First Beardie :)

I work at petsmart and i sold a small beardie to a customer a month or two ago. Sadly his situation changed so he asked if i could personally take him since the store can't accept it back since its been a while.
So I've been reading everyone else's posts and I've been on beardeddragon.org for a while but I still have a few questions.

First off, let me list what i do have and what i know so far.
it's a 20 gallon long tank
the beardie is only a few months old. the body is about 4.25 inches from head to vent.
water dish
this little leaf dish...thing.
a rather large half log (i know you're all going to eat me alive for this)
one of those reptile hammocks
a basking...ornament.
carpet for bedding (and i have some for my leopard gecko and i know its a pain to clean so i'd like to change it)

i've been checking the temps frequently with my temp gun (RBI 205L)
the warm side is about 95 on the ground and 115 at the very top of the ornament (but i haven't seen him up that high)
84-86 on the cool side.
its a 75 watt bulb
and i have the UV lighting.

i can get pictures up within a few days.

all i'm really wondering is can i change the bedding to tile?
does he need a calcium dish like my leopard gecko?
he's eating small crickets right now and i also bought some small mealies.
i'll be shopping for his greens and such later on.

and how often do i have to worry about clipping his nails?

Feel free to ask anything, add any input, and thank you in advance :)

Hey!

Just to cover some things, beardies do not need hides, im not sure if thats what youre using it for or if its for something else.

Secondly, what kind of uvb light do you have?

Mealies are a huge No no for beardies, you can try super worms when he is a little bit older. Right now he should be eating between 30-70 vit or calcium dusted crickets and get misted a few times a day. They do not need calcium dishes, they get their calcium from the dust you put on their crickets.

4.5 inches at a few months old is small, but I know he was not in your care for a long time. hopefully with the right husbandry he will start to grow for you :)

Feel free to ask any more questions! - Matt

Congrats on your first beardie, use paper towel or flat shelf liner (non adhesive) for now that way you can monitor the poops, easier to take care of. Tile gets really really heavy and depending on what you tank is sitting on it may break through, not to mention it may heat up and cause underside burning.

Make sure you get a mixture of greens, and with misting you have a couple of choices, u can continue to mist but if using paper towel be careful because your humidity can rise. Or you can use the terra cotta planter dishes and use those as small water dishes... it also helps file their nails down.

At this age their nails aren't an issue, but if concerned get some flat rock or a terra cotta planter dish like mentioned above.

Hope that helps.

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Hey!

Just to cover some things, beardies do not need hides, im not sure if thats what youre using it for or if its for something else.

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that's exactly what i thought i was using it for but now i'm a little relieved.

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Secondly, what kind of uvb light do you have?

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exo-terra 10.0

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Mealies are a huge No no for beardies, you can try super worms when he is a little bit older. Right now he should be eating between 30-70 vit or calcium dusted crickets and get misted a few times a day. They do not need calcium dishes, they get their calcium from the dust you put on their crickets.

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aww, why such a no no? i'm definitely stocking up on crickets right now and dusting them. i just thought i'd mix it up and have backup live food just in case i ran out of crickets.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

4.5 inches at a few months old is small, but I know he was not in your care for a long time. hopefully with the right husbandry he will start to grow for you :)

Feel free to ask any more questions! - Matt

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and yes, i know its a bit tiny but he's probably 2 months old and he did spend his first month at the store. i hope to have him big and strong :] if it is indeed a he...when can i tell?

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Originally Posted by repti_girl

Tile gets really really heavy and depending on what you tank is sitting on it may break through, not to mention it may heat up and cause underside burning.

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the stand is sturdy and solid but it is the burning i was concerned about. Thank you. Would i be able to carefully monitor it in the future? Once he's older?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by repti_girl

Make sure you get a mixture of greens, and with misting you have a couple of choices, u can continue to mist but if using paper towel be careful because your humidity can rise. Or you can use the terra cotta planter dishes and use those as small water dishes... it also helps file their nails down.

At this age their nails aren't an issue, but if concerned get some flat rock or a terra cotta planter dish like mentioned above.

Hope that helps.

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The flat rock sounds like a good idea since i already went out of my way to buy a little water dish.


Also, neither of you mentioned anything about the temperature being 115 at one spot on the basking side. It's a 75 watt bulb. should i try a 60 instead? it's only 115 in that one spot at the top. everywhere else on that side is about 95. Do i leave it as is?

Ive never ever had a problem with tile over heating, so I wouldnt worry about that.

Mealies are a huge no no because they have a much higher shell to meat ratio, and you want the opposite. they can cause impaction. Beardies eat alot of crickets, so unless your rich id suggest buying online if you wont already. Make sure the cricket is no longer the the width between your beardies eyes.

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Ive never ever had a problem with tile over heating, so I wouldnt worry about that.

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Would it matter what type of tile i get?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Mealies are a huge no no because they have a much higher shell to meat ratio, and you want the opposite. they can cause impaction. Beardies eat alot of crickets, so unless your rich id suggest buying online if you wont already.

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ooohh, i see. that makes sense. What website are you purchasing from? Every site i check is indeed cheaper but the shipping is where it kills me. The shipping is the only reason why i'm still buying from the store (plus i work at the store so its not like i'm going out of my way)

not a very helpful post, i apologize, but tiny beardies are adorable.... when he is more settled................ peektures? :please:

I order mine from PremiumCrickets.com, I have ordered from a bunch of places and I can say that their crickets have lived longer and when I get them more are alive. Id expect 1000( Enough to feed a beardie for about two weeks) to run around 25$ shipped. Thats way better than buying from a petstore, which is around 10 cent each and 1000 would cost you a pretty penny. If your young beardie is not eating more than 25 crickets a day then id think something was wrong.