Full time and was juvenile bearded dragon??

[Kelss]

Hey all

I really want a bearded dragon and spent months researching! I’m happy that financially I can look after him and provide the appropriate equipment but where I am lost is routine. I work 13 hours shifts twice a week and then either a 7am to 2pm or 1pm to 8pm, so 3 days on and 4 days off. I live with my mom who is happy to help and is in the house in the day.
my question is I would get up usually 5, is this too early to start my bearded dragons day off for feeding etc.? And what times are best to feed him live food? I know it’s 3-4 times a day.
Thanks for reading, any other useful information is very much welcomed

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Hey all

I really want a bearded dragon and spent months researching! I’m happy that financially I can look after him and provide the appropriate equipment but where I am lost is routine. I work 13 hours shifts twice a week and then either a 7am to 2pm or 1pm to 8pm, so 3 days on and 4 days off. I live with my mom who is happy to help and is in the house in the day.
my question is I would get up usually 5, is this too early to start my bearded dragons day off for feeding etc.? And what times are best to feed him live food? I know it’s 3-4 times a day.
Thanks for reading, any other useful information is very much welcomed

I'm a new mom and not an expert, but it might depend on the age of the beardie you get, I think. Babies/young juveniles require more maintenance and babysitting at first I've discovered. I've seen posts where peeps here recommend/prefer getting a subadult/adult rather than a baby because they are hardier and already established. During summer months they should get around 14–16 hours of light and UV exposure and roughly 8–10 hours of nighttime exposure. During the winter months it should decrease to about 10–12 hours of daytime light and UV exposure and 12–14 hours of nighttime exposure. Peeps have told me that beardies should bask for about 1-2 hours after lights on before feeding and about 2 hours after last feeding before lights go out to help their digestion. If you can get his lighting and feeding regulated around your schedule you should be ok. Having mom home and willing to help is good if you can't. There are power strips you can purchase that will automatically turn on/off lights that may help. I have one as I'm occasionally not home in the evening when his lights need to go out. The timer will shut them off for me.

My baby (about 2.5 months old) won't wait quite an hour before he wants food. I accommodate him as he's doing fine and is pooing regularly, but I'm currently home and can watch him. He now eats 5-7 crickets and 1-2 roaches about every 2.5-3 hours during the day. I refresh his salad in his tank about 4 times a day right now as he's not eating them yet. If you purchase from a recommended breeder and get a slightly older beardie they are are usually already established on veges which makes things easier. Also, bugs will need to be dusted with calcium and vitamins. How often will depend on the age of the beardie you choose. Good husbandry is key to having a happy, healthy beardie. A lot of questions have been asked and answered on a variety of topics within this forum that can assist. If in doubt about anything once you get your beardie experienced peeps here are willing to help out. I'm hoping they will chime in and correct anything I got wrong and provide other pertinent info that may help. Good luck!

 

[Kelss]

I'm a new mom and not an expert, but it might depend on the age of the beardie you get, I think. Babies/young juveniles require more maintenance and babysitting at first I've discovered. I've seen posts where peeps here recommend/prefer getting a subadult/adult rather than a baby because they are hardier and already established. During summer months they should get around 14–16 hours of light and UV exposure and roughly 8–10 hours of nighttime exposure. During the winter months it should decrease to about 10–12 hours of daytime light and UV exposure and 12–14 hours of nighttime exposure. Peeps have told me that beardies should bask for about 1-2 hours after lights on before feeding and about 2 hours after last feeding before lights go out to help their digestion. If you can get his lighting and feeding regulated around your schedule you should be ok. Having mom home and willing to help is good if you can't. There are power strips you can purchase that will automatically turn on/off lights that may help. I have one as I'm occasionally not home in the evening when his lights need to go out. The timer will shut them off for me.

My baby (about 2.5 months old) won't wait quite an hour before he wants food. I accommodate him as he's doing fine and is pooing regularly, but I'm currently home and can watch him. He now eats 5-7 crickets and 1-2 roaches about every 2.5-3 hours during the day. I refresh his salad in his tank about 4 times a day right now as he's not eating them yet. If you purchase from a recommended breeder and get a slightly older beardie they are are usually already established on veges which makes things easier. Also, bugs will need to be dusted with calcium and vitamins. How often will depend on the age of the beardie you choose. Good husbandry is key to having a happy, healthy beardie. A lot of questions have been asked and answered on a variety of topics within this forum that can assist. If in doubt about anything once you get your beardie experienced peeps here are willing to help out. I'm hoping they will chime in and correct anything I got wrong and provide other pertinent info that may help. Good luck!

Honestly thank you so much for such a detailed reply really helped

 

[Sosemisa]

Hey all

I really want a bearded dragon and spent months researching! I’m happy that financially I can look after him and provide the appropriate equipment but where I am lost is routine. I work 13 hours shifts twice a week and then either a 7am to 2pm or 1pm to 8pm, so 3 days on and 4 days off. I live with my mom who is happy to help and is in the house in the day.
my question is I would get up usually 5, is this too early to start my bearded dragons day off for feeding etc.? And what times are best to feed him live food? I know it’s 3-4 times a day
Thanks for reading, any other useful information is very much welcomed

I would give him an hour after turning on his heat lamp before feeding. And make sure he gets at least 10 hours of sleep before feeding him