Beardie help

[brikwall96]

The reason I'm posting this here is because I'm in need of a fast response...we have a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid, reptile carpet, and a hide. And a water dish, what watt lamps would we need for a beardie? And a differe t subrstrate too? Help!

[wwmjkd]

I kept bearded dragons until last year, and you should know going into it that they are a lot of work. they're great, but expect to spend as much time feeding, cleaning, and caring for bearded dragons as you would spend taking care of a cat.

not only will yours outgrow the 10-gallon enclosure quickly, but they require high calcium greens daily and high-protein insects/larva at least every other day. when they're young, appropriately sized crickets need to be fed daily. the wattage of the lamp isn't that important, just make sure the basking spot stays at close to 100 degrees. you will also need a UVA/UVB strip light that runs the length of the cage, without which metabolic bone disorders can start arising within a few weeks. as for substrate, I always used sand sold by pet stores (don't use normal playground sand).

[rperry03]

10 gal should get by with a 60 watt sun and a 10.0 desert UVB. Not saying it's the best setup but it will get you by when you are at the store

[Homegrownscales]

It sounds like you've just got yourself a little one. It also sounds like you weren't given much info when you brought this guy home. Keep in mind when you get a new pet there may be more that goes Into them than you think!

Lights- heat lamp spot light basking bulb. You need one that get your basking zone to at least 100.f 103.f is preferred.
UVB/UVA- like the above poster said needs to run length of tank. Honestly I think a 10.0 is The best.

I think a 20g is minimum for a juvenile. They need space to thermoregulate and bask. I think The overall 10g will be a bit too small and you'll find that your cage will be a bit too hot.
You need calcium. 2 kinds. One is pure calcium- grab a bottle of tums fruity flavored is fine and crush up the tablets. This is pure calcium and you will use it half the time.
Calcium with d3. Make sure it is phosphorus free! You will use this in conjunction with the tums.

Now babies need to eat daily. You'll be using the calcium d3 only on 3 feedings a week. The other feedings you need to dust with the tums. Also putting tums on the fresh veggies.

Fresh veggies-
My adults and babies are raised on a daily Salad of:
Collard greens, mustard greens, spring mix, parsley, carrots, corn, peas,endive, dandelion greens. Sometimes a little fruit like red and black rasberries, or mango.

Substrate-
Don't use sand with a baby. I use a sand mix with adults. But never with the babies. And really don't get calcium sand. Dangerous stuff! Actually play sand isn't bad. As Long as it doesn't have silicone crystals In it. The silicone is actually what causes impactions. But sand should never be used for any animal under 1 year. And it depends on your animal as well. Aggressive feeders that dive to grab their food I dont give them sand at all. Unless you are very experienced I never suggest for folks to use any type of sand. Impaction is a combination of poor husbandry and bad substrate. Just skip sand all together for this guy.

Keep a youngin on paper towel. Easy to clean and safe.

Hope this all helps


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[Trogdorpheus]

I keep my beardie on slate tile. Easy clean-up, hold heat well, and it files their claws down a little bit so they're not so sharp when you want to handle them.

I actually have 3 lights in my enclosure. 1 is an energy saver regular bulb for white light, then I have a high wattage floodlight on a rheostat over the basking spot, and then my UVB bulb. This way I can control heat via the floodlight, without changing how much visible light is in the enclosure.

Crickets aren't your only option with a young beardie, contrary to popular belief, and the calcium you need to use is also dependant on the type of UVB you're using. Something else to consider is that if you're not offering a variety of greens/veggies then you may also need to include a multi-vitamin into the mix too.

Check out beardeddragon.org (its a site like this one for beardies) and the caresheets and forums there should be able to answer any question you have.

Edit: Also, as for tank size. I like to say that an appropriate size is to have the Width of the enclosure the length of your dragon, and the length be twice the length of your dragon. Right now, my 18" dragon is in a 36Lx18Wx18H enclosure. 40 gallon breeder tank is pretty much the minimum for an adult dragon.