Beardie vs Water Dragon

[smellati]

Hi everybody.

I was considering getting a lizard, which likes to handled and dosen't get too big, and is not too small either. I finally decided that it would be between beardies or WD. I first had an eye on WD, since a customer cme to my work with one on his shoulder. It had a strap on with a leash. I really liked the idea of having a lizard that I could take around places, but more importantly be able to handle a lot. My first question, is it ok to take WD or beardies with you places, or is it strictly a house pet?

Water dragons
I have heard that WD have very delicate requirements, and if not strictly followed, will be fatal to the poor guys. Is it true that most of them are wild caught? If so, do they really adjust well to captivity? What are the minimum requirements for their cage? How well are they as a "people" pet?

Bearded dragons
I am a little more comfortable with beardies, since their cage setup and requirements are almost identical to my ball python's. Only real difference, I have noticed is that they need UVB and a slightly bigger cage. Is 50 gallon ok? Can I go smaller, or is 50 gallon minimum? How are they as "people" pets? What makes them easier than WD's? Do beardies like to free roam?

What do you guys have and why?

My primary concerns
I want a pet that can be handled a lot, and enjoys it. Their requirments shouldn't take up too much of my time.

[Smulkin]

I have not had experience with beardies myself - but several tries with WDs (admittedly bought from pet stores and in questionable condition on purchase) did not go over very well at all. If you decide to pursue that option I'd be vary wary.

If you ever see a Sudanese Plated Lizard (our experience is with the Sudanese variety so the following comments are reflective of that) they are very docile, hearty and easy to care for fellas. They seem to enjoy running up your arm and perching on your shoulder (vantage point?) - do not have overly particular diet requirements or preferences (ie voracious) and do well in semi-arid environment and shed on a per-scale basis.



Unfortunately I have never kept beardies - though I know we have an abundance of folks here on the boards who do and hopefully you'll be hearing their input shortly.


(EDIT - didnt mean to derail your Beardie vs WD focus there )

[chong_python]

I have had Bearded Dragons For close on 2 years, and can make great pets.
As far as being personable, many people think they are, but they do not have the brian capacity to interact with people or their own species for that matter. However they can be easily handled.

50 gal IMO is good for a BD but personally i wouldnt go much smaller. You said before that their requirments are the same as a bp?....Requirements for BD's are very different. They need a hot side of appx 100-110 and a cool side in the low to mid 80's Humidity is very low for these lizards becuase they are from deserts. They drink very little water so if you do choose to go with the BD's make sure u give thier greens a nice spray so they can get some water consumtion that way. With time however you can teach them to drink out of a water bowl. I have tought all three of my dragons to do this.

Just a few heads up for a ya:

1.) Sand is a good choice depending on where u situtate your tank...If its in your room/living space expect major dust!

2.) Lizards are different from snakes, alot more work. Cleaning up after three adult dragons every day is a big chore

3.) Food can get pricey, i figure i spend close on 30-40 dollars a month on food/supplies ( superworms, crickets , greens and the occasional pinkie)

Just to quickly answer a few other questions you had, They do love to free roam around my house, as long as they are under supervision. Always keep a close eyes becuase they can move very quickly and you will spend the rest of the night looking for him

UVB lights arent cheap, but that expensive, for a 22 inch i think i paid 30 $, Just to let you no before hand BD's with set up and everything you need to start out will be very costily, but they are well worth it.

And as for their housing requirments taking up most of your time.....they wont
but these guys need alot more maientence then snakes, as they defecate almost every day, but with just one.....you'll be fine

Hopefully i covered everything you wanted to know, if you have any more questions feel free to ask

Chris

[smellati]

Thanks for the replies guys. And thanks for clearifying the main differences between lizards and snakes. What size cage would you recommend for one beardie? I don't know anything about Sudanese Plated Lizard, but will be doing some research on them. WD's seem to fragile for me. I would hate it if it died, that would really break my heart. If theres anything else you guys think I should know, feel free to educate me. I am particulary interest in the cage size I can get away with for a adult beardie. I've heard that 50 gallon is minimum, but it seems quite large for a lizard that only grow approx. 20-25 inches long.

[elevatethis]

From what I read in the openning post of this thread, it sounds like you will definitely want to go with a Bearded Dragon. They are very personable and very active reptiles...mine wakes me up each and every morning scratching at his glass. Note: this can be real annoying at times, especially at 7am. I then let him out of his tank and give him a salad, which he prefers to eat outside of his tank (i put him back in right after so he can bask in order to properly digest).

You can keep 1 adult bearded dragon in a 40 Gallon Breeder tank. I recommend this over a 55 gal because the 40 breeder is much wider, 18 inches (as opposed to 12" on the 55 i believe. I've seen adult beardeds with kinks in their tails because of constantly hitting the front rear glass as they turn around and move about the 55 gallon tank. 40 Breeders are 36" long, so a 100watt basking spot bulb at the warm end should keep your temps around 100/80 on the hot/cool ends of the tank.

A pair of Dragons (male/female, or female/female cominations only) can be kept in a 75 gallon minimum. These tanks, however, are a little more challenging to properly heat.

This is an animal the needs daily care and cleaning. Daily spot cleaning will keep overall cage cleaning to a minimum. They need to eat every day, sometimes twice (greens in the am, bugs in the PM) and you will also have a varietly of feeder insects around at all times. With this, you need to feed and water the insects as well. I've found that buying the cricket and worm gutload is a slight waste of money, I just feed my insects the veggies that my dragon eats as well, along with whatever extra cereal or oatmeal that I happen to have on hand. Its all going to the same place I suppose.

Besides, how could you say to no this face?


Good luck, hope this helps!

[smellati]

Thanks elevatethis, is there feeding simple? What I mean by that is, the same thing every day? What is the simplest regular diet I can start of with. Keep in mind, I'm going to get a hatchling.

[Jeanne]

I have had a bearded in the house since around x-mas. They are awesome, they do however require more work than a snake and lighting... they do interact with you a bit. In fact, mine likes to watch my fish cruise around thier tank. He will sit for hours just watching. He also seems to enjoy being out of his cage with myself or my hubby. I dont allow Oscar free roam in the house because it is just too dangerous in this house to be doing that, but I knwo ppl that do and have with no problems ever.

My bearded eats lots of different greens and crickets that are ALWAYS dusted with calcium suppliment. I also use another suppliment, have been for a few months now, it is called Solor Drops "Liquid UVB" It is a pure vitamin D3 suppliment made by T-Rex. It is made for diurnal reptiles. I give 1 drop per week per animal regardless of size. (Per instructions). I give this as an added suppliment because I do not trust the bulbs to deliver all the UVB they need and with winter, there has been no way to take my diurnal lizards outside. When I did stop the suppliment for 2 weeks, to see if I noticed any difference, I did notice that both of my lizards that get this stuff did act somewhat more sluggish than usual, and thier appetite was a bit less too. Once started again, they both picked right up. The choice to use suppliments such as this is merely that- a choice not a neccessity.

[elevatethis]

Thanks elevatethis, is there feeding simple? What I mean by that is, the same thing every day? What is the simplest regular diet I can start of with. Keep in mind, I'm going to get a hatchling.

I believe that the key to sucessfully keeping ANY animal is to offer as much of a variety of foods as possible. This works especailly well with reptiles because they are much more akin to storing various nutrients over time and a variety of foods gets them most of everything they will need to be healthy.

The staple diet of any bearded dragon should be to offer them greens (turnip, collards, mustards, kale, cactus pad) every day and as much as they want. Avoid Spinach altogether, its not good for them, just trust me. They will also enjoy crickets, mealworms, waxworms, silkworms, etc. Remember offering a variety is key.

So for example, monday through thursday I'll give him greens in the morning, and crickets in the late afternoon. Once I run out of crickets, I'll give him superworms for a few days. Then I'll go to waxworms for a day as a treat. Then repeat the cycle. Its not like I have every kind of insect on hand at all times.

A baby bearded dragon is best fed anywhere from 15-20 small crickets A DAY. Yes, the first 6 months of this dragons life is going to be more expensive than any other time. Just tough it out, you'll be rewarded later. Offer them as many greens a day as they like, daily. I like to do greens in the morning because they tend to be more hungry at this time and it makes them more willing to eat their greens, which is important.

Don't hesitate to PM me if u have any other questions.

You can also try www.beautifuldragons.com This is a great site for info on beardies.

[BallPythonBabe448]

Definately a Bearded Dragon, I have one and am getting another in a few days (from spudsdragons).

I disagree about the sand, very harmful to beardies if ingested. I won't go on a big rampage about this, but I will say that it is a risk at best, and can kill your beardie.

Like said above, the care is different from your BP.

Beardies are very sociable (with humans) and like to hang out on your shoulder, or run around and play. They are quite cute, inquisitive, and friendly lizards.

Some caresheets I reccomend reading are:
http://www.freewebs.com/heavensenthe...ncaresheet.htm
www.heartmountainherps.com
www.diamond-gems.com

My favorite substrate is shelf liner, easy to clean, looks great, cheap, and best of all impaction free!

[smellati]

Great caresheet recommendations BallPythonBabe448! Pretty much answered all my questions. Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. Just out of curiousity, how fast do they grow approx?