Alright...I have taken the plunge into owning a beardie. Right now I have 3 cresties...2 leos...2 AFTs and now a beardie...and I am done! Plus I have no more room I just wanted to post some pics on my setup and the beardie itself. I have been reading in here for weeks on end about owning one and the ins and outs. I just want to point a couple things out...I understand that this little one is maybe (if that) only a few weeks old and should never have been sold out this young. I actually stopped by a local herp person to purchase one since he had quite a few but after talking with the guy and his attitude I walked right out. Don't get me wrong here all the animals looked clean, cared for and there enviroments properly kept but I wouldn't purchase a pen from the guy after some of the things that he said....anways I am straying. So I shopped around a bit and actually stopped into Petco to purchase some things and was browsing...when of course I came across this little guy...to make a long story short I felt bad for him (being on calci-sand and of course being kept by a chain store) I broke all morals and brought the little one home...crossing fingers here the next month and so goes by well this little one will turn out to be a big one! Here is a pic of my setup....20 gal long right now (spare I had) that will fit just right for the next few months. Please note that I do not have a water try out because from what I read its a waste when young and the crickets will end up in it anyways dead...collard greens with the juvie BD diet moistened are in the small bowl. Indoor/outdoor carpeting. Now a pic of the little one itself...no name yet... Please let me know if anyone has any further tips or suggestions about my setup or what I should be doing...the little ones had a few crickets so far and just settling in. :roll:
S/He is very cutie...I have almost done the same thing you did...I go into Petsmart and cant resist going over to look at the Beardies.....tough to walk away! Everything looks great!...just wondering where your uvb lighting is...cant see it in this pic?? Good luck to you and your new guy!!! Let us know how you make out!! and come back with any problems...there are always ppl to help...my girl would never had made it without this site! Beth
The UVB is on the way...right now I just have a normal sun glow bulb that will keep until I receive my all in one light this week...I was debating on getting the long version but decided money wise to get the all in one and order it online for about $30 cheaper then what anyone has around here..the only thing i didnt have at the time was the perfect light...and boy did I try and get one. Forgot to mention that above when I was rambling...this forum has a whole bunch of info that should be followed and a great resource for anyone! For the few that are stubborn and do what they wish...its unfortunate that the animal has to suffer.
how long is that tank in inches and why is it not good to purchase beardies from places like petco also how much does a juvie cost
This is true...it took me serveral months to "get it right"....my family kept asking me why I keep chaning things around?? lol
Typically most people do purchase from petsmart or petco and have no issues but I would rather support a local or smaller breeder that knows these animals inside and out then jack and jill partimer reading off of a care sheet. Please dont get me wrong there are many knowledgeable people out there that I have talked to and have taken advice from but for the most part local support beats out most chains anyday. Petsmart seems to have there act together a little bit more then petco does when it comes to reptiles...but the more and more I walk into and the more knowledgeable I get about these animals the more you come to realize that the animals are not cared for...best example I can give here is like going to the city pound to get a dog then from a local breeder...same relates to my experiences with reptiles for the most part. I am not preaching here that you should go hug a tree and world peace...I am very far from that but when it comes to animals I would rather support a local person then a larger chain...there are more benifits then one going through a smaller breeder... The little guy was purchased for $59 to answer your other question...all depends on where you go...
Good thoughts. Very good. Most pet stores buy their dragons and reptiles from inexperienced breeders, who potentially may have completely inbred their dragons. I'm not saying this is all petstores: but it does happen. Breeders are much better and much more reliable because generally they have the healthiest, least inbred animals. Pet stores do not treat their dragons very well, but breeders have what you need. Think about pet stores in the way of a retail point: Sell for money - who cares. That's GENERALLY the way *most* think. Pet store dragons have a much higher chance of having nips and bites and tail/toe losses due to inadequate housing. Due to inadequate housing, they also are very susceptible to parasites, from unclean conditions. Breeders care much more in this regard, and hence it is much better to buy from a breeder. Breeders dragon's are usually bred for certain things, but to ensure also they are not inbreeding the dragons. This is a very common problem in breeding dragons, as when they first were domesticated, people inbred them to just have pretty colors. This has caused serious gene problems, and the further outbred they are, the better. Breeders try to ensure of this by going back at least 5 generations of parents to ensure none are related. P.S. What an adorable lil guy! Can't wait to see his setup once you have that UV light installed inside the terrarium (under screen - screen blocks UV rays )
Screen has been proven to block out UV rays as well - enough to make a difference. Right now, I have my UV tube actually half lying on the ground. It sounds weird, I know, but it doesn't get hot enough (have a certain type of fixture ...surprisingly from wal-mart)...I can hold my hand on it for a good minute before it gets hot. This of course is only temporary, until I get Megaray bulbs (heat bulbs with UV in them). You don't really need to spend a fortune on a cage. If you have a quick peek, you can see my terrariums I just built - I posted them in this forum (New Beardie Cages). The entire terrariums cost me just under $200 Canadian, for two entire 4'x2'x1.5' enclosures, and a stand to boot. As for the cats - I have two cats and three reptiles (as per my signature!), and there is no way in hecko they're gettin in there I'd definitely be wary of a reptarium, my one cat would chew (yes chew) right through it. If you're very confident the cats will not be able to get in there, I'd consider it, but heat is a bit of a bugger with those unless you can successfully cover 3/4 sides of the cage so heat cant escape. As for the UV light you can try to balance it on furniture (if it's not hot enough to burn your dragon), or even insert hooks (I used those butterfly paperclips as a temp fix for an old cage), and insert it through the reptarium. You'll always have to be wary of these ripping the reptarium though. HOpefully this helped a little!
looks a bit big now...remember its still a 20 long and I am sure most can say that these little buggers get big fast...if all goes well. I am sure he will be bigger then my leos within a month...if not sooner. Half the fun is watching them grow up! I ordered a mega ray as well for like $40...went back and forth debating on how the setup should be but I figured the all in one would of made more sense then multiple bulbs... I am going to be persistant with the veggies and the BD diet from exo and a few others...see what the little guy likes and go from there. Staple crickets with veggies. From the sounds of it they just one day kinda start nibbling at the greens and go from there with no proven formula of transition from crickets to greens...age has most to do with this it seems. It would be nice to get the little one on the beardie dragon diet with a few cricks here and there but it doesnt seem thats possible...if anyone has done this successfully let me know...cheaper too!
I actually think one of Cheri's studies said that screen blocks out like 70% of UVB rays... so it is a lot. He's definitely a cutie.
You shouldn't have a little dragon on a staple pellet diet at all. Crickets are 100% needed and most recommended with a good gutload. The pellets do not provide enough of the nutrients they need to grow up big and strong. Pellets can be used as a supplement to their salad, with your dragon eating 50-100 crix per day. The best way to make this inexpensive is buy your crickets online. I purchased 1,000 from a local supplier for $25 (I'm in Canada), and most online places have deals for $18. 1,000 will probably last you two to three weeks depending on how your guy/gal is eating. It is true they just kinda one day decide to try veggies. The best way that seems to be helping is once they're 4-5 months old you can cut down to one cricket feeding a day as opposed to the regulatory 2-3. Once you're down to one feeding a day, put greens and veggies in the terrarium in the morning, and leave in there until mid afternoon or so - and that's when you can feed the crickets. Usually they'll get the idea that "hey, I CAN eat this stuff!" When I bought my dragon from the breeder, he was just under 2 months old and already doing really well on his greens.
I understand about the cricks and the need for the beardies to be on a mostly cricks diet...from what I have been reading from multiple places is more or less what you are telling me but to also include veggies as an option to there food as well. I am not giving it a 70-30 ratio of mostly veggies and then cricks...its the other way around... Needless to say the little ones getting settled in still...last night it slept on the cooler side of the tank under the cut out log and then when I turned the light on this morning it came out and started basking for the day...because the current bulb is only a 60 watt one I have a UTH as well so the ground temps are running around 110-115...which is right where it likes to be at the moment. So far it hasnt taken advantage of the risen log in the cage...unless I place it there. The little ones not been eating as many cricks as noted...50-100 but has eaten some at least....today nothing yet though so I am keeping an eye on everything. I have a feeling that once the temps get back up and I get the UVB bulb in place things will go better...I am going to take your suggestion and try and get a bulb inside the cage either today or tomorrow with a fixture of some sort. I am going to take some wire and hang it around the bulb and to the side fo the glass so I can still take the screen off without having to take everything apart...this should help increase the little ones activity by far...
Sorry, I meant to say veggies/greens should always be an option to them (aka fed every day ), not just at 4-5 months old. I was just saying that it's usually 4-5 months old that they will start taking a lot more veggies into consideration! The way you worded it previously it looked as though you wanted to eliminate crickets except occasionally - which is why I mentioned this As for the bulbs, yup, it should work like that. UTH's aren't really recommended for beardies unless they are ill, to help pass through illnesses. If you are having troubles getting the basking point to 105-110, you can try a higher wattage bulb. I'm sure though, since you are getting the MegaRay, you'll be fine once it comes in - and you'll be able to lose the UTH completely. You should have a cool end too for them, if they are at 115 all the time they can get severely dehydrated. The cool end should be about 80 (I didn't notice you mention you have a cool side - if you do please disregard!). The nighttime temps should fall to 65 or so, not below 60 though. UTH and all lights should be off at night. Dragons can see infra-red (Not that you have one, I'm just noting this for the record ), and all types of "night time" bulbs, and it can disturb their sleep pattern and cause illness and problems later in life.
Thanks for all the tips...btw Yes I have a cool and warm side for him/her...The cool side is where it slept last night under the cork half log thing and when I turned on the light it popped right up and started to bask within 5min or so and sits til this point. Still not eating cricks yet today. I had everything off last night and just using the uth to get the temps up until the new light comes in within a couple days...just took a solid well you know right now and it looks good...well at least...heck its the way the stool should look like :shock: . Within the next few days after I get everything settled I am sure it will be ok and start eating a lot more...till then like any eager parent...its a sit and watch and concern game going on..hoping I do everything right... In regards to hydration for the little one here...I have just slightly misted while it was basking...I understand this should be done out of the cage but I have held off handling to just minimum just to make sure it begins eating and getting used to everything...by the weekend I hope to let it soak in a small pool of water and see what happens. I rather not stress the little bugger out since when I do take it out it kinda tilts its head at me and says alright this is fun...put me down..plus the colors change to a deeper tone... Anyways blow by blow play by play here...so far everything seems to be ok though...going to order a whole bunch of cricks online and go from there.
Sounds like you're doing an awesome Job I'm glad I've been able to help you a bit. Glad to hear the dragon's pooping, that is such a relief to most owners, lol! Hydration, out of cage preferably. It doesn't have to be done, and you cage should be approximately 40% or so humidity. This way their sheds will go much smoother than if it were at 20-30% You've got the right ideas, You're doing fab like I said, keep it up. Your lil guy is gonna be soooo happy!
Hello Hello, Wow, it sounds like you are off to a great start with your new baby. Nice pic, by the way, also. I am very happy to hear that you have a Megaray on the way, that should do wonders for him. You will be surprised how he will love it, too. We usually recommend any misting to be done outside of the cage, so excess humidity doesn't build up in the tank & on the cool end causing respiratory problems. Bathing babies is a definite must, daily. They usually are not very good about eating their greens & veggies so they need hydration through bathing. Daggerlover is right, you should keep your temps at the basking areas no higher than 110. I would not go over 110 because it can cause dehydration, & heat injury. Please keep us posted on how your baby is doing. Have fun with him. Tracie
Thanks for the kind words... I was hoping to get the little guy/girl...whatever comfortable before bathing but I may try later on tonight with a dish full of water and see what happens...So far it seems to be doing ok...very curious little creatures these guys are... I tried to find a fixture for a UVB light and the closest thing I found was either an over the top one or one that was way to big for the size of this cage. I am still looking around and hope to come up with something...but then again the all in one should be here within a couple days. I'm new to this but hopefully any other newbie like me can read this posting and get some good advice...I should be updating this every week with new pics and growth information... Purchased 1k cricks for like $26 from flukers that should arrive tomorrow...the local petsmart has them @ .08 per small...so as you can see this is some huge savings. Here: http://www.flukerfarms.com/index.asp?PageA...&ProdID=799 If anyone has any place better let me know. Got the mega ray here: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=1660 again any better pricing let me know as well. About the heating...a few places state that the temps should be a bit higher for an infant or juv compared to an adult...I guess this isn't true? I will be only using the overhead light once I get it in and nothing else...and use a dimmer on it from another fixture I have.
