Went shopping for a Boa, came home with a Beardie.

Went to petsmart today to see if they had a Boa I could handle since I've been doing the research to get one. Instead I wound up falling head over heals for this little guy.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...ress62/013.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...ss62/011-1.jpg


Now of course I need to research how to take care of it. lol All advice is appreciated. This is the first time I've owned a pet without researching the basics first and I know nothing. lol

Here you go:

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/

Quick list....

Uva and uvb lighting with heat 95-115 basking
Get a megaray lamp

Fresh water

Daily greens... mustard, turnip, Collard as staples and no lettuce
try which fruits he will eat, mine doesn't care for any.

Proteins, i order dubia roaches with the occasional crickets or Phoenix worms. Anything with a hardshell i.e. mealworm or superworms is not good door them

I did the same, went to an expo and came back with a beardie!
This is the best info that i found on them

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/


http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

Thanks guys I am going to read everything suggested. Right now though I have a question. At petsmart they were feeding him mealworms. When I got home and opened the container the live worms were in a sand type material. Should I pick the worms out to feed him or just scoop up some of the stuff?

He shouldn't be eating those at all... They have too hard of a shel and are hard for beardies, especially young beardies to digest. You should be feeding him crickets that are just big enough to fit between his eyes.

Pet stores usually have no clue how to take care of their reptiles, and often give out very poor information when they are asked.

I was in a petsmart the other day and they had ball pythons in a desert setup, and no heat source ( the temperature was 71 degrees and the humidity level was at 10%) I found the manager and told him that his reptiles were going to die if he didn't fix the problems. Luckily he saw reason , but it wasn't until I pulled up 3 care sheets on my iPhone

okay so I need to go shopping for food. baby crickets, mustard, collards, and fruit. What about dehydrated fruit like raisens or cranberries? Will they eat that? What about chives,sprouts, or peas?

I haven't tried dehydrated fruit, so I can't say. Young Beardies eat mainly crickets (I think it's like 80% crickets to 20% fruits/veggies) Just stay away from citrus and other highly acidic foods.

Get a few dozen crickets, my little girl eats 6 at a time 3 times a day... luckily at my local reptile shop it's $1.50 for 50 small crickets

also it is a good thing to mist the veggies before you put them in the cage. This will help keep them appetizing longer, and help keep your beardie hydrated.

another quick note, some beardies don't like to drink from stagnate water so you have a few options to help get them to drink

(this is all in the care sheet by the way but I figured I'd point it out)

make ripples in the water with your finger. if it moves they will try to eat it (very cute by the way)

lightly mist the walls and even directly on your beardie, they will drink the droplets (just don't go overboard they are a desert species after all)

yea I'm reading the care info as we speak. So far it looks to me like fresh is best and only certain green veggies, plus squash, and it sounds like apples are the best fruit. Crickets...hhmmm I'm going to run back over to petsmart (it's the closest pet store to me) and see if they have crickets small enough for him. The closest reptile store is halfway across town from my neighborhood so I want to avoid driving that far if possible. How do you keep the veggies fresh so you don't have to shop every day? Do you freeze them? Do you cook them before feeding? Still reading care sheet so sorry if some of this is in there.

I only got my beardie a few days ago, but I've read just about every care sheet and forum post on the internet (bit of an insomniac) right now what I'm doing is just feeding apples, and collards. I chop up a days worth in the morning, and mist them a few times a day. So far this has seemed to work pretty well. The remaining apple after I chop up enough for the day is breakfast for me. I figure if it is fresh enough for me to eat it, it will be for my little girl.

Here is my little girl, she looks to be about the same size as yours

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_0365.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_0364.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...n/IMG_0369.jpg

Awe! I saw her on your thread. I agree with everyone else she is beautiful. What did you decide to name her? My daughter named my little guy Lex as in Lex Luther and has decided he's hers. lol we'll see about that. Anyway, I'm going to take your advice and get collards and apples for now. I'll have to find a place to buy crickets so for now he will have to eat the mealworms. Petsmarts are too big for him.

Thanks, her name is Gaius... not the most feminine name, but it was my girlfriends idea, and who am I to argue lol.

I like the ring of that name. Where did your gf get it from? Does it mean something?

Gaius Marius?

Its actually a Roman name and Julius Caesars first name ("fun fact of the night" my girlfriend is a history major in college)

Also we both watch a BBC show called Merlin, and Gaius is one of the characters. The character on the show does this thing with his eyebrows that my little girl was doing exactly in the pet shop that we purchased her from.

You can also place drops of water on their noses and their natural reaction will be to lick it.

Wow gaius looks awesome, what is he? Im not that familiar with beardies as all i have is a leatherback.

I have also fed mine fuzzy to Hopper mice. Mealworms are a horrible diet. Go to http://www.phillyfeeders.com/ and check them out as a protein staple, beardies like food that moves.

That is very imaginative. haha I love it! So how many times a day should I feed Lex? I'm reading everything from once a day to several times a day. I'll go get crickets tomorrow but he's been here for several hours now and I'm getting worried he might be hungry.

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Originally Posted by enchantress62

okay so I need to go shopping for food. baby crickets, mustard, collards, and fruit. What about dehydrated fruit like raisens or cranberries? Will they eat that? What about chives,sprouts, or peas?

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I haven't read the rest of the responses, so I might be coming in too late, but your goal should be high calcium greens. collard greens are a mainstay. when they're young, calcium dusted crickets should be offered every other day in addition to whatever salads you're making. as far as fruit goes, it should only be offered sparingly, maybe once every ten days. just make sure you have a proper basking spot and a UVA/UVB light running the length of the enclosure. mealworms are fine in moderation once your dragon is older than 6 months or so. my first beardie came from petsmart and proved to be a great pet, but you should be on the lookout for any signs of poor health.

edit: also make sure any crickets you feed have been on a high protein diet for at least a day or two prior to feeding them.

I offer crickets 3 times a day. And she has greens available 24/7.

If you have any greens I would try those. If not one night shouldn't be too bad.

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Originally Posted by rperry03

Wow gaius looks awesome, what is he? Im not that familiar with beardies as all i have is a leatherback.

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I honestly have no clue, she was labeled as a normal bearded dragon. I've been trying to figure it out, and so far the closest thing I've found is a "Red Hypo", but I've been informed that she couldn't be a hypo so its back to square one.

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Originally Posted by enchantress62

That is very imaginative. haha I love it! So how many times a day should I feed Lex? I'm reading everything from once a day to several times a day. I'll go get crickets tomorrow but he's been here for several hours now and I'm getting worried he might be hungry.

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Twice a day should be fine. I highly recommend ordering a copy of The Bearded Dragon Manual. Many of the care sheets out there are contradictory or offer poor husbandry (although Beautiful Dragons is a great one!). The Bearded Dragon Manual should answer every question you have and then some.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Here you go:

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/

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The forum at beardeddragon.org is a great source of info. We had an awesome beardie & those folks helped me keep him happy & healthy for almost 10 years before he went to the bridge.

Impaction is a big concern for these guys so switch over to another protein source asap. Mealworms are too much shell to too little meat. Pinkies can be fed but honestly, they are not ideal either. If I remember correctly, they are too high in fat. BD's are bug eaters and while they wouldn't turn down a pinkie if found in the wild it's not their go-to food, it would be a rare treat.

Dubias are a fantastic feeder bug for beardies. Quality protein. Easy to keep alive, quiet and in a deep tub it's very difficult for them to escape. With very little effort they will multiply like rabbits giving you an ongoing feeder supply from just a small initial investment. I was totally skeeved out by the idea of them but after a few months dealing with crickets, I had to try something else. Didn't take long to make me a convert, so much easier and he loooved them.

Silkworms are also terrific protein but they are a lot more delicate & difficult to raise. If you like a project though they it's very cool to watch them go through their different stages.

I gave in and made the treck across town to the reptile store. Got 100 crickets and all I need to take care of them. Also got collards, asperigus, and apples. I also found a product called "baby bites." It says it's specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs of baby BD's I don't know but I grabbed it while I was there. I got Fluker's calcium with vit.D3 and a cricket shaker to coat them with the vitimin. I hope that's everything. Now, the starter kit I bought had 2 light hoods, a basking light and a night light. I know this wont be good enough but the cage he's in is very temporary and way too small to put more money into it. He will be transfered into a 40L as soon as I get it cleaned out. lol Then what lighting system would you all recommend and where can I get it?

You will need a UV A/B light, I am using the Zoo-Med Reptisun 10.0 bulb for this. Then I have a Reptile Halogen Basking bulb hooked up to my Herpstat 4.

The UV light needs to span the entire length of the enclosure.

Thanks everybody. I guess I'll have to shop on line because I looked at petsmart and they don't have what I need and the reptile store only sells reptiles and their food. They don't sell supplies.

http://www.reptileuv.com/ for your uva, uvb and heat! Email them your setup and they will recommend a bulb. I use the sb 160 on a 12 off 12 on a $10 dial timer.

The dragon will soak it up in the basking area for as long as he wants then go somewhere else in the tank to regulate himself from the heat and UV as they can detect the UV rays.

I am looking for the appropriate vivarium encluding lighting. Seems the petsmart girl sold me the wrong type of cage. The 40L I had in mind is wrong too. Right now he's tiny so what I have will have to do but he'll be moved into the appropriate cage asap.

Keep the 40l! He will eventually need a 4ft long cage. They are desert animals so use rocks, hides etc. With the 40L you need less powerful lighting because its not as high as a breader cage or a 55gal like i use.

I tiled the bottom of mines cage with slate for heat retention at night and for ease of cleanup. And he also has a hide he will go in as soon as the lights go out and come out from there in the am when he's ready.

Thanks for the advice. So you would recommend modifying the 40L instead of buying a new cage? Right now my baby bp is in that cage but I understand it is too large for her. I was going to transfer her into a 20L and put Lex in the 40L but it will have to be modified which will cost a few dollars.

Okay, next thing. This morning a placed about 6 baby crickets (coated with vitimins) into the cage. While I was preparing them Lex came charging down the branch and threw his body against the glass in excitement. lol When I put the crickets in his cage he took off after one but didn't eat it, instead he charged back up the tree. It's now several hours later and I only see one cricket but they could be hiding in there. Is this a normal BD behavior? Should I search the cage for hidden crickets?

40l is perfect. Make sure you adjust the heat and UV accordingly since its not very tall.

Beardies are funny, they will not over eat and I've caught mine flying across the cage for no reason.

I have not seen it, but somewhere out there in internet myths and legends someone said that crickets can hurt your dragon while he sleeps and that's why i like dubias.

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Originally Posted by enchantress62

Thanks for the advice. So you would recommend modifying the 40L instead of buying a new cage? Right now my baby bp is in that cage but I understand it is too large for her. I was going to transfer her into a 20L and put Lex in the 40L but it will have to be modified which will cost a few dollars.

Okay, next thing. This morning a placed about 6 baby crickets (coated with vitimins) into the cage. While I was preparing them Lex came charging down the branch and threw his body against the glass in excitement. lol When I put the crickets in his cage he took off after one but didn't eat it, instead he charged back up the tree. It's now several hours later and I only see one cricket but they could be hiding in there. Is this a normal BD behavior? Should I search the cage for hidden crickets?

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From what I have been told, it is ok to keep a baby bear die in a 40 gallon tank... but I can't say for sure since I don't have any first hand experience.

I've been feeding mine in a separate small plastic cage so the crickets can't hide.

I'm using one of these: (random picture from google)

http://i2.ebayimg.com/02/i/001/2d/c7/7706_35.JPG

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I'm using one of these: (random picture from google)

[IMG]http://i2.ebayimg.com/02/i/001/2d/c7/7706_35.JPG

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That's a great idea and I have one of those that I haven't been using. I hate the idea of crickets living and breading in his cage. Fact is I hate crickets period. They remind me of roaches and that grosses me out. I am definitely looking for alternatives and will check out the foods being suggested.

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Originally Posted by rperry03

I have not seen it, but somewhere out there in internet myths and legends someone said that crickets can hurt your dragon while he sleeps and that's why i like dubias.

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It's no myth. You can often see the bite marks on pictures of baby beardies for sale. It looks like a small off-colored dark spot. It's really noticeable on the head. I am not sure if dubias do or not, but it's a good rule to remove any live food that isn't confined (like worms in a bowl).

Good to know. I'll go search the cage for left overs. So I looked up the dubias and I don't know, I am almost phobic about roaches. I want to do what's right for Lex but the idea of roaches getting loose in the house just about sends me into a panic. Any other suggestions?

Crickets and dubias are the best food for baby dragons. You can supplement with other types as they get older but those are the best primary insects. Crickets are fine if you can't handle dubias.

If your willing to try dubias though, they do look very different from the American pest roach, I believe its called the German Roach. Dubias are tropical and look like beetles, in fact I actually call them tropical beetles instead of roaches to not freak out friends and family. Depending upon how cold your house is, they will most likely not be able to survive if escaped and will definitely not be able to breed so you have no worries about an infestation.

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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky Dragons

Crickets and dubias are the best food for baby dragons. You can supplement with other types as they get older but those are the best primary insects. Crickets are fine if you can't handle dubias.

If your willing to try dubias though, they do look very different from the American pest roach, I believe its called the German Roach. Dubias are tropical and look like beetles, in fact I actually call them tropical beetles instead of roaches to not freak out friends and family. Depending upon how cold your house is, they will most likely not be able to survive if escaped and will definitely not be able to breed so you have no worries about an infestation.

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So which would you say is better? I'm probably going to set up a small breeding colony. Which is easier to breed? and which is better for my beardie? (if there is any difference at all)

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

So which would you say is better? I'm probably going to set up a small breeding colony. Which is easier to breed? and which is better for my beardie? (if there is any difference at all)

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Dubias, hands down! They are more nutritional than crickets and much, much easier to breed. They also don't smell and don't chirp.

I will say that I prefer crickets for newly hatched babies and on up to about 4-6 weeks old. I think that they are a little easier to digest and the jumping stimulates a feeding reaction better than the dubias scuttling. Once they hit the 6 week mark though, they do just fine on dubias as the primary.

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Which is easier to breed? and which is better for my beardie? (if there is any difference at all)

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Dido on this subject. I'll get over my fears if the bubia's are definitely what I should be feeding but since I just bought 100 crickets he'll have to eat them for now.

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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky Dragons

Dubias, hands down! They are more nutritional than crickets and much, much easier to breed. They also don't smell and don't chirp.

I will say that I prefer crickets for newly hatched babies and on up to about 4-6 weeks old. I think that they are a little easier to digest and the jumping stimulates a feeding reaction better than the dubias scuttling. Once they hit the 6 week mark though, they do just fine on dubias as the primary.

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Ok, thanks I'll get a breeding colony set up and in about a month I'll try to switch my little girl over.

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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky Dragons

Dubias, hands down! They are more nutritional than crickets and much, much easier to breed. They also don't smell and don't chirp.

I will say that I prefer crickets for newly hatched babies and on up to about 4-6 weeks old. I think that they are a little easier to digest and the jumping stimulates a feeding reaction better than the dubias scuttling. Once they hit the 6 week mark though, they do just fine on dubias as the primary.

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x2

These are warm climate bugs so if you are above the Mason Dixon line they would have trouble surviving if they did get loose. I had a big rubbermade tub of them for 4-5 years. Had maybe 2 escapees that whole time.

Feeding time I'd put them in a small shallow glass dish. It was deep enough they couldn't climb out but low enough that Chompers could pick them off like fish in a barrel ;-).

They are super simple to keep. They don't jump and they can't climb slick surfaces. That keeps escapes to a minimum. They don't chirp. Put them in an opaque rubermade tub with airholes in/near the top. Put a small UTH (hermit crab size) under it to keep them toasty. Doesn't have to be hot, just a little above room temperature. Throw in some cardboard egg carton and or TP tubes for them to hide in (more is better but keep several inches lower than the top). You can feed a commercial roach "chow" but I fed them random (but nutritious) stuff. Oatmeal flakes, whole grain cereal, crushed dog food with fruit & veggie scraps for moisture. No meat though, that gets rancid too easily. They love orange slices and it helps keep the tub fresh smelling.

Leave them alone for a few weeks to get "busy" and in no time you'll have a whole range of sizes to feed. Nymphs are about the size of a tic-tac, great for the little ones. Adults are a bit big even for adults BDs but when you find the freshly molted boys (they will be white w/ wings) then even the biggest ones can be fed since they are soft & chewy and you can spare the boys. Don't feed the females off for obvious reasons.

I removed the left over crickets, placed them in a seperate container, and placed Lex in it. He went to town, ate three crickets, then threw himself against the side of the cage again. lmao

So when I get ready to modify the 40L what do I need to change? I already know I need a top light that spands the length of the cage with a UB bulb but what is the difference between the top light and the basking light? Where do you place the basking light? and... Do you leave it on all the time? Also, right now three sides and the top of the tank are insulated for heat and humidity to accomidate my bp's needs. Should I remove all that? Do I need a thermostate to regulate heat? okay, okay, I know this is a lot of questions so I'll stop now. hehe

This is my temporary set up, UV light, heat bulb in dome. The gear lamp runs during the day, and turns off at night. I have mine hooked up to a thermostat set to 105 during the day and 70 at night. The thermostat slowly changes between the day and night temperatures over 6 hours (so 6 hours day temperature, 6 hours transitioning to night temperature, 6 hours of night temperature, then 6 hours transitioning back up to the day temp)

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/5582c2f4.jpg

I just found this thread at almost one in the morning so I can't read through its entirety. Food wise, this is the best website I have ever found. Bookmark it, it's amazing:

http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

With the Uvb light, do not use the coil screw in type, they will blind your beardie over time. Stick with the long tube type lights, and make sure they get changed when recommended even if they appear to be working just fine.

Thanks for mentioning those points! A lot of people don't realize that the UVB part of the light does go out...even if the light is still shining. I know someone who had one over their iguana for nearly four times the recommended length before it finally blew out. After doing this for a few years, the iguana had severe MBD! Even though his bulb was changed when it blew out--it was never changed when it needed to be changed.

And yes those coil ones just seem to be a problem. The tubes are the best, definitely stick with them. You will often even notice a change in behavior even when it comes to switching between these types of lighting!


Goodness, baby beardies are adorable. And adults are spunky. They are great their whole lives!

Thanks, that kind of information is valuable. I'll take it under advisement.