Bearded Dragon

Odysseus

I took a on beared dragon two days ago, a person I work with was looking for a home for it as the kids had lost interest in it, and he has enough on his hands with his own pets.

I never kept anything like this before, so I have no experience in the area. I have her a few days now and she appears to be settling in. I have her out of the cage for most of the evening and she seems happy with the freedom and attention. She eat for the first time today.

Basically though I have search a few sites I was wondering if anyone here could guide me to any helpful links around their care etc. She is about two years old by the way.

Cheers in advance.

antocann

Odysseus wrote: »

I took a on beared dragon two days ago, a person I work with was looking for a home for it as the kids had lost interest in it, and he has enough on his hands with his own pets.

I never kept anything like this before, so I have no experience in the area. I have her a few days now and she appears to be settling in. I have her out of the cage for most of the evening and she seems happy with the freedom and attention. She eat for the first time today.

Basically though I have search a few sites I was wondering if anyone here could guide me to any helpful links around their care etc. She is about two years old by the way.

Cheers in advance.

first off , congrats and well done for taking it in ,
i keep beardied dragons , nice and easy to keep ,
we have a chat here on facebook , many people to help you
http://www.facebook.com/groups/168383266599837/

few questions
whats size vivarium is it in ?
have you got a heat bulb and uv in it (if so how old ) ?
what are you feeding it ?
what substrate are you using ?

sounds like your doing a good job so far ,

their care is quite easy , lights on for 12hours a day , feed every day , make sure it has a big enough water dish to soak in , also provide fresh water all the time

Odysseus

antocann wrote: »

first off , congrats and well done for taking it in ,
i keep beardied dragons , nice and easy to keep ,
we have a chat here on facebook , many people to help you
http://www.facebook.com/groups/168383266599837/

few questions
whats size vivarium is it in ?
have you got a heat bulb and uv in it (if so how old ) ?
what are you feeding it ?
what substrate are you using ?

sounds like your doing a good job so far ,

their care is quite easy , lights on for 12hours a day , feed every day , make sure it has a big enough water dish to soak in , also provide fresh water all the time

Cheers,

The vivarium is approx 18" across, 24" long and 30" high. There is a type of flase log, which is hollowed out so she can climb on top of it or hide underneath it if she wants.
I don't know there is a red buld in it, that is all I currently know.
I don't know what substrate is?
Currently just diced carrots, and some greens, icebreg and peas, these are the veg that the previous owner said it likes, I plan to get some crickets for it tomorrow.

She moves around well when she is out, but has found a spot under one or the rads, which has a pipe running under it, to rest and absorb the heat.

Any suggestions on her care?

antocann

Odysseus wrote: »

Cheers,

The vivarium is approx 18" across, 24" long and 30" high. There is a type of flase log, which is hollowed out so she can climb on top of it or hide underneath it if she wants.
I don't know there is a red buld in it, that is all I currently know.
I don't know what substrate is?
Currently just diced carrots, and some greens, icebreg and peas, these are the veg that the previous owner said it likes, I plan to get some crickets for it tomorrow.

She moves around well when she is out, but has found a spot under one or the rads, which has a pipe running under it, to rest and absorb the heat.

Any suggestions on her care?

the viv is ok , you need to change the red bulb to a tight beam spot bulb , get 4 for 3.50 in tesco ,
your gona need a uv bulb , they can be pricey , but they need them
can be sourced in a local petshop
not too much carrot , they enjoy , rocket ,and other greens , dont feed them icberg , no good for them , but other than that just do exactly what your doin
insects they like , are , meal worms , crickets , locusts , waxworm , as a treat the odd pinky mouse every few weeks , but not all the timeas are quiet fattening for them
also some nutrobal on their food is required every now and again ,

Hellrazer

antocann wrote: »

the viv is ok , you need to change the red bulb to a tight beam spot bulb , get 4 for 3.50 in tesco ,
your gona need a uv bulb , they can be pricey , but they need them
can be sourced in a local petshop
not too much carrot , they enjoy , rocket ,and other greens , dont feed them icberg , no good for them , but other than that just do exactly what your doin
insects they like , are , meal worms , crickets , locusts , waxworm , as a treat the odd pinky mouse every few weeks , but not all the timeas are quiet fattening for them
also some nutrobal on their food is required every now and again ,

+1 Anto

Just to add that you need minimum 10% Uvb for a beardie.Any old flourescent fitting will do.I made my own out of an old kitchen light fitting.You really need just the starter and 2 bulb connections.

The Orchard in Celbridge have 10.0 UVB bulbs at around a tenner--cheapest I can find anywhere.

The red bulb is useless get an ordinary 60watt or 100w spot light bulb....you`ll need a minimum hot spot of 110f.
Put the bulb at one end so there is a gradient in the Viv.Lower end should be around 85f during the day and can fall to 65-70f at night.

For substrate**substrate is the ground material** either sand--make sure its the tyoe that doesnt clump when damp or plain old newspaper.

I made a nice fake rock bottom from aeroboard and paint--sealed with water based varnish.

I also recommend a bath once a week..Warmish water up to the Beardies shoulders and let him flop around for a bit.It helps to loosen skin when shedding and also helps them poo.

Hope this helps.

Odysseus

Hellrazer wrote: »

+1 Anto

Just to add that you need minimum 10% Uvb for a beardie.Any old flourescent fitting will do.I made my own out of an old kitchen light fitting.You really need just the starter and 2 bulb connections.

The Orchard in Celbridge have 10.0 UVB bulbs at around a tenner--cheapest I can find anywhere.

The red bulb is useless get an ordinary 60watt or 100w spot light bulb....you`ll need a minimum hot spot of 110f.
Put the bulb at one end so there is a gradient in the Viv.Lower end should be around 85f during the day and can fall to 65-70f at night.

For substrate**substrate is the ground material** either sand--make sure its the tyoe that doesnt clump when damp or plain old newspaper.

I made a nice fake rock bottom from aeroboard and paint--sealed with water based varnish.

I also recommend a bath once a week..Warmish water up to the Beardies shoulders and let him flop around for a bit.It helps to loosen skin when shedding and also helps them poo.

Hope this helps.

Cheers mate, Like Anto's posts it helped a lot. I just want to think a bit and I have a few more questions for you guys if that is ok?

Hellrazer

No probs mate ask away.I owe you one!!!

Dutchology

Congrats on the new addition and well done for taking it it. There are so many beardies out there needing new, caring homes.

In addition to the information and link already given, you can also try registering with www.herpireland.com - it's an active reptile forum with lots of bearded dragon keepers and breeders, who will most likely be able to answer any questions that you post

Best of luck,

Milca

Odysseus

Fcuker, I had already written a post and I lost my connection.

Anyway, she wasn’t eating a lot of veg, I was giving her carrots and parsnips, so I got her some crickets today. She ate half of them immediately and the rest within 15 minutes. The where smallish ones, the cover stated 4th Hoppe, they where 3.99e for ten, would this be average? They where the largest they had in stock today, what would be the biggest I could give her.

I have to say it was great to watch her predatory instincts kick in and see the change in her behaviour. With her eating them so fast, did that mean she was staving? Also she has been a lot more active since she has eaten. Though with saying that when I had her out last night she was moving faster and seem more at ease with her new environment.

I plan to give her a bath later on.

Odysseus

Oh yeah, I had a question about the UV bulb, will a tradition shaped one do as oppossed to a tube shape? The previous owner never used on so I will look at getting that sorted. How long each day should the UV be on for?

Again the previous owner had been using soft wood bedding, so I will look at getting that changed.

Cheers.

Hellrazer

Odysseus wrote: »

I have to say it was great to watch her predatory instincts kick in and see the change in her behaviour. With her eating them so fast, did that mean she was staving?

Nope--Mine used to eat that much every single day--It can be expensive if you are feeding solely crickets.

Also she has been a lot more active since she has eaten. Though with saying that when I had her out last night she was moving faster and seem more at ease with her new environment.

I plan to give her a bath later on.

Usually they`ll be more active if theyre warmer--did you change the bulb or anything like that??

Hellrazer

Odysseus wrote: »

Oh yeah, I had a question about the UV bulb, will a tradition shaped one do as oppossed to a tube shape? The previous owner never used on so I will look at getting that sorted. How long each day should the UV be on for?

12 hours on and 12 hours off is the recommended.
As for the bulb--there are 2 types.The tube type or the energy saving bulb shape like this one

http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/reptile-supplies/reptile-lighting-415/reptile-uv-bulb-lamps-562/lucky-reptile-compact-uv-sun-12983.html

UV arent done in your ordinary type bulb.
Remember its UVB that you need not UVA--Uva is already present in ordinary bulbs--like the heat one.But UVB is a special bulb altogether.

Hellrazer

Oh yeah couple of things I forgot.

Cricket prices are nuts over here.

I used to buy from
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/index.php/reptile-food-livefood-bulk-c-120_94?sort=2a&osCsid=2e0f36335a6db76fdcd44164aacc3af4

£15 pounds for enough crickets to last a couple of months...They do ship to Ireland but only from May to September to avoid deaths of crickets.


You`ll need a tank to keep them in--an old fish tank is fine.Feed the crix the scraps from veg preparation and they`ll be happy.

antocann

Hellrazer wrote: »

Oh yeah couple of things I forgot.

Cricket prices are nuts over here.

I used to buy from
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/index.php/reptile-food-livefood-bulk-c-120_94?sort=2a&osCsid=2e0f36335a6db76fdcd44164aacc3af4

£15 pounds for enough crickets to last a couple of months...They do ship to Ireland but only from May to September to avoid deaths of crickets.


You`ll need a tank to keep them in--an old fish tank is fine.Feed the crix the scraps from veg preparation and they`ll be happy.

i advise to buy from http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/
great prices , great quality food , and free shipping to ireland

Dutchology

www.emeraldislereptiles.co.uk are great for supplies. Their UV tubes are the cheapest I know of and you can get your order courier sent instead of posted and it's much cheaper. I've been getting my UV off them for a while now and they're fantastic!

antocann

Dutchology wrote: »

www.emeraldislereptiles.co.uk are great for supplies. Their UV tubes are the cheapest I know of and you can get your order courier sent instead of posted and it's much cheaper. I've been getting my UV off them for a while now and they're fantastic!

+1 they are great prices and great people to deal with , also quick shipping

chris139ryan

antocann wrote: »

i advise to buy from http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/
great prices , great quality food , and free shipping to ireland

i wouldnt recommend ordering from them, last time i did most of my locusts ended up dead before they reached my house.

antocann

chris139ryan wrote: »

i wouldnt recommend ordering from them, last time i did most of my locusts ended up dead before they reached my house.

i order locusts no problem from them , and my order usualy arrives in 2 days

popsmar

What are the costs of having one of these? Power/food etc...
Looking at one from a guy who dose not want 2 of them 6-9 mt old