best things to feed them grow in my garden!
I have no idea how much veggies to feed him though, got any tips on that?

Good to hear that your mom started to like them! That gives me hope!

Also I was wondering do they need like a humid hide like leopard gecko's do?

Thank you very much for all this!
Greetings Lode

P.S: You can see how I did the rocks in an old thread of mine: http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=17932&highlight=rocks+as+substrate
Even though people didn't believe me that it worked well without a UTH (I use a lamp), it works perfect and my gecko loves it!
Also note that the UV lights are gone since I now know they don't need it, those UV holders will be used for my beardie.

 

[Lena]

The rocks look great, just stay away from sand!

And beware, beardies like to dig, so expect the smaller rocks to be thrown out of place on occasion. I'd recommend grouting them down.

Don't worry so much on exacts as far as feeding fruits and veggies. My beardie won't even eat fruit. I generally give him 2 cups of lettuce a day (He's 5 month-old), you may wish to do 4 depending on how much he eats. You'll figure it out as you go.

Also I was wondering do they need like a humid hide like leopard gecko's do?

They don't need any hides at all, actually. Your beardie will get his moisture from his greens and you can give him a bath 2-3 times a week. Fill the tub with just enough water so that he can stand.

 

[Musilitar]

Oh oke that's great!
The bad news is: the one I had an eye on is asking 300 euro's for terra+beardie but that is way to much for me
Guess I'll have to search for an other one
Thanks for all the help

 

[Lena]

You should buy a baby! They're so much fun.

Check out a reptile show, they're usually only 20-35 bucks.

There's also a few people selling babies right now on Bearded-Dragons.com's forum (Under classifieds).

 

[Musilitar]

Hehe, a bit hard for me since I live in Belgium
I want an adult because I don't want to give 200 crickets a day, it's just personal preference.

 

[Lena]

Yeah. I have to run to the local pet store once every 2-3 days to feed my little monster.

But it's worth it.

 

[Echostatic]

valencia, i wouldnt feed lettuce to a beardie, it has almost no nutrition and is mostly water. its also can cause diarheea.

musilitar, 15 crickets a day for 2 days out of the week is a good schedule. make sure the crickets have been gutloaded, and dust one feeding with calcium suppliment and the second feeding with an appropriate multivitamin suppliment. you should be feeding healthy greens every day. as for how much, thats something you will have to figure out when you get your beardie. offer some, see how much it eats throughout the day, and proceed accordingly.

i recommend again signing up at www.bearded-dragons.com for help as there are a lot more people there that have a lot of experience at beardie care, and will be able to answer all the questions youre bound to have about things.

one question though, what uvb light were you going to use?

 

[Musilitar]

All people recommend Reptisun 10.0 so I will be getting that one

 

[Lena]

valencia, i wouldnt feed lettuce to a beardie, it has almost no nutrition and is mostly water. its also can cause diarheea.

Oops. I don't. I just refer to it as lettuce. D: It's easier than saying 'mustard greens' or 'collard greens' over and over at my house. Bad habit.

And the reptisun 10.0 is a great choice. I have a 36" one in my beardie's tank. Make sure yours spans at least 2/3 of the tank. (I have a long 55 gal)

 

[Musilitar]

Yeah I know what I need to know now, but the problem is that most people that sell them here have a way to small tank! It's horrible!
So it's hard to find one, and I don't wanna buy it all new, I'm looking on stuff the equivalent of craigslist.
So yeah, no luck so for, either too small or too expencive
Will keep you updated though!
Also: How much do you spend on a beardie daily? I'm not saying I don't have time for it, just curious

 

[Musilitar]

I'm sorry for doulbeposting, edit time ran out.
On the above I forget a word in the last sentence: how much TIME do you spend on a beardie daily was what I wanted to ask.
Also: Will it be a problem if I get an adult that it will not like me since it has been with the previous owner since baby? Any advice?

 

[Lena]

Also: How much do you spend on a beardie daily? I'm not saying I don't have time for it, just curious

At the very least he gets 20-30 minutes a day for his feedings if I have a very busy day ahead of me. Though most of the time I'm home and I often have him out, chilling on my shoulder or on my lap.

Will it be a problem if I get an adult that it will not like me since it has been with the previous owner since baby? Any advice?

I really doubt it. My dragon loves anyone and everyone who gives him attention.

 

[Musilitar]

Weeee that's great to hear!
And really I would love to spend time with them if I get them eventually!
I just hope they really are so mellow as I'm told, because I got told the same with gecko's but mine is unhandleable Even after months of slowly trying.
Ah well, still have to find one first, I've send a lot of e-mails out and I'm checking the computer like a madman but no responses yet

 

[Lena]

Oh, extremely handleable. The only time they get feisty is when they're shedding. At least mine does. And he's not mean, he just seems uncomfortable.

 

[Musilitar]

Well good news!
I bought myself a cage today!
It's 60" long, 24" tall and 20" deep!
It's very big!
It has a customized background, and I will be putting tile in as a substrate.
I will be picking it in 10 days because the guy had to put ventilation in.
I can't wait!!!

 

[clear]

congrats! that is a nice size tank he will love it!