Need help with beardie set up & info! HELP?!

[JessyH]

I'm thinking about getting a beardie, I've wanted one for ages but I decided to go with Gecko's first because I felt more comfortable getting them from a breeder [my breeder didn't have any beardies in], than from a pet shop.

But the store near me has just put out a bunch of new beardies and some of them are gorgeous, There's a guy who's about 4-5 months old, bright orange/red and he is lovely. Although I was thinking of getting one of the babies, I have a thing for getting them young, watching the personality grow etc.

But I have a few questions I'd like answering.
I know I could look it up on the internet, but I'd rather ask people who have already had experience with beardies.

1) for a [this is a guess] 2 month? old beardie, what size tank do I need, and at what age/length would I have to upgrade to a larger one?
[I have a spare 30 gal tank, and I'm picking up a 60gal tank in a couple of weeks.]

2) what's the best substrate to put a beardie on, and what else would they need in their tank?

3) Is it okay to handle baby beardies from a young age [2month, guess. I think they're about 6" long inc. tail]

4) anything I need to know specifically for having beardies? temps, lighting etc?

5) Are they okay to feed on crickets? I know not to give them wax worms, what about mealworms? and what size crickets at a young age?

6) anything else I need to know! haha.

thankyou so much to anyone who replies to this.

 

[Lena]

1 - 20 Gallons or more for younger beardies, but you'll definitely need a 40+ gal for him/her.

2 - Newspaper, papertowels, tile. Absolutely no particle substrates. Beardies love to lick and have a very sticky tounge that will take in loose substrates along with dinner. Of course, I'm sure you know the risks of impaction.

Also, note that they are semi-arboreal and like to climb on branches and things. My beardie is particularly fond of his hammock.

3 - It's fine to hold them at a young age but don't over-do it. You want them to get used to handling but you don't want to stress your beardie.

4 - It is VERY important to have both heating and UVA/UVB lighting. You can do this by either purchasing a mercury vapor bulb (T-Rex and Megaray's are the best) or by using a flood light (75 watts+) in conjunction with a UVA/UVB tube light (Reptisun 10.0 is the absolute best).

Make sure your beardie's basking spot is to one side of the tank and that the temperature there is around 110-115 degrees. The opposite side of the tank should decrease in temperature to about 80-85. Also be sure that your UVA/UVB source is also hitting the basking spot and that your beardie can get within 6 inches of the source.

5 - Crickets are an excellent staple as long as they are gutloaded and dusted. Mealworms and waxworms should be occasional treats only. The size of your food should be no more than the space between your beardie's eyes in width. Other great staples include silkworms and roaches.

Check out this caresheet, though I think I covered most of it.
http://bearded-dragons.com/boards/index.php/topic,22.0.html

 

[tommyburgerz]

I've done a lot of research on Beardies and I help my nephew out with his all the time, but I don't actually own one myself. But this is what I learned....

Beardies are very friendly and can be held at a young age. They are not skiddish and don't hide so don't have to worry about that.

They are diurnal, dwelling in the deserts of Australia. They needs about 12 hours of heat and uva/uvb lighting. They like it hot, so a basking spot of about 105 Degrees works fine. Of course they will need a cool side too to thermoregulate if they get too hot.

Young beardies need lots of calcium as they grow fairly large, so as a juvenile they should eat about 75% insects and 25% veggies. They will eat crickets, mealworms, superworms, roaches and they are quick hunters so it makes it fun to watch too. they do not typically have pools of water in the wild so most of the water they get should come from the veggies that you put out. They still need a water bowl just in case however, and it will also help them with shedding.

Housing - a young one in a 30 gallon is perfectly fine. At about a year old they will be ready for a bigger tank however. They can climb, but floor space is more needed then height. As for a substrate, you can use reptile carpeting or paper towels. As usual, the juveniles have a tendency to eat sand when going for prey and there is the risk of impaction so it is not recommended although many people I am sure have kept them on sand for many years. It's a gamble, so why risk it.

anyhow, hope that helps. here is a link to a very good website: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

 

[JessyH]

1 - 20 Gallons or more for younger beardies, but you'll definitely need a 40+ gal for him/her.

2 - Newspaper, papertowels, tile. Absolutely no particle substrates. Beardies love to lick and have a very sticky tounge that will take in loose substrates along with dinner. Of course, I'm sure you know the risks of impaction.

Also, note that they are semi-arboreal and like to climb on branches and things. My beardie is particularly fond of his hammock.

3 - It's fine to hold them at a young age but don't over-do it. You want them to get used to handling but you don't want to stress your beardie.

4 - It is VERY important to have both heating and UVA/UVB lighting. You can do this by either purchasing a mercury vapor bulb (T-Rex and Megaray's are the best) or by using a flood light (75 watts+) in conjunction with a UVA/UVB tube light (Reptisun 10.0 is the absolute best).

Make sure your beardie's basking spot is to one side of the tank and that the temperature there is around 110-115 degrees. The opposite side of the tank should decrease in temperature to about 80-85. Also be sure that your UVA/UVB source is also hitting the basking spot and that your beardie can get within 6 inches of the source.

5 - Crickets are an excellent staple as long as they are gutloaded and dusted. Mealworms and waxworms should be occasional treats only. The size of your food should be no more than the space between your beardie's eyes in width. Other great staples include silkworms and roaches.

Check out this caresheet, though I think I covered most of it.
http://bearded-dragons.com/boards/index.php/topic,22.0.html

Thanks ever so much. I have a tank spare at the minute which is about 35gal, and I'm getting about a 60/70gal tank in about a week or two.
I'm thinking about moving both my gecko's into the bigger tank, splitting it in two, and then using my 40gal tank for the beardie.

The 35gal tank I have, for some reason didn't come with a lid. It has a cardboard lid, which I suppose I could use, but I'd have to try and ensure it's stuck down when I've put it on, although I doubt a baby beardie could push it up..

I know where I can easily get lights and heat mats so that won't be a problem.
I'm just a little stuck at the minute to work out how to shuffle my gecko's around with the new tanks, so which is best to put the beardie in.
I have, a 40gal tank for one of my gecko's, and a 20/25gal tank for my baby gecko. So I could put the beardie in the 35gal tank for now, then when I get the bigger tank, put my gecko's in there, use the 40gal tank for the beardie and then I'll have a spare tank for a new baby. haha. i'm babbling and confusing myself.

thanks alot for your help & I'll be sure to write all that down as to remember it!

 

[JessyH]

I've done a lot of research on Beardies and I help my nephew out with his all the time, but I don't actually own one myself. But this is what I learned....

Beardies are very friendly and can be held at a young age. They are not skiddish and don't hide so don't have to worry about that.

They are diurnal, dwelling in the deserts of Australia. They needs about 12 hours of heat and uva/uvb lighting. They like it hot, so a basking spot of about 105 Degrees works fine. Of course they will need a cool side too to thermoregulate if they get too hot.

Young beardies need lots of calcium as they grow fairly large, so as a juvenile they should eat about 75% insects and 25% veggies. They will eat crickets, mealworms, superworms, roaches and they are quick hunters so it makes it fun to watch too. they do not typically have pools of water in the wild so most of the water they get should come from the veggies that you put out. They still need a water bowl just in case however, and it will also help them with shedding.

Housing - a young one in a 30 gallon is perfectly fine. At about a year old they will be ready for a bigger tank however. They can climb, but floor space is more needed then height. As for a substrate, you can use reptile carpeting or paper towels. As usual, the juveniles have a tendency to eat sand when going for prey and there is the risk of impaction so it is not recommended although many people I am sure have kept them on sand for many years. It's a gamble, so why risk it.

anyhow, hope that helps. here is a link to a very good website: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

Thankyou ever so much I've learnt a fair few new things from that & it's incredibly helpful.
I want to make sure I know as much as I can before I get the beardie as to give it the best quality of life I can. I didn't know what about the water, haha. so thankyou so much!
I'll be sure to stock up on veggies and such.

 

[REUBER]

i was always told absolutely NO mealworms they are to hard to digest...I dont feed mine adult or baby BD.

You can feed phoenix worms too to a baby as a staple but you will need to give them more baths as they become dehydrated with so much calcium (no dusting though)

The heating is so many variants..105-up to 130 i have read)

Just get some tile from Home Depot and line your 40G..get a digital thermo or temp gun..

A lot of beardies wont drink out of a dish and most will just poop in it.

I put a drop on mines nose and he licks it and i keep doing it until he stops drinking...

 

[Kristi23]

You got a lot of good advice. I'm not sure the size of my tank, but it has levels and he loves to climb and jump. When he was little, I fed mostly phoenix worms and now feed dubia roaches (plus greens when he'll eat them). I have my lights on a timer. During the summer, we do 12-14 hours of light and then less in the winter. I don't use a water dish. I spray him daily and also give him baths. I dust food with calcium everyday and vitamins once a week. Temps on my warm side are around 120 and 80-85 on the cooler side. The lower level temps are around 75. I agree with no particle substrate. I used paper towels in the smaller tank. They like light, so make sure you're using a bright bulb. I know there's more I'm forgetting, but that's mostly what I do with mine. He's about a year old.

You'll love having a bearded dragon. They have a lot of personality. Mine loves music and recognizes voices.

 

[Jenn]

the dragon will out grow a 30 gallon tank quick I recommend 55 gallon long.
you can hold your dragon but give it atleast a week to adjust. I use shelf liner on my tank floors. temps are very important so make sure the basking surface is atleast 110 and he can get within 6-8" of there uvb light. feed a juvy as many crickets a he can eat in 15 minutes then remove them, crickets can bite your dragon and stres them out. give you dragon a constant amount of greens, collard, turnip and mustard greens are the best.