a few questions...if you dont mind :)

[t rex]

going to get our bd on fri, i will ask the guy what i need to do and feed ect...but im sure i will forget something to ask...

so we are getting him afterschool...and will put him in his new place at home(are we best getting his viv first and setting it up ??)..do we then feed him or wait till hes settled, how much do we feed him at first,will he be best in my sons room or shall i put him downstairs where we are all most of the time,

sorry if these sound like daft questions and i promise i am reading up and taking in as much as i can...just i know from my dog forums that the forums are better than most shops or vets!!!

im just nervous as i want him to settle in and be happy here, give me a 4 legged hairy thing and im ok!! ;D

 

[Craiger]

going to get our bd on fri, i will ask the guy what i need to do and feed ect...but im sure i will forget something to ask...

so we are getting him afterschool...and will put him in his new place at home(are we best getting his viv first and setting it up ??)..do we then feed him or wait till hes settled, how much do we feed him at first,will he be best in my sons room or shall i put him downstairs where we are all most of the time,

sorry if these sound like daft questions and i promise i am reading up and taking in as much as i can...just i know from my dog forums that the forums are better than most shops or vets!!!

im just nervous as i want him to settle in and be happy here, give me a 4 legged hairy thing and im ok!! ;D

Honestly, he'll likely go through a rehoming acclimation. And due to this, won't eat much, if at all, for a few days (could be as much as 3 to 5). I'd put him in a location where there's not as much activity at first. Once he gets used to you, you can move him to a busier location as it'll be less stressfull on him. In addition, due to relocation stress, it would be best not to handle him much at all. Only exceptions are bathing and general checkup. If beardie is very young, he'll need a bath daily for hydration.

Feeding....though he likely won't eat, it's good to offer fresh veggies anyway. Here's a great site with wonderful nutritional information: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Here's a great page on frequently asked questions that should just about take care of anything you might need to know: http://www.dachiu.com/care/abeard.html

Again, as I stated in another of your threads, be wary of what you're told at pet shops. Many times, bad or false information is passed on....not out of intention, but ignorance. We'll help you as much as possible.

So glad you found us "before" getting beardie. It would be a really good idea to go ahead and get his tank/enclosure setup so you can play with the temperatures 'til you get them stabilized. That way, things are ready to go when beardie comes home.

 

[renich]

Ha! Ha! 4 legged hairy thing. That's funny. You'll be ok

I would get the viv setup before he gets home. I'm assuming you will be getting a baby. Here's the gist:
Flooring -
Go with a non-partical flooring. You can use papertowels, non-adhesive shelf liner, newspaper for babies. They poop A LOT. So, you need something easy to clean and inexpensive to replace.

Lighting -
You'll need a UV light. We highly recommend the ReptiSUN 10.0 tube light. Currently, it is the best on the market and produces the high levels of UV the bearded dragons requires.
You'll also need a basking light. you can use a standard household bulb. The old fashioned kind, not the energy effiecient ones. Wattage will need to be played with. It depends on temps.

Temps -
You'll need a hot side and a cold side. Hot side for babies should be around 105-110F. Cool side 85F.

Food -
You'll need to offer a salad daily. Don't fret if he doesn't eat it at first. Most babies have not been exposed to salad and it takes time. Do a variety of greens and veggies. Greens can be collard greens, mustard greens, bok choy, carrot tops, dandelions. Veggies can be bell peppers, squash, red cabbage, butternut squash.

Crickets will be offered 2-3 times a day for babies. Give as much as he will eat in a 10 minute interval. Remove any not eaten. I'd start by dropping a few in and increase it if he gobbles them up.

Misc -
Don't feed prior to 1 hour lights coming on in the morning. Don't feed 1 hour prior to lights going off in the evening.
No food should be larger than the space between your beardie's eyes.

Hope this helps!

 

[t rex]

brill thanks for your reply, yeah i find that alot with just having a dog and convincing ppl that he wont bite your leg off coz he eats raw food!, :-\ theres always good and bad advice,just hard when your new to it all, but i do know that i wont be asking for mealworms!!

i will get the tank up and going tomorrow and put it upstairs in his room, im not sure how old he is but hes not a tiny baby about the size of my hand,bit bigger maybe ??

im looking at the links on here,and trying to get my head around it...but think i am getting to worried about it all, like a new mum :,

thanks again,

just seen the other post, im getting the whole set up from the place im getting him from, the guy seems pretty clued up and was really chilled with them didnt mind my lad holding and hanging about the place asking questions,,

so its all coming as one, i was just worried about what i put down,and if i open the door do they dart out and run away....do the poo anywhere or do they have a corner or a certain place?? when you have them in your hand will they take a dump or wee on you??

sorry daft questions again :-\ ;D

thanks it does help any advice is very welcome!! ;D

 

[renich]

There's no such thing as a draft question. It can be overwhelming. We've all been there. Honestly, once you get it down, it will be second nature.

I forgot to answer your question. Your son's room would be neat, but they like to interact with their humans. You may want it down where you all are. Just something to think about.

They typically don't run out of their viv. You will seem like a predator to him at first and he will be skittish. But once he bonds with you, all will be good. They are docile lizards and not very active after 1 year of age....

 

[t rex]

i do want him downstairs with us,im just thinking quieter upstairs for now,then when he settles in move him, or is that to much messing him about,

just that im downstairs most of the day and want to see him and chat to him (ppl do talk to them dont they ) i want him to like us, and feel comfortable, i will be honest in never having a lizard or snake, i just couldnt see them wanting to be with you like a dog or cat ....sorry if that offends and im sure i will be mistaken (and looking through the threads i already am totally mistaken : )

also how are they with dogs? im sure my dog will run a mile if he sees him move, i wont let them out together, just in general do they ignore or get abit freaked out by them??

thanks again guys...i can see no housework or dinners being made for a while with all this reading (not that there was much being done anyways :-\)

 

[zebraflavencs]

Oh yes,.. we talk, sing, interact on our human level to our scaly pets..
Janie

 

[renich]

You really are in for the ride of your life.

These scaly creatures are quite comical. Their individual characters are each unique and very entertaining.

It has been said that bearded dragons are not social with each other, but social with their humans. Personally, I would just find his location and leave it there. You can run the risk of 2 consecutive relocation stresses.

Every animal reacts differently. One of mine didn't give Bernie the time of day until he was out and jumped off the sofa. The other one was fascinated with him and sniffed him on occasion. Bernie didn't seem to mind.

I've heard some dogs and cats are afraid of bearded dragons. Others can be aggressive towards them.

So, it is hard to tell how yours will react or how your beardie will react.

 

[Craiger]

Personally, I would just find his location and leave it there. You can run the risk of 2 consecutive relocation stresses.

As he's not a baby and will be used to his tank/enclosure already, I agree with this wholeheartedly.

 

[staylor]

Welcome and you are already a good Beardie parent, You are here doing your homework before it is home. It is a lot to take in but once you get the basics down, it is easy and you will feel much better. I had tons of questions when I first got mine and everyone here was great and helped me so much. I have learned so much from this group. I always thought I was asking dumb questions and they always told me, Your question is not stupid we all had to learn and where there at one point. You can't learn if you don't ask.

As for how they are with dogs. Mine have no fear of the dogs. I have one downstairs in the living room and one of my dogs loves to watch him eat and sometimes hits the viv with his nose. He acts as if the dog is not even there now that he knows the dog can not get to him. I have an adult that I keep upstairs but bring downstairs to roam, I put one dog outside(gets excited easy and would hurt the dragon), one runs under the sofa and the other just lays there, I posted some pics on here of Oscar (adult) when he fell asleep next to the dog. As for my cats...I NEVER trust a cat with them.

Just so you know, young dragons eat A LOT of live feeders. My little one is about 4-6 months old 12 5/8 inches and eats 60-110 size appropriate crickets a day plus veggie. I found a good whole sale place on the web. They also have a good cricket sizing chart to help you get the right size, it takes out the guessing, you know exactly what size you need. I order 1,000 at a time (last me about 11 days) and keep them in a big plastic tub. I pay $10.99 for 1,000 + shipping (about $8), this is MUCH cheaper then pet stores. If you need help with cricket set up/keeping we can help you with that too. Another good feeder you can feed is roaches if you do not live in an area where they are illegal. Janie is the roach queen and can help you with that area, many others on here keep roaches and can help as well.

 

[JustaV]

I found a good whole sale place on the web. They also have a good cricket sizing chart to help you get the right size, it takes out the guessing, you know exactly what size you need. I order 1,000 at a time (last me about 11 days) and keep them in a big plastic tub. I pay $10.99 for 1,000 + shipping (about $8), this is MUCH cheaper then pet stores.

Where do you order your crickets from???

 

[li]

Welcome. The best advice right now that I can give you is this. If you don't already have your new beardies tank I would get it today. I would BEFORE bringing home your new beardie make sure that your tank is set up properly, meaning heat, lights, substrate, etc. If you aren't sure of what you need I will give you a short quick list.

1. A tank more than 10 gallons. Too small. For a young beardie a 20 gallon long is the best. But if you don't want to buy another when your guy gets bigger, just bet a 40 gallon breeder now.

2. Heat...you only need a regular household bulb for heat. The temp in the tank on the spot where your beardie will bask should be about 105-110*. This needs to be measured with a digital thermometer or temp gun. Do not use the round or long stick on ones. They are about 20* off. Temp is very important. The bulb can go into a dome that you get either at the pet store or a hardware store.

3. uvb bulb. Make sure that you get one as long as you can to fit the tank. The longer the better. A 10.0 Repitsun is a great bulb.

4. The flooring (substrate) for now, you can just use paper towels until you figure out what you want to do.

5. Make sure when you get crix they are no bigger than the space between your beardies eyes. Crix too big can cause major problems.

6. Once you get him home, let him acclimate for a day or two. Don't try and pick him up or bother him other than to feed him. It can take a day or two, and this goes much better faster, if your tank is all ready to go and you aren't fooling around with temps. That is why I recommend getting this all set before bringing home your guy. You are lucky you have this ability, most just come home with a new tank and a new beardie. At that point they have to fool for days with temps and lights all while the new beardie is trying to adjust..

If you have any questions just ask. I am not going to be on the forum too much tonight, but the others are more than happy to assist you.

Here is a sample of my set up. This way you have some idea what I am talking about with basking spots, etc.

The left is the basking area. I have a probe tied onto the highest spot. The right is the cool end.

 

[li]

Did your dad or mom also post? I answered a question about a kid picking up a beardie on Friday. If so...I posted a response there also. Like I said in the other post and I won't go into detail since I did there...is this.

Get your tank asap and get it all set up BEFORE you bring home your new beardie. Best thing to do for him for acclimation.

 

[li]

Sorry, one last thing. After a day or two of acclimation, I would give your beardie a good soak. Many pet stores (if that is where you are purchasing), don't soak them. It is a good idea to do that to make sure he/she is well hydrated.

 

[t rex]

fab thanks for replies,its me i posted on introductions and on here, im getting abit giddy with it all i think ;D

im going tomorrow to get the tank, i think we are going to put him downstairs with us in the dining room, its not to busy and not to quiet, i just dont want to be moving him about to much,

i think i will feel better when i have the tank set up and lights and stuff sorted, i think that is what is worrying me more than anything, i bumped into a friend whos son has one,and she said he will be more than happy to come round if i get stuck with anything,

i have to laugh as my friend is coming with me to pick tank up but she is staying in the car as snakes and lizards petrify her, reece (my son) has a few toy rubber ones and brought down his toy lizard to show her(she wont even look at the toy ones)......she thought it was his new beardie and screamed and ran out of the house!!!

 

[renich]

That's great that you have someone close by who can help out and look at the setup and stuff. How old is your friend's beardie?

Lol...I don't get why people are afraid of lizards. So many of them are....I guess I shouldn't question, I jump in the air when a spider is around me. ;D

 

[li]

That's great. Don't let them talk you into anything unnecessary.
Expensive reptile bulbs for heat....not necessary. Regular household bulb
++No heat mats needed
++No particle substrate from them. Anything particle from the pet store isn't good. Stick with a paper towel or non adhesive shelf liner until you decide what to use.
++Make sure you get a digital thermometer. You don't need to get that at the pet store. Walmart, Kmart, Target etc will have them for about 10.00

Get the whole thing set up and start the uvb and the heat light. Put the probe of the digital thermometer on the highest point that your beardie will be able to climb. That will be his basking spot. That should be around 105*

 

[t rex]

hes about 3 now, i held him when he was a baby and i remember reece wanting one then!!, hes called tango and a lovely reddy colour,

i get the whole set up tomorrow, im just glad i have been reading up abit and now have abit more knowledge, but the guy seems to be well into them and was a pretty cool guy, he said which ones were suitable and which were abit more harder work,didnt seem to think he knew it all and was answering questions, but i will see tomorrow when i go in with alot more !!

i will set it up and be on with pics and loads of questions to get it right!!!!

im feeling excited now rather than scared and thinking what the hell have i done!!!! :-\ ;D

iv not figured out how to multi quote so bare with me,,

 

[renich]

Eh, you're doing it the right way. We went to buy a tree frog and wound up with a bearded dragon. Talk about 'what did we get ourselves into'! Do this or they will DIE...if you don't do this, they will DIE....hence our site. ;D

That's cool that you are stoked to bring your baby home. It will be nerve wracking at first, then you will have a blast and be sharing his silly antics with us soon.

 

[Craiger]

fab thanks for replies,its me i posted on introductions and on here, im getting abit giddy with it all i think ;D

im going tomorrow to get the tank, i think we are going to put him downstairs with us in the dining room, its not to busy and not to quiet, i just dont want to be moving him about to much,

i think i will feel better when i have the tank set up and lights and stuff sorted, i think that is what is worrying me more than anything, i bumped into a friend whos son has one,and she said he will be more than happy to come round if i get stuck with anything,

i have to laugh as my friend is coming with me to pick tank up but she is staying in the car as snakes and lizards petrify her, reece (my son) has a few toy rubber ones and brought down his toy lizard to show her(she wont even look at the toy ones)......she thought it was his new beardie and screamed and ran out of the house!!!

Ha! That's hilarious!!

Oh....and how many of you guys want to start a pool on this one? I'm thinking, before long, beardie will be Mom's and son will have to get his own. LOL!