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

[The Serpent Merchant]

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

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.

[Jabberwocky Dragons]

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.

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.

[Hoolym]

Here you go:

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

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.

[enchantress62]

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?

[The Serpent Merchant]

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 Serpent Merchant]

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

[enchantress62]

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.

[rperry03]

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.

[enchantress62]

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.

[rperry03]

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.