just became a granny to a beardy :)

[burt-the-beardy]

Just bought (5pm today) a bearded dragon for my son, approx 6 months old called Burt!. I would appreciate any advice with regards food and general care!! I've googled lots but I would like to hear actual personal opinions and tips. he seems quite happy in his tank at the mo and is having a look around his new home.I'm just a bit confused about what food and how much and how often, I've got medium crickets (as suggested by pet shop) also some apple and cucumber, pet shop said to get some rocket leaves too. some people say yes to carrots but others say no?
would be very gratefull if someone could tell me all the yes foods and the things to avoid and any other tips,Id like to be a good granny ta very much x

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Welcome aboard.
Stick to greens like collard, turnip, mustard, ect.
Also check out the nutritional page on this site.
http://www.beautifuldragons.com

 

[pscaulkins]

Welcome to the forum. The website above is a very good one in regards to foods. Mine love collard greens, mustard green, endive, turnip greens. I will add green beans, squash, red peppers a few times a week. I don't do fruit very often but mine love raspberries so when they are in season they get a few a week but not very often.

We love pictures btw.

 

[renich]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your baby! You will have a blast.

You'll need to get the basics down, once you do, it will be smooth sailing.
Bascis are: lighting (UV light & basking spot), temps (hot & cold side), food (salad & proteins/bugs), and substrate (flooring). Here's a link to our caresheet. Give it a read and let us know if you have any questions.
Bearded Dragon Care

 

[Pogie]

First off

, you've come to the right place.

Now maybe this will help . . .

I've got medium crickets (as suggested by pet shop) also some apple and cucumber, pet shop said to get some rocket leaves too.

The crickets should not be larger than space between your beardies eyes, so at 6 months, medium sounds right... Mine ate mediums at 6 months. But measure the eye space if you're not sure. Like this..

some people say yes to carrots but others say no?

I have found from personal experience with my little girl that carrots make their poop stink and makes it runny if given too much, but once a week added to their staple greens wont do much.

Mine loves endive, Rocket, Swiss chard, Butternut, Green beans and squash

Check out the sites mentioned above, they're full of info on all types of food and care.

Good luck and PICS are more than welcome

 

[burt-the-beardy]

thank you for your replies! silly question but..... do I cook his turnips first or is all his food raw? he's eaten a few crickets all ready, not touched his veggies but I'll now pop to the shop and get some rocket, turnip, mustard and collard ect ta. do I chop it up so its no bigger than the space between his eyes like the crickets? also the petshop suggested mealworms, is that a treat too? thanks ever so much for your advice, he seems quite happy in his new home, he hasn't been to the toilet yet though lol

 

[burt-the-beardy]

Welcome aboard.
Stick to greens like collard, turnip, mustard, ect.
Also check out the nutritional page on this site.
http://www.beautifuldragons.com

oo that website is very helpfull, the food chart is just what I needed. many thanks x

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi and Welcome, Burt's care taker.
Nope, don't cook the greens... raw but rinsed is great.
Give him a couple of weeks to settle in with you.. Soon you'll be groaning at the size of poop left
Ask lots of questions, share what equipment you have for him, the uvb light, heat sources, complete diet, size of enclosure.. this way if something is amiss, we can help you identify and correct.
Welcome aboard ! You are in for a riiiiide !

 

[Pogie]

also the petshop suggested mealworms, is that a treat too?

Mealworms are no good for beardies. Their shells contain chitin whic isnt digested and can cause your beardie to become impacted and some have died from this. So almost everyone here don't feed mealworms at all. Rather substitute if you want variation with appropriately sized roaches, pheonix worms, superworms and silkworms. As treats butter worms and wax worms, but not too often as they contain high quantities of fat and are treats only . . . . . not staples.

Here is another chart, stating how to prepare the fruit/leaves and veggies as well as another with pics of the foods.

http://www.blackninjakitty.com/herps/care/troystuttlegreeniglist.htm

http://www.repticzone.com/articles/fruitsandvegetablesrated.html

 

[burt-the-beardy]

ta for letting me know about mealworm, strange that the petshop suggested them??? I'll be avoiding them! he's ate loads of crickets had 2 poo's and had a little nibble of his greens and squash, I'll get his water bowl tomorrow, been spraying him with water at the mo. he's liking being stroked now and sits there whilst my son strokes him.

 

[burt-the-beardy]

Hi and Welcome, Burt's care taker.
Nope, don't cook the greens... raw but rinsed is great.
Give him a couple of weeks to settle in with you.. Soon you'll be groaning at the size of poop left
Ask lots of questions, share what equipment you have for him, the uvb light, heat sources, complete diet, size of enclosure.. this way if something is amiss, we can help you identify and correct.
Welcome aboard ! You are in for a riiiiide !

We have a fairly large tank with a mesh guaze lid, uv lights at the back, a heat rock and a basking lamp placed above the heat rock 2 thermometers placed at each end of the tank and he has a wooden branch to climb on and a fake background which he sits on most of the day. I grated his butternut squash and he's had collard greens and rocket, but has eaten lots of crickets! and he's had 2 "bird like" poos... lol great ha ha

 

[Donovan199]

You said heat rock, is it a fake rock with a heating element inside or just a real rock placed under the heat lamp to get warm? If it is a fake rock with a heating element get rid of it ASAP. Those can cause severe burns to reptiles. If it is a regular rock you're good.

 

[Pogie]

Yes I have to say this as well. Heat rocks with the element are no good. BD's cant really feel temperature all that good on their bellies and end up with bad and sometimes fatal burns on their tummies due to these heat rocks becoming too hot for them.

If you cant return it, I suggest don't plug it in and just use it as decor....

You can use either a heat pad or a ceramic heat emitter if you need more heat at night, or another household bulb or higher wattage one if your day time temps are too low.

Heres a testimony I got on the internet and I agree with this guy....

Hey reptile fans,
This is just a general warning for reptile owners to stear clear of any electric heat rocks, heat caves, or other electric heating devices that require direct physical contact with the reptile. Every year thousands of reptiles sustain burn injuries from direct contact with these devices. This is no secret to the pet supplie comanies that market them, or the pet stores that stock these products on their shelves, and it's really a shame that they're still on the market with all the proof out there about how dangerous they are.

The main two reasons heat rocks burn reptiles are:
1. Many reptiles in the wild are used to taking in heat from the sun - they feel the sun's heat coming down on their back, not on their belly. Sitting on a hot rock leaves their backs cold and burns their belly before they know they're even being burned.
2. Heat Rocks that are too small for the reptile leave the parts of their bodies not touching the rock feeling cold, so they don't leave hot spot they're sitting on because they feel the need for more heat. The rest of their bodies never warm up though because they're too big to touch the heat rock, and the parts of their bodies touching the heat rock get scorched.

As a reptile rescue operator, I've talked to many reptile vets and other rescue operators about this topic. Everyone agrees: Heat rocks are NOT safe for reptiles and often cause major burns or death for reptiles. Please encourage your local pet stores to take them off the shelves, and if you're using them, please stop before your reptile becomes a statistic. Instead, try using a combination of heat lamps and under-the-tank heat pads or heat tape.

These heat rocks (AKA reptile burners to experts) are lethal and they need to be done away with.

ta for letting me know about mealworm, strange that the petshop suggested them???

Yeah its sad that pet shops give the wrong advice at times (well most of the times although there are the exceptions to the rule) They will suggest mealies for BD's as BD's LOVE them, they apparently taste good, but do more harm in the long run.

Heres a link to a necroscopy of a BD, and I was shocked to see what they found....http://www.captivebredreptileforums...graphic-images-bearded-dragon-postmortem.html

 

[burt-the-beardy]

thanks everyone I unplugged straight away and have left it switched off just using for decoration now and to be honest the temperature has changed at all from when it was on anyway! thanks for warning x

 

[staylor]

everyone has you taken care of so I will just welcome you....Welcome and you will learns so much here.

 

[Craiger]

How'd I miss this great thread? Welcome aboard, Granny to Burt! ;D

Hope you make yourself right at home, here. It's a fun, great place to hang your hat....well, if you wear hats. If not, I suppose you could hang an umbrella....sounds like you could be from England.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Congrats granny!

 

[burt-the-beardy]

lol thanks for the congrats ;D Well Burt has settled in very well now, he eats lots of crickets and isn't shy... as soon as we chuck the crickets in with him he is jumping around trying to catch them where as before he wouldn't approach them unless we stood very still watching. Not too pleased with him today though.... took ages cleaning his tank out cleaning his food dish, done some lovely rocket for him.... cage looked right lovely and clean then when I went back had had done a huge poo in his rocket! lol lol

We had a polystyrene background in his tank but today I took it out... the crickets were eating it!! they were getting through to the other side, climbing up it and getting out of the tank!!I placed some electrical tape along the tiny hole where they were escaping (where the wire for the thermometer came out) but the crickets ate through the tape!!

 

[burt-the-beardy]

How'd I miss this great thread? Welcome aboard, Granny to Burt! ;D

Hope you make yourself right at home, here. It's a fun, great place to hang your hat....well, if you wear hats. If not, I suppose you could hang an umbrella....sounds like you could be from England.

;D ;D ;D

 

[Craiger]

We had a polystyrene background in his tank but today I took it out... the crickets were eating it!! they were getting through to the other side, climbing up it and getting out of the tank!!I placed some electrical tape along the tiny hole where they were escaping (where the wire for the thermometer came out) but the crickets ate through the tape!!

I hate crickets almost as much as I hate ants. Not quite as much, but almost!